Prayer Week 13: Don't Lose the Game

It is so easy to get distracted. Our busy world can be so demanding. There are so many things pulling us in all directions. Not all of them are bad either. Some are quite good and necessary, like family, church and jobs. However, when they get in the way of time with God, problems arise. We should do those things, but they shouldn’t be our top priority. We need help refocusing throughout the day.

 

Psalm 119:176 New American Standard Bible 1995

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.

Isaiah 53:6 New American Standard Bible 1995

All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.

Matthew 18:12 New American Standard Bible 1995

What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?

 

It is so easy to get so busy that we miss out on time with God. We think that important, necessary things that have to be done today should come first. However, we cannot do them right if we are not drawing our strength and wisdom from God. And we can’t draw from God if we aren’t spending time with Him. Instead of that shift giving us more time, it leaves us running on fumes. Time with God, in the Bible and in prayer, needs to be our first priority, and not just setting aside 5 minutes and then going about our day. We should be thinking about God and talking with Him throughout the day.

 

When I was in college, there was a popular “game” where the whole object was to not think about the game. Any time a person remembered the game they were to say out loud that they just lost the game (which subsequently often made others lose the game as well.) The only way to win was to either never be reminded of the game, or to always be thinking about the game so that it was never forgotten.

 

As you go about your day and week, try to continually think about and talk to God. Keep that constant awareness of His presence. The only reason God ever feels distant is because we aren’t paying attention. He is always there, and He will help bring us back if we are willing. Decide on a phrase that will help remind you to refocus on God. It should be something short and simple like “only You” or “walk with Me.” Every time you hear that phrase, let it remind you to talk to God, to be aware of Him. Make it your goal this week to never “lose the game” of communion with God.

 Prayer points taken from Praying Through Adversity by Jennifer Kennedy Dean.

Prayer Week 12: Walk by Faith

Movement can be helpful. It helps us engage and can keep our minds focused. This is the philosophy behind fidget spinners. Sitting still can provoke the mind to wander, but movement can help center the thoughts.

 

Deuteronomy 11:18-19 New American Standard Bible 1995

You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.

Psalm 48:11-13 New American Standard Bible 1995

Let Mount Zion be glad,
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice
Because of Your judgments.
Walk about Zion and go around her;
Count her towers;
Consider her ramparts;
Go through her palaces,
That you may tell it to the next generation.

Proverbs 6:21-23 New American Standard Bible 1995

Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
When you walk about, they will guide you;
When you sleep, they will watch over you;
And when you awake, they will talk to you.
For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light;
And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

 

When I was a missionary in Russia, we were beginning a new ministry to a college campus our organization had not yet reached. In preparation, the first few days instead of diving right in to ministry, we walked the campus in pairs, praying for the work before us and the people we would meet. We walked all around the perimeter, asking for guidance, support and protection from the enemy. It helped to focus our prayers and also give us insight in what to pray for, seeing the potential of the area.

 

It was a strategy we used in ministry on stateside as well, especially when preparing for an event. We would walk the perimeter of the campus or event grounds, asking for provision for our ministry, protection from attack, and preparation for those we would reach. Some may think this unnecessary or even foolish, but there is power in “preparing the ground” one is about to seed. The spiritual forces are real and need to be taken seriously and dealt with accordingly.

 

This week when you pray, try walking. You can walk around your home or property, or around your neighborhood or church campus. Use it as a time to ask God for protection for those encompassed, wisdom for you in reaching and dealing with them, and guidance for the approach. Use the walk to focus your prayers. It can help open your mind to new things God wants you to pray about, and provide a hedge of protection for your family and community.

 Prayer points taken from Praying Through Adversity by Jennifer Kennedy Dean.

Play Your Game

Though I enjoy watching the game, I wouldn’t say I’m a big hockey fan. But I do love the movie “Miracle,” about a coach who takes a bunch of college kids, forms them into an Olympic team, and wins the gold, defeating the 20 year winning streak of the Russian team. Several times in the movie, Coach Brooks tells the players to “play your game” or to “worry about your own game, there’s plenty there to keep you busy,” meaning that they should focus on what they were supposed to do and not worry about what the other team or their teammates were doing. That idea has stuck with me since the first time I watched it.

Are Your Eyes On Victory?

Where is your focus? In everyday life, what draws your attention, what keeps you going? When times are hard, where do you look for help, what gets you through it? Are your eyes on victory?

How can you focus on victory? First you have to define what victory is, or more importantly, where victory comes from. Victory, of course, is overcoming some obstacle, which can play out in many ways in life depending on the situation. But where does it come from?

What I Learned in Marriage-2

It’s better for you if you focus on him—I first heard this in reference to “marital relations” (and it is true in that context), but it applies to life in general as well. We were made to serve others and we are the most content when we are fulfilling that purpose.