MIN 660 - Principles and Practices of Prayer

What a wonderful course this has become!  Grace Theological Seminary has already proven to be a great place to continue my education.  I feel as though I am not just learning spiritual truths, but also developing spiritual disciplines.  It's more than an education, it's becoming an eye-opening life experience.

Reading through Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala, has been such an encouragement.  It has challenged me to not only pray more, but to come before God with the right attitude.

"God is attracted to weakness.  He can't resist those who humbly and honestly admit to how desperately they need him.  Our weakness, in fact, makes room for his power."


"I was tired of the escapist mentality I had witnessed since childhood - always glorifying what GOd did way back in some revival, or else passionately predicting 'the coming great move of God' just ahead.  The truth is, I knew there were countless churches across the city and the nation that had not baptized a hundred truly converted sinners in a year, and most not in several years."

This quote really got me thinking.  How many students in the youth program have truly come to know Christ this past year?  Am I constantly proclaiming a coming movement of God without taking the steps of faith he has asked of me?

"Anybody who could make any money was trying to get away from our area."


This reminded me of South Bend and the decline in jobs and business opportunities.  I have been doing research on the latest statistics for the 46628 zip code and they are staggering.  I'll make that a separate post in the near future.

"One day I told the Lord I would rather die than merely tread water throughout my career in the ministry... always preaching about the power of the Word and the Spirit, but never seeing it."


"As one pastor told me with a smile, 'I don't steal sheep from other churches, but I do like to leave my gate wide open'."


In South Bend, all we do is swap Christians from one church to the next.  Where are the true converts?

"You can tell how popular a church is by who comes on Sunday morning.
You can tell how popular the pastor or evangelist is by who comes Sunday night.
But you can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer meeting."


"The condition of the church may be very accurately gauged by its prayer meetings."


"God's first people were not called Jews or the Children of Israel or Hebrews.  In the very beginning their original name was THOSE WHO CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD."


"The truth is that the devil is not terribly frightened of our human efforts and credentials.  But he knows his kingdom will be damaged when we lift up our hearts to God."


"If our churches don't pray, and if people don't have an appetite for God, what does it matter how many are attending the services?"


"There is to be no one who shares the stage with the Lord."


"The feature that is supposed to distinguish Christian churches, Christian people, and Christian gatherings is the aroma of prayer."


"Does the Bible ever say anywhere from Genesis to Revelation, 'My house shall be called a house of preaching'?  Does it ever say 'My house shall be called a house of music'?  Of course not.  The Bible does say, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'."

Burning Hawk

During the Gulf War, a massive psychological operation campaign took place. Known as 'Operation Burning Hawk', it was designed to force the Iraqi Army to surrender before any shots were fired.

The plan was simple. Destroy a town in southern Iraq through precision air strikes. Then drop over 29 million leaflets to every town to the north which said:

WE HAVE COMPLETELY DESTROYED THE TOWN TO THE SOUTH.

SURRENDER BY NOON TOMORROW OR YOU WILL ALSO BE DESTROYED.

It was amazing to see hundreds of Iraqi soldiers coming out of buildings and foxholes in single file, AK-47s over their heads, ready to surrender to the more powerful army. An estimated 40-60 % of the army deserted their posts and fled!

I read stories like that and think, "if I were in that situation I would surrender too!"

But the fact is, that when it comes to God, I don't always surrender.

In Jeremiah 44:2, 10 it says,

"This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw what I did to Jerusalem and to all the towns of Judah. They now lie in ruins, and no one lives in them...yet to this very hour no one has shown remorse or reverence, or chosen to follow my decrees that I gave you."

It gets worse. The people visibly shake their fists at Jeremiah and say (v. 16),

"We will not listen to your messages from the LORD! We will do whatever we want."

How sad that when God drops leaflets in my life warning of imminent danger, that I would refuse to listen to them. Some of my friends would say, "Well that sounds like a mean God, who would destroy you for not listening to Him." To which I reply, "He isn't the one destroying me, but I am destroying myself" (v. 7).