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“For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds.”  2 Corinthians 10: 3-4 CSB

Now we’re switching from praying Scripture about UNBELIEF to praying Scripture about STRONGHOLDS in our lives..  We all have strongholds. I truly wish that wasn’t a true statement, but it is. It’s whether or not we know it. Strongholds are deceptive. I was surprised when I looked up its definition in Webster’s Dictionary of 1828: a fastness; a fort; a fortified place; a place of security. A Stronghold is a place of security, that is why it’s deceptive, we’re secure in it.

Marriage has helped me identify strongholds in my life.  I have an entitlement issue. I was born and raised in America.  I was the only daughter of my parents, with two brothers. I was the princess of our family.  I had entitlement issues, for sure. Then I got married. I learned quickly my husband did not get the memo about how this was going to go.  Gratefully, neither had I. It happened one night when we were crawling into bed. I was in bed first, journaling. Ron crawls into bed and he “jostles” me.  Yes, the princess that I am, I actually said jostled to him. I mean, after all, couldn’t he see I was writing? He needed to be more considerate. That was my opinion.  You know what his was? He promptly informed me that this was not the Beth show. This is the Ron and Beth show. We’re doing it together. If he did everything I wanted it was the Beth show, and that show had ended.  Now, it’s the Ron and Beth show.

That folks, is how my husband informed me of my stronghold of entitlement.  I still struggle with it, I probably always will. But I am so thankful he said those words that night.  They changed my life. They helped me see things from his perspective. He helped me realize just how selfish I was being. And he did it all with such tender love, I’m grateful.  That’s what God does for us. He helps us see our blind spots. He helps us identify our strongholds. He does it all with such tender love, all you can do is thank Him.

Let’s start there today. Let’s trust Him, that whatever strongholds He reveals to you, He’ll do it with such tender love, you’ll be thankful.  Let’s pray:

Lord, we do live in the flesh, and the flesh is a tough battle.  It’s hard not to wage war in the flesh, it’s hard when loved ones say things to us we don’t want to hear and not react.  It’s hard Lord. Helps us not battle in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Help us use our prayers to break down strongholds in our lives.  Help us use our prayers to fight our battles Lord. Lord demolish our strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

“Immediately the father of the boy cried out, ‘I do believe; help my unbelief.” Mark 9:24 CSB

The particular story behind this verse is about a father whose son is possessed by a demon.  He brings him to Jesus to be healed. Here is Jesus initial response:

“You unbelieving generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you?  Bring him to me.” (Mark 9:19 CSB).

The father is immediately humbled, yet he still says to Jesus, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help” (Mark 9:22).  Jesus wasn’t too happy with his response, He immediately replies, “‘If you can?’ Everything is possible for the one who believes” (Mark 9:23).

That is how Jesus responds to unbelief.  It irritates Him. From Jesus perspective, what all does He have to do to make people believe? How many miracles does he perform, how many demons does he have to deal with, how many people does He have to feed for people to finally believe in Him?  He had done countless wonders by this time and people were still struggling with unbelief. Just like we are today. No matter how much Jesus has done for us, no matter how much He has carried us through, we still don’t have full belief in Him. We don’t believe He can handle the crisis in our family, we don’t believe He can heal our marriages.  We don’t believe He can help us love that person we work with who drives us crazy. We don’t think He can heal the sick, feed the hungry or bring peace into a world of turmoil. We don’t believe because we’ve already forgotten what He has already done for us.

But we can do what this father did, we can pray and ask Jesus to help us with our unbelief.  We can admit we’re struggling, that we’re finding it hard to believe. EVEN if we remember all He has done for us, it can still seem the problems we face today are insurmountable.  But they’re not. There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV). The longer I live, the more I learn this truth.

Let’s pray together today for God to help us with our unbelief:

Lord, we’re sorry for the times we don’t believe.  Help us always to remember this story of the father and son.  Help us to remember all Jesus has already done for us. Help us remember, whatever we’re dealing with today, He’s got it too.  Help us with our unbelief. (Mark 9:24 CSB). In Jesus name we pray. Amen

“Yet because I tell the truth you do not believe me.” John 8:45 CSB

When it comes to truth or grace, I tend to fall on the truth side of things.  It’s always easier telling the truth than a lie. You don’t have to worry about it, you don’t have to remember it.  The facts are always the facts. But the truth is, people don’t like truth. Because they don’t like truth, they don’t like Jesus.  The human mind fascinates me how easily it can be deceived. It happens to all of us. I have been persecuted more for telling the truth than anything else in my life.  It always amazes me how people react when confronted with the truth. It’s not at all what one would think. But Jesus knows, Jesus knows exactly how people react to truth, by not believing.

It’s easier to not believe than it is to accept the truth.

It’s easier to not believe all sin is equal, than it is to believe that it is.  It’s easier to point fingers at someone else’s sin than our own. But if you aren’t honest with yourself, you can’t be honest with others.  If you can’t be honest with others, you’re not telling the truth. You’re being deceived. Any story of overcoming adversity typically starts with a line something like this: “I took a good, hard look at my life and realized something needed to change.”  That’s being honest with yourself. That’s saying, what I have been doing so far hasn’t worked, it’s time to do something different.

That’s what I did when I was in my late 20’s, in a dead-end relationship, dead-end job, dead-end life.  I took a good hard look at my life and determined this wasn’t working. I had tried things my way and it wasn’t successful.  I needed a change. That change was Jesus. I decided to start believing the truth Jesus was trying to tell me. I decided to start applying it to my life.  I dug into His word and started applying it to my life. I started to believe. I always knew the truth, I just didn’t believe the truth.

Here’s the beauty of Jesus.  He doesn’t expect you to do it all at once, accept His truth.  He just wants you to start with one truth, Him. Start by accepting the truth that you need Jesus in your life. Once you do, He’ll start unraveling the layers of unbelief we have.  I heard our hearts once compared to an onion. Each layer is a different wall we have built up to protect it. Once we start to accept the truth of Jesus, He begins to peel back those layers, one at a time, revealing the truth.  Some layers can hurt more than others to have the light shed on them. Others may be easier to accept. But all of it requires belief that Jesus can and will do it. He came to give us truth, to set us free with the truth (John 8:32 CSB).  It won’t happen if we don’t believe.

Let’s start today with this prayer:

Lord, we are so grateful for your truth.  Forgive us for the times we haven’t believed it.  Help us overcome our unbelief. Help us accept and believe in Your truth.  Reveal the layers of deception that we’re believing, bring light into the darkness.  Open our eyes to the truth of You, help us to believe it (John 8:45 CSB). In Jesus name I pray.  Amen

“He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, He was also able to do.”  Romans 4:20-21 CSB

The signing of the Declaration of Independence was an act of faith by 56 delegates from 13 colonies.  They were like Abraham, who is described in the verse above. He is “the father of many nations” (Romans 4:17 CSB), including ours.  The signers of the Declaration had this belief in common: there is no law above God’s law. The motto of the Revolutionary war, “No king, but King Jesus!”  These men had incredible faith. They knew they were committing an act of treason in the eyes of the British Parliament.

John Hancock, well known for his flowery signature, was President of Congress at this time.  He supposedly said about Congress, after signing, that they “must all hang together.” Benjamin Franklin responded, “Yes, we must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”  It truly was a matter of life or death for them. They believed in the power of God and His ability to lead them to freedom.  So much so, they put their lives on the line when they signed what has become the foundation for our country.

From their bravery, one of the most well known sentences in the English language evolved:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Our country was founded by men who believed.  Men who overcame their unbelief and literally changed the world.  When we believe there is “No king, but King Jesus” we can do anything, even start a new country.  A country that has been nicknamed the Land of the Free; a Land of Opportunity, a Melting Pot for the world. A Christian nation, founded by Christian men who were honoring their true King, Jesus.  On this day of Independence for our country, let’s thank them for what they did for us. Let’s thank them for giving us a land where all men (and women) are created equal, free to pursue “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Morning Prayer:

“Lord, I’m grateful Abraham didn’t waver in his faith, nor did the men who signed the Declaration of Independence.  I pray we can be strengthened in our faith like they were, let us always give the glory to You. We know, Lord, you can do whatever you say You will do.  In You we place our faith and hope for a future (Romans 4:20-21 CSB). In Jesus name we pray. Amen

UNBELIEF BECAUSE OF FAMILIARITY

“And they were offended by Him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his household.” And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.” Matthew 13:57-58 CSB

Have you ever heard the saying, “They missed heaven by 18 inches”?  It means they knew who Jesus was in their head, but not in their heart. They had knowledge of Him, but they didn’t BELIEVE in Him.  There are a lot of people who fall into this category. They know of Jesus, but they don’t believe in Jesus. That is what is happening here in this verse.  These are the people who knew Jesus. It’s the brothers he grew up with, it’s the neighbors who saw him become a carpenter. For us, it would be our family and friends who we share our lives daily.  They know the best AND the worst about us simply because they have lived it with us.

Here’s another way of looking at it.  In my case, I have four brothers I’ve known my entire life.  If one of them came to me and told me they were the Messiah, sent here to save the world, I’d have a hard time believing him.  Because I know them so well, it would be hard for me to believe in them. People in Jesus’s neighborhood didn’t believe in Him. As a result, He couldn’t perform as many miracles.  What would you think if your sibling came to you this way? You probably would think they were crazy. So did the people in Jesus’ world.

Miracles require belief.

If you need a miracle in your life, you first have to BELIEVE that God can do it.  We can suffer the exact same fate the people of Jesus’ neighborhood did. We know Jesus well.  Many of us have heard of Jesus our entire lives. If we haven’t read the Bible we know Bible stories.  Scriptures are rampant in our vocabulary as sayings, or adages. We know Jesus, but do we truly BELIEVE in Jesus?  Do we truly believe He can heal the sick, feed the hungry, bandage the brokenhearted? If we don’t believe it, we’re not paving the way for a miracle.

Let’s pave the way for miracles in our lives today with this prayer:

Lord, don’t let us be offended by Jesus.  Don’t let us make the same mistake those He grew up with did.  Help us to see His truth. Let us honor Him in our homes. Let our belief pave the way for His miracles in our lives.  Help us Lord overcome our unbelief. (Matthew 13:57-58 CSB). In Jesus name We pray. Amen

“Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.”  Hebrews 3:12 CSB

Unbelief, in its original Greek is apistia.  It derives from apistos which means “untrustworthy, faithlessness or uncertainty, distrust.”  Heart in this verse is kardia. It means “the seat and center of circulation, and therefore of human life.”  It is used figuratively in this verse, but the bottom line is we have to be careful of the condition of our heart.  It is easy to have unbelief, when we do if affects our entire life. There isn’t an aspect of it that isn’t affected.  But when we have our heart full of belief, full of the knowledge God can do anything, then we have life. Not only do we have life, we have it to the fullest (John 10:10 NIV).

We recently watched “The Upside” with Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart.  It’s a true story about an ex-convict and millionaire that form a wonderful friendship.  Kevin Hart, who plays Dell, has just been released from prison. He has followed his evil heart and it led him to places he never wanted  to go. He inadvertently ends up at a job interview for a caretaker position for Bryan Cranston’s character, Phil. Phil is a paraplegic, having become paralyzed from the neck down in a hang gliding accident.  He’s depressed, tired of life. He hires Dell because he’s the least qualified candidate, he just wants to die. Both of these men are in hopeless situations, both have given up on life. Together they find hope again.  Together they find belief again. Belief that life can be good. Belief that God does have a plan. Belief that if you search for it, you will find hope.

Unbelief can be equated to losing hope.  Hope is having expectations that something good is just around the corner.  When our hearts get focused on what we see, instead of what we don’t see, hope can be difficult to find.  Unbelief begins to set in, without realizing it, evil starts to creep into our hearts. We start to doubt, we lose trust, we lose faith, we’re uncertain of what is to come.  Our center of circulation that gives us life becomes dark and negative. But when we stop looking inward and start looking outward, we begin to soar with the eagles (Isaiah 40:31 NIV).

Because of Dell, Phil learned to soar again.  He learned to have hope. In one of the most pivotal moments in the movie, Dell takes Phil hang gliding.  In his wheelchair, strapped in tight, he soars once more in the sky. His faith has been restored, his hope flourishes.  His heart center has found belief once again. And we can too, by turning our hearts back to God. By seeking His presence in our lives, by keeping our heart centered on Him, we’ll find belief.  We’ll know, He truly can do all things, and all things work to the good for those who believe (Romans 8:28 NIV).

Morning Prayer:

Lord, help rid our hearts of evil and unbelief, let nothing turn our hearts away from You (Hebrews 3:12 CSB).  When we struggle with unbelief, give us hope. Help us keep centered on You, on Your word, on Your hope. Give us faith for the day ahead.  Let us go boldly into it, knowing You are always with us. In Jesus Name We pray. Amen

“The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.” James 5:16b CSB

This month, we’re focusing on learning how to pray Scripture.  Don’t panic, I’m going to help you. We’re all going to do this together.  Starting tomorrow, for the next 30 days there will be a different Scripture you can pray over your life, over the lives of family and friends, over anyone or anything.  Praying Scripture is powerful for a couple of reasons. First off, it’s God’s word, His promises to us. We’re just reminding Him of what He already said. More than that, we’re reminding ourselves of what God has already said to us.  We’re trusting His word that it is true. That He means what He says. The more we actively engage with God’s word, the more it will transform our lives, the more it will transform our hearts.

Here are the specific topics we’re going to attack this month.  They are the ones I think all of us deal with in some way: Unbelief, Strongholds, Pride, Fear, Idolatry, Deception.  Those are some interesting topics to ponder aren’t they? I look at each one of those and have no problem admitting, I struggle with them all.

Recently, we did a poll in the group about what people would like to know about prayer.  In addition, I’ve been polling people randomly when I’m with them. There seems to be an overall consensus of what most people struggle with when it comes to prayer.  Focus, Duration, Content, Consistency are all common struggles. How to know if prayers are answered is another struggle. Originally we had talked about doing a 40 day prayer challenge.  But I don’t think I’m ready to write that yet. Instead we decided to stay with our “different theme” a month strategy.

As I wrestled with God over what He wanted me to do, it finally came down to just doing it.  My hope and prayer is I can help you find answers to your questions as we actively practice a prayer routine together.  There will be a daily prayer page for your journal you’ll be able to download and use at home. We’ll be posting an evening prayer as well, to help with consistency.  We’ll continue our “Pray for Who Wednesday’s.” We’ll let God do the transforming along the way.

Join me on our journey to growing deeper in our prayer life with this Scriptural prayer:

“Lord, Your word says the prayer of a righteous person is powerful in its effect (James 5:16 NIV).  I have been made righteous through Jesus, let my prayers be powerful in their effect. As we begin this journey of prayer together, let it draw us closer to You.  Let us find a new level of intimacy through prayer we’ve never experienced before. Help us see the effect of the prayers we pray. In Jesus Powerful Name I pray. Amen”

“He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities.  You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:20 CSB

A couple of years ago my husband and I visited a church in White Lake, NC.  It’s a small community that sits on a lake. The church was in a community building which sat right by its waters.  It was one of the most beautiful services I have ever attended. The walls of the center actually lifted up, like garage doors.  On beautiful Sundays like this one was when we were there, they were wide open. You sat beside the lake waters with the sun shining, and the breeze blowing as the Pastor spoke.  His message that day was on grace. He gave me a new perspective on it.

Grace is what we receive from God when He casts our sins into the depths of the sea.  As this Pastor put it, if we took our sins and dropped them into the middle of the lake, they would immediately be covered up.  It would be like a drop of water added to the lake, instantaneously gone, never to be seen again. That’s what God’s grace is like, whatever our sins are, they are gone forever, lost in the vastness of His grace.

Another way to imagine it would be to have an eyedropper filled with red dye.  The red dye represents your sins, whatever they are. If you take the dropper and empty it into the sea, it will be gone.  The amount of water is so much greater than the red, the red disappears. It’s all gone. That is how God’s grace works. It’s immediate, it’s permanent, it’s for all of us if we just accept it.

But we don’t truly believe it.  We don’t truly believe God has forgiven us all our sins.  We think He’s forgiven most of them, but there’s always that one niggling sin that we’re positive He can’t possibly forgive.  That’s just not true. There is no where in His word you will find that to be true. He is a God of compassion and mercy. Over and over again we find examples of it in His word.  It’s up to us to believe it. On days when it’s hard to believe it, days when you can’t “seas” the day completely because you think God can’t possibly forgive you, think about this verse.  Think about a drop in the ocean, how quickly it disappears. Think about the red dye being gone forever. Think about that, trust in its truth, “seas” the day!

“You rule the raging sea; when its waves surge, you still them.” Psalm 89:9 CSB

Nothing scares me like a tsunami.  Ever since the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean I have gained a new respect for the power of the sea.  A tsunami usually is the result of an earthquake in the middle of the ocean. It creates two different types of waves, one that goes further out to sea and one that heads to the closest shoreline.  In the case of the Indian Ocean tsunami, a 900 ft. fault line between where the Indian and Australian tectonic plates meet is where it occurred. It caused several 100 foot waves to hit the Banda Aceh coast just 20 minutes after the earthquake occurred. It happened the day after Christmas, more than a 100,000 people were killed.  It was devastating.

Why God didn’t still those waves in 2004 I don’t know.  It doesn’t stop me from believing He could. Natural disasters are part of life on earth.  They are part of the trouble Jesus talks about when He says, “in this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33 NIV).  When one occurs, it reminds me how precious life is. How we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but we have today. It helps remind me to live in the moment, be grateful for what I have.  As Job so gracefully put it, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away (Job 1:21 NIV).

Life can act like a tsunami.  An earthquake can happen: illness, job loss, death of a loved one, spiritual doubts.  Something that causes an uncontrollable wave of emotion and pain to start rippling over you.  It sucks up all of the positive energy, replacing it with fear, panic, heartache. It can cause destruction in relationships, in your life.  Often, when we are overcome with pain we can lash out at others unnecessarily, causing the wave of pain to now move from ourselves to those around us.  Its yelling at your husband for something someone else did to you. It’s taking it out on your kids because they happen to be close by when the earthquake happens.  Whoever is closest to you, usually are the ones who reap the effects of the earthquake. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

When the tsunamis in life happen, acknowledge the emotions that come with it.  Take time to let the wave roll off of you before you take action. Give God time to work in your life.  Give Him time to do what only He can do before you respond to it. Remember, just like he can calm the seas, he can calm whatever situation you’re dealing with today.  He can still the waves, smooth the surface and bring you back to the peace you knew before the earthquake. He can calm the seas so you can “seas” the day!

“So God created the large sea creatures and every living creature that moves and swarms in the water, according to their kinds.  He also created every winged creature according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:21 CSB

As a person who loves the ocean, this verse touches my heart.  It says it right here, it is good. God says so. I know it’s true because there is nothing more healing than the breaking of the waves against the seashore. There are times, when I’m at the beach, I am humbled that I get to sit there by this massive body of water.  The sand between my toes, the sun on my face. Life doesn’t get much better than that in my book. But I’m aware, not everyone gets to enjoy it. I’m aware of my sick friend, who as of this writing has now been in the hospital for 47 days. I’m aware there are others who can’t afford a vacation, or even a day off.  I know there are people who would love to be at the beach, but for whatever reason can’t be. It makes me more grateful I can be.

I also know there are people who prefer the mountains to the beach.  I can’t understand it, but I know its a true statement. God said those were good too (Genesis 1:10 NIV).  Whether you’re a beach person or a mountain person, whether rich or poor, sick or healthy, there is always something to be grateful for in your life.  I saw this post from my friend Mary the other day on Facebook. It was a picture of a precious little boy from a Third World Country. He had his hands up in a prayer position right in the middle of his face.  You could see on either side of those tiny hands, sparkling eyes. His cheeks puffed out in a smile, sheer delight on his face. This starving orphan from another country looked happier than people I see walking down the street every day.  People who drive nice cars, wear nice clothes, eat at nice places look more miserable than this starving child. Why is that? The answer to the question was in the anonymous caption:

“It is not happy people who are grateful.  It is grateful people who are happy.”

Isn’t that truth?  The key to happiness isn’t places, people or things.  The key to happiness is gratefulness. This starving child knows this truth because he’s grateful for everything he has.  He’s grateful for another day, because depending on where this picture was taken, his life could be in danger. He’s grateful for the food he has to eat, the water he has to drink.  He’s grateful because it isn’t a commodity to him. We have so much of it we forget to be grateful for it. But go one day in 100 degree weather without water, you’ll be thankful when you get some.

And when you’re grateful you are happy.  When you are happy, no matter what you’re doing, you are much more likely to “seas” the day.  If you truly want to “seas” the day, “seas” life, it starts with gratitude. Start the day with gratitude. Thank God for the coffee you’re drinking.  Then go take on the world. See if doesn’t make a difference.