Do we pray enough?

Do we pray enough? I was just thinking about several things as I was reading Daniel. Here's a man who has sought after God three times a day. Dedicated and devoted to God. God used Daniel to interpret dreams and visions.

In chapter 5 there is a hand that writes on the wall, and "The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, 'Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.' Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation." (Daniel 5:7-8) The Bible makes it clear that there is no word out of place in all of Scripture. God wanted to make it clear to us that no man could interpret the writing; no matter how "wise" they were, true wisdom can only be found in God. In the next following verses they call forth Daniel, "because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel" (Daniel 5:12) He interprets the writing, and later becomes the third ruler of the kingdom.

A plot is devised in order to bring Daniel down, and they pass a law that no one is to worship anyone or anything except the king. Like clockwork, and without thinking twice, "When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously." (Daniel 6:10) So praying three times a day was nothing new for Daniel. He had been doing that all along.

Do we pray enough?

Daniel is caught praying, and giving glory to God instead of the king, therefore he gets thrown into the lions den. I'm sure Daniel was still praying, and just as God delivered from the fire, He delivered from the den of lions. And just in case you think "Perhaps the lions weren't hungry..." well, after they brought Daniel out, "The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they cast them, their children and their wives into the lions' den; And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces." (Daniel 6:24)

Daniel's testimony, on how he never backed down from serving and giving praise to God led to the king making this decree: "I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for He is the living God, enduring forever; His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, He who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions." (Daniel 5:26-27)

In Daniel 9, Daniel prays for God's chosen people. Begging God to forgive him and the people. Look at all the words he uses. Look at all the sentences he gives to God. Honestly, when I pray it doesn't sound like this. Embarrassingly, prayers are quite simple, and if your willing to admit it, they lack uniqueness. God wants to hear us-our true selves, not just some rehearsed sentences before bedtime. Our hearts need to be burdened for the city, for the county, for the country, for the world. Listen to Daniel beg for God to hear him: "O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name." (Daniel 9:18-19)

Can you hear that? It's passion for the city! It's earnestness! It's a strong desire wanting for everyone with unity to be seeking after God.

While Daniel was praying, and confessing, Gabriel came to Daniel with a message, "O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved." (Daniel 9:22-23)

Daniel prays three times a day, prays even when there was a law put into effect banning such action, prays for God's people and God's city... There's no stopping Daniel from his relationship with God.

Contrast that with our lives... Do we pray enough?

When I read "for you are greatly loved" I couldn't help but drop to my knees. Daniel spent time with God, and he took time to get to know God. God revealed things to Daniel. Daniel and God were close. And so when Daniel is praying for the people, it's almost as if God says to Daniel, 'Of course Daniel. You spend so much time with me. I was the first person you called on when the law was passed forbidding communion with Me. You trusted in me while in the den of lions. You seek me three times everyday. Of course Daniel. You are greatly loved.'

More prayer, more power... Let's do this.

Living eagerly for His purpose

Awesome Bootcamp Series

During the Bootcamp series Brandon and I tag-teamed a Small Group in the Redlands. Honestly, this Small Group is going to inject the CF "DNA" into the Redland campus. This series was all about God taking regular people and making them mighty for His name's sake. This has become contagious.

Last night was the last lesson for Small Groups that go along with the series, and we were almost at the close and we were discussing some Reach Beyonds. When I brought some ideas to the table and told them we were doing one of these, they said, "Can we do more than one?" This was awesome! So we are doing 2 back to back Reach Beyonds before we start the next Small Group series.

This is the kind of contagious culture that needs their light to be fanned into flames! We are going to set this city on fire!

Living eagerly for His purpose

Bootcamp Week 2

Saturday night service (04.25.2009) I'm not sure if you felt that, but God was surely in that place!

I was playing piano and keyboard for Saturday night, and practice seemed to go just plain old alright. There was nothing special about practice. There was lots of mistakes, and even when we did the timed rehearsal we kept going over, and adding choruses here and there. Sammy ending up cutting this video that was supposed to be awesome, and as practice went on it just seemed like a blah Saturday that we were all wishing to get through with as few mistakes as possible.

I started praying, and we all started praying, and with God all things are possible... We went on stage, and played for God and it was the most amazing worship service that we've had in a while! I could hear everyone singing, and we were all singing to God! Lifting up our voices to praise Him together! Everyone was so loud, and it seemed as though everyone came ready to worship God... as though we were all in unison with the same mind and same heart. I can't help but think of Acts, and how the church is supposed to be, and Saturday was so that!

Rick came on afterward, and hit a grand-slam! He knocked it so far out of the park it's not funny. I learned so much, and I can't believe that in 2 Peter 1:16 when Peter says, "For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were EYEWITNESSES of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased"-and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain." Peter was referring to Matthew 17 when Jesus took the 3 up on a high mountain, and Jesus showed them His glory! I have known that there are no breaks in the bible and so from Matthew 16 to Matthew 17 it is a smooth thing so the some disciples that were there (the 3 in secific Peter, James and John) were not going to taste death until they saw the Son of Man in His second coming glory (Matt. 16:28) then Chapter 17 Jesus show those 3 His second coming glory on the mountain of transfiguration! It's huge!

And now when reading 2 Peter it's just so much more AH!!! WOW!!! OH MAN!!! And if you have already read 2 Peter, but have not read it with this insight, please, I encourage you to read it again.

God is awesomely amazing!

Serving God with all diligence before my departure.

401 @ Redland!

Sunday, March 8th was Connection Class day. I was down at Redland for the evening classes, and what an amazing turn out! 401 was offered for the first time ever! It was pretty exciting! 401 met in Pastor Bill's office (Which by the way, Bill has the world's tallest conference table: Giants had to sit on their feet to reach the table and regular sized adults felt like small children) Well, 401 packed into Bills office, and we took up every seat. During introductions we had 4 more people come in to an already packed room... We had to get more chairs, but it was all good! We had a good turn out, and everyone loved the food. Despite the screaming babies that were excited to go for a ride on the CF Buggy, and some children playing with the door stopper on the outside of our door... 401 went really well!

CF Live 2

On Friday, February 27th, I was at practice for CF Live 2 and the band was rehearsing the songs. It was seriously an amazing sight to see. It was practice, yet everyone (including the band, choir, and audience) was worshiping! Hands raised, singing with a loud voice, it was just an awesome practice time. My friend David turns to me and says, "We've been in a worship band, we've practiced plenty of times, but God is in this place right now, and it's awesome to see how everyone is worshiping even during practice!" And how true that was.

Saturday, February 28th, was the CF Live 2 Concert at Christ Fellowship Palmetto Bay. We had to have 2 concerts because we expected large numbers. The first concert was at 6:30pm which had 9 songs; 4 in the front half, then Pastor Rick Blackwood held down the speaking (It was on lust - not planned; the message in this series just happened to land on the same day of the concert - no such thing as coincidence... God knew people needed to hear that message) and then the rest of the songs after the speaking. We were indeed expecting lots of people: so much so that an overflow was set-up in the fellowship hall. Well, we packed out the Worship Center, downstairs and balcony, and we had to start sending people to the over-flow only 15 minutes into worship. The overflow was set-up with 200+ seats, and 200+ seats later, the overflow... overflowed! We informed the people that they could wait for the 8:30pm service and some waited, and others left to get food and came back. What an amazing show of people!

At 8:30pm we had an only-music concert. The vibe was awesome! Everyone was worshiping, clapping their hands, raising their hands! It was seriously amazing! The entire concert was just an amazing display of not only the talent at our church, but the hearts of the people, and how genuinely on fire they are!

At the end of the concert Pastor Sammy bid everyone a farewell, and everyone just stayed, people from the balcony screamed "One more song!" Chris (the drummer) was toast! Back to back concerts! I'm sure any drummer would be... But he got back on the drum-set, and as soon as the Victory riff started people start pouring down from the balcony and rushed the stage! It was awesome! Electrifying! I loved it! God moved in a mighty way... we received comments about plenty of people that really needed to hear the message that night, and not only the message, but they also said how most of the songs really spoke volumes to them and how they just connected.

Phenomenal!

Promise?

I’ve been learning quite a bit about promises, and I just wanted to share some thoughts…

I landed in Jeremiah 34, and here we learn the background of how they used to make promises. God made a covenant with the people long ago, which basically they would let their slaves go free at the end of their seven years of service; and if the slave wanted (Out of free will) he could stay and become a permanent slave of to the master if the slave loved the master. The master would take the slave and the put a nail through the ear of the slave to the door, and thus the slave becomes a bond-servant.

In Jeremiah 34 we see the people at first obey God, verse 10, but then go back on their promise and literally the very next verse disobey God. They let their slaves go free, but then they found the slave and made the slave stay. God reminds the people of their covenant in verses 17-22. When there was a covenant that was made, the way it would be sealed was by doing the following:
They would take a calf (Or an animal) and they would cut the animal in two and separate the pieces (Yea I'm sure it was really bloody). Both parties making the promise walked through the center of the dead animal, which there was blood on the floor, and this was how they sealed the covenant.
Blood represents life, and in that context promises were taken very serious. When you walked through the two pieces of the animal you are saying in that very moment, "May my blood be poured out if I fail to honor my part of the promise". Basically, if this person does not go through with what they pledged, you have permission to take their life.
In Jeremiah 34 God's judgment was against everyone who entered into the covenant with God and failed to fulfill it. I can briefly describe it, but it would be awesome if you just take time and read it for yourself from God's word:

"Although recently you had turned and done what is right in My sight, each man proclaiming release to his neighbor, and you had made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name. Yet you turned and profaned My name, and each man took back his male servant and each man his female servant whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your male servants and female servants." Therefore thus says the LORD, 'You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming release each man to his brother and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a release to you,' declares the LORD, 'to the sword, to the pestilence and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 'I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not fulfilled the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts - the officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the court officers and the priests and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf - I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life And their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth."
- Jeremiah 34:15-20


Have you every made a promise to someone and not kept it? How remorseful or repentant did you feel?

I know I have broken promises a few times; and in most cases I didn't feel terribly bad. I felt sorry, but nothing that was that big of a deal. But I found that, given some time, I did it again!

Has this happened to you?

I want you to just imagine what it would be like to make a promise in those times. Imagine walking through the halves of the animal... walking on the blood... and thinking to yourself, "If I break this promise, my life is on the line."

They had it right back then. cutting the calf in half, letting everyone see the blood, making everyone involved in this covenant walk through the halves, and seeing all this happen visually, makes you think twice about not following through with a promise. I think a lot of people back in that day took promises very seriously, and for those that didn't well, just look at God's judgment in Jeremiah 34.

There is a difference between the foolish and the wise. The wise man learns from other people's mistakes, and the foolish... Well, regardless of other people's mistakes, he wastes time, and makes those same mistakes again.


"Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil."
- Proverbs 3:7

Live like Jesus lived - Love like Jesus loved - Leave behind what Jesus left behind.

Bringing you up to speed.

Well, I know that I said I was going to start blogging... But, you know... A lot happened from then to now... And by a lot I mean a lot of the usual stuff that happens to everyday people in the course of life, and God changing the routine course so that He could get all the glory.

You know; stuff like getting married, working at the same place with your wife, getting laid off from your job (even though your wife was the one really wanting to get laid off), praying, getting closer to God, job hunting, God providing, packing to move into a house, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, scraping, cleaning, painting, painting, painting, cleaning, painting from 2-6am, landscaping, (Of course all throughout church, serving, and praying), moving, unpacking, cleaning, fixing things here and there, wife gives two week notice at her job, installing light fixtures, (Also throughout all this, eating bathing and proper hygiene of course), praying for God to provide a job for my wife...

Well, I think I pretty much brought you up to speed... There were some tears, laughs and crazy time throughout it all, but God is awesome! He never fails... I love Him.


Well, now with all that said, I will officially begin blogging... (Maybe not as often as you'd like) but when the time is right, I will share some thoughts here and there...

Live like Jesus lived - Love like Jesus loved - Leave behind what Jesus left behind.