We’ve heard a lot about ‘worship wars’ over the last few years. This primarily refers to the type of music incorporated in public worship services. Some people like a more contemporary musical sound to lead the public worship. Others like a more traditional sound. This battlefield of style has ruined relationships and even split churches. Satan doesn’t care how you like to worship, as long as your focus comes off of the true object of worship.

Frankly, God doesn’t care about your style as long as your heart is in the right place spiritually. Some people and churches are more subdued and reflective in their style. They experience some things of God by allowing His voice to be heard in the absence of human voices and instruments. Others have what appears to be a full-on concert experience with God as the star, complete with loud instrumentation, special lights, and even smoke.

I’m fine with both extremes and everywhere in between… as long as it is authentic. That being said, there is a passage of Scripture that encourages a type of worship. There are in fact several such passages. But this one is quite descriptive of how we should worship.

“Hallelujah!
Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty heavens.
Praise Him for His powerful acts; praise Him for His abundant greatness.

Praise Him with trumpet blast; praise Him with harp and lyre.
Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with flute and strings.
Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals.

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!”

(Psalm 150)

This is not a command to always worship with over the top music. It is a recognition of the majesty of God. To you it may be a confirmation that God deserves our most outstanding praise. To others it may be permission to become more outlandish in their worship. Regardless, we know He is worthy of our most outrageous praise.

I also like the idea represented that not only should all of nature praise the Lord, but God can even receive wonderful praise by man-made instruments. How cool it is that He gives us the ability to design and create instruments of worship, and when we honestly play them loudly, He receives glory.

Today in worship, don’t worry about how loud the music is, focus on how great God is. Frankly, there is no music that is loud enough to match His excellence.

[Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.]

Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry.

Our church has a prayer service every Saturday morning. There is no singing. No devotional. No one is leading in prayer. The sanctuary doors are unlocked. You walk in. People are praying. Some are walking while they pray. Others are standing still. Some are sitting. Others are kneeling. Sometimes a person is stretched out prostrate. Some pray out loud. Others pray quietly. Some are crying as they pray. Others may be using words that you can’t quite make out. It is a prayer service.

Many churches have a ‘prayer meeting’ on Wednesday nights. But often times it isn’t a meeting of people praying. It used to be. But over the years, many of these prayer meetings have become a Bible study with a time for prayer requests. Most, if not all churches have prayer on Sunday morning. But I have found that prayer is almost used as a bumper or transition as the worship team shuffles off the stage, or the ushers get into place. Some churches spend more time sharing announcements than they do in prayer during a worship service.

I do not consider myself a great prayer warrior, though I do tend to think more deeply about prayer the older I get. Again, I am no expert on prayer, but here are 5 practical things to consider when cultivating your prayer life.

When Is The Best Time To Pray? There is no magic time slot for prayer. God is no more attentive to an early morning prayer than He is to a lunch time prayer. We are encouraged to always be in a spirit of prayer. So whatever time of day work best for you to be in the right frame of mind to talk specifically with God is the right time to pray. There is definitely no wrong time to pray. You should talk with God as often as you need to… and as often as you want to.

Should I Pray Out Loud? God isn’t deaf. You don’t have to shout your prayers to God. Neither is He nervous. He gave you your voice. I’m sure He would like to hear it lift up prayers. We are encouraged to lift up our voices in praise. Praise should be a part of our prayers. So I think there are times when we should pray audibly. And there are probably times when we should pray silently. The enemy cannot hear your silent prayers. So maybe it is good for him to hear your lips calling out to God and putting him on notice.

Do I Need To Kneel To Pray? Prayer is a very spiritual exercise. It is your heart communing with God’s heart. But just because prayer is spiritual does not mean that your physical body is disconnected from it. In the Bible we find people praying while lifting their hands, folding their hands, bowing their head, looking to the sky, standing, kneeling, stretched out on the ground, weeping, smiling, walking, standing still, pouring ashes on themselves, after washing themselves, aloud with others, silently by themselves. You get the idea? The spiritual vibrancy of prayer should inspire your body to enter into the experience, though that may look differently at different times.

What Should I Pray For? You can ask God for anything, and He may or may not give you what you want. But if you pray for those thing God wants you to have, you will receive them. To reach this level means your prayer life needs to be more than a Christmas list. If your child only comes to you to ask you for stuff, how will that make you feel? You want a relationship with her/him. The same is true with God. Pray that God’s will would be accomplished in your life.

What Is The Key To Prayer? – Everyone wants God to hear and answer their prayers. But sometimes we kind of wing it. People pray in a moment for a moment. God may and often does answer those prayers, but your prayer life should not be a list of 9-1-1 calls to Heaven. Be purposeful in your prayer life. Here are three keys to successful prayer…

·         Pray often. The Bible says that we have not because we ask not. It encourages us to ask and keep on asking. Most people have a shallow prayer life because they don’t pray. So… pray, and pray often.

·         Pray according to God’s will. God wants to transform you and bless you. But if you only seek the blessings without the transformation, it will skew the relationship. Pray that God will make Himself known to you. Find out what He wants you to have, and pray for that.

·         When you pray, pray to God. He won’t answer prayers you pray to a tree, or the sun, or your grandma, or a saint, or Mary the mother of Jesus. Pray to God.

·         Pray in faith. Do not doubt. The Bible tells us that our prayers aren’t answered sometimes because we don’t actually believe what we are asking. Prayer is not a wish. Prayer is to be an act of faith where you trust God enough to approach Him about an issue in your life. He looks for faith in your prayers more than any other element.

·         Make sure your heart is clear. Don’t expect to live a life of sin and have God respond to your prayers. He will answer the sinners prayer for forgiveness and restoration. But if you have idols in your life, that will get in the way of your prayers.

“Ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” (James 1:6-7)

“You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires.” (James 4:2-3)

Today know that God hears honest prayers lifted up in faith from sincere hearts.

[Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.]

Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry.

Have you ever noticed that your computer knows what you like? And it isn’t just your computer. The websites you visit know what you like, and they know what you search for. They know what you buy. Your smart phone knows where you are and where you are going. These devices and websites will even make recommendations for you. Does that ever freak you out?

I understand how it basically works. And I enjoy the integration of technology into my life. But I’ll admit… it is creepy. Some people feel violated by it all. I don’t know if I feel violated. I don’t think so. After all, it is my choice to visit every site I do and use every device I use. There are certainly some privacy issues at stake, and wherever there is an unannounced invasion of privacy there is a problem. But generally, I think most of the integration goes with the territory, and is largely beneficial to our online experience.

The fact that people are thrown off by the depth of the integration is my focus in this devotional. Facebook knows when I shop on Amazon or Priceline. I know this because immediately after visiting those sites, ads for clothes or hotels will pop up in my Facebook sidebar… whether I booked the trip and bought the shoes or not. When that happens, I am immediately a little bit offended. If I wanted Facebook’s recommendation or help, I would ask for it. This is my trip, and my feet. Leave me alone… and stay out of my shopping and plans. Some people are extremely offended by this activity. I get it.

But I find it interesting that we are more acutely aware and concerned that Facebook and Google are keeping tabs on us than we are that God is watching everything… not just what we do, but what we think. Facebook may know that you are trying to book a vacation in Cancun. God knows what you want to do when you get there. Yet we are more upset that Facebook knows we are trying to get a hotel room.

There are ways to hide your activity from various websites. You can even turn off your location feature on your smart phone. But you can never be outside of God’s watchful eye. That truth can be a comfort or a warning. I hope we see it as both. I would encourage you to not jst focus on the weirdness of Google knowing what you like to search for and miss the conviction of God about those things you like to look for.

Here’s the thing… God not only knows what you have done or are doing… He knows what you want to do (as well as what you will do). As a believer, you have the Holy Spirit inside of you to guide you away from sin and into holiness. He guides into truth. He is convicting, even before you act. In other words, one of the greatest things about God is, He knows our heart and can make ‘recommendations’ for our activity. Amazon can make movie recommendations based on my past habits. And sometimes I take those recommendations. It is freaky, but it is cool. God knows the beginning from the end, the past from the future. And He is able to use what He knows to help you live a successful Christian life.

One of the writers of the Bible (long before the internet) put it this way, “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.” (Hebrews 4:12-13) He judges the thoughts of your heart. No creature is hidden from Him. God isn’t trying to invade your privacy for His own gain, like Facebook and Google. He is trying to infuse your whole life with resurrection power for your eternal gain.

Today be aware that God is intricately involved in every aspect of your life. To paraphrase Jesus in modern jargon, “Don’t freak out about the website that can track your every move on the internet. Fear and trust in the One who will judge you for every keystroke, but loves you enough to convict you of it, and lead you into holiness.” (The original verse can be found at Matthew 10:28)

[Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.]

Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry.

I think most of us would naturally like to fly under the enemy’s radar. Not too many people want to be on Satan’s hit list. Being in battle with the forces of darkness is no walk in the park. But the fact is, as Christians, we are a target for the Devil.

Sometimes new believers get all excited about going to war with Satan. They can even become cavalier about it. But I’m going to tell you… the fight is real, and there are real casualties. And trust me… you don’t have to call out Satan in order to get it on. The fact that you are a human created by God, even in a broken image of Him, means that the enemy is after you. But when you surrender your life to Jesus Christ and are made new completely in His image, the engagement goes to a whole other level.

Satan doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t attack you because he wants another worker in his kingdom or family member. He really has no concern for you one way or another. He doesn’t need you. When he recruits you to ‘team evil’ it isn’t because he has any sort of love or appreciation for you. His primary goal in this earth is to hurt God. The Devil doesn’t love you. But he knows God loves you with an immense unfailing love. And if he can bring harm to you, or bring you over to his evil domain, that will grieve the heart of God. Satan’s end game is not gaining people… it is hurting God. Not to dethrone Him, but to disrupt His family.

Satan knows He can’t defeat God specifically. So he targets the weak link… you and me. If you do something to me, you may or may not hurt me. If you do something to my kids or my wife… well… it’s on like Donkey Kong, as they say. That is the quickest way to hurt me, and the most assured way of getting me to engage with you.

Whether or not you’ve thought about the battle in this way, you probably do all you can to not get in a fight with Satan. I don’t blame you. I don’t like war anymore than anyone else. More specifically, I don’t like the blood and death that go along with war. But we don’t get to choose that. When Christ is in us, we are light. And light is constantly at war with darkness. It is wearying and messy. But until God writes the final chapter, it is what it is.

Scripture is full of examples of Satan going after humans to hurt God. A few that come to mind are Adam and Eve, Abel, Joseph, Sarah, Samson, Esther, Daniel, John the Baptizer, Peter, Judas, and Paul. Jesus predicted this would happen. “You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33) The apostle Paul also gave us a ‘heads up’ about the battle, and even encouraged us about how to get ready. “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.” (Ephesians 6:11-13) Notice he doesn’t tell us that we have been outfitted to run or fly under the radar. We are outfitted to stand firm.

We aren’t designed to ‘fly under the radar’ of the enemy of our soul. Sometimes God may hide us in His hand (Isaiah 49:2). But God designed us to be strong and powerful by His Spirit. In fact, I don’t want to be off of the enemy’s radar. If I am, that means I am not a threat to the powers of wickedness. If I am not a threat to Satan, I am one of his kids. I want the Devil to fear me because of the God in me. I want to be a Job that God can trust to stand firm under the attack of Satan. I don’t want to constantly be in turmoil. But I would rather be on Satan’s radar than be under his thumb.

Today, do not try to avoid the attacks of the enemy. Focus on being the spiritual warrior God has empowered you to be. And remember, the battle is not yours. It belongs to the Lord.

[Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.]

Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry.

Does it ever tick you off when people who do the wrong thing are promoted or in some way blessed beyond those who are doing the right thing? Doesn’t it seem like the person who is living in the right way should benefit more than the person who is cutting corners and disregarding or disobeying the rules? Is it wrong to try and tilt the scales toward the righteous person when the wicked person is beating the system?

I think these questions come from a place of justice. And they also reflect a confusion we have in regards to right and wrong and how they should play out as opposed to how they actually play out. As young children we are told, “Cheaters never win.” But they do sometimes. Sometimes they even win the Super Bowl.

I work with a ministry that serves the homeless and poor. We offer various services, including meals, worship/preaching, clothes, groceries, etc. We discourage people from lining up for food until the preaching and altar call are done. We don’t send people home if they break this rule, but the most important thing we do is provide an environment for them to come to know Jesus and have their life changed for eternity. Oh… and we want to give some cereal and socks too. We just don’t want people to miss the most important eternal part because they are lined up to receive the temporal part.

But you know what happens. Some people are only there for the goodies, and couldn’t care less about the best. So someone who only wants groceries is at the front of that line while someone who also needs a bag of food is at the altar having a wonderful life-changing moment with God. The person who chose to do the right thing is now behind the person (or many people) who chose to do the wrong thing by breaking the rule. This can cause you to have some inner turmoil. It can make you want to throw people out of line and put the God-seekers at the front.

Most of us know a successful person who has achieved great wealth by shady means. You may have a neighbor who is extremely wealthy but isn’t saved, never prays, reads their Bible, attends church, tithes or anything that we associate with right living. Yet they are filthy rich. And yet the missionary you support in the jungles of South America is financially struggling to serve God. It just doesn’t seem right. It isn’t right… right? The ungodly person should be struggling to make their house payment, and the missionary should have more than enough to spread the Gospel. We would change it if we could. But we can’t. God can. But apparently He isn’t.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t feel the injustice. But we shouldn’t let injustices control us. We just need to understand that sometimes God will enable us to balance the scales, but many times He will just ask us to live with them as they are. In fact, He may ask us to bless them. One time when Jesus was preaching He began talking about our relationship with those who are not righteous. He knows we were created with a sense of justice, but He wanted us to see that justice and grace can work together. He said, “The Father causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)

So God knows better than we who is cheating to get to the front of the line. He knows who grew their bank account by unscrupulous means. He knows who got to the top by walking on others as a ladder. But He still gives them rain just like He does the missionary. He still provides them with sunshine just like He does you and me.

Sometimes we want to force someone into a blessed place. And honestly, sometimes that may be called for, and actually work. But generally, you cannot force someone to be blessed or to live a life that will bring the greatest blessings. The best thing is to love people wherever God has them. Don’t give up on justice. But don’t underestimate the sovereignty and providence of God. In another passage we are reminded, “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance.” (Romans 2:4)

Today you will meet people who seem to have beaten God’s system of right and wrong… blessing and curses. No one beats God’s system. And God doesn’t need you to balance it all out for Him. Do not compromise on conviction, but love and reach out to the ungodly. Remember, God blessed you before you were doing the right thing.

 

[Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.]

Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry.