Someone asked "Is listening to God the best way to pray?"

As with any conversation one might have with a friend, two-way is the only way. Speak and listen. One of the most sure-fire ways of listening to God is to read His Word, which I believe to be the Bible. When I read it I have insight into who God is and what He wants me to know. From there I ask questions….sometimes complain that I do not understand, or stop and ponder about the relevance of a particular verse to my life. From this place, God often speaks directly to my heart.

As far as literal prayer, in Matthew 6:9–13, Jesus laid that out for us exactly.

“Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

10 ‘Your kingdom come.

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

11 ‘Give us this day [e]our daily bread.

12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from [f]evil. [g][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’].

This is such a brilliant prayer! It starts off by acknowledging who God is and praising Him rather than jumping right into asking for our own desires to be fulfilled. It further acknowledges that we accept God’s will even if it appears to conflict with our own. That can be difficult for most folks, but it is important to say it and mean it because it goes a long way toward equipping us for life’s challenges. When it comes to asking, Jesus’ model prayer states that we should ask only for enough for the day, not heaps of stuff to be stored up on earth where moth and rust will destroy. God shows us what He thinks of that when the Israelites hoarded manna. See Exodus 16. Greed is a terrible thing and is to be avoided at all costs if we wish to live life the way God intends.

Next and critically important is to ask God to forgive us because no one can make it through a day without doing something that is contrary to God. Equally important is to forgive others because His word is clear, He will not forgive us UNLESS we also forgive others. That can be a tough one…which is why we need to ask for help on a daily basis…sometimes hourly in my experience!

And finally, we pray that God will protect us from temptation, keeping us safe from the fiery darts of the enemy who loves nothing better than to see us become greedy, lustful, covetous and every other sin that we humans have a propensity to get tangled up in even without the temptations thrown at us by the enemy. This is where “putting on the armor of God” comes in handy. See Ephesians 6:10–18

Jesus’ model prayer closes similarly to how He opens it, by acknowledging that God’s is the kingdom and power and giving Him the glory forever. Who can top that?

Is Psychology a Belief System?

The Fear of God

Quora question today: Why is the fear of God the Bible's definition of love for God?

The problem with the English word “fear” is that the definition does not adequately describe how we are to relate to and feel about God. In the Hebrew language, for instance, one word can have multiple meanings depending upon the message the writer wishes to convey. In some instances, only people who share the language and culture can fully understand the intended meaning.

That said, let us think in pictures for a moment. When I used to climb mountains…MANY years ago, I would reach the summit and gaze at the magnificence, admiring the panoramic view that simply could not be experienced from any other perspective . Exhausted by the climb, I was still awestricken by the mountain which stood beneath my feet and allowed me to experience an existence among the clouds, even if for just a moment. Yet at the same time, I realized that a sudden gust of wind could plunge me off the narrow summit to my death thousands of feet below. In other words, I was simultaneously awestricken and terrified because I knew a misstep would be fatal. Yet I loved the climb, difficult as it was, because I wanted to be in the place that exposed me to such majesty.

That is how I would describe the fear of the Lord and how it does prove that I love Him. I am amazed at His beauty and power, desiring always to be in His presence….yet He frightens me because I know He will discipline me when I make a misstep. What parent would not warn his child not to go too close the the edge of a cliff? Also, drawing close to Him takes effort on my part. I need to pray, read the Bible and that requires that I put aside my projects in order to spend time with Him. Let’s face it, all relationships require a significant commitment of time, lest they fail to develop.

When the Lord passed by Moses, He sheltered him in the cleft of the rock because had Moses gazed directly at the face of God he would have perished. There is no doubt that Moses was both frightened and inspired in that moment! Today we are fortunate to have Jesus, who was God made flesh and stands in the gap that in Moses’s day did not allow people to be in close proximity to God. Just as the rugged trail blazed in the rocky terrain leads to the summit of the mountain, Jesus not only shows us the way, but is willing take us by the hand and lead us into the presence of God. Hallelujah!

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7

Is it a sin not to repent every day?

In simple terms, to repent is to turn back toward God. There are some obvious sins, however, anything that turns us away from God, leads us astray or otherwise causes us not to think about Him, is sin. Technically, anytime we do wrong we should feel deep sorrow, acknowledge it before the Lord and ask for forgiveness. Repenting daily just to repent would be an act of legalism and useless if it does not come from our innermost being. What God is most concerned with is the condition of the heart. Is it bent toward Him or wayward? Is it troubled when sin happens or oblivious to it? Kind David said it best:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

And see if there be any hurtful way in me,

And lead me in the everlasting way. PSALM 139:23–24

I submit to you that if a person prays this prayer and really means it, repentance, daily or otherwise, will become a moot point because the ultimate goal is not to sin in the first place.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

I was giving my nephew a gardening lesson this morning, telling him that one must be careful not to add too much manure to the soil or plants will put all their energy into leaf production and subsequently fail to  produce much fruit.  Then I quipped  “All fig leaves and no fruit.”    At that moment I thought, what a parable that would make!   

In the perfect garden of Eden, Eve was tempted by the devil with things that she desired.  Perhaps she did not even realize she desired them until he pointed them out, for that is how the devil often works.   Clearly the Tree of Knowledge had been there since the beginning because Eve was aware of its existence. But when the devil suggested:

 “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”   Gen 3:5

Her attention was drawn to the fact that “they would be as gods.”  Despite the fact that Adam and Eve were well cared for, had a personal relationship with God and lacked nothing, the devil’s statement suggested that God was somehow holding something back.  Eve, in that very moment decided that she wanted that something.  In other words, what she had was no longer good enough.

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Gen 3:6

That was the downfall of Mankind and when God’s perfect world became tainted with sin and death.  Lust for power, money and the material things of the world would send the entire human race plummeting to the kind of evil that leads to judgementalism, jealousy, covetousness, hatred and murder.  

“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Gen 3:7

Up until that point in time, Adam and Eve were blissfully unaware that there was anything to be had outside of what God had already given them….all GOOD things.  They had no concept of good and evil, but once they did their first act was to cover their nakedness with fig leaves.   Their second act was to blame shift when questioned by God. Do we not struggle with that very thing today?   God then killed an innocent animal and clothed Adam and Eve with it’s fur because stripping leaves from a fig tree was simply not enough to atone for their crime. This was the first blood ever to be spilled, and it would not be the last. 

Christians today must be mindful not to focus on material things….even things that are not innately evil,  because such misplaced focus averts the eyes from being fixed on God and His providence.   Gazing in any direction other than toward the Savior will inevitably lead to a longing for more, discontentment,  and lack of gratitude.  Just as too much of a good thing in a garden can lead to all fig leaves and no fruit, so too can enriching ourselves with the perceived “good things” of the world lead to barren vines, for when the leaves are dried and stripped away by the wind, all that is left is a naked branch with nothing to show for the time spend on earth.

Is the Bible the Word of God or the Word From God?

The short answer is both, but only to the extent that these words only describe the Bible, and do not adequately say WHAT it is.

“In the beginning was the Word and the word was with God and the Word was was God.” John 1:1

The Word, or Bible…is God. In verse 14 John explains further “ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John *testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 

Jesus is the Word. Jesus is the Bible. Thus the Bible is the Word of God, the Word from God, and is God. How cool is that?!? Jesus told the devil that man should not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Jesus also describes Himself as being “the bread of life” and that no one who comes to Him should ever hunger. Therefore, the key to abundant life, is feeding on the Word of God daily. 

Describing the Bible is only the first step. Understanding what it truly is…the Living Word of God…without which we all will perish…is the next...the one which takes us into an eternity in the presence of God.  

Another Question Answered

How did usage of “taking God’s name in vain” change since it was written in the Ten Commandments?

·

just now

Here is my simple answer and I will use myself as an example. My relationship with God is not to be taken lightly. I do not just go to Him when I have a problem (not anymore that is) but think of Him most of my waking moments. I try not to say things like “OMG” because that is talking about Him absent-mindedly. I believe the Commandment goes far beyond a name, but speaks more about a precious relationship, to be cherished, nurtured and meditated upon. I have a personal relationship with Jesus, thus I have direct access to the Father by way of the Holy Spirit who helps me, is my teacher and comforter. Every good thing that happens to me I freely give credit to God, because “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17. When I speak of God I do so deliberately with much thought and with one goal…to give Him glory.

As I write this another thing occurs to me. Not only should we not use His name in vain, we should not use HIM in vain either. There is a heretical gospel being preached today that says if we have enough faith God will prosper us or grant us the desires of our hearts. This is a false narrative and very dangerous because it causes people to become false converts who are not saved at all. There is only one reason to accept Christ. Because we are sinners and can never be in God’s presence now or in eternity unless we sincerely repent, accept Jesus as Lord and follow Him. Turning to God for self-centered purposes is using HIM in vain.

I am sorry, I said my answer would be simple but perhaps is was rather complex after all!