The Brilliance of Wintery Knight

Here is a link to a brilliant blog, written by a favorite thinker, Wintery Knight...most Christians have a misunderstanding of God, and it leads many of them to "de-convert"...they are simply misinformed...so WK hits on key elements to show how Christianity truly relates to our lives, and why it is so important that our understanding of correct Christian Theology and Doctrine, be accurate, instead of some superstitious nonsense...

...here are few excerpts:

"This is why accurate theology matters. No serious Christian thinks that you stop sinning after you become a Christian, and no serious Christian thinks that prayer alone is a solution to sin. To stop sinning, you need to engage more than the spirit, you need to engage the mind. Most people want to spiritualize things because prayer is easier than study. But if you want to stop sinning, the best way is a combination of prayer and study."

"Some people want to dumb Christianity down to the level of superstition then they complain that it doesn't work. But Christianity is better when you learn more and work harder..."

...People become Christians because they want to be like Jesus, and they understand that Jesus was not having fun. He was doing a job, and he wasn't happy or appreciated."

"It's so strange to me that people think that the best way to see God interfere is to pray. The way I see God working in my life is when I go home and listen to some debate about the problem of evil, and then the next day some atheist asks me out to lunch to talk about why God allows evil. Maybe instead of doing easy things, we should actually invest in our relationship with God and then see if he responds by giving us work to do. Maybe a relationship with God is about serving him, and the joy is about seeing him reward those efforts by working with us and through us. Maybe God has more for us than just entertainment."

Pray Like Jesus

"Preaching a pagan-style gospel teaches that as long as we
have enough faith in Jesus, then we don't have to be like Jesus."
...a paraphrase from Mark Driscoll,
~ Pray Like Jesus:The Gethsemane Prayer ~

Tired of hearing the pagan practice of the prosperity gospel?...the prosperity gospel is when we use Prayer, Scripture, and experience to try and align God to our will. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, on the other hand, is when God utilizes Prayer, Scripture, and experience to align us to His Will.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect,
the prosperity gospel is pagan...

...Mark Driscoll, in his sermon called, Pray Like Jesus: The Gethsemane Prayer, explains (and I paraphrase) that "so much of what we hear today is a brand of theology that will not be strong enough for us when we need it the most."

Christianity is a belief in a person (Jesus Christ)...it is not a coping mechanism or some magic trick for material wealth and prosperous gain...it is a relationship based on a theology that will be everything for us when we need it the most...Driscoll goes on to say, "being a follower of Jesus Christ may not get us around the obstacles of life, but it will get us through the obstacles of life."

At the end of the sermon, Driscoll outlines and speaks briefly on eleven questions about prayer... questions that challenge us to see if our prayer life is in line with God's plan...Below, I have included the eleven questions...but along with those questions, I highly encourage you to either watch Driscoll's sermon or listen to it on the Mars Hill App or via podcast.

01. Do you pray to get from God or to get God?
02. Do you pray to move God or for God to move you?
03. Do you pray to get around pain or through pain?
04. Do you courageously punctuate your prayers with "Your - Will - Be - Done...?"
• We do present our requests to God, but we should always end with, "Your Will Be Done..."
05. Do you pray out of Holy or unholy depression?
• Holy despair/depression = due to sin and its effects
• unholy despair/depression = not getting our way
06. Do you pray in faith knowing that God is not the author of sin, but is the author over sin?
07. Do you ask your friends to pray for you even if you know they will fail to do so?
08. Do you pray to both hear and accept God's will for your life?
09. Do you accept that God will answer your prayers with a "yes, no, or later?"
10. Do you know that knowing God's Will is far easier than walking in it? (Hebrews 5.7-8)
11. Do you know a godly wife who lived like Jesus Prayed? (1 Corinthians 11.3)
• You have to listen to his explanation to understand this question...

"God’s main purpose for you is not what you do. It's who you become."
~ John Ortberg ~

Charles Spurgeon On Prayer

Great thought from Charles Spurgeon about The urgent desire in prayer...

Along with a definite object for prayer, it is equally necessary that there should be an earnest desire for its attainment. “Cold prayer,” says an old divine, "asks for denial.” When we ask the Lord without passion, we actually stop His hand and restrain Him from giving us the very blessing we pretend that we are seeking. When you have your object in your eye, your soul must become so possessed with the value of that object, with your own excessive need for it, with the danger that you will be in unless that object should be granted, that you will be compelled to plead for it as a man pleads for his life. Feeling that the thing we ask for cannot be wrong and that He has promised it, we have resolved it must be given, and if not given, we will plead the promise again and again, till heaven’s gates shall shake before our pleas shall cease. Oh, those cold-hearted prayers that die upon the lips — those frozen supplications. They do not move men’s hearts; how should they move God’s heart? We must be earnest. Otherwise, we have no right to hope that the Lord will hear our prayer.

Prayer Quotes

Love the play on words in the following quote about Prayer!

"Seven days without prayer makes one weak."
Allen E. Vartlett

For more great quotes on Prayer, see the following link: Prayer

God Will Bless You...If...

...we all want God's Blessings, but sometimes we must be in the proper context in order to receive them. We must remember what Galatians 6.7 tells us:

~ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.
A man reaps what he sows. ~

So here are two points James gives us in order to receive God's Blessings and to reap what we sow...

God will bless you, if you don't give up when your faith is being tested. He will reward you with a glorious life, just as he rewards everyone who loves him. James 1.12 CEV

But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don't just hear and forget. James 1.25 CEV

God's Encore Through Your Persistence!

Bravo, God, Bravo!
Everyone join in the great shout: Encore!
In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.
Psalm 96.7 MSG

Persevering Persistence
According to dictionary.com, the word Persistent is defined as, "persisting, esp. in spite of opposition, obstacles, discouragement, etc.; persevering." What is so important about persistence? Well being persistent and persevering through trials leads to blessings. The Bible tells us the following:

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”- James 1:12

In Scripture, (see the parable of the persistent widow), in sports, and in all of life, we see that persevering and persistence can be the determining factor that brings victory.

For example, Thomas Alva Edison put it into perspective when he said, "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

God's Encore
As Christ Follower's, I believe Persistent Prayer, Persistent believing, and persevering under trial are testimony's of our faith in God's Power. As long as we are living, breathing, and meditating through the filter of scripture, as long as we are in the sweet spot of God's Will, as long as we are delighting ourselves in The Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. (Psalm 37.4)

Why or how do we believe with such persistent faith? Because we have seen how God has worked in our life in the past. Psalm 77.11-12 says,

"Once again I'll go over what God has done,

lay out on the table the ancient wonders;
I'll ponder all the things you've accomplished,
and give a long, loving look at your acts."

You see, we believe in God's Encore, that He will do it again! We shout Bravo, God, Bravo!

God's power in the past gives us faith for our future.

Listen, you may be in a situation right now where you feel there is no way out. Maybe God has taken you on a detour, or perhaps you have run from God...maybe circumstances of life have left you feeling out of control. There is no better time than right now to believe in God's Mighty Power and shout Bravo God! ...Plead for God's Encore... Be persistent in your Prayer and persevering in your trials, because God is The One who makes things happen! ...He is The One who pulls us out of the worst kind of trouble! (Psalm 77.13-15 MSG)

I’m sure now I’ll see God’s goodness in the exuberant earth.
Stay with God!
Take heart. Don’t quit. I’ll say it again: Stay with God.
Psalm 27.13-14

Holy Spirit Prays For Us

Want to start living with Holy Anticipation? All we have to do is realize two facts that blow my mind: The Holy Spirit Prays for us and that our life is God's Prayer! Drink it in!

He Prays for us in accordance to God's Will! Soak that up...what if we really believed what God's Word is telling us??...What would we dare to accomplish for His Glory if we really believed that The Holy Spirit is Praying for us...It's time to start living what we believe!

Christian has even mentioned to me that he has heard one preacher make an interesting point, "that Christians really don't believe the bible. If we did, our lives would look completely different...as would our obedience to God!"

Romans 8.27 says "for the Spirit pleads for us BELIEVERS"...

It does not say "the spirit pleads for us who would like to believe..."

My point is this...I think sometimes we can get 'lost in translation.' We read a powerful scripture, we hear a good sermon, etc, but then fail to connect God's Word to our living...we go back to living the same lives, going through the same routine, wishing that things were different, hoping that somehow things will change without any action on our part...we must translate Gods' Powerful Promises to our Faithful Living...it's not enough to hear a sermon or read Scripture but then never act on it...

It's time to have a whole new perspective on life knowing and BELIEVING that The Holy Spirit is PLEADING for us in accordance to God's Will!

Psalm 42.6-8
Then God promises to love me all day,
sing songs all through the night!
My life is God's prayer.

Romans 8.26-28
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them

Hear And Believe

"We must "hear The Word of God" and then we must "believe what we hear."

These are two points that Jentezen Franklin makes in his awesome Holy Spirit filled podcast about our 'Destiny.' In response to this, I would like to post Psalm 119.1-8 below in reference to our destiny with God.

Do you feel God pulling you in a certain direction but your mind has not caught up with your soul in order to know exactly what to do? Well stay on The Path God has put you on...be persistent...stay in constant communication with God and follow His directions...do your best to find Him...He will give you the ultimate prescription to life:

Psalm 119.1-8 MSG
1 You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.

2 You’re blessed when you follow his directions,
doing your best to find him.

3 That’s right—you don’t go off on your own;
you walk straight along the road he set.

4 You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
now you expect us to live it.

5 Oh, that my steps might be steady,
keeping to the course you set;

6 Then I’d never have any regrets
in comparing my life with your counsel.

7 I thank you for speaking straight from your heart;
I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.

8 I’m going to do what you tell me to do;
don’t ever walk off and leave me.

Hear what God says, and then believe what you hear.

Seek And You'll Find

Seek and you'll find...
~ Luke 11:9 ~

Zacchaeus was eager to seek...sometimes I wonder if Zacchaeus was peeking around the corner when Jesus was teaching His disciples to ask, seek, and knock, because Zacchaeus did whatever he could do to see Jesus...

The Message paraphrases it like this: He wanted desperately to see Jesus.

Here is the cool thing...Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus...Jesus ended up seeing Zacchaeus...

When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home."

I love the response of Zacchaeus...

Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him.

Where is our tree? Who or what are we seeking? Jesus is right in our midst...are we seeking him? Are we desperate to see Jesus?

In the words of Perry Noble, "When we reach times of desperation we are more likely to seek revelation!!!

Climb your tree...then put your name in the blank as Jesus looks up and says, "_______ hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home."

Ask And You'll Get: Paul's Prayer

One more note before I dig into what it means to "Seek" from our current series on A.S.K.

I want to look at what Paul, one of the Champions of Christ Following, asks for...Amazing Prayer...Pray this for your family, for your community, for God's Kingdom!

From Ephesians 3.14-21, we see that Paul Prays that God would strengthen Christians:

This is the reason I kneel in the presence of the Father from whom all the family in heaven and on earth receives its name.

I’m asking God to give you a gift from the wealth of his glory.

I pray that he would give you inner strength and power through his Spirit. Then Christ will live in you through faith.

I also pray that love may be the ground into which you sink your roots and on which you have your foundation. This way, with all of God’s people you will be able to understand how wide, long, high, and deep his love is. You will know Christ’s love, which goes far beyond any knowledge.

I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God.

Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us.

By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.

Glory belongs to God in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time and eternity! Amen.

Ask And You'll Get

Here's what I'm saying:

Ask and you'll get;
Seek and you'll find;
Knock and the door will open.
"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need.
~ Luke 11:9 ~

Continuing from the last post on Persistent Wrestling, I want to now focus on what Jesus said after He gave the story of a man who was persistent by "waking all the neighbors." From Luke 11.9 above, let's zoom in on the first part: Ask and you'll get.

Ask And You'll Get
What does it mean to ask? Jesus tells us to do it, so we know it must be a good thing to do!!! But we must understand that asking Jesus is not synonymous with the genie in the bottle scenario, where we are granted our wishes no matter what. Quite the contrary. The chief aim of our asking is to Glorify God, not ourselves. In John 17.1-5, Jesus says, "I glorified you [God] on earth By completing down to the last detail What you assigned me to do."

In order to Glorify God, we must put him ahead our of our asking, then we will know exactly how to ask and what to ask for...Below are a few Scriptures that give us some framework in terms of asking. Notice how the asking and the receiving are preceded by putting The Lord first in our lives. By doing so, we have the true framework by what it means to ASK.

John 15.5 "apart from me [Jesus] you can do nothing."

John 15.7-8, Jesus says, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (emphasis added).

Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

Proverbs 1:7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Solomon's Shoes
God straight up asks Solomon what he wants. Solomon asks...God is pleased of what Solomon asks for, so God grants him even more! To read the amazing story, click here!

Lets put God first in our asking, since His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. (Isaiah 55.9)

Next post will focus on "Seeking..."

Persistent Wrestling

But let me tell you, even if he won't get up because he's a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he'll finally get up and get you whatever you need.
~ Luke 11:8 ~

Ask For What You Need
You know what is amazing about Luke 11.8? It comes from a passage of Scripture where Jesus is teaching the disciples how to Pray. Jesus teaches them to Pray what we know as The Lord's Prayer, but right after that, He uses this story found verses 5-8 to bring out a huge teaching about Prayer. Take a look at in context:

Then he said, "Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend traveling through just showed up, and I don't have a thing on hand.'

"The friend answers from his bed, 'Don't bother me. The door's locked; my children are all down for the night; I can't get up to give you anything.'

"But let me tell you, even if he won't get up because he's a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he'll finally get up and get you whatever you need.

Persistence And Wrestling
This blows my mind when it comes to Prayer. We have Jesus Himself teaching us how to Pray, and He is basically telling us to be as persistent as some guy standing his ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors until he gets whatever he needs. It reminds me of The Persistent Widow in Luke 18 and also of Jacob wrestling with God in The Book of Genesis...

"You can't go until you bless me," Jacob replied...And he blessed Jacob.
Genesis 32.22-30

So we see first how Jesus tells us to be persistent in Prayer, then we see how He teaches us to A.S.K...after this story on persistence, Jesus states the following:

Here's what I'm saying:

Ask and you'll get;
Seek and you'll find;
Knock and the door will open. "Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need.

Let's focus on being persistent and wrestling like Jacob today, and then in the next post, lets zoom in on what it means to Ask, Seek, and Knock!

Embrace This God-life

Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Embrace this God-life.
Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you.
Mark 11:22-25

If you ever had a question about if we should pray or what should we pray about, then question no more! We have the answer from Jesus Himself through Mark's version of The Gospel!!! Continuing from the verse noted above, Jesus says the following:

"...This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake'—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it's as good as done. That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything. (emphasis added)

Look, many of us say, "Why won't God speak to me?" The answer might be because we are not praying. Jesus is URGING us to Pray for ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!

• Embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything •

But...I like what Jesus says, next...

And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins." (emphasis added)

We must approach God Almighty with a spirit of forgiveness. According to Mark 11.22-25, If we have a bitter and unforgiving heart, then God will not wipe our slate clean...

Pray + Forgive = God's Best

That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything.

There Are No Ifs

Cool passage in Mark 9.14-32 ...

A man brings his demon-afflicted son to Jesus for Healing. The man says, "If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!"

I love the response of Jesus...Jesus says, "If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen."

The man goes on to say, "Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!"

Jesus goes on to heal the boy...the disciples (who initially tried to heal the boy) asked Jesus, "Why couldn't we throw the demon out?" Jesus answers, "There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon except by prayer."

Like the the child in this story, we all have our "demons," whether it be the economy, temptations, etc...and like the boys father, we all have our doubts. But as Christ Followers, we all have Jesus who can heal us all...

The word "If" has just been eliminated from my Prayer life!


"...There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen."

Lay Hold Of God = Triumph

But Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Yes—and if you embrace this kingdom life and don't doubt God, you'll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you'll tell, 'Go jump in the lake,' and it will jump. Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God." ~ Matthew 21:21-22 ~ (emphasis added)

A few points:
1. Lay Hold of God...everything else falls into place.

2. Embrace The Kingdom Life and don't doubt. If we ever find ourselves doubting what Christ says, then we need a reality check. I believe sometimes that the main reason we doubt is because we begin to think that we are God. We must remember God is our creator, we are not His.

3. Triumph - look, if Jesus says we will have triumph over huge obstacles, then I am going all out and will take every challenge head on. Who are you going to believe? Jesus, yourself, culture?

4. Jesus pays attentions to details. He says "Absolutely Everything, ranging from small to large." Next time we think something is too small to pray about or that God has other concerns on His mind than us, then we must repent for putting our limitations on God...then we must Praise Him for His abilities and bring our request to Him for His Glory!

5. Believe when you Pray. It is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11.6). We must believe in Him.

Amazed! Great Faith!

In the last post, I talked about Persistent Prayer...with that you could also draw a parallel with persistent faith...

So another type of faith to go along with persistent faith would be a "Great Faith."

Jesus Is Amazed
In Luke 7.1-10, Jesus gets AMAZED! He gets amazed because He witnesses a "Great Faith."

The story is about an army officer who has a servant about to die and the officer knows that Jesus can heal him. The army officer sends his men to Jesus, because he thinks he is not worthy to be in the presence of The Lord...his men relay this message to Jesus, "Lord, don't trouble yourself, because I am not worthy to have you come into my house. That is why I did not come to you myself.

And then we see the climax of this passage where the army officer says, "But you only need to command it, and my servant will be healed."

The NIV says it like this, "But say the word, and my servant will be healed."

Say The Word
I love that! The soldier has so much faith that He believes Jesus does not even have to be in the same room with the dying servant, all Jesus has to do is "Say The Word" and the servant will be healed.

So here is what happens: "When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, "I tell you, this is the greatest faith I have found anywhere, even in Israel. Those who had been sent to Jesus went back to the house where they found the servant in good health."

Our Faith
So here is the take home message: Does our faith AMAZE Jesus?

We must possess a persistent faith, a great faith, with persistent prayer...I want to have such a great faith that my Lord and Savior is AMAZED by it! Make the following your prayer of great faith today:

"Say The Word Lord. Command It. I believe. Lord, Say The Word. Amen."

Persistent Prayer

So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? I assure you, he will.
~ From Luke 18:1-8 ~

In Luke 18.1-8, we read how Jesus teaches a story on Persistent Prayer...a widow badgers a judge who cares nothing for God or people, but because of her consistency and her persistence, the judge finally grants the widow her desires.

From the quote above, Jesus tells us that if an unloving judge will give to this widow, how much more will our Heavenly Father give to us. We see the same type of teaching in Matthew 7.11, which says:

Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your own children. So don't you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?

So we know God will do His part, the question is, will we do ours? Going back to the verse above, the rest of Luke 18.8 says,

But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?"

James 1:5-8 goes onto say,

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Three things to ask ourselves about our Prayers:

1. Is our Faith in God Alone?
2. Do we really believe?
3. Are we persistent?

"The revelation of our spiritual standing is what we ask in Prayer; sometimes what we ask is an insult to God; we ask with our eyes on the possibilities or on ourselves, not on Jesus Christ.

~ Oswald Chambers ~

Glorifying God In The Details

Glorifying God in The Details
God is a Detailed God...all you have to do is look at what He has created to notice that He cares about the smallest of details. And when it comes down to completing His assignment for our lives, we must stick to it and never quit...

Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You've heard, of course, of Job's staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That's because God cares, cares right down to the last detail. ~ James 5.10-11 ~ (emphasis added)

Jesus Cares About The Details
In John 17.1-5, Jesus Prays an Awesome Prayer to The Heavenly Father, I Pray that in my own way, I can Pray the same thing when it comes to fulfilling God's Purposes...take a look:

I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do. (emphasis added)

I Pray these words as well for all who read this, that you would complete down to the last detail what God assigns you to do...

Displaying God's Bright Splendor
It's very cool as well when you look a few verses prior to The detail Prayer of Christ...Jesus says, "Father, it's time. Display the bright splendor of your Son So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor." That's really what it is all about...our lives are to Glorify God. 1 Corinthians 10.31 says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Lord, Thank you that You care not only about the big and the general, but YOU also care about the small and the detailed! May we stay the course and live to display Your Bright Splendor today by focusing on the details! Yes and Amen!

Pray With Boldness

One of my favorite statements is, "Pray like everything depends on God, Work like everything depends on you." I love this because it shows how God wants our partnership with Him. Well, if any of you are like me, I have been living an altered form of this statement lately...

Instead of Working like everything depends on me, I have been worrying like everything depends on me...

Instead of going to God in Prayer with Boldness, I have been "worrying" my Prayers...but allow me to say this...GOD SPEAKS!!! Look what He revealed to me in The Book of James last night, I Pray it speaks to you as well:

Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. ~ James 1.6-8 MSG ~

And here it is in the CEV version:

But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can't make up your mind, and you surely can't be trusted. So don't expect the Lord to give you anything at all. ~ James 1.6-8 CEV ~

Pleasing God
Asking Bodly, In Faith, and without doubt is HUGE! Look at Hebrews 11.6:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (emphasis added).

Mark 11.24 goes on to say, Everything you ask for in prayer will be yours, if you only have faith.

Now this "Everything" (aka "Anything") is "Everything/Anything" in The Name of Jesus...

Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! ~ John 14.14 ~

This means, as The Message paraphrase puts it, Praying for anything along the lines of who Jesus is and what He is doing!

Prayers Answered
How is our Prayer life? Are we asking Boldly and In Faith, or are we doubting and filled with worry? Do we trust God...Is Prayer a relationship with God or a coping mechanism for worry? I want God to see me as a Rock, firm in my faith, not as an ocean wave tossed around in the storm.

Worry, Waiting, and Worship
One problem that may cause us to worry instead of worship is due to the fact that we are waiting. We say, "I'm just waiting on God."...Reality check: God does not need to catch up with us while we wait on Him....

I like how Perry Noble puts it, and I paraphrase: "God waits on us, we don't wait on Him...if we are waiting on God, then that must mean we are ahead of Him, and folks, we are not ahead of God!"

It's time I get back to Worshipping God instead of worrying about circumstances...

Lord, Forgive me for my lack of faith and trying to control through worry. I will focus on my boldness in Prayer because I Pray to you, The One and Only Bold God!

I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans. ~ Job 42.2 ~

Foundation Of Prayer

"Prayer is always foundational to wisdom." ~ Eugene Peterson ~

Peterson goes on to say that According to church traditions, James (From The Book of James in The Bible) had the nickname of "Old Camel Knees" because of thick calluses built up on his knees from many years of determined prayer.

I love that. Can you imagine the cumulative effect of all those prayers! How would you like to have on your resume or in your portfolio that you wrote one of the books of The Bible! Prayer is definitely the foundation to wisdom...Prayer focuses our thoughts and guides our lives...Prayer puts us in the zone...

Mark Batterson talks about being in "Prayer Mode." When we constantly Pray, our thoughts and actions become shaped by those Prayers. The Holy Spirit speaks and we listen, giving us all the wisdom we need. Mark goes on to say how "Prayer Mode" is like our Reticular Activating System, the part of the brain that acts as our center for arousal and motivation. When we pray, we start seeing things or hearing things that otherwise we would have paid no attention to.

It's sort of like the phenomenon that occurs when we buy a certain shirt or hear a certain word. All of a sudden, we see that certain shirt everywhere or here that certain word over and over again. It's not that the shirt was non-existent before, it's just that we became more aware of it once we bought it...so it is with Prayer...Prayer focuses out thoughts and actions and we begin to see more clearly...we begin to gain wisdom on top of wisdom!

But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you. ~ James 1.5 ~