Implosion (31 page)

While I was working on this book, I had the joy of leading a man in another city to faith in Jesus Christ. He was so excited by his newfound faith at first. Every day for weeks we spent between an hour and an hour and a half studying the Gospel of John together. He would ask many questions, and I would point him back into the Scriptures to find the answers. He was growing rapidly. Then he had to do some travel for work, and so did I. When we reconnected, I asked him if he was continuing to study and savor God’s Word every day. He admitted that over time he had gotten too busy. I certainly understood, and I told him that for years I struggled to be disciplined and faithful to study the Bible on a daily basis. But rather than let him get discouraged, I suggested he let me help him.

I reminded him that if he really loved Jesus, he would obey him by spending more time listening to him. He readily agreed, so I gave him a thirty-day challenge. He and I promised each other that for the next thirty days, we would both spend at least forty-five minutes at the beginning of our day reading and studying the Bible and praying to the Lord. Then we would e-mail each other as a way of keeping each other accountable. We’d let each other know that we had finished our morning devotions and share a few nuggets of what God had taught us that day. We’d also share prayer requests. They wouldn’t be long e-mails, just quick and to the point. He agreed, and we made the commitment. My friend ended up reading all of John, all of Acts, and most of the book of Romans. We continue to e-mail each other, and we call when we can.

It’s not a foolproof system, but may I encourage you to find someone with whom you can take the thirty-day challenge? Be honest with each other if you miss a day or two. Forgive each other, and get back on schedule.

When the thirty days are over, evaluate how you both are doing spiritually. Then consider keeping each other accountable for another thirty days, and another thirty after that.

I highly recommend that you have a plan for your Bible reading. Rather than randomly opening the Bible each day and reading whatever page you open up to, pick a book of the Bible and work your way through it day by day. Take notes in a journal. Look up cross-references. Look up words you’re not clear about. Underline verses that grab your attention. Discuss what you’re reading and learning with family members, friends, and colleagues. Ask the Lord to reveal to you what he is saying. Take special note of commands the Lord gives you through his Word, and be sure to obey those right away—that is, don’t just be a hearer of the Word; be a doer of God’s Word, and he will bless you as you do.

May I suggest that you don’t merely begin your day reading the Word of God? Have a Bible with you at work, in your car, or in your backpack, briefcase, or purse. Take a moment at lunch or on a coffee break to pull it out. Maybe do your main study in the morning, but sometime during the rest of the day, read a psalm, or a chapter of Proverbs. And spend some time reading the Bible in the evening, too, before you go to bed.

I would also recommend having a time of Bible study, discussion, and prayer with your children each day. In our family, we call this time “devotions,” and we have them from 8 to 9 a.m. each weekday. Since I’m an author and Lynn is homeschooling the kids, our schedule is a little more flexible than most in the mornings. Other families we know have their devotions right after dinner or earlier in the morning. Whenever you do it, the point is to find the time and stick with it. We pick a book of the Bible and read through a chapter or so each morning and discuss it together. The kids have actually loved it much more than I originally expected them to. They have lots of questions, and that’s been fun for Lynn and me. We take turns praying for family members, friends, neighbors, missionaries, and ministry partners around the world. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for people we know in Israel and the rest of the epicenter. It has been great for our family life as well as our spiritual growth, and it’s particularly important for Dad to be centrally involved. Sure, there are times I’m traveling or otherwise unable to participate, and Lynn leads devotions in my absence. But I try to make it a top priority because I believe kids (and especially boys) need to see their fathers stepping up and showing consistent spiritual leadership inside the home as well as outside.

Psalm 1 describes a man who is committed to immersing himself in the Word of God. It calls such a man “blessed” and says that his “delight is in the law of the L
ORD
, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3). May you be richly blessed as you press into God’s Word this year more than ever before.

6. Rediscover the Power of Prayer and Fasting

Are you wondering what God’s will is for your life?

Fortunately, the apostle Paul tells us the answer in one sentence: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Could it be any clearer?

First, rather than worry, we are to rejoice in who God is, how much he loves us, how much we love him, what he has done in his Word, and what he promises to do for all believers in the future.

Second, we are to pray always. That doesn’t mean nonstop talking to God. It does mean keeping up a running dialogue with the Lord, just as we would with our husband or wife when we first fell in love and got married. Why? Because that’s how we communicate to God that we really love him and care about what he thinks. Are we praying every day for personal revival? Are we praying every day for God to bring a powerful spiritual revival to our spouse and our children? Are we praying daily for a revival in our church and community and for a spiritual awakening to spread across the United States? If not, why not? Shouldn’t this be our hearts’ cry at this critical moment? What are we waiting for?

Third, we need to thank the Lord a whole lot more than we do. Often we’re grumbling or complaining in our prayers or asking for a laundry list of things we need or want. Of course we’re encouraged to bring our requests to the Lord, but we should make sure we begin by thanking the Lord for the answers to all the other prayers we’ve prayed—including the times he told us “no” and the times he told us, “Yes, but wait.” Sometimes the “no” answers to prayer in my life have been the most wonderful, because the Lord was protecting me from something I thought was right or good but wasn’t. What have you thanked God for today?

Many believers get bogged down over prayer. They say they don’t have the time to pray or the interest to pray. Take a moment and think of how that sounds to the Lord, who died on the cross for you to pay for your sins and rose again from the dead to rescue you out of hell. You and I don’t have time for him? We’re not interested in talking or listening to him?

Would your husband or wife believe you really loved them if you never talked to them and never listened to them? Would your children believe you really loved them if you never conversed with them? What about the Lord? Do you think he really believes you love him if you never spend time talking to him in prayer? Your Father in heaven wants you to listen to him by reading his Word, and he wants to listen to you as you share what is on your heart through prayer.

One of the great things Lynn and I have discovered is praying specifically for things that the Bible tells us to pray for. This is what we’re trying to teach our four sons to do in their prayer lives too. Let me give you two examples:

• In Ephesians 5:18, we are commanded to “be filled with the Spirit,” meaning we should be constantly filled and refilled with the wisdom and the power of the Holy Spirit.

• In Ephesians 6:10-11, we are commanded to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” and to “put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

At first glance, it might seem like the Lord is commanding us to do two important things but then not telling us how to do them. The Bible tells us we receive the Holy Spirit immediately when we are born again. How then can we be constantly filled and refilled with God’s Holy Spirit, whom we cannot see, and thus be continually operating in his love and wisdom and power and kindness? The Bible tells us that the enemy, known as Satan or the devil, and his forces will continually attack and seek to destroy us. How then can we put on a spiritual helmet and breastplate and other armor we cannot see?

Actually, the Bible does tell us how, immediately after these commands. The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 6:18, “With all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit.” In other words, if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, begin each day asking the Lord to fill you with his Holy Spirit, and ask him several more times throughout the day. Do you want to be suited up in the full armor of God as you head out the door to school or work or anywhere else each day? Ask for the power and protection of the Holy Spirit, and you shall receive it. That’s what Lynn and I do with our sons each day during devotions, and God has proven himself time and time again to be a prayer-hearing and a prayer-answering God, a wonder-working God!

Isn’t that what Christ said? “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:9-13).

Also, be specific when you pray. Pray in a way that is definable and measurable so that you’ll really know when God has answered. For example, don’t simply pray, “Lord, please bless my sister.” How would you know if that prayer was answered? Instead, pray for something specific. “Lord, please open the eyes of my sister’s heart so that she will see that you love her and sent your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to rescue her. Please bless her by persuading her to give her life to you so that she will spend eternity with you in heaven and so I’ll get to spend it with her as well.” Will you know when your sister (or whoever) prays to receive Christ? I suspect you will.

Likewise, don’t get fixated on praying merely for your basic needs. I don’t mean that you shouldn’t pray for those things, but let me encourage you not to pray
only
for those things. As Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 6:31-33, “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Try praying, “Lord, would you open the door for me to share the gospel with someone this week who doesn’t know you?” Or try praying, “Lord, would you show me a specific person I can invite to church this week and encourage to pray to receive Christ as Savior?” Or how about, “Lord, our family has never been on a short-term missions trip, but would you show us where you would like us to go and then provide the funds to get us there?”

Aim higher. Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and he will take care of all your other needs.

Also, be sure you’re practicing the spiritual discipline of fasting—skipping a meal (or even a day or more of meals) or some other activity you normally do and devoting that time to prayer. The prophet Joel called on the people of God to fast while they prayed and repented of their sins and turned their hearts back to God. Actually, most of the prophets called the people to fasting. The apostles fasted and taught other followers of Christ to do the same. Jesus himself said, “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18).

Clearly, Jesus expected his disciples to fast. He didn’t say, “
If
you fast.” He said, “
Whenever
you fast.” It’s important to tell God through fasting that spending time with him is more important to us than eating, entertaining, being entertained, or engaging in any other activity. Denying ourselves for a time things that are basic and important to us so that we can tune out all distractions and talk to God and listen carefully to his Word is a vital part of a healthy relationship with Christ. Be sure to talk to your doctor for advice on fasting in the context of your own unique medical history, and ask your pastor for his wisdom and input. But don’t put off fasting. We need to obey the Lord in this spiritual discipline now more than ever, for the Bible is clear that fasting is an essential element in personal and national revival.

7. Recommit Yourself to a Local Congregation That Is Committed to Teaching and Obeying the Bible

Right after three thousand people from all over the Roman Empire repented of their sins and received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, what did all those believers do next? The book of Acts tells us they were baptized and then began forming church congregations in homes and wherever else they could gather.

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.