Pastor Harold- Positively positive!

[Gail]

Gail's note- I don't know who is more excited, this guy or me! I can't stop reading his enthusiasm!

Chats With God

By Pastor Harold

"America's # 1 Failure Expert"

October 28, 2011

PRAY!

We are living in momentous times. This is a time in history, when followers of God ought to be praying like never before.

Prayer is not a glandular response to circumstances. It is a matter of obedience. Pray when you feel like it. Pray when you need to. Pray when you don't feel like it. Pray when you don't need to. Pray all the time!

I like to describe prayer as the open dialogue with God. Simple! Like two lovers in constant need to stay in touch with each other. Like a baby needs his/her mom. In fact, I believe prayer for a follower of God should become INSTINCTIVE, A NATURAL SPIRITUAL NEED!

The Wikipedia defines instinct or innate behavior as "the inherent inclination of a living organism toward a particular behavior."

Imagine this...

PRAYER moving from the "TO DO LIST" to a "NATURAL BEHAVIOR..." From the "TALK TO GOD when you need something" category, to the "INHERENT INCLINATION TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH GOD, YOUR LOVER!"

Prayer should become instinctive, like hunger. It should be natural like breathing. You don't think every time you exhale and inhale, right? It happens...

You know? There was a time in the past when I hated broccoli! I hate it raw broccoli, and I hated the smell of cooked broccoli... Until someone convinced me it was good for me! Until I read how much my body would benefit from broccoli! Now, I eat raw broccoli... and eat it like cookies while I drive... :-) I don't even think how it tastes any more. I like what I feel when I imagine my body saying "Thank you for all these antioxidants, Harold... They will become handy in protecting your body from cancer!" Prayer should be like that! Natural... Good nurture for your brain, your emotions, your heart! Spiritual antioxidants to protect you from your enemy! A natural disposition...

Please consider these passages from Scripture before I invite you to join me in prayer, today, over the weekend, and next week.

This is a promise from Jesus.

John 15:7 (NLT)

"But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!"

Do you believe this? "It will be granted! The secret here is the manner in which you stay joined to God, and how His words remain in you! God loves you too much to give into capricious, selfish demands. He does not, evidently, appreciate lack of assertiveness either. The key in the "granting" lies in the first part of Jesus' statement. Be joined to Him, intimately, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and keeping His words engraved in your inner world. You must request! Jesus promises your requests will be granted.

Here is another magnificent promise from God!

Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

"Delight yourself in [GOD] and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Followers of God need to understand that desires are human and good! God created you with desires! Desires are what motivates you! If you want to deny all your desires, then I will strongly recommend you seek Buddhism as your answer. In Buddhism, you suppress desires long enough until you reach "Nirvana." The Bible does not teach such a thing! In fact, God makes it clear that once you find your delight in Him, He will give you the desires of your heart! Share your desires with God freely. It is good to have desires! Intense desires! Passionate desires! I like the ring of this statement. Don't you?

Prayer is the secret to victory!

Matthew 26:41 (NLT)

"Keep alert and PRAY. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!"

The secret of victory over sin, demonic forces that hold you down, demonic patterns of behavior, demonic tendencies, relational conflict, toxic behavior, addictions, bad habits, a weak, unstable mind, emotional turmoil, fear, anxiety is PRAYER! First you surrender to God, then pray, pray, pray. The promise here is implicit. There is nothing wrong with temptations. You will have them until the day you die. The key word used here by Jesus is "overpower." No temptation will "overpower" you, because prayer keeps into touch with God. God is bigger than all temptations put together. God is bigger than all the demonic forces together. He is victorious over all power of evil! He already won the victory since before the beginning of SIN, and His victory was sealed by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Nothing will ever overcome you if you surrender to God! You are covered! You are protected! (Don't miss the message this next Saturday night @ "Life Center"! I will share with you how God protects you in the midst of the darkest moments of your life!) There is no comparison between God and the devil. The devil is defeated! Did you know that? He uses the two "S" words to keep you under his trap: Seduction and Suffering! But God is greater than those! And to think, that it's all up to you and me! We make the choice, on who will direct our lives! You and I make the CHOICE! God, the Creator of the Universe, or defeated, loser devil!

But, Pastor Harold, I don't know how to pray... Read this!

Romans 8:26-28 (The Message)

"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. IF WE DON'T KNOW HOW OR WHAT TO PRAY, IT DOESN'T MATTER. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why WE CAN BE SURE THAT EVERY DETAIL IN OUR LIVES OF LOVE FOR GOD IS WORKED INTO SOMETHING GOOD!" Really... Can it get any better than this, ?

I love Romans 8! It doesn't matter, says God, if you don't know how to or what to pray for! I love this! It doesn't matter ... "But, but... but... shouldn't I at least know something... so I can pray to God?" No! It doesn't matter! Just open up your soul, and share your complaints, your wordless sighs, your aching groans... your frustrations... everything... Just talk to God! God understands! Read the Bible as part of your prayer... You will find incredible promises there... Just talk to God!

Jesus said, "Pray always!" We are living in a time when we must pray for God's presence in our lives. We must pray for discernment!

Luke 21: 34-36 (The Message)

"But be on your guard. DON'T LET THE SHARP EDGE OF YOUR EXPECTATION (God says it is ok to have expectations, desires, longings) GET DULLED BY PARTIES AND DRINKING AND SHOPPING. Otherwise, that Day (The Second Coming of Jesus) is going to take you by complete surprise, spring on you suddenly like a trap, for it's going to come on everyone, everywhere, at once. So, whatever you do, don't go to sleep at the switch. PRAY CONSTANTLY THAT YOU WILL HAVE THE STRENGHT AND WITS TO MAKE IT THROUGH EVERYTHING THAT'S COMING AND END UP ON YOUR FEET BEFORE THE SON OF MAN."

Here is my challenge to several thousands of you reading "Chats with God" today!

Will you join me in prayer today, Saturday, and next week? Let's pray together! Let's pray that God's Spirit will touch our hearts with His presence... Let's pray that God will direct you and me to the people we must reach to introduce them to God? That you and I may become passionate for Kingdom expansion? God is looking for volunteers to reach people for Him! If you are in Pasadena or Los Angeles I invite you to join me @ "Life Center."

[teresaq]

Thank you for sharing that. He is right on. I have been more and more wondering if "we" do truly hunger and thirst for righteousness. Do we even know what that means? If we on this forum really did hunger and thirst for righteousness - and I am sure some do - what would our discussions be like regardless of what our position is?