Genesis 25:22 (NASB)
But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

The phrase “inquire of the Lord” appears about a dozen times in the Old Testament scriptures. The first instance is by Rebekah when she was pregnant with Jacob and Esau. However, the typical instance is when a King or group of people went to a prophet of God to ask God a question on their behalf.

After Jesus came, we no longer have to go to a prophet, but as a Christian can inquire of the Holy Spirit within us. The question is: How often do we do that? I must admit that I often resort to requests that I have formulated and don’t take the time to ask God what He would have me do. Isn’t that just like us? We would rather have God work on our plan rather than ask Him what He wants us to do for His kingdom.

This follows the world view that God wants us to be happy, so we tell ourselves: Why wouldn’t He want to follow us? It is a distorted view of God, minimizing His Glory and elevating our glory instead. Didn’t He promise in Romans 8:28 (NASB),

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Not, to those who call on Him to work towards our purpose.

Heavenly Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. I am inquiring of Your plan. I am listening. I will remain quiet and wait for the still, small voice that is Your Spirit. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

John 6:63 (NASB)
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

Last weekend, I attended a church conference at a local church. The guest speaker was Donald S. Whitney. He is professor of biblical spirituality and associate dean at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. I knew about him from my grandson, who attended that seminary several years ago and who had recommended Whitney’s book called, “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life”. Whitney travels most weekends of the year giving talks across the country on the topic of praying the Bible.

To say that I was transformed by his teaching is an understatement. I have been involved in prayer ministry for a number of years, but had never heard about his approach to praying. Yes, I had heard of the idea of praying through the Bible and praying through the Psalms, but his approach was different and quite unique. He has captured that concept in his book, “Praying the Bible”.

I can only say that I would recommend that every Christian read both of his books and incorporate his concept of praying. It truly becomes a conversation with God, not as he said our typical prayer life of a one way communication, “praying the same old things, about the same old things”. If you do decide to try his method, you should also pick of the phone app called “Five Psalms”.

Christians want to pray, it is the prompting of the Holy Spirit that encourages us to pray. But we can get discouraged for a number of reasons. When we are able to keep our prayer life fresh by having a two way conversation with God, it makes prayer what God intended it to be.

Heavenly Father, I pray for Donald Whitney. I pray that your Holy Spirit would continue to refresh him as he uses this prayer ministry to transform lives. May Your glory be magnified as our prayers reflect the Psalms that You have given to us. They are Your heart. May our hearts be transformed into Your likeness through them. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

1 Thessalonians 5:12-23 (NASB)
But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If we as Christians are sanctified by the Holy Spirit, why wouldn’t the church, who is the body of Christ, also become visibly sanctified? Shouldn’t a church look and act differently today than it did last year, or the years before? When Jesus exposes our sin to us and as we repent and turn away from that sin, we are sanctified, becoming more like Jesus. The body of believers as a whole, it seems, might look more like Jesus over time too.

Certainly there are things about the church that shouldn’t change. The church must be true to scripture and the doctrines taught in scripture. The church should only be interested in bringing glory to God in whatever it does.

Jesus criticized those in Jewish religious power because they had made the business of church more important than God. The New Testament says very little about church organization, except for some specific roles that God intends, like pastor, elder, and deacon. But the Bible is largely silent about the organization of the Christian church. The focus is on Jesus, the worship of our Lord and Savior, and sharing the Gospel.

That leads me to think that the church should reflect the sanctification of its body of believers. Regrettably, some churches today reflect the business world, with goals and objectives and specific organizational structures. Titles and job descriptions determine how ministries are led, rather than being led by the Spirit. Goals and objectives become centered around numbers; growth, budget, and ministries. Leadership falls back on organizing as a business and the Holy Spirit becomes silent.

How refreshing it is to see churches that follow that leading and change as the Spirit directs; who don’t resist change because it goes against an organizational structure developed by man. How refreshing it is when church leadership is only interested in following the Spirit where it leads.

Heavenly Father, I pray for Your church. I pray that as we are sanctified by Your Holy Spirit, we would be brought together with other believers to reflect that in Your church. I pray that the outside world would marvel, not because of anything we do, but because of what You are doing to bring the Gospel to the world. I pray that the visible church would become an ever increasing sweet aroma to the world. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,