Prayer:
Last week we began talking about true heart change in our lives. Change that will impact the world around us.
The “world” could be our homes, our neighborhoods, our churches, our places of employment, the stores we shop in, the parks we go to or something much larger.
Every day, even during lockdown, we have the opportunity to influence and touch others.
As Followers of Jesus, hopefully our desire is to live and move and have our very being in His love.
As we do that, as we face the issues of life with grace and hope and a quiet confidence that ALL He says is true, others will “see” and “know” that indeed we KNOW something…actually Someone upon whom we can base our entire lives.
The way, or one way this happens is for us to transformed by the renewing of our minds
(VERSE).
We do that as we “DO” what the Word/Bible tells us. We do not simply read the Bible or a devotion and think, “Oh that is nice.” We allow our hearts and minds to be transformed and renewed on a daily basis.
As we discussed last week, often that will look like pruning or discipline. But God is a GOOD FATHER and as we know a good father disciplines those he loves. (Romans 12:2…Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.)
God is also a GOOD VINEDRESSER and as such, He PRUNES us. (John 15:2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.)
No pruning of discipline is fun, but if we remember that God is good and does ALL he does for our good, we will endure it with JOY knowing it will produce good fruit. (Hebrews 12:11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.)And Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.)
All of us, every person on earth, was created by God, in His Own Image, to do good works He has prepared in advance for us to walk in. Some people, us included in certain areas, have “gone wrong” (gone our own way instead of God’s design) Genesis 1:26a Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.)
Tonight we are going to use the prayers from Prayer Portions which are based on scripture and if we desire, we can make them our own…personalize them.
Lord we invite You to minister Your healing to our hearts and minds as we look at these prayers and verses. Have your way in our lives. We give you permission to reveal to us any area where we need to change. In Jesus name amen
Sylvia Gunter suggests we use these prayers as a starting point to our own conversation with God. I fully agree with her.
It is not a list to be rushed through. Pause at each line and listen to what God wants to reveal to you.
Father,
Forgive me for the ways I have allowed evil roots to have a place in my heart and mind.
You are the Gardener of my heart. You search me and know my every thought.
Please shine the light of your glory so that anything that is not of you can be uprooted and removed.
Remove all roots of prejudice (favoritism, discrimination, tribalism, tradition).
Dodi Note: Remember, she send this out in response to the civil unrest going on in the world right now. But it also has application for our normal daily life. Sometimes people get on our last nerve. God can help us.
Documentation for the Scriptural basis for that prayer:
James 2:1-12
The Sin of Partiality
2 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court?
Dodi Note: Doesn’t this ring true?
7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.
Dodi Note: This is pretty much self explanatory.
The next documentation of the concepts in the prayer is:
John 4:9 Dodi Note: What we need to know first is that Jews did not talk to Samaritans in general. And this particular woman had come to the well in the middle of the day, when most were inside or in the cool resting. So we know she was probably an outcast. Or at least not comfortable with the other ladies in her town. AND men and women did not generally interact unless they were related.
7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?
12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”
Dodi Note: Do you see the ethnic discrimination here? Jews hated Samaritans and Samaritans felt they were better, especially since Jacob was their tribe’s ancestor. It’s actually funny in a way but don’t we do the same thing?
Jesus completely ignores it to get to the Truth he has for her which will change her life and the lives of those she knows.
13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
Dodi Note: She did not understand what Jesus was offering. Aren’t we sometimes the same? He offers healing, we cling to what is known and familiar as in our hurts, habits and hangups. Our practiced ways of being. It could be manifest as “oh poor me” or the opposite, like this lady thinking we are better than others. And yet at the same time she felt great shame. But Jesus ignores all that.
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
Dodi Note: I think her response is a key element to healing. She did not defend herself, she did not minimize her sin. She freely admitted it.
Think about your personal area…are you able to openly admit with Jesus that you are struggling? You are choosing a sin response instead of true repentance and being willing to see and own your own sinful actions instead of blaming others? Or your past?
Think about the world, and the riots. What if the lawbreakers, the rioters could pause and drink from Living Water and be healed of the hurts and wounds of the past? Wouldn’t that be like…amazing? And wouldn’t we all be better if we all learned to do that?
To take a deep drink of healing/Living Water?
17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’;
18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
Dodi Note: Jesus, being God, knew everything about her. The good, the bad, the ugly, the sin etc. And yet, He loved her and offered her the greatest gift he has to give. A saving knowledge of HIM and Living Water.
Can we learn to see past and even ignore at times the externals in another?
To see with God’s eyes the wounded heart behind the behavior that hurts or offends us?A love that does not EXCUSE the behavior but reaches past it to address the heart issue beneath it?
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
Dodi Note: This was in effect the racial/tribal dispute between the Jews and the Samaritans. Both were actually Jews. God’s chosen people but… well pride and offense had taken it’s toll. Much like many families and much like our culture today. Let’s see Jesus unbiased response.
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
Dodi Note: Today, Messiah has come and is here. Anyone in the entire world has access to Him by faith. So sad that so many turn from him. Especially since one of His names is Sar Shalom. Prince of Peace and to live life His way brings both peace and joy. And don’t we all need more of that? Both individually and in the world around us.
John 1:43-51 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Dodi Note: Watch it. Ethnic prejudice is about to be revealed.
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Dodi Note: Do you see the untriggerd response? A simple, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
Dodi Note: Jesus saw Nathanael’s pure heart. We had just seen evidence of it too. But Nathanael was surprised.
48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Dodi Note: We want this sort of life and world don’t we? Perhaps we can pray along those lines in the coming week. Let there be Peace on earth, a supernatural peace that comes one heart surrender at a time, including ours. When the news upsets us or temps us to anger…what if we drank of Living Water deeply before we responded?
The next passage is from Mark.
Mark 6:1-6 Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
6 He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.
2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things?
What is the wisdom given to him?
How are such mighty works done by his hands?
Dodi Note: Watch here comes the prejudice.
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
Dodi Note: They took offense at Him. Isn’t there a lot going on to be offended by? Jesus responds from His SECURE identity.
4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”
5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.
And he went about among the villages teaching.
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Esther 3:8-10 8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not to the king's profit to tolerate them.
Dodi Note: the Hebrew people who worshipped the One True God.
9 If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king's business, that they may put it into the king's treasuries.” 10 So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews.
Dodi Note: And we know the end of this story. God’s people fasted and prayed and God won a huge victory.
Lord show each of us where/if we have any preconceived judgements about a group of people, especially when our group judgement, even if it is valid, causes us to interact in wrong ways with individual people you send our way.
Help us to see past the external and be open to the eternal internal potential. One person, one heart at a time.
Dodi Note: Now we see that perhaps just like Bible people we may have inadvertently judged individuals by wrong criteria. Any place where we have “ roots of prejudice (favoritism, discrimination, tribalism, tradition).”
The next part of Sylvia’s prayer format is:
Wait let’s get the beginning with it:
Father,
Forgive me for the ways I have allowed evil roots to have a place in my heart and mind. You are the Gardener of my heart. You search me and know my every thought. Please shine the light of your glory so that anything that is not of you can be uprooted and removed.
Remove all roots of prejudice (favoritism, discrimination, tribalism, tradition).
And replace them with fear of God, Godly wisdom and the ministry of reconciliation.
Dodi Note: We can change the world. Think if all Christians prayed, invited God to heal their own hearts and then went out and about with renewed purer hearts how different things could be.
We really can’t change the world, but our lives, our choices matter to “this one”.
One person at a time. Just like the starfish poem.
These are the suggested verses for replacing/capturing out thoughts
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
Dodi Note: Love this verse. The more we know God, just like the Woman at the well and Nathaniel and others , the more we will be changed, renewed and safe to be transformed by/in/because of His love for us. Jesus becomes our SAFE REFUGE and we are safe from the turmoil around us.
James 3:17-18 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Dodi Note: Wisdom: pure....peaceable...gentle...open to reason... full of mercy...and GOOD fruits....impartial... sincere
that is a mouthful you could spend a lifetime on this one verse.
Let’s see what those words mean:
Peaceable free from argument or conflict; peaceful.
pure Purity comes from the Latin purus meaning "clean, clear, unmixed, chaste." When you're talking about something that is clean and unmixed, you are talking about something characterized by purity. This can refer to someone's character or intentions.
gentle Gentleness is the quality of being kind and careful. The noun gentleness is perfect for describing the way someone acts when they are soft and calm and sweet to other people.
mercy mercy is a “love that responds to human need in an unexpected or unmerited way.” At its core, mercy is forgiveness.
impartial The ability to be unbiased towards any one race, class or person.
sincere sincere, wholehearted, heartfelt, hearty, unfeigned mean genuine in feeling. sincere stresses absence of hypocrisy, feigning, or any falsifying embellishment or exaggeration. a sincere apology wholehearted suggests sincerity and earnest devotion without reservation or misgiving.
I think open to reason is self explanatory.
The good fruits are the fruit of the Spirit. We find those in Galatians 5:22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
2 Corinthians. 5:18-19 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Dodi Note: When we come to God admitting our sin and need for a Savior, we are forgiven and cleansed but also reconciled to God. We are restored to right relationship. Of course that hinges on true repentance. Now we are Ambassadors for Christ. We represent Him to the people around us. And I don’t know about you but I need a whole lot of grace to be able to do that.
Ephesians 2:15b-16
One in Christ
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Dodi Note: just breath and rest in this. We are members of one body, the body of Christ. No longer strangers. Children of God. To God be the glory.