Yesterday we looked at how our pressures/schedule can keep us overwhelmed, overworked and just too busy. And often this cycle can pull us away from God. So many of us get comfortable living this way that we don’t recognize the damage it can cause. I said that I often have worn “busy” as a badge of honor. I have begun to equate value to how busy I am, not realizing the sacrifices I am making to keep up.

But it is hard to say no.

It’s difficult to have an appropriate balance between our home/work/personal time when there are so many things vying for our attention. And if you struggle with the “need to please” like I do, you may find yourself wanting to do it all, and perfectly, at that.

We can run at this pace for a time and then often times, something has to give. That’s what happened for me. Our work schedule was running us ragged, I had said yes more than I had said no. Dominic was involved in an outside board within the community and I had a commitment with my women’s bible study at church.

All good things. Being involved in the community, good. Having the accountability of a bible study, good. Running a successful business, good. But there are times that God is calling us to something more, maybe even something better.

That happened to us earlier this fall. We were invited to participate in a leadership course of sorts with a few others from our church. It was a 40-week commitment. We knew from previous attendees that there was a lot of reading. A LOT. We would meet once a week for a few hours and then have homework that would need to be completed before the next meeting.

It was an opportunity to grow and learn, develop and define our understanding of God and it would challenge us to take our faith life to the next level. But to do so would require giving up some of the good things we were involved with. In looking at our schedules we knew that if we were going to give this class the time it needed, something had to give.

And so we stepped away from a few of our commitments. I really struggled with leaving my bible study. I love the women in that group. They were there and supported me in one of my hardest times last year. They encouraged me and without them (and God of course) this 31 Day series wouldn’t exist.

It was hard to give up something that I really enjoyed. But I also felt very called to this new class. It was a chance for Dominic and I to do something together. And we needed that too. I think that God rewards our obedience in tough decisions like this one.

This class, while tough and full of A LOT of reading (I am serious even for this book nerd, it’s a mountain of reading!) is growing and stretching me. To keep up with the homework I have set back the alarm again and am back to spending my early mornings learning about God. I am getting back into a routine that is filling me, not draining me.

But it started with recognizing and admitting that I can’t do it all. And that sometimes I have to give up good things to dive into the better things.

Is there something in your life that is keeping you from the best God has for you? Pray over that today and ask God to reveal areas that may need to be trimmed from your life so that you can fully walk in His plans for you!

Lord, so often we fill our days with good things, but we forget to stop and ask You if there are better things you might have for us. Help us to be brave in examining our schedules to see where changes are needed. Lord may we have humble hearts that long to seek You and do Your will.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Every year in October we have a few weeks where our work schedule slows way down. The majority of our clients are farmers and so during this time of year they will be in the fields for harvest and we get a bit of a break.

This year it felt like a gift of time where we were finally able to breathe.

We have been running at full speed and at times it feels like too much. And this is just our work schedule, then we factor in our kids, our new bible study, time with extended family and it is a wonder that we can even find time to sleep.

Priscilla talks about the pressures we face in Strategy 8 of Fervent. When I read these words I felt that she was talking to me…“Ever notice how many of the pressures in your life resemble slavery?….Slaves don’t rest. Slaves just work.” p135

One of my biggest struggles has always been setting appropriate boundaries. Especially when it comes to our work schedule. Rules of customer service dictate that the client is always right and that translated into my rarely saying no. Fear sets in and I wonder if I say no to an over-full calendar if they will come back.

But trying to be everything for everyone can leave us harried and worn out.

And once again we are right where the enemy wants us.  “If I were your enemy, I’d make everything seem urgent, as if it’s all yours to handle. I’d bog down your calendar with so many expectations you couldn’t tell the difference between what’s important and what’s not….” p133

In those moments where I am so incredibly stressed by my workload/schedule, I am not at peace. And I really don’t have time or energy for God. I am a morning person, so getting up early to have some quiet time works for me. But earlier this year I was so exhausted that I started setting my alarm back in the morning. A half hour quickly became a full hour to sleep in. I wasn’t spending time in God’s Word. I wasn’t praying. I was barely hanging on.

I could tell a difference in my attitude towards those closest to me. I was easily irritated and short-tempered. I didn’t pause and pray. And while I wasn’t distant from God because I was angry at Him…I didn’t feel close to Him because I wasn’t spending any time fostering that relationship.

Tomorrow I will dive into this a little more and will be sharing how I recently had to give up on some good things to free up my schedule for some specific things God was calling me to.

Today I encourage you to take a look at your schedule. Are there things that bring you joy each day? Things that feel like a burden? Maybe there is something that has become a chain of slavery in your life. An expectation you have for yourself, or believe someone else has for you that is driving you for the wrong reasons. An inability to rest or to find time to be with God each day. Maybe there is something that needs to be changed so that you too can breathe again?

Get a list together and tomorrow we will talk more about how we can say no, and maybe even give up control so that we can have more peace in our days. I know God doesn’t want the yoke of slavery on us…but how often do we carry it anyways? I for one have had enough!

Lord, we so often wear “busy” like a badge of honor in our lives. But when we are too busy that we can’t even make time for You, we often find ourselves falling apart. Help us as we examine those areas in our lives that need cutting. Give us the courage to say no to the good things so that we can follow Your path and the best things that You have for our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen

We have made it over 3 weeks into our study and look at the book Fervent! If you can’t tell already, I love this book and I think that everyone should read it! But the impact of prayer wasn’t something that just started with this book, and so today I wanted to share an “In Real Life” situation that helped shape my view of what an intentional prayer life might look like.

As I said before, for many years I used prayer as a means to ask God to fix something in my life. Prayer was a bargaining tool I used…“I will do this Lord if you will just do that.” It wasn’t very effective and left me feeling like God wasn’t hearing me.

Praying out loud, in front of others was HARD for me. I was sure that I wasn’t saying things correctly and didn’t want to embarrass myself. It seemed too vulnerable and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go there.

We have always said quick, recited prayers before meals, but only when we were at home. It wasn’t something we had considered doing outside of the home until one day we saw something that changed all of that.

We were in a Taco Bell of all places. We had stopped to grab a quick bite to eat before running a few errands. There at a table in the middle of a restaurant were a husband and wife and a couple of kids. Their food arrived and before they started to eat they paused to pray.

Dominic and I were both struck by what we saw. I can honestly say I hadn’t seen a family pray in a fast food restaurant before. But they saw the benefit of it and paused to honor God before they ate. As we were leaving we stopped to tell them what an impact it had on us. Oddly enough we ended up seeing them at Sam’s Club just minutes later and ended up talking at length with them.

They were walking out their faith, in real life. Not just behind closed doors where it was comfortable, but out in public where they had the potential to be scrutinized. I wanted a faith like that.

So Dominic and I made a decision that day that we would start being more intentional about prayer. When we go out to eat somewhere, we pause and pray. And here’s the thing, we don’t do it so that we get some jewel on our crown…but what if there is someone watching that needs to be encouraged like we were so many years ago?

What if our intentional acts of faith could make a difference for someone else?

When I think about how dark this world can be at times, it is encouraging to know that people around me still have faith. We have the opportunity to be a light in the darkness, and one way we can do that is through prayer.

So I challenge you today…look at your prayer life currently. Are there things you have avoided just because of fear? Start by praying for God to give you courage and remember that your intentional act of faith could make a big difference in the life of someone you don’t even know!

Lord, I thank you today for that family that made such an impact on us over 10 years ago. Their act of faith inspired us to start being more intentional in our own life. Give me courage Lord to do the same. Help us to look for ways to be a light to those around us. Remove any fear we may be carrying and fill us with a boldnes that only comes from You! In Jesus Name, Amen.

Priscilla says in the chapter on Strategy 7 – Your Purity that “Prayers that have power come from a person in pursuit of righteous living.” p123

Walking through this fervent prayer journey now five times, of course I want to be the kind of person that has powerful prayers. So reading this got me to thinking….what is righteous living? How do we live in a righteous way on a daily basis?

The word righteous is defined as “acting in accord with divine or moral law :  free from guilt or sin”

It feels a lot like legalism to me. And something that has been a long struggle for me, understanding God’s grace and removing myself (and my need to “earn” my salvation) from the equation. I am incapable of acting in accordance of God’s moral law. We are all. As we discussed earlier, ALL have fallen short of the glory of God.

So how can we possibly walk in righteousness when we are sin-filled, flawed individuals? And if we don’t walk in righteousness…how can we be effective in our prayer life?

I have to be careful here not to fall into the “all is hopeless” pit that I so easily find myself in. In those moments I forget the glory of the Cross, the instrument that was used to guarantee my payment for sin and instead I focus on the reality of my weaknesses.

Even Paul, whom has to be one of my favorite apostles, understood the frustration of sin. In Romans 7:15-25 he says this:

^{15 “}For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ¹⁷ So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³ but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

Evil lies close at hand, for all of us, even when we want to do good. Our bodies are weak, there is a reason God sent His Son as a living sacrifice for our sins. All sins, past, present and future.

King David understood this in a unique way himself as well. All throughout the Psalms we can see his prayers and praises to God. In Psalm 25: 4-5 he says:

“Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
⁵ Lead me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long.”

and this in Psalm 141: 3-4

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
    keep watch over the door of my lips!
⁴ Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
    to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity,
    and let me not eat of their delicacies!”

Paul, David and many others understood that sin was a part of life. It doesn’t excuse it and once we have accepted Christ we typically have a heart that responds to that gift with a desire to walk in righteous living. But sin is there. Always.

There isn’t a self-help book out there that will keep me “clean” enough or make me “good” enough or give me six steps to stop sinning so that I can be presentable to a holy God.  But because of the covering of Jesus, I am clean. And since I have even the smallest grasp of the sacrifice He made on my behalf, I seek to honor Him with my life.

Through prayer, in all situations, we can do just that.

Yes we will continue to sin.

But in those moments we need to bring those struggles to God. I try to recognize it for what it is. Call it out, bring light to the dark places of my heart. And then I pray that God would use the struggle for His glory. Lord, Let me help someone else who is hurting, may they see the transformation in my life and know it is only through the power of You.

Just because we know sin will be a part of our lives doesn’t mean we have to walk in it as though there isn’t anything we can do. We can pray. We can humble ourselves and ask for help. And we can daily celebrate the gift that is the Cross. May we never forget His great love for us.

Lord, we know it is impossible to live a fully righteous life. It is only by Your sacrifice that we have access to You. What a gift You have given us! We are weak Lord, sin permeates our world so today we pray protection over us. In those times we should remain silent, put a muzzle over our mouths. In the moments we should extend grace may we remember the gift we were given first. May we seek to know You Lord more fully so that all we do might be an offering back to you. Thank you for loving us. In Jesus Name, Amen.

“Sin has consequences. Always has and always will. Keep this revelation fixed squarely in your mind. Because whether we like it or not, here’s how the spiritual economy of life works for believers: Obedience to God garners intimacy and nearness, divine blessing and favor. Always. And disobedience creates a sense of distance and loss, grief and regret. Always” Fervent p.122

Let’s be real for a moment can we?

Talking about sin really isn’t fun. It can be difficult to come clean about the things we like to keep hidden about ourselves. If I look good on the outside, then maybe I don’t have to be completely honest about what’s going on in my heart, or my head.

But like Priscilla says Strategy 7 on our purity…sin has consequences. We see the consequences of that sin all around us. Just turn on the news and it is littered with story after story of our broken humanity.

But if you are anything like me, your sin struggle may be something that isn’t news worthy. And maybe it doesn’t feel like it’s THAT bad…so we hide it away and fancy ourselves up for the outside world. All the while we are suffocating by the truth of ourselves.

In my life I have found that it is those things, those hidden struggles that become the great divide between me and my God. I justify, manipulate, even blame others and then it gets harder and harder to present myself before God. I stop praying because I am aware of my brokenness but too prideful to reach out to a merciful God.

And this friends is right where the enemy hopes to keep us. Apart from God, stuck in sin, filled with shame.

My “hidden” sin, or at least my biggest offender, would be anger.

I have long been a “stuffer,” I feel upset, hurt, whatever and instead of dealing with the way I am feeling about it, I stuff it. Deep down inside where I think it is gone, but at some point I can’t stuff anymore and I explode.

In those moments it is ugly. U.G.L.Y.

It doesn’t matter if I have promised it won’t ever happen again, or if I know that the word vomit that is coming out is causing irreparable damage. I don’t stop until I have said every hateful, horrible thing I could say.

And then, even worse, are those times that I have then refused to accept responsibility for my actions and continue to point the blame on someone else.

“And disobedience creates a sense of distance and loss, grief and regret. Always”

Yes, yes it does.

I have begun to understand the “why” that I stuff my emotions. It stems from wounds long ago. But God has been healing me. I am beginning to discover that while I may have the inclination to stuff and explode, it doesn’t have to be a cycle that I continue. There are alternative ways to deal with my struggles and while I wish I could pray them away and poof they’d be gone. What I’m finding instead is that it has become an opportunity for me to invest in fervent prayer over them.

By bringing my greatest secret struggle out in the open I am free of the weight of it. I never claimed to be perfect but I have longed believed that somehow I needed to strive for it anyways. I didn’t want to share the ugly parts of me because then you would see me for who I am.

Broken.

But in that brokenness I am rediscovering a Savior. A promise that was for me too. A gift that was sent because we all struggle with sin, secret or news worthy. And the only way we could hope to be in the presence of an Almighty, loving God, was by claiming the blood of Jesus over those sins.

I am not pure. I never will be. But because of Jesus I am made pure in the eyes of God.

How can we not celebrate that today?!

Sin separates us yes, but Jesus unites us. Today I am claiming victory over my sin in and only because of Him!

Jesus, we humbly ask Your forgiveness. We know all have sinned and fallen short of Your glory. And yet you loved us. I may not ever fully understand how You could, but I want to praise You for that truth. Thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son. Thank You that we can come and be honest about our struggles and through prayer we can develop a new response. I am not capable on my own but am fully able because of You. Thank You is not enough, may my heart spend eternity praising You for who You are. In Jesus Name, Amen.