Instant

"For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." -Galatians 6:8-9

My tendency in prayer and seeking God is to sow now expecting to reap now. How often I have prayed with hopes God will answer my prayer immediately? How often I have sought after God in an instant and grown tired of waiting for him to answer?

When you plant a seed (sow), you do not get the fruit (reap) that night with a little water. You get the final product after months of daily watering and cultivating.

Seek God and His Spirit today.... and tomorrow and every day

You will reap what you sow in prayer and spirit but you must keep praying and seeking for something you will one day reap when God says it is ready

Devastation or Desperation

I need to learn how to pray prayers of desperation. We as a country have no idea what it really means to be desperate; to pray desperate prayers. God calls us to desperation as one of only two ways to bring about transformation in this country. The only two ways are when we pray either desperation prayers or devastation prayers. We have already learned devastation prayer during 911. We learned that our country will certainly come together during devastation. When we were attacked, everyone came out to pray together to a God many of them never cared about before. But beyond those people were the Christians who had finally came together in a spirit of prayer, a unified prayer. But if that is the only way we pray in hopes of transformation of a country, I am not sure how much more we can handle devastating attacks on our country.

We have to learn to come to God out of desperation for him. How desperate are we for Jesus? How desperate am I for Jesus? We sing about it all the time, "I'm desperate for you. I'm lost without you." But how true is that?

Now when I say desperate for God, I don't mean desperate for him to help us and make things happen for us. I don't mean desperate for God to fix my back, get me a job, pay my bills, give me a car. I mean how desperate are we for GOD!!! Do we really want to be dependant upon God? Those kind of prayers bring transformation. God I am desperate for you. Not your actions...but desperate for YOU!!! We desire to be closer to your heart as people, as families, as churches, as communities, as cities, as a nation. Are we truly desperate for God? Are we seeking God's face or are actually just seeking God's hand?

We have to learn to pray desperate prayers. Ask God to teach us desperate prayer. We have to learn a LIFESTYLE of desperate prayer. This is not an annual event at the Day of Prayer or around the pole at school. We have to become people of prayer if we are to see our life transformed.

Using God

Sometimes I think I am more concerned with seeking God's rewards and gifts instead of seeking Him for the relationship's sake. I read Hebrews 11 and begin seeking God for the rewards that are promised to those who seek Him diligently. But then I try to make this practical and wonder if there have ever been times people have done that with me. Has anyone sought me out solely for the benefits I may bring to them? Has anyone ever sought out my friendship because of something I might offer them?

I cannot recall anyone doing that to me (primarily because I do not have a whole lot of rewards to offer), but what if someone DID pursue a friendship with me SO THAT they may get something out of me as a reward? What if nobody pursued friendship with me because the relationship was reward enough? I would feel pretty used. I would feel like the relationship was not sincere or intimate. That relationship would only LOOK LIKE a relationship.

I have to recheck my relationship with God now. Afterall, Hebrews blatantly tells us that God rewards those who seek Him out, but is that WHY I seek Him? Do I seek God so that He will reward me? That is not a relationship; that is a transaction.