When You Give Up Techniques So You Can Pray Powerful Prayers

I've read a mountain of books on prayer over the last twenty years. I know all the formulas for "powerful prayer" and I've used most of them. My prayer "technique," however, has become increasingly simple. In a way, it's been refined down to three key phrases.

"Abba, I love you so much because ..."

"I repent and surrender..."

"You know what's best in... so please do it..."

I know my "technique" looks nothing like the currently-famous prayer warriors, but this works for me. I don't have anything against techniques, but they don't fit me well. I prefer simple, honest, humble prayer. (I'm not saying I'm good at it, just that I believe it's best.) 

Sometimes I talk with my Father about all the things He's done that make me laugh, or smile, or stand in awe. 

The things I'm concerned about pale in comparison to Him, so, when I focus on Him, my worries seem a lot less pressing. it's not uncommon for me to say, "Here's the problem. What do you want to do about it?" or "I don't have any suggestions for you. Do whatever you think is best."

With that said, I still know about the authority Jesus has given to us and I still pray with that authority in mind, but not with the same bossiness I used to use.  

Last night, I left my study Bible at my desk. This morning, I was too tired to walk downstairs again, (Sam and I were up a lot last night) so I opened my Message paraphrase. I don't study from this book, but I like the simplicity of the words, especially those in Matthew 6. I read this passage today, and it was such confirmation for me that I've reproduced it here so you can soak up these simple truths: 

"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All those people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom? Do you think God sits in a box seat?

"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace.

"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply..." Matthew 6:1-8 the Message

Today, let's find a quiet place, be still, and talk to God as simply and honestly as we can, then be still some more and wait to see how He responds.

That's what I call powerful prayer. Simple. Honest. Listening. Waiting.

* * *

The Whisper Gathering is three weeks away. We're not sharing techniques or formulas for fancy prayers. We're planning to help those who attend get real before God and each other, and let Him have His way with us. Simple. Honest. Listening. Waiting. 

He speaks with a still, small Whisper, and that's what we most want to hear.

Ladies, I hope you'll join us. Space is limited but there are still a few spots available. Prayer like this is hard and exhausting and life-changing, so I hope those who can't attend will pray for those who do. We'll need your prayers more than ever.

_______________

Please like and share to extend our digital reach.

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Caregiver Chronicles: When Endurance is the Only Choice You Have 

. 

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Middle East, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.
#prayer 

Caregiver Chronicles: When Endurance is the Only Choice You Have

It seems like eons ago that Sam climbed in his car and drove to my house, his walker still standing in front of his house, but it's only been a few weeks.

I slept until 6:00 this morning, so I was behind from the start. My routine is to get up, get coffee, and get going. First stop is quiet time with our Lord. Today, everything was later than usual, so I ended up altering my schedule to help Sam up.

My routines have died a hard death over the last five weeks, and I've struggled to adjust to the change. Again, this morning, caregiving altered my usual timetable. 

I sat down before the Lord, tears brimming, no words to say except, "Hard, Lord. This is hard." 

Please don't misunderstand. I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. This has brought an abundance of peace and joy, but it's a change. With change comes a certain amount of stress. 

I know endurance is the only choice I have, but that doesn't make it easy. 

Still quiet, I opened James (because I am way behind on converting the James study from an e-book to a traditional book) and found these words:

"Consider it all joy, Leanna, when you encounter various trials; knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-3 

James wrote "my brethren" instead of my name, of course. 

Here's the Leanna paraphrase: "Hey, you. The one who's going through a hard time. I'm talking to you. Settle down and let God get you through it. He's teaching you endurance and, if you'll hold on, that endurance will do a work in you. I want you perfect and complete, and this is my tool to accomplish it." 

I laughed out loud when I read James' words. He spoke directly to me today.

I took a deep breath and prayed a profound prayer. "Okay, Lord." 

In case you didn't recognize it, that's a prayer of surrender. I've had to pray it quite a few times in the last five weeks. I'm confident I'll pray it quite a few more before we're done.

When we encounter trials, we get through them one surrender at a time. That's what I'm doing today...surrendering at the start and letting God's timetable replace my own.

What about you? Are you struggling with a trial? 

It's much easier if you surrender to God's plan of endurance and refinement. So, today, let's face our trial by bowing to the plan of God and let Him have His way in us.

______________

Please like and share to extend our digital reach.

If you're new to this series, you can read about how it started here: When the Time to Move Finally Comes

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Caregiver Chronicles: A Matter of Perspective

. 

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Middle East, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.

Caregiver Chronicles: A Matter of Perspective

Sam is a man of habit. Seriously.

I was never more shocked than when Ryan convinced him to buy a pack of colored t-shirts. For most of the three decades I've known him, Sam has worn a white t-shirt in the summer and a white t-shirt with a denim snap-shirt over it the rest of the time. His sleeves are always unsnapped.

When we moved Sam to my house, I took charge of his clothes and laundry. I won't mention his organizational methods, but it took me a while to find his three denim shirts. One had a sleeve with missing elbow fabric and one's collar was in shreds.

Those shirts were as soft as a baby lamb, but they looked terrible. I didn't want to take him out in them, at least partly because I didn't want people to think I didn't care. 

"Sam, you need some more denim shirts," I told him. "When you can't get your arm in the sleeve because your hand goes through the hole in the elbow, it's time for a new shirt." 

He was having none of it. The shirts were comfortable...the collar felt good...he had one intact sleeve. The list went on and on. Finally, we came to the real reason. "Them shirts is expensive." 

"What do you mean by expensive?" 

"They're nearly $25 apiece. You can't just go buy one of them shirts."

I wanted to weep. Sam was wearing tattered shirts because he thought $25 was too much to spend for one long-lasting shirt? 

Yes. He was.

I looked at my closet, bulging with clothes, and thought about how many items cost more than $25. When I made "doctor money," I didn't worry about $25 for a garment. Now that I'm on a missionary budget, I'm extremely frugal. My most recent clothes purchase was two used shirts for $5 and one for $10. Even on my new budget, that price for a denim shirt that will last for years doesn't seem too high.

Sam closed the discussion, but I kept bringing the topic back up. Finally, I asked where he bought the shirts and he told me, but cautioned me about the expense and warned me not to buy more than one at a time. 

The next time someone gave me a break, I went in search of denim shirts with snaps and bought two. One to wear and one to wash. (I'm big on clean clothes.)

When I got home and presented the shirts to Sam, he was shocked at the extravagance, even though the shirts he had were barely wearable. 

Those shirts will probably outlive Sam, but they've made me reconsider the priorities to which my closet attests. 

We, the church in America, are, for the most part, the wealthiest people in the world. I can't comprehend the limited resources of those with less in this country, much less the poverty in other places around the world.

When an elderly man agonizes about a $25 denim shirt, can I justify my own extravagance? 

Everything we have is a gift from God, including the money in our bank accounts. I wonder if He's happy about how we've used the resources He's loaned to us. 

I've begun to ask God about every purchase. "Is this how you want me to spend Your money?" "What groceries do You want this week?"

It's changed my spending considerably, and my giving.

Today, let's ask God about our priorities. Are they in line with His or not? What changes do we need to make in our spending? In our giving?

Who do we know who needs help from the riches God has entrusted to us?

"No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. Matthew 6:24 NLT

__________

Please like and share to extend our digital reach.

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Missionary and the Failed Evangelism Effort

. 

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Middle East, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.

The Missionary and the Failed Evangelism Effort

I left Sam in the truck with the ac on high and dashed in to the big box store for a few items. I don't even remember what I needed now, but it seemed like an emergency at the time.

For once, the cashier line was shorter than the self-check line, so I took my place in the queue. I swiped my debit card as the cashier rang up my purchases. 

A man's voice behind me said, "You were made for missions. Is that right?" 

The cyberstalker problem wasn't yet solved, and I was still a little on edge. I jumped around, instantly on the defensive. "What did you say?" 

I might have seemed a little fierce, because the nearly-ninety-year-old man looked surprised. "You were made for missions. Is that right?" 

I felt sheepish when I realized he had read the back of my T-shirt, and tried to save face. "Yes," I agreed. "I was made for mission, and so were you." I fully expected to share Jesus with him in the next moment.

"I went on some mission trips with my wife," he told me. 

Where did you go? What did you do? What group were you with? I was full of questions and he didn't know the answer to any of them.

"Well, I went along, but mostly it was my wife who liked it," he admitted.

I tried again to get the conversation back on track with a profound comment about Jesus and missions. It fell completely flat. I wished the cashier would hurry. 

At last, the gentleman brought the conversation back to his desired objective. "I was thinking you might like to get to know me better. Do you want my number or will you give me yours?"

I was completely speechless. He didn't want Jesus. He wanted a date.

As I grabbed my bags off the carousel, I looked back at him. "I don't want to know you. I was just talking about Jesus." I'd spoken truth without thinking. I didn't care about him. 

I didn't literally consider him a notch on my evangelism belt, but that's how I acted. 

I rushed out the door, my face hot and heart racing."Some witness I am," I thought. 

It was, without a doubt, the worst possible example of a missionary sharing Christ. I hope the T-shirt reader didn't judge Jesus by what I said, but I'm afraid he might. 

The memory of my incredible witnessing fail still stings, but there was more truth in what I said than I'd like to admit. 

Jesus sat down at the well and talked with the Samaritan woman, and she knew He cared about her before He changed her life. He wrote in the dirt as the men threatened the woman caught in adultery, and she knew He cared about her first, too.

If I want to be like Jesus, to share Him with those around me, my first effort should not be talking at them. It should be caring for them. 

We live in a dark and lonely world. People don't want to be a statistic in our evangelism tally. They're desperate for someone who cares. Will we be the one who reaches out? 

Let's do more than talk about Jesus. Let's share Jesus by being His hands and feet, by loving as He loved, caring as He cared. 

We were made for mission. Let's live like we believe the truth we know.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19 esv
_____
Please like and share to extend our digital reach. 

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Visiting Celebrate Recovery and Seeing a Miracle of Grace 
. 

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Middle East, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.

Visiting Celebrate Recovery and Seeing a Miracle of Grace

Last night, I had the great blessing of visiting a Celebrate Recovery meeting. One of my dear friends received her Ten-Year Disc, and the ladies in our small group went to support her.

I'd never been to a Celebrate Recovery meeting before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was grace and love. I left wondering why we aren't all participating in a similar group. It was a beautiful model of the church.

Celebrate Recovery was founded by John Baker, a member of Saddleback Church who is a recovering alcoholic. He had participated in Alcoholics Anonymous, but wanted to be able to include the power of Jesus as part of his recovery. (AA references a "higher power" but doesn't name Jesus, according to CR's website.)

I love the fact that the "DNA of CR" is all about Jesus. In fact, if you leave Jesus out, it's not Celebrate Recovery. That's the rule.

Last night, I saw people just like me. Everyone had something with which they struggled and for which they were dependent on Jesus to control. Alcohol. Drugs. Anger. Food. Sex addiction. The list of issues was long. 

What I loved about CR was that they didn't celebrate their addiction. They celebrated the power of Jesus that helped them overcome it. They stressed the importance of knowing Christ, offered to pray with anyone who didn't know Him, offered baptism for anyone who wanted to follow Him for the first time. 

One man shared his story of the power of Christ in his life and the miraculous restoration of his family. He was a trophy of grace, just as we all should be.

Toward the end of the meeting, they had a disc presentation service. If you wanted to admit you had a problem you needed help with, you could come forward to receive a blue disc. Two people walked to the front and took a disc. I wanted to cheer. Instead, I prayed they'd go the distance and find freedom.

As they walked back to their seats with those blue discs held tight in their hands, I wondered why we don't give out discs in our church services. "Do you want a hurt healed? Come forward and get a reminder to carry with you that Jesus can and will heal you." "Do you want to let go of something? Come get a reminder to carry..." 

There were discs for one month of recovery, two, on up to six months. Then the discs became less frequent. Nine months. A year. Two years...ten years. 

There was only one ten-year disc given last night, and it was to my deeply-healed friend. As she went forward for her disc, I realized something important. The longer people stay in Celebrate Recovery (and actually participate), the more they will let God have of their hearts. The more they surrender to God, the more they will love Him. 

My friend loves much because she knows she's been forgiven much. We've all been forgiven much. The reason we don't love as much as my friend is because we don't recognize how much forgiveness we need, how much forgiveness we've received.

Ponder that a moment.

Scripture tells us that all of us have sinned. All of us have fallen short. Not one of us is worthy of redemption. And yet...Jesus took all the sin of all the people who've ever lived and ever will live and He paid for it. 

I can't even comprehend it, but I believe it's true. 

Why? Because I see the evidence in the lives of people who've been set free from the bonds of addiction and those who've been set free from the power of sin. People just like me, who've become trophies of grace because of the great change that's been wrought in their lives.

We may not all participate in a Celebrate Recovery small group, but we can all participate in the saving power of Jesus, the bondage-breaking, chain-loosing, freedom-giving power of Christ. 

How? It's pretty simple, really. Trust. Surrender. Obey. 

If we need freedom in any area, we can have it, but only if we're willing to surrender our will to His, our desires to His, our actions to Him. Freedom can be ours, if we'll have it. What are we waiting for? Come to Jesus. 

"Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little." Luke 7:47 niv

___________

Please like and share to extend our digital reach. 

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Caregiver Chronicles: How the High Maintenance Missionary Does a STMT at Home

If you're not familiar with why I'm sometimes called "The High Maintenance Missionary," it's probably not what you think. Click on the link to find out more. 

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Middle East, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.
#CelebrateRecovery 

Caregiver Chronicles: How the High Maintenance Missionary Does a STMT at Home

Five weeks ago, Sam (my neighbor) and I had a dreadful conversation about his future. It went better than I expected. He's been in my home ever since. 

I can't remember who at my office first recognized this work of caring for Sam as a kind of outreach, but we've been calling this a "short term mission trip" (STMT) from the start. As Director of Prayer and Outreach, I'm doing quite a bit of both (prayer and outreach) from my home. 

Most evenings, I send a STMT report to my coworkers at Home Office. I give details of the day, share funny things that have happened, and ask for prayer for our needs. Sometimes those reports make people laugh. Sometimes they cry.

The strange thing about this is how God prepared me in advance. I've filled out numerous spiritual gifts inventory questionnaires in the past. I've always scored highest on prophecy with teaching a close second. 

A few months ago, my pastor and I discussed spiritual gifts and he disagreed with my assessment. "I think you have administration and teaching," he told me. I suppressed a snort. Me? Administration? 

He gave me another inventory to complete and told me to let him know the results. Yep. You guessed it. He was right. Administration is now first, with prophecy and teaching a close second and third.

God knew the gift of administration would be essential for doing this work, and He gave it to me in advance. I'm so very grateful. Since I was prepared in advanced to do everything at once, this isn't as hard as it might have been. 

I haven't set an alarm in years, but I still get up most mornings at 5:00 or 5:30, unless I'm up in the night with Sam. Last night, I was up. Today, I slept later, and considered it a gift from God.

When I wake up, I get up. That's a key element in getting everything done.

When I get up, I get going. That's another key element.

My day starts with a cup of coffee and quiet time, and it's the most essential element of the day. (The quiet time, not the coffee.)

After quiet time, I start writing the blog for the day. Usually, I write as fast as I can type, then hit publish. If the blog post seems "raw" some days, that's because I serve "fresh meat" most of the time. 

Once the blog is finished, the task of posting to social media sites takes another 30 minutes. 

I go straight from blogging to getting Sam up and ready for his day. He's very unsteady on his feet, so sometimes I drag him to the bedside commode (BSC) and on to his chair, rather than support him as he walks. This is a precarious task that is often accompanied by wobbling, arms flailing, and lots of holding tight.

Then, it's breakfast time. Sam needs more protein, so I usually scramble eggs, add a slice of quick bread, thicken a protein supplement, and give him coffee and meds. I get him cleaned up, dentures rinsed and in place, bed made, and the BSC emptied and cleaned.

While all that's happening, Home Office is usually having a devotional and prayer time. As soon as they're finished, Maria emails me the list of missionaries and I head to my computer, where I spend most of the morning praying for and emailing missionaries, connecting with Untapped Power Grid coordinators, and working on talks for upcoming speaking engagements. 

Around noon, I stop to fix lunch for Sam, eat a quick bite myself, then back to the computer. If I haven't started the washer, I do that then. 

There's a surprising amount of laundry on this STMT.

Somewhere in there, I get dressed, stop to feed the horses and bunnies, walk the dogs several times, and, when there's room in my day, try to get a bit of yard work done. 

A constant stream of people stop by to see Sam. I hope this doesn't sound negative, but this is my home, not a medical facility. I'm not accustomed to strangers having the freedom to enter my home just because they want to come. 

I haven't turned anyone except the cyberstalker away, but, if I don't personally know the person who comes, (not "knowing" from social media but from in-person life) I don't leave them alone in my house. I stay in the room with them. 

Does this make visitors uncomfortable? I hope not, but I can't imagine anyone wanting to leave a stranger alone in their house, even if they say they know Sam. I pray people understand. 

In the afternoon, I work on writing projects. That's mission, too, because I've started converting the digital James study to a paper format. 

Sam likes to watch the news and Wheel of Fortune, so I try to have his dinner ready by 5:30. Then, we get him cleaned up, change him into pajamas, and move him to bed.

Most days, I've already been going full-steam-ahead for more than 12 hours, but, after Sam's in bed, I start replying to comments on social media. I'm rarely doing birthday greetings, thank-you-for-sharing notes, and most interactions on social media, but I'm doing the best I can.

Sam has a wireless doorbell ringer and I have the doorbell by my bed. At night, he rings it if he needs me. It's so loud that I can't fail to hear it. Most nights, I'm able to sleep straight through.

Is this overwhelming? Sometimes. 

For the most part, we've developed a rhythm to our day that works. Knowing I'm called to this gives me a lot of peace.

Do I have "me time"? Not often. Do I get to go out to lunch with friends or do all the things I used to do? Not usually. However, God has sent friends to help just when I need it, every single time.

Is it hard? Sure it is, but there are many blessings in the midst of this that I could not receive any other way. 

It's a season. Not a life time. That truth helps carry me through, even when I'm tired and whining. I want to do this well. I've understood from the start that I won't be doing this for eternity. It's a short-term task.

There are many hard things to which God calls us, and we need to do them so we can become the men and women of faith He intends us to be. 

It's easy to look at a gigantic task, count the cost, and think it's too hard, but it's not. It's merely God-sized. With His help, we can do anything He asks us to do. This is what a disciple does: walk by faith, and obey, even when it's hard. 

To what giant job has God called you? 

Don't let fear and uncertainty rob you of the joy and blessings God has planned. If He's called you to it, He knows He can help you through it. He also knows that every act of obedience comes with its own blessings. 

That big task God has for you will be accomplished the same way my task is being done. One step at a time.

"For by You I can run upon a troop; And by my God I can leap over a wall." Psalm 18:29 esv

________________
Please like and share to extend our digital reach. 

If you're not familiar with why I'm sometimes called "The High Maintenance Missionary," it's probably not what you think. Click on the link to find out more. 

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: When Priorities Determine Action

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Middle East, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.

When Priorities Determine Action

Jesus and his disciples had a busy day. A spontaneous healing service had begun (probably outside Simon's mother-in-law's house) at sunset. Jesus turned no one away. Scripture tells us that ALL with any who were sick brought them. He probably dealt with a crowd of sick people. 

It's not clear how long the service lasted, but, at daybreak, He headed out. Jesus needed time with His Father, and He went to a quiet place where He could be alone. It didn't matter that He'd had a rough Sabbath yesterday, that He had been up late (possibly all night), or that He was exhausted. The source of His power, strength, and perseverance came from that quiet time, and He was not about to miss it. 

Time with His Father took precedence over everything else, including the accolades and demands of the crowds. 

It was a matter of PRIORITY.  Jesus knew what was most important, and He did it. There was no whining about how tired He was, how much He had to do, or how many people were making demands on Him, nor did those things deter Him. 

Jesus needed time with His Father, and He took that time. 

Because He did, we never see the consequences of missed quiet times in His life. We do, however, see the consequences of missed quiet times of prayer and Bible study in our own lives, don't we? Increasing distance from God, decreasing resistance to the ways of the world, less time in prayer, less faithfulness...

How diligent are we about being still with the Father? How faithful are we to be quiet enough to hear the Still Small Voice in your heart?  

If our loved ones and the world around us are to see the evidence of following Christ in our lives, we must actually follow the example He set. That example begins with making time with the Father our highest priority. 

Today, let's pray for a clear understanding of our present priorities, a godly reordering where needed, and the fruit of time alone with God to be evident in our lives. 

"And when day came, He departed and went to a lonely place; and the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them." (Luke 4:42 NASB)
_______________
Please like and share to extend our digital reach. 

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Caregiver Chronicles: Going the Distance Even When It's a Struggle

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Middle East, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line.