Totally Exposed!!!

Psalm 32:5 (A Psalm of David) reads:


I have acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. ( KJV)


Lately, I have been pondering upon how to improve my prayer life. I shared with you all a couple of weeks ago that I am currently stretching towards growing closer to Christ. I recognize that one of the major ways to grow closer to Christ is to spend time in conversation with Him, i.e. prayer.


I began to think upon the average prayers that I hear people pray in church and the prayers that have flowed from my soul. In our prayers, we always ask God to teach us how to pray and what to pray for. (I think I prayed that more as a child.) But, let's face it; prayer can be difficult at times.


One product of being flesh is that we have so many emotions that can be heightened at any given time. There are times, although not often I hope, that we feel too angry, too sad, too frustrated, and even too disappointed to have a conversation with Christ. We have taught that we must be in a certain condition physically, emotionally, and spiritually to pray. And, don't get me wrong, God does not always want us to approach us like we are having a conversation with our neighbor, but sometimes you have to go there because that is all you know to say in the moment. Often I am driving in my car talking to God as if He is physically sitting in the passenger seat. I'm sure some people have thought I was literally crazy for talking to myself as they sat at the stoplight beside me.


Regardless of how you pray or when you pray, it is my prayer that you pray! Prayer is our connection to God. Prayer allows us to petition for our desires. Prayer is also what creates a clean spirit within us, but only if we ask for forgiveness, which brings me to tonight's post.


Many times prayers end with the following statement, "And, with forgiveness of all of my sins in Your Son's Jesus Name I pray, Amen." Often we end our prayers asking for forgiveness. I began to think about how I could strengthen my prayers, and beginning them asking for forgiveness came into my mind, along with praying a total prayer for forgiveness.


As flesh, we sin so much that at times, we don't even realize that we have sinned. A sin is a sin whether it is intentional or unintentional. We should be constantly asking for forgiveness for our sins. Praying for forgiveness is one of the essential components that keep us in the right standing with our Heavenly Father, yet it is the last petition in our prayer. God is so good, that He forgives us regardless of our hastily method of asking for forgiveness.


I want to pray total prayers of forgiveness. When we pray for forgiveness, we confess our sins and ask God to look beyond what we have done to disappoint Him. I think it is ironic how we pray and ask for material things or opportunities, but we don't confess the sins that we knowingly have committed within the last conversation with Him. It is as if we attempt to hide our terrible transgressions from and all knowing God! IT just can't be done! God is omnipresent and omnipotent. He is always with us, which means He knows not only our every action, but our every inner thought as well. (And, yes, every now and then we need to ask for forgiveness for those thoughts!) We can hide absolutely, positively, nothing from God!!! Why not confess and ask for forgiveness and restore our right place with God daily? I have realized that confession is good for the soul. This may be why we always need to "vent" to someone when we are frustrated. Instead of venting to a friend or loved one, confess to God how you really feel, and receive forgiveness for your confession as you ask God to help you in that issue. We shoudl totally exposed ourselves to God. After all, He is our Father, and He will NEVER leave or forsake us, no matter how filthy and unrighteous our confessions are!

Lord, I just want to thank you right now for showing me that I should put more emphasis on asking for Your forgiveness in my prayers. I realize that this is what keeps me close to You and demonstrates Your love, grace, and mercy towards me. I ask that You forgive me for making asking for forgiveness a simple part of my prayer when it should be a monumental part. I love you just because of who You are! Thank you again for your forgiveness today!!!
Amen.

Positioned to Be Blessed!

Have you ever prayed for something, but it seemed like the more you prayed for it, the farther away you come to it? Maybe it was a new job, maybe it was a mate, or maybe it was a material necessity such as a car or home that you prayed for. Let's face it, we have all prayed and asked God to bless us with something, whether it is an object, a relationship with a certain person, or an opportunity. We pray and petition to God for His blessings because we recognize that He holds the power that determines whether or not we receive what we so deeply desire after. Sometimes we feel like when we pray for a specific need or want, (usually a want) and nothing happens that God is not listening or acting upon our desires. And, after not receiving what we think of as a sign that our blessing is on the way, we stop praying and can sometimes harden our heart toward God.


I began to think upon people who have shared with me that they are praying for a specific purpose. They have shared with me what they desired and why. They have also shared their frustration after the patience of waiting on God began to wear thin. They would ask the question "why" am I not getting what I desire. I am not God, so therefore could render no definite answer, but this question has been one that has been on my mind for the past couple of days. I asked God, why is it that some things that we pray for, we don't receive.


Now, remember, God is our Father. He knows what is best for us, and what it will take for us to become what He has ordained us to be.


I came to the realization that many times, we are not positioned to be blessed with what we have petitioned God for. For example, if you are not humble with the titles that you currently hold, God will not bless and entrust you to become the leader over more. If you are praying for a spouse, God will not bless you with one if you are not living righteously in your singleness. If you are praying for more finances, God will not bless you with more money if you are making poor financial decisions with your current income. God will not give us blessings to abuse! If He knows we can't handle it, or we are not ready for it, then we will not receive it.


On the other hand, people do receive things that do not come from God. A person can obtain all of the above without God because the devil blesses too! But, only what comes from God will last and prosper. I can obtain more money illegally, which will not last. I can marry the first person that I meet, and the marriage may not last. I can become a leader in an underhanded way, but my leadership will eventually crumble.
Many times we are not in a position to be blessed because we are not mature enough spiritually, our heart may still contain selfishness, or we are not even grateful for what we currently have.

The position that we should be in as a Christian is a position of worship. Our minds and hearts should be Christ focused. When we are focused on growing closer to our Lord, our assignment to build His kingdom, and strengthening our relationship with him, it is then that we are in a position to be blessed.

I can't help but to think of the story of Mary and Martha. Jesus arrived at the home of sisters Mary and Martha. Martha was totally focused on making a good impression on Jesus. She was focused on what the house looked like, what the food was going to taste like, etc... Yet, her sister Mary was focused on Jesus. She got as low as she could (at His feet) in order to offer Him the highest form of service and worship. She washed His feet with her perfumed oil, which she could have sold for money since she was considered a poor woman, and her hair. What a position of worship and service she was in to be blessed. She was poor and could have taken this opportunity to ask Jesus for the things in life she felt deficit of, such as money, but yet, she chose to worship Him instead! (John 12 KJV)

Won't you get in position with me today? With Christmas around the corner, we often find ourselves praying for money or material things that we think will make us and those around us enjoy the holiday. However, I challenge you to focus on Christ. Get into a position of total praise and worship in your prayers! Jesus is the center of my joy! When we have Him, everything we need is supplied to us!