4 Ways to Pray Without Ceasing

Some Christians ask: How long do you pray every day?

People who ask this question may have the wrong idea about prayer. Some may see it as a religious duty—part of a daily checklist of responsibilities for good Christians. After completing their daily duty, they say:

Finished!
No more talking to God today!
I did my Christian duty!

That smacks of religiousness. Christianity is different.

God may not actually be impressed with our hour-long, two-hour-long prayer times. In fact, He tells us: Pray without ceasing. According to this verse, we should be praying all day! But how do we pray without ceasing? 

There are at least four ways to ensure you can pray without ceasing every day:

1. Be 'fessed up.

The Lord tells us that if we regard sin in our hearts He will not hear our prayers. If you want to have an open line of communication and pray without ceasing.

2. Be ready to 'fess up when needed.

Christians sin. We live in the world while struggling with temptation to sin. When we do fall, we must be ready to humble ourselves and admit our wrongdoing. Otherwise, we get stuck on number 1 above.

3. Whatever comes along, 'tell it to Jesus.'

 
Living in this world we are plagued with cares (concerns). Why hold them to ourselves? God told us He cares for us. So, when something is bothering you, don't hold it inside, pray without ceasing by sharing your cares with our heavenly Father.

4. Involve God in the major and minor decisions of life.

 
Every day we make decisions, so why not exercise unceasing prayer by including God in those decisions. Start with something simple like, Lord, what would you have me wear today, as a way to be in touch with Him all day. By coming to God for even the simple decisions that we encounter each day demonstrates a reliance on God. 

Prayer is an act of humility. By humbling ourselves and asking God what He thinks our choices and decisions ought to be, we exercise ourselves in unceasing prayer.

A Word About Prayer

Our days should be one long dialogue with God where we have open lines of communication: We tell Him what we think and tell Him our cares, as His Holy Spirit reminds us of His word in response.

We ought to have a dependence on God throughout the day; making requests; confessing; sharing our day with God. This is what we may be missing when asking the question: How long do you pray every day.

Wrap Up

The Christian life is not about checking off boxes each day and saying, I'm done with that today, or doing our duty. The Christian life is about a communicative relationship with Someone who loves you and is always with you. If you can practice these four points in your Christian walk, you will be on the right path to praying without ceasing. 

So, when Christians ask: How long do you pray every day?

My answer: All day!

_____

Author: Jerry S., Pastor, OLBC

Author Bio: Jerry is a bi-vocational missionary pastor-teacher and an avid writer on practical theology currently residing in the Philippines. He has a wide range of experience and education from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields and writes articles, blogs, devotions, e-books, academic papers, and more.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

How Not to Be Deceived

Paul wrote, "Let no man deceive you" (2 Thessalonians 2:3, Ephesians 5:6). God's will is that believers are not deceived by false teachers or false doctrine that would lead them into wrong paths, unfruitful lives, or shame when all is said and done (2 Corinthians 5:10). But God didn't just leave it there. He tells us not to be deceived, and He tells us how not to be deceived.

1. Prove and Hold Fast

God tells us to prove everything and hold fast to that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). There are two activities at play in this passage. First, we are to prove everything; that is, we are supposed to put everything we encounter to the test. Second, we are to cling to that which is good. Since we’re supposed to test everything and hold onto what is good, we need a baseline to test everything against and know what is good—that baseline is the word of God.

If we are intimately familiar with the Bible, we will immediately notice false teaching. Christians are supposed to be narrow-minded when it comes to the fundamentals of the faith. The result: If we examine everything through the lens of the word of God, we will be more apt to spot false teaching.

2. Believe Not Everyone

We are commanded not to believe everyone who calls themselves Christian. We are commanded to “test the spirits” to see if they are from God (1 John 4:1). Not everyone who claims to be a Bible teacher is really from God.

That means we do not simply sit in a pew and listen to someone teaching the Bible on a Sunday morning. We are to be active listeners—checking the verses, checking the speaker's words, and checking the doctrine in them. Don’t just sit and believe everything that is being taught—open your Bible and check.

The Bereans were an excellent example of this (Acts 17:11). Even though they had the famous Paul the Apostle in front of them teaching, they took the time to search the Scriptures to see if the things Paul was telling them were in-line with what was written in the Scriptures. If they did that with Paul, how much more should we be doing it with the people we call Bible teachers today.

3. Know the Word of God

How do we know what to scrutinize teachers about? How do we know what right doctrine is? God directs us to do what many of us seem to have an aversion to … study (2 Timothy 2:15). We are commanded to study for three reasons: (1) So we will enjoy God's approval; (2) so we do not need to be ashamed, and (3) so we will correctly handle the word of God. Why does God command us to study? Because clearly He loves us.

Parting Thoughts

These days, in the social media, fake news environment, it seems people believe almost everything they hear, read, or are told. But the Lord commands us to search the Scriptures and study the word so we will not be ashamed. Paul wrote, let no man deceive you … and God shows us how not to be deceived. It's all there in the Bible if we look for it.

So, how not to be deceived? Prove all things and hold fast to that which is good; don’t believe anyone without confirming it with what God says; be rooted and grounded in the word of God, and you will prayerfully be able to spot false teachers and false teaching a mile away then avoid it.

Note: All scripture passages are from the King James Bible unless otherwise noted. 

__________

Author: Jerry S., Pastor, OLBC

Author Bio: Jerry is a bi-vocational missionary pastor-teacher and an avid writer on practical theology currently residing in the Philippines. He has a wide range of experience and education from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields and writes articles, blogs, devotions, e-books, academic papers, and more.

Photo by Anne Nygard on Unsplash

Should Christians Change with the Times?

Should Christians Change with the Times?

Are churches to accommodate each generation that comes, or did God already give us the pattern to respond to this concern? The questions asked below may cultivate deeper reflection on the subject and lead us into a more biblically sound perspective on this issue. 

What are Christians? 

Whatever generation they may be, Christians are a called-out group of people following Christ (Romans 1:6) who have been granted grace, forgiveness, and everlasting life by faith in Jesus Christ. That is the fruit of the Gospel. The fruit does not change from generation to generation. As such, why would Christians change with the times? 

Does the message need to change? 

If we change the message, we lose the foundational doctrine of the church: The Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of the sinless Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, on our behalf (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Since we are all born into sin (Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12), we need a Saviour to save us from the wrath of God to come (Colossians 3:6). This is the same message Christ preached from the beginning (Mark 1:15). 

Does the Bible need to change? 

As we are told in 2 Timothy 3:15-17 (KJV): “all scripture is given by inspiration of God." Therefore, to alter the words of God means we revert to everyone saying what they think. If we change the Bible, we lose what God said, and our messages become nothing more than hearsay.

Do church traditions need to change? 

If we change church traditions, then we contradict what has been laid out for us by the Apostle Paul in his epistles to the churches (1 Corinthians 11:1-2, 2 Thessalonians 2:15). There are certain features of church that are timeless such as gathering once per week, fellowship, prayer, giving, and teaching of the word of God. 

Do the ordinances of the church need to be changed? 

Activities such as believer’s baptism and the Lord’s supper are ordinances handed down to the churches from Christ (Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:24-26). If we disobey the Lord’s commands, how can we say that we are Christ followers?

What makes the new generation different than the old? 

Why not accommodate the older Christians instead? Chasing generations of Christians leads to pursuing people instead of following Christ. In Acts chapter 2, we see the early church following Christ, and the Lord adding to their numbers. Perhaps we should keep our eyes on Christ (Hebrews 12:2), walk in the Spirit, live as Christ, and let Him draw people to Himself. 

Are not Christians the same throughout time? 

In other words, we are called to trust Christ for forgiveness of sins (Acts 16:31) and called to live holy lives (1 Peter 1:15). Every Christian, young, old, new, or experienced has the same calling. Regardless of the times, this remains unchanged. 

Does the music need to change? 

Amidst the demands for music that makes “me” feel good, or that “I” like, have we ever stopped to ask the more important question, what does God like? Instead of seeking to change music for the times, why not stay true to Christ when it comes to music in the church. That is, what music does the Lord want for His church? Better yet, what music has He prescribed for the church? I wrote a book on that called "Music in the Church," a discussion of that very question, with exhausting effort to stay true to the exercise of exegesis of the scriptures that dives deeper into this subject.

Lastly ...

The older generation is supposed to raise the younger, “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). The new generation is supposed to be influenced by the previous generation. That means, if we must accommodate, perhaps we should be seeking to accommodate the older generations instead.

Nevertheless, Christ is the same “yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Christianity, the message, the Bible, church traditions, the ordinances, the music, and commands of Christ are without expiration dates. So, what message would Christians be sending if they changed any one of these to accommodate each new generation? 

END

______________

Author: Jerry S., Pastor, OLBC

Author Bio: Jerry is a bi-vocational missionary pastor-teacher and an avid writer on practical theology currently residing in the Philippines. He has a wide range of experience and education from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields and writes articles, blogs, devotions, e-books, academic papers, and more. 

Photo by Fares Hamouche on Unsplash

Give Not Thy Strength to Women

What is meant by "Give not thy strength unto women" in Proverbs 31:3 (KJV)? 

As can be observed in life, men have a tendency to be like puppy dogs with women they feel strongly about (whether love or lust).

King Lemuel’s mother taught him not to forfeit his strength (as a man, as a leader, and as a king) for his passions; i.e., not to lose his credibility or his ability to lead by allowing himself to be influenced by strange women.

As a king, there was a tendency to have more than one wife (hence women) which would lead him astray. For example, King Solomon had many wives and concubines, and in the end he was a mess because they turned his heart toward other gods (1 Kings 11:4).

David was a good king, but he gave his strength to Bathsheba. When he sinned with her (2 Samuel 11:4), he lost his strength to lead, was dishonored, had something to hide, had done evil… and was ashamed (Psalm 51).

END

Based on an answer by Jerry S on Quora and modified for this blog.  

__________

Author: Jerry S., Pastor, OLBC

Author Bio: Jerry is a bi-vocational missionary pastor-teacher and an avid writer on practical theology currently residing in the Philippines. He has a wide range of experience and education from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields and writes articles, blogs, devotions, e-books, academic papers, and more. 

Photo by: febri sym on Unsplash

6 Steps That Led Peter to Deny Christ and May Lead Us Too

6 Steps That Led Peter to Deny Christ and May Lead Us Too

We know from the Gospels that Peter was a transparent man. He would ask Jesus direct questions (Matthew 18:21, John 21:21), showed his feelings (Luke 5:8), and even proclaimed that he would stay with Christ to the end (Matthew 26:35). However, that boasting did not last very long at all:

"... she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied, saying, I know not ..." (Mark 14:66-68, KJV).

SETTING

Jesus had just been arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper and taken to the house of the high priest, Caiaphas.

Peter said earlier in the evening that he was ready to die for Christ, but when Jesus was arrested, the disciples scattered—including Peter (Mark 14:50).

Peter followed from a distance and ended up warming himself at a fire before the house of the high priest.

When a servant girl pointed out Peter as one of Christ's followers (Mark 14:67), he denied that he knew Christ, just as the Lord had foretold (Mark 14:29-31).

FAITH LESSON 

To deny knowing someone is to refuse to acknowledge a connection with them. In Peter's case, he refused to acknowledge that he was a disciple of Christ.

Since Christ is no longer physically walking on earth today, Christians can deny knowing him in their attitudes, behaviors, words, actions, and even lifestyles.

People tend to give steps to the Christian life: steps to a closer walk with God, steps to a more fruitful Christian life, steps to ministry effectiveness, steps to a better prayer life, etc.

But how about approaching things from a different angle: steps to denial—steps to denying Christ.

If Christians follows the steps listed here (1-5) they will likely end up denying Christ in their lives outright (6) as Peter did; they will in essence be telling the world, I do not know Him.

1. Confidence in Self (Mark 14:29, 31)

Peter was sure of himself—that he would fight for Christ to death, but things did not play out the way he imagined. He was confident in his own ability instead of trusting Christ.

Perhaps we too are confident in something such as our own physical strength, our employment, our finances, or our know-how. But, will these things hold out when the time comes?

Confidence in ourselves will lead to the next step.

2. Lack of Prayer (Mark 14:37, 40-41) 

Instead of praying with Jesus, Peter was sleeping. He wasn't thinking about how he needed God's help in his life. The Lord warned him to watch and pray so as not to enter into temptation (Mark 14:38)—wise counsel from our God who knows our frame, that we are but dust.

Confidence in ourselves brings a proud slumber upon us. We neglect the humble reliance upon God (James 4:6) that we need from day to day (Give us this day...).

From a lack of prayer, the next step is even worse.

3. Not Heeding God's Word (Mark 14:47) 

Peter tried to fight the arresting officers but Jesus' arrest was needful to complete His ministry on earth. He had already indicated that (Mark 14:21-29).

Peter spent nearly three years learning at the feet of Jesus but on this night, as he progressed down the steps to denial, his mind was not on the words that Jesus spoke.

As Christians, when prayer time suffers, so does time spent in the word. If we rely only on a half-read devotional or are daydreaming during a sermon on Sunday morning, we too are not really paying attention to what the Lord is telling us.

When we do not heed God's word, the next step is a natural progression.

4. Hanging with the Wrong Crowd (Mark 14:54) 

Peter was standing with the people outside of the house instead of with the disciples encouraging one another. In his isolation from God's people, he was eventually put on the spot, and verbally denied Christ (Step 6).

Confidence in self, failure to humbly rely on the Lord, and missing the word of God, will inevitably lead to hanging out with the wrong crowd. Christians not walking as they ought to find more comfort with the world than in church with God's people.

Are we hanging out where we should not be? Are we spending our time with world instead of the people of God? If so, it would be a good time to examine ourselves in the light of Steps 1–4, to avoid the next plunge to Step 5.

5. Back to Old Habits (Mark 14:71) 

Peter started cursing. Something he would not likely have been doing in the presence of the Lord. Peter's progress to the next step reminds us that the more spend time with the world, the more the world influences us. Psalm 1:1 paints an excellent picture of this.

If we have confidence in ourselves, fail to pray, fail to be in the word, are hanging out with the world instead of believers, and going back to old habits, it is quite likely to lead to the sixth and last step of denial.

6. Outright Denial (Mark 14:71) 

Peter denied the Lord outright, saying clearly, "I don't know Him!"

Steps 1-5 are subtle denials of Christ, but Step 6 is a direct denial of Him.

If we continue down the path of the steps of denial, we will eventually come to a point where either our words, our attitudes, our actions, our behaviors, or our lifestyles will directly deny Christ.

People will look at us and not know we are Christians. In that sense, we deny the Lord who died for us, who should be glorified in us, and proclaimed to the lost by us. We keep His light under a bushel and show others that we do not have His light.

Denying the Lord is a frightful thing. It does not mean one has lost his/her salvation, but it does mean that we have sunken so low that we are no longer doing what the Lord asked us to do: enjoy your relationship with Him (Revelation 2:4) and letting that lead you to share Him with others (Revelation 2:5).

Nevertheless, there was hope for Peter. After the Lord's resurrection, prior to His ascension, Jesus restored Peter in love. He asked Peter thrice if he loved Him (John 21:15-19)—the same number of times Peter denied Christ. Peter answered three times, but each time, it became more intense, until Peter finally broke down.

SELF-EXAMINATION

Follow these six steps and you will head for a great fall, an ineffective testimony, lost rewards, and or shame before the Lord. One way to avoid these griefs is to ask yourself a few questions:

1. Am I being confident in myself or the Lord?

2. Am I relying on the Lord or my own power?

3. Am I spending time discovering what the Lord is teaching me in His Word?

4. With whom am I spending my time with?

5. Am I growing in grace or doing the same old things I used to do?

6. Do people know I am a Christian in attitude, word, behaviors, deeds, lifestyle?

If you have denied Christ in some way, confess it to Him, forsake it, and move forward with Him, trusting His forgiveness and His love. He is always ready to forgive and is the God of second, third, fourth, ... chances (Matthew 18:21-22).

END

__________

Author: Jerry Smith, Pastor, OLBC, from an idea based on the the Ryrie KJV Study Bible (1994), notes on Mark 14:72.

Author Bio: Jerry is a bi-vocational missionary pastor-teacher and an avid writer on practical theology currently residing in the Philippines. He has a wide range of experience and education from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields and writes articles, blogs, devotions, e-books, academic papers, and more.

Feature image source: www.LumoProject.com on FreeBibleimages.org at https://www.freebibleimages.org/photos/peter-denies-jesus/

Second image source: Ben White on Unsplash