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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Prayer Substituted

As I drive to Graham Texas every Wednesday, there is a particular church that stands alone on the side of the road, that grabs my attention every time I pass by. The first few times I drove by, my immediate response was one of comic relief and laughter. I wanted to laugh at just how silly what I saw was. After a few times, the Lord began to stir in me a brokenness for what I was seeing.

Every time I drive by this church, they have something new and creative on their sign, that shows itself as a desperate attempt to grab peoples' attention, and place them in the pews. The majority of the signs are just plain silly. "Come in for a faith lift;" "The person who is steering the boat does not have time to rock it;" "You Think It's Hot Here?" As I said, at first glance my response is that of laughter. But as I began to think on these things, I have been shown all over the place in ministry, that PRAYER IS TOO OFTEN SUBSTITUTED WITH ATTEMPTS OF CREATIVITY. I found that this often rang true in my own heart as well. God began to work a lot in my heart about this.

I am too easily convinced that I have to create new and exciting ways to grab peoples attention, while the Lord is sitting on the throne waiting, and saying, "Just Ask!!!"

Psalm 116 reads:
"I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live."

James 4:8 reads:
"Draw near to God and HE WILL draw near to you."

John 14:12-14 reads:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it."

Hosea 7:13-14 reads:
"I would redeem them, but they speak lies against Me. And they do not cry to Me from their heart when they wail on their beds; For the sake of grain and new wine they assemble themselves, they turn away from Me."

Could go on forever with the scriptures. Consider the call to pray over your ministry first!!! See what He does!!!