Prayer

Most of us don’t struggle with intimacy with Jesus because we don’t care.We struggle because we approach relationship the way we approach performance. “I should pray more.”“I need to be more disciplined.”“I just have to try harder.” Those statements sound spiritual—but they often carry more pressure than peace. Psychologists use the phrase habit stacking to describe what actually helps people change: attaching a new…

“The Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus.” Acts 20:23-24 Paul’s farewell words to the Ephesian elders reveal a striking tension. He isn’t walking into Jerusalem unaware of the danger. The Spirit has already warned him—again and again—that…

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26) The hope of renewal. The promise of a changed heart. Wow, I love the sound of that. Especially if that transformed heart is in the neighbor you don’t like. Or in the employer that acts more like a dictator than a democrat. Or in the family member that drives you up a wall. I used to bring God a laundry list of changes I…

There are times when I’m thoroughly convinced that I’ve heard clearly from God. Without mistake. It’s as if he shouted in my ear exactly what fork in the road to take. Like when he handed Moses the tablets of stone and wrote on them himself. There are other times when I barely hear a whisper but know it’s his still small voice. And then… I’m not sure if I hear, but think I do, yet it’s more like silence. I proceed convincing myself it&rsquo…

What you hear from God is determined in part by the attitude you carry into any conversation with Him. Our mind-set toward a conversation with God is affected by these things: Our Prior Relationship With God — Each of us has a history with God that began even before birth (Jeremiah 1:5). He ordained us to be on earth, and He has a plan and purpose for us, even though we may not have recognized them. However, until a person has received Jesus Christ as his personal…

Jesus said of those who follow Him: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:27-29)What a great statement of hope and comfort this is to us! We can know the voice of the Lord. As we follow His voice and do what He says, we&rsquo…

Discernment is the ability to make sound judgments by perceiving what is not readily obvious, and it is critical to our life in God. For example, what should you do when you want to follow the Lord but have multiple choices that appear promising and good? How can you know if you’re hearing from God or simply listening to your own desires? All we have to do is ask. Proverbs 2 says, “If you cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding … then…

Sometimes our conversations with God are fruitful. Other times prayer feels like talking to a wall. But in fact, we shouldn’t be surprised by such variation. Why would we expect our prayer life to remain uniform when we ourselves aren’t the same every day? How we speak and listen to God depends on ... Our understanding of who God is. The way we view the Lord changes the way we hear Him. For example, if you see God as a loving Father, you will hear His…

Have you ever wondered what one of the most important aspects of the Christian life is? The answer is surprisingly simple: Make it your habit to spend time with God, meditating on His Word and praying. Notice that the key is to spend time with God. It’s easy to treat our prayers to Him like a checklist, where we rattle off requests for virtues like patience and wisdom or other things we want. Then we say “Amen” and expect Him to answer instantly. If that…