In article one, I shared how many believers never seem to get past the infancy stage in their Christian walk because they have not been taught to live a surrendered life to Christ and the kingdom of God. They agree with the principles Jesus taught about seeking the kingdom of God but, for them, that mainly means not engaging in a sinful lifestyle. Most of their personal study in the scriptures revolves around discovering God’s promises on how to get their personal needs and desire fulfilled rather than embracing God’s promises to fulfill God’s purpose for them.  The idea of living for a higher calling, one of divine purpose, seems to always be challenged by their focus on themselves and thus they can’t hear God’s voice on much else.

A calling, as defined in the first article, is when we perceive God defining a purpose we are intended to pursue to change the world around us. In Matthew 5, Jesus is teaching on what is called “The Beatitudes” in which he defines people who will be blessed by God. One category of such people are those who work at establishing peace.

I was recently asked to teach a group of pastors in Tanzania about what it means to know you’re calling and how to identify it. I have taught on Christian leadership for many years but have never been asked to teach specifically on an individuals calling. That being said, I dove into the subject and studied what the word had to say. Through these articles I will try to unpack what I have learned and identified about my own calling, which will hopefully help you discover your own.

This is the fourth article in a series on prayer.  I am attempting to explore the vast  insights the scripture gives us if we would only open the scriptures to find them.  The topic of prayer, based on my experience, has few believers practicing because of misguided teaching in the greater body of Christ. Believers say they understand prayer and yet practice it either infrequently or poorly. The subject of prayer deserves a lot more attention. Jesus said his house was to be called a house of prayer, not of preaching or worship, even though those are important items and functions in a healthy church. Real healthy prayer is the gateway into the presence and provision of God. If you have not read the first three articles please do so now so you can see the foundation points on my understanding on the importance and practice of prayer for each believer. Look at what the disciples ask Jesus one day about prayer and how to pray according to the will of God.

Let’s be honest and not just biblically correct, although I want to also be biblically correct. I find I’m frustrated with so much that is going on in the world that I have to wrestle a lot with my emotions. After all, there is so much to get anyone mad who is awake. From politics, to the economy, to people loosing their business and people loosing their jobs– there is plenty to get me fired up about. The thing that bugs me a lot is feeling like I can’t do anything about it. Do you find yourself in the same boat? Read on.

In this study I have proposed a few key attitudes and behaviors that gain favor with God. In the first article we learned that having favor with God is developed and acquired through choice and discipline. Proverbs 12:2 states that “A good man obtains favor from God.”  In other words, our choices and conduct affect our standing, either good or bad, with God.

We have been looking into what the “Favor” of God means as well as the importance of how you grow in Favor with God. From my experience, this subject is rarely talked about because so many pastors and teachers are afraid of being labeled a “Works” person. The subject of God’s grace is so hammered into most Christians that people are often blind to the obvious truth that what we do matters. If you haven’t read the first two article in this series, please read those first before continuing with this one.

The incorrect belief about grace and works clouds the ability of many to reason out the scripture with common sense. In Romans, Paul challenged young believers to be renewed in their thinking because their pagan upbringing clouded their reasoning and judgement. By challenging believers to get “renewed” or “rewired” they could think more clearly and reason out the scripture as they were intended to be understood. The Jews in days of Jesus thought much like the religious people of our day who learn scripture but never really apply them.

Words matter a lot! But what if the culture we find ourselves living in changes the meaning of a word?  Today, words are thrown around with a disregard to their true meaning. If the new, incorrect definitions are spoken by enough people then the actual words develop a new emotional meaning.  If we lose sight of what words and concepts in scripture actually mean, then we are bound to stumble.

As Christians, we want God to move in our lives on a daily basis, not just when we respond to Jesus’ offer of being born again.  The problem: who is suppose to initiate? Is God suppose to tell us when he plans to move or are we suppose to ask him to move? Truthfully, I think it is both!

I read two articles recently about two very different Christian leaders. Both are high-profile men who speak to thousands of people daily yet they are so different in both their personal lives and their weaknesses. They both have learned to live with these weakness, one by covering it up and the other by confessing and leveraging it. They both are respected throughout the body of Christ and you would recognize their names. They are responsible for thousands of people in ministries as well as millions of dollars worth of assets. Now, I’m not so impressed with people who have such influence until I discover what’s going on behind the scenes and whether their ministry and personal lives are honest reflections of themselves as genuine followers of Christ.