Author: Brian Burdett

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” – Luke 18:1

Jesus was very clear that His followers need to be persistent in prayer. Not every request we make will be answered the way we want on the schedule we’d prefer. That’s a good thing! If every prayer was instantly answered the way we wanted, God wouldn’t be sovereign, we would. His will wouldn’t be done, ours would. We wouldn’t learn to depend on God, we’d simply view Him as nothing more than another useful app under our control.

God uses long periods of prayerful waiting to check our priorities, refine our faith, and align our will to His. Is our request so important that we’re willing to pray about it day after day, month after month, year after year? Or is it just another passing whim like the latest online shopping deal we’ll forget about tomorrow? Is it so important that our attention will remain fixed on it and we’ll come to completely depend on God for its fulfillment? Will we learn to trust that God’s ways and thoughts really are infinitely above our own? Will we find peace in the waiting, trusting that God wants and knows what’s best for everyone across all of time.

Long-term, ongoing prayer changes us. Teaches us. Gradually aligns our will to God’s. As we spend increasing time at the foot of God’s throne of mercy and grace, we learn to care about what He cares about, prioritize what He prioritizes, and want what He wants. As we always pray and never lose heart, the things we pray for gradually become the things God is planning to do. Persistent prayer ultimately leads us to pray as Jesus taught us to pray – “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven”. So always pray, never lose heart, and #FollowJesus

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.” – Exodus 14:21

God always has the power to create new paths, alternatives, and options. His creativity isn’t limited like ours. He isn’t constrained by our best ideas. So, whenever you’re confronted with a seemingly impossible situation and only bad alternatives, trust the Lord. Don’t give in to despair. Don’t become overwhelmed by the limited and terrible options you think are available. Pray. Listen for God’s leading. If, and when, it comes, go down the path He directs, wherever it appears to lead. Don’t hesitate. God may just create a path you didn’t know was possible.

During the Exodus, the Israelites fell into despair. They thought their only options were slavery or death. God made a third path. Forward. Through a divided sea and into freedom. Likewise, Mary and Martha fell into despair when their brother Lazarus was sick. They thought the only alternatives were for Jesus to come quickly or death. Jesus made a third path. Forward. Through death and back to life.

Certainly those are extraordinary examples. However, God can do the same in your “ordinary life” (not that there’s any such thing for those who are in Christ!) We can easily assume that because we’re smart, experienced, talented, defeated, broken, unimportant, or whatever that the only possible alternatives are the bad ones we’ve come up with. God can make another path. Forward. He does it quite often. However, if He’s going to do it, we must put a pause to our despair. Pray. Seek His leadership. Then follow Him wherever and however He tells you to move. Forward. #FollowJesus

“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:33

Wow! Seriously! What a stunning statement from our Lord and Savior. Any one of us who doesn’t renounce all that we have cannot be His disciple. Does that mean a Christian can’t own anything – a TV, a car, a home, a nice outfit – nothing? Probably not, based on the example of Scripture. However, we must be very careful to never let any of those things own US. That’s what Jesus is really getting at.

You see, a person can have one of two possible relationships with their possessions. Either they own their stuff or their stuff owns them. When our stuff owns us, it dominates our thoughts, controls our emotions, holds our finances hostage, and limits our freedom to do whatever God has called us to do. This is very common in our culture. When we own our stuff, then we can enjoy and appreciate it, thank God for it, and also let it go, give it away, or leave it behind if God tells us to.

That’s what it means to renounce all that we have. It’s recognizing that every possession we own and every dollar we have is a gift from God given to us to manage for His glory. It’s being clear in your mind that God owns it all and being willing to leave it behind if God tells us to go. To give it away if God says to do so. To let it go if we need to travel light for God’s Kingdom. It’s trusting that God’s will is better and more satisfying that the nicest things of the world.

Think carefully about what you talk about the most. Is it the Lord, other people, or things? What do you spend the most time thinking about? Is it the Lord, other people, or how to get or pay for things you have or want? How would you feel if God told you to leave your home, get rid of your car, or give away most of your money? If your words, thoughts, or emotions are very much centered on houses, cars, gadgets, toys, clothes, fortunes, etc, then begin to work on your renouncing skills. Thoughtfully and intentionally turn those things over to God because they may well be interfering with your ability to #FollowJesus

“And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” – Luke 13:30

Don’t let earthly appearances fool you about eternal realities! For those welcomed into God’s Kingdom as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ, there will be some startling reversals of situation. Some of the “best and brightest” here on earth will enjoy relatively humble situations eternally. Make no mistake, they will absolutely enjoy those circumstances. Everyone in Heaven will be fully, joyfully satisfied there, but it would still be surprising to earthly observers to see “famous” Christians enjoying humble eternal situations. Meanwhile, some who labored anonymously for God’s Kingdom amidst poverty, persecution, and suffering will be serving in prominent roles for all eternity.

This great reversal should be an encouragement to every follower of Jesus. Simply be faithful to whatever God has gifted and called you to do for Him. It doesn’t matter what your titles are at work or in the church. It doesn’t matter what your bank balance is or the size of your following on social media. God knows what you’re doing for Him and why. He sees your faithfulness and it will be rewarded. Those who are faithful stewards over the gifts and responsibilities they’re given here on earth will be rewarded with immeasurably greater rewards and responsibilities in heaven.

On the other hand, if you aren’t feeling all that faithful about your service to the Lord, now is always the best time to turn over a new leaf! Lean more into understanding and obeying God’s Word. Get engaged in Kingdom prayer, particularly for those who don’t yet know Jesus as Lord. Find ways to faithfully and sacrificially serve and contribute to God’s Kingdom, regardless of whether or not anyone else notices. Share your hope in Christ with those lacking hope. Anticipate and live for the joy of Jesus, your Master. #FollowJesus

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” – Luke 12:25-26

Do you tend to worry? If so, please take these words of Jesus to heart. He doesn’t want you worrying. Worrying wastes time and emotional energy thinking about things you can’t control. Worry is a thief that robs your ability to enjoy the present as you stress about the future. As Jesus points out here, being anxious about things can’t add an hour to your life (but it may shorten it). It certainly makes your life less enjoyable. So try not to worry.

If you can’t control something or influence it’s outcome, there’s truly no value in thinking about it. Other than to pray about it. Prayer is your God-given antidote to worry. Why? Because it transfers your concern about something you can’t do anything about to the One Who can do everything about it. By prayer and supplication, you appeal to the all-powerful sovereign God of the universe. Unlike you, He has the power to change that situation or to work it to your good in some way you couldn’t have imagined. And, He has your best interest in heart! So, rather than pointless worry, invest your time and energy into powerful prayer.

Then let that situation go. By prayer you’ve not only done ALL you can possibly do to help the situation, you’ve done the MOST IMPORTANT and POWERFUL thing you can do to influence it. Try hard to discipline your mind to simply not think about that worrisome future. Focus on the present. Be mindful of each moment and enjoy it. See God at work in it. Love those around you. Count your blessings. Try to keep the thief of worry locked out of your mind. #FollowJesus