“"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” John 14:12-14 ESV
In the last few days, something has weighed on my heart about the way I pray about what is ahead of me in my life. I have always prayed, specifically asking God for wisdom and then setting my goals for doing what I believed needed to be done in my life.
But a few days back, a dear friend of mine challenged me with something I had never considered. He asked me, "What if God doesn't want you doing any of the things you think needed doing?" It made my head spin. I began to think what if I had been asking for God's direction, but in reality, I was saying to Him, "God, this is what I am planning to do, so please bless it for me." While my intentions may have been good, they weren't necessarily in line with God's heart.
This revelation in my prayer life has changed the way I approach God. I have went from praying the way I was, to praying this way: God, Would you reveal to me what You want for my life today and I will set those things as my primary goals."
Talk about a different way to pray. Jesus told us that if we ask God for anything in His name, He will do it for us. But how do I know whether or not I am in line with God's will and His heart? We have all prayed for things that never came to pass, so were we wrong in how we were praying? Maybe...Maybe not.
So who knows the heart of God best? Want the simple answer? God does. He knows exactly what He wants to do in my life, so the only way I can know if I am praying in line with His will is to ask Him to reveal His heart to me. When He does that for me, then and only then can I begin to pray accordingly.
I have asked God to reveal to me His heart and His plan for my life. And you know what? Two specific things have floated to the top of the list: My family and my need for brotherly accountability. God showed me that He wanted me to make those two areas top priorities, so I have locked my focus on them.
I have been amazed as I have started to see God's hand moving in some awesome ways. I have started to become more in tune with my wife's heart and God has revealed some men that feel the same way I do about their need and desire for brotherly accountability.
But the fact remains that the only way we can know for sure that we are praying in accordance with the heart of God is to stop pursuing any and every way and then just allow patience to take over while we wait for Him to reveal what He wants for us. We have to be willing to toss away the need to understand why He is revealing a specific way and start to walk in faith with the path He has given us. When we let God guide our priorities, then we will begin to experience what it means to truly "walk in the Spirit."
But a few days back, a dear friend of mine challenged me with something I had never considered. He asked me, "What if God doesn't want you doing any of the things you think needed doing?" It made my head spin. I began to think what if I had been asking for God's direction, but in reality, I was saying to Him, "God, this is what I am planning to do, so please bless it for me." While my intentions may have been good, they weren't necessarily in line with God's heart.
This revelation in my prayer life has changed the way I approach God. I have went from praying the way I was, to praying this way: God, Would you reveal to me what You want for my life today and I will set those things as my primary goals."
Talk about a different way to pray. Jesus told us that if we ask God for anything in His name, He will do it for us. But how do I know whether or not I am in line with God's will and His heart? We have all prayed for things that never came to pass, so were we wrong in how we were praying? Maybe...Maybe not.
So who knows the heart of God best? Want the simple answer? God does. He knows exactly what He wants to do in my life, so the only way I can know if I am praying in line with His will is to ask Him to reveal His heart to me. When He does that for me, then and only then can I begin to pray accordingly.
I have asked God to reveal to me His heart and His plan for my life. And you know what? Two specific things have floated to the top of the list: My family and my need for brotherly accountability. God showed me that He wanted me to make those two areas top priorities, so I have locked my focus on them.
I have been amazed as I have started to see God's hand moving in some awesome ways. I have started to become more in tune with my wife's heart and God has revealed some men that feel the same way I do about their need and desire for brotherly accountability.
But the fact remains that the only way we can know for sure that we are praying in accordance with the heart of God is to stop pursuing any and every way and then just allow patience to take over while we wait for Him to reveal what He wants for us. We have to be willing to toss away the need to understand why He is revealing a specific way and start to walk in faith with the path He has given us. When we let God guide our priorities, then we will begin to experience what it means to truly "walk in the Spirit."
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