Listen JOYfully as You Pray

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  So often when we pray, we forget that it’s not just about talking to God….It’s just as much about LISTENING.

 Sincere, genuine prayer comes from a heart that desires for God to reveal His best plan for us in all circumstances.  How can we determine that “best plan”?  By taking it to Him in prayer and listening for His direction.  

           

            In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:7, Jesus taught, “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” In our fast- paced society, we like to have answers quickly!  But God doesn’t work on OUR timetable.  We must learn to trust Him for His timing in our lives, as well as His plan and His purpose.

            God loves us more than we will ever be able to comprehend and He’s waiting for us to come to Him with the needs and concerns that are on our heart.  “He gives us, in essence, an open door into his almighty presence,” says David Jeremiah, “and into His infinite storehouse of riches and blessings.”

            So remember to ASK, SEEK, KNOCK and the door will be opened.  That’s what prayer is all about!  Pray, and learn to listen for God’s direction toward JOY in your life!

May we daily ASK for wisdom, SEEK His plan and KNOCK on the door of His heart to receive unspeakable, indescribable JOY in the Lord!  

"May the God of Hope Fill You With JOY..."

          Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  And have your watched others drink in the JOY of the Lord?

        Are you a people watcher?  I confess that I am; and through the years I’ve observed a lot of different personalities.  It’s become obvious to me that those who have the most genuine JOY in their lives all have something in common: A consistent prayer life!

            What is prayer? It’s communication with God!  Opening our hearts to Him, offering our adoration, giving Him praise, seeking His forgiveness and provision…But it is, also, a lot about LISTENING to Him speak.  Prayer is a private conversation between you and God; it’s not a one-sided monologue! He listens as we pour out our hearts to Him; and we should listen as He answers.   We won’t hear an audible voice, but we can listen for the “still small voice” as He speaks through scripture and in a variety of other ways.

            The primary purpose of prayer, according to Chuck Swindoll is “connecting with God in order to transfer His will into our life.  It’s co-laboring with God to accomplish His goals.”

            So, let’s saturate our day with prayer, releasing our cares and concerns to Him. What a great way to insure that JOY is a part of each and every day!

This is my prayer for you  from Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Pray...with JOY!

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  I pray that your heart will be filled with joy as you bask in the love of Christ.

            If you’ve listened this week to our JOY JUICE segments, you are aware that we have been looking at the life of Nehemiah to glean leadership principles and truths about living a Godly, committed life. One of the main themes throughout this book is  “prayer”.  The discipline of prayer will do more to equip us for life and its unexpected turns and twists than anything else we can do.

            Prayer….

• It is NOT our attempt to gain the Lord’s favor or to get Him to give us what we think we need.
• It is NOT the means by which we become successful by the world’s standards.
• There is NO magic formula for prayer.

The basic truth is…The Lord loves us; and he wants to provide what’s best for us, so we don’t need to DO anything to persuade or convince Him.  Prayer does not change God, but it changes us as we open our hearts to him.  Nehemiah’s example points out several things we need to know about prayer:

1. Far more important than the time we spend in prayer is our attitude of prayer. Are we genuinely humble and are our hearts pure?
2. When we pray do we offer God authentic, heartfelt praise…putting all thoughts of ourselves aside to concentrate on our adoration of God?
3. A vital part of our prayer life should be the recollection of God’s faithfulness through the years. Do we always remember what He has  done for us and worship Him for Who He is?

 As we pray with joy let’s look upward, backward, inward and forward.

May We JOYfully Pass the Test!

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  I can promise that focusing on your personal serving of joy in the Lord will nurture a deeper relationship with God.

            In the book of Nehemiah we are given an inside, personal look into the life of a man who was sold out to God.  Nehemiah was promoted from cup-bearer to builder of the wall to governor of his people.  And what is important to note is that unlike so many people who receive promotions in their careers, Nehemiah remained humble, faithful and realized from Whom his blessings came!

            Nehemiah nurtured his relationship with the Lord. Chuck Swindoll puts it this way, “In spite of his salary, the privileges, the politics or the pressure, he said in effect, ‘My accountability to my Lord is the focus of my life.  I fear Him too much to indulge myself.’ “

            In verse 19 of chapter 5, Nehemiah prayed:  “Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.”  Now before we jump to the conclusion that Nehemiah is bragging on himself a bit, let’s realize that he was praying to God to hold him accountable for his actions and to treat him accordingly.  How many of us pray like that?  Do we REALLY want to be held accountable for our actions …..and treated accordingly? 

            What truth do we glean from Nehemiah’s example?  “Adversity forces us to trust, to wait on God, to turn to Him for strength.  Often, promotion brings a host of difficulties: pride, temptation to abuse privileges, distraction from the basic objectives, and an inclination to overlook the needs of  other people..” (Charles Swindoll)

            Will you pass the test of prosperity?  Follow the example of Nehemiah and joyfully trust in the Lord.

Discouraged??? Drink in His JOY!

          Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Too discouraged to drink it?  That’s when you need it most!

            I agree with Charles Swindoll when he says: “discouragement is nothing more than a barrier Satan erects between great people and great achievements. I wonder how many great triumphs we might have seen but didn’t because (we) simply lost heart.”

            As we study the example of Nehemiah, we see that the challenge of rebuilding the city wall turned out to be more difficult than anyone could have imagined. There were times of extreme discouragement…BUT Nehemiah did not allow the discouragement to go unanswered.  The first thing he did was to rally the people around the goal.  He directed their attention to the LORD and away from the rubble! In Nehemiah 4:14 he showed his leadership by telling them to “remember the Lord who is great and awesome…..”

            How do we “remember the Lord”?  By calling to mind the things the Lord has said! By reading and meditating on His Word.  When the people’s attention was refocused on the Lord, they resumed the task at hand…rebuilding the wall….and serving one another by working around the clock in pairs.

            Nehemiah demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities.  Each of us can identify with that feeling of discouragement…it can be debilitating at times. BUT it does not have to be a terminal disease.  Let’s face each difficult situation with confidence in God and trust Him to show us the way…to JOY!

            May I ENcourage you to NOT be discouraged, but to allow the JOY of the Lord to be your strength!

Integrity and Joy

             Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Drink it with integrity!

            In the book of Nehemiah we learn much from the example of this great leader. Nehemiah not only possessed the qualities of an exceptional philosophy of leadership, but he lived it out.  At the beginning of the book, Nehemiah served as a cup bearer to King Artaxerxes. That doesn’t sound like an impressive leader, does it?    But through this seemingly insignificant role, Nehemiah proved his faithfulness and trustworthiness.  He gained the trust and confidence of the king; which facilitated the decision by the king to allow Nehemiah to take a “leave of absence” to go Jerusalem to rebuild the wall.

            Reflecting on our own lives, let’s ask ourselves:

• Are we faithful and loyal “servants”…spiritually and otherwise?
• Do people around us see us as trustworthy and a person of integrity?
• When God lays a plan on your heart, do you trust HIM to show you the way or do you give up because you know you cannot do it in your own strength?
• Are you in a job or a role that you see as insignificant?

          Let us take encouragement from Nehemiah!  Because of his complete trust in God’s plan and God’s timing, he went from cupbearer to builder to governor!  No matter where we are, we are to serve the Lord…faithfully and with total commitment. Our example should be one of integrity and complete surrender to God’s plan.  When we are in the center of His will, we will find the kind of joy that Nehemiah had in serving the Lord.

           As David wrote in Psalm 32:11:

“Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart”.

Pray! Trust! Receive His JOY!

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Hope so!

             One of my favorite verses on joy comes from Nehemiah 8:10: “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” I’ve used this verse countless times, but God has been pulling me into a deeper study of the book of Nehemiah and, wow…have I been inspired!

            For starters, Nehemiah demonstrated his TRUST in God repeatedly.  In the midst of overwhelming circumstances and against insurmountable odds, HE TRUSTED that if God had a plan, HE would make a way! Nehemiah was born into captivity; he was a servant to the most powerful king in the world at that time….and yet, God touched his heart with a plan to return to the “city of his forefathers” more than 1000 miles away to rebuild the wall of the city.

            Do you know what Nehemiah did?  He PRAYED and he TRUSTED! Charles Swindoll says of Nehemiah: “When God puts His hand on a plain, ordinary person whom He has destined for leadership, that person is given mountain-matching abilities.”

            So what does that mean for you and me?  When we find ourselves in an impossible situation, we can do as Nehemiah did….PRAY AND TRUST!  Swindoll says, “Prayer makes us wait, clears our vision, quiets our heart and activates our faith.”   When we give it to God, we can be guaranteed that HE’S GOT IT!  Trust in Him to work HIS plan, for HIS good and for HIS purpose!  That’s when “the joy of the LORD becomes our strength”!

             PRAY, TRUST and receive His JOY!