Pray with shameless audacity

I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I was reading this verse last week and wondered if I really believed this? If so, do I pray with "shameless audacity?"

I love that this verse says that when I ask God for something, "He will surely get up and give me as much as I need." What I NEED.

Every Monday, I pray for my small group that I love.❤️I was visiting with a member of the class last night and I was telling her how I divide my days into specific prayer needs. For example, Monday is set aside specific for this class. Tuesday is set aside for our Compassion kids that we sponsor and my Mississippi family. Wednesday is for our sons and their families and so on.

She remarked that it sounded like I was not praying for myself. I assured her that me, me, me is at the top of my prayer list most days! However, I want my prayer list to be so much more than me.

Another thought about prayer. If I ask you about your prayer life, I would ask you specifically, "When do you pray?" Like when is it marked on your calendar each day to spend time in prayer? If you struggle to come up with a time, maybe begin to put a specific time for prayer each day. Obviously, pray more than that time but have a specific time carved into your day and pray with "shameless audacity!"

Our prayer life tells us so much about what we believe about God. I am not asking Mark for what I need. He is a great guy but he simply does not have the ability and wisdom and money and generosity to give me "what I need." But God does. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. His wisdom trumps all wisdom. His strength is unsurpassed. Let's pray like we believe that.

Sometimes God purposely says NO

“A few days later, Jesus went out to a mountain to pray. He stayed there all night praying to God. The next morning he called his followers. He chose twelve of them and called them apostles. These are the ones he chose:

Judas, the son of James, Judas Iscariot (the one who turned against Jesus).”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:12-13, 16‬ ‭ERV‬‬

Couple of things to notice here. Jesus stayed up all night praying. We have trouble talking to God for 5 minutes!

He was seeking wisdom about a major decision to choose his 12 apostles. These men would follow him around for the next three years and Jesus would pour into them. He was picking his pit crew. He needed his Father's counsel to choose these friends. So many times, I make decisions without a lot of prayer.

Were you surprised that after an all night prayer session, God allowed him to choose the "wrong" friend in Judas? This was by divine plan, not by accident. I think that we get confused when God purposely allows a terrible thing to happen to us. We have a rebellious child even when we are following the Lord. Someone that we loved dies prematurely. A friend betrays us. The finances just don't work out. Our job just does not pay enough and the money is always short. We feel like we will never be able to retire and we are getting tired.

Our thinking has to be constantly analyzed and see if it agrees with His word. He asks us to be happy and rejoice when life is tough. Be nervous if life is a bed of roses because that is not what Jesus experienced and God loved his Son so much. He allowed pain and discomfort and poverty and rejection in his beloved Son's life. Listen to what He says in the book of Luke.

“You can be happy then and jump for joy, because you have a great reward in heaven. The ancestors of those people did the same things to the prophets. “But how bad it will be for you rich people, because you had your easy life. How bad it will be for you people who are full now, because you will be hungry. How bad it will be for you people who are laughing now, because you will be sad and cry. “How bad it is when everyone says nothing but good about you. Just look at the false prophets. Their ancestors always said good things about them.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:23-26‬ ‭ERV‬‬

These verses make me stop and think if my requests are in line with what God wants for me. I want riches. I do not want to be hungry. I want a life of laughter. I want everyone to say good things about me. I want God to be my Santa Claus and give me everything I want all the time.

Next time, God answers our prayer with a no, rejoice and praise God and be thankful. His plan for us is to make us more like His Son and not more like the world.

Make the Best Decision For Your Life Today

Mark and I are driving home from Body Pump. It's a strength training class that we attend three times a week. Mark was reminding me that it seems that everyone wants to get in shape. However, not many want to show up. They just want to talk about it.

Same thing with growing in our relationship in Christ. We all desire it- as long as we don't have to show up each morning and spend time with the Lord. We just want to talk about it. To grow stronger in any area requires an action... a daily, purposeful action.

Begin everyday with prayer and reading God's word. I made that decision maybe 40 years ago and I am so thankful that God gave me the good sense to do this. This decision has impacted every other decision I have made. Start small, be consistent and you won't believe how it change your life years from now. If you keep putting this off for a better, more convenient time you will wake up one day 40 years from now and realize that this also impacted every decision you made.