Prayer

Scripture

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for… For everyone who asks, receives.”

~Matthew 7:7-8, NLT

Quote

When we pray we enter the real world, the substance of the KINGDOM.

~Dallas Willard

I write things down that I do not want to forget and many of the blogs are simply study notes. I’ve been preaching through the sermon on the mount and I can assure you, I have only scratched the surface. I was inspired by Dallas Willard’s classic THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY. Willard was a psychologist and a theologian, a rare combination but his understanding of human nature and the scripture is compelling. George W. Truett said, “The law of prayer is to ask.” Truett was not wrong but we must understand that asking is not a mechanism. Jesus used the present imperative tense in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and keep on asking.” The NLT translates it “Keep on asking,” but my Greek professors translated it “Ask and keep on asking.” The present imperative speaks of continuous action. Some people have the idea that prayer works like a coke machine; if you get all the words right and you ask in Jesus name, bingo out pops your answer. Some even teach that if you ask twice, you disrespect God by showing a lack of faith. But prayer is not like dropping a bomb where seconds late you see the results: it was never intended to work like a trigger or a mechanism that we pull or punch when we want something from God. PRAYER is a process; it is a personal conversation with the Creator of the universe. It is an admission that human resources are insufficient. In prayer, we step out of the natural realm into the supernatural. We acknowledge our need for divine assistance.

We do not ask God to change a flat or to weed the garden: He has made us more than capable to do those things but if we have a friend battling cancer or one addicted to drugs, we pray because there is absolutely no hope of you or I fixing the problem. PRAYER WILL WORK WHEN NOTHING ELSE WORKS. Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, “Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls to pigs, they will only trample them; and turn and tear you to pieces.” I know we think we can fix people by throwing them some pearls of wisdom but they have no appetite for pearls and cannot digest them: we simply make them angry and they turn on us. They have no appetite for pearls nor any appreciation for their value. There is only one solution: bring God into the situation and we do that by prayer. Prayer is getting God involved in our problems and the secret is to ASK. There is power in asking. Every parable that Jesus told about prayer emphasizes the power of ASKING.

Question: Why in this world would God set up His KINGDOM to work on the basis of prayer? Because He wanted to involve us in His kingdom work. This is why He wants you coming to HIM daily and asking daily: it is the way His Kingdom works.

News

The Chick-Fil-A thing is clearing up for not for the better: They are now financing COVENANT HOUSE which is openly gay. You can check it out for yourself at covenanthouse.org. According to my sources, one of the founders of this LGBTQ organization is a former Catholic Priest who is a pedophile. I am through with Chick-Fil-A. No more letters or phone calls. You do what you want to do: Bro. Jack is through.

I was at the hospital most the day yesterday and FOX NEWS was on. I don’t usually pay any attention but I overheard them saying…Michael Bloomberg, the Sadducee is running for president, not to win but to sabotage Trump’s campaign. It has to do with some scheme the demos have come up with to hurt his campaign finances.

TRUMP SUPPORTERS the left has put a new label on us; our latest tag is ‘cult’. That’s right, all TRUMP SUPPORTERS have been brainwashed. It was ironic: FOX has collected the video and every liberal outlet began saying the same thing…Trump supporters are a cult. They sounded like parrots and they have the audacity to say that we are brain washed.

So we were angry white males; then we became deplorable and now we are mindless cult members. I do not know one democrat who can carry on a reasonable debate. If you disagree with their party line, you are a racist and a hater. That is not debate, that is name calling which is the only thing they can do. Chris Tinkle Matthews has not had an original thought since he was in kindergarten and he says we are brain washed.

We had one of our Seniors {Joyce Cowart} from Grace Point promoted yesterday around 4:00 in the evening. Prayer for her husband Sam. He is a good man. All of you would like Sam.

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