The True Meaning of Love: The Greatest Gift of All
Sometimes we look for the source of love in places where it does not exist. Sometimes we don’t even realize that love is what we are searching for. The world’s view of love is measured conditionally by what the world can do for us. If it brings pleasure, it’s considered love. If it brings success, it’s considered love. If it brings happiness, it’s considered love. But what about the bad times? What happens when those things that once pleasured us or brought us success and happiness begin to bring us pain? Would we still consider it love?
One of the most contradictory statements I hear is “love is pain,” but that’s not true. We will go through pain, but it’s our circumstances that bring pain. The world brings pain. The devil surely brings pain. In reality, Love brings everything but pain and sorrow. Love should not make us fear (1 John 4:18). Love heals pain when life destroys the characteristics of love as seen in 1 Corinthians 13; our patience, our kindness toward each other, etc.
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
1 John 4:18
So then, what is love? The only absolute definition I can think of is 1 John 4:8 “…God is love.” Love is knowing God and keeping His commandments. Love is a supernatural powerful and eternal mindset that can literally change the way we see and respond to things if we get it from the proper source—God. Love is a choice that we each individually need to make every moment of our lives in order to correctly confront the issues we face.
Why do we need love, the real kind? The two greatest commandments of all require us to love God and then to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). The only way we can love God is if we have a relationship with Him. The only way we can love our neighbors as ourselves is if we 1) actually love ourselves and 2) have a relationship with God to know what love is, because again, He is love. Love teaches us how to live the way God intended us to live. As the Son of the One who created love, Jesus embodied love when He chose to do His Father’s will. He showed His love for the Father by submitting and being obedient, even when He knew how much physical pain it would cause him.
The love of God bridges the gap of sin that separates us from the Creator. Without His love, we would have no sense of conviction, no understanding of the purpose of the Cross, and no real relationship with God. We would continue to toil to do good and follow the commandments the best way we know how, yet still fall short. That is not needed, because God’s love covers a multitude of sins. God’s love gives us a desire to please Him and be pleased with how He originally created us. Love is the best gift God can ever give us because of everything that He includes with it!
Love is more than just an emotion, it’s a virtue. Real love is not temporary and it’s not conditional. God’s love is bigger than us. His love does not always make sense. His love does not just disappear when we abandon Him or when we blame Him for what the devil has done in our lives. His character cannot be questioned because He is the same today, yesterday, and forever. Because of this, His love cannot increase or decrease based on what we do, it’s not performance based. All we have to do is know the real love that comes from Him. In life, we will face moments of pain, confusion, hurt, and many other emotions. Jesus went through pain in order to complete His will, but the love He had for the Father kept Him until the very end. Running to our temporary pleasures will only satisfy us for so long but the true source of love, which is God, keeps us until the very end.
15 Scriptures The Class Of 2015 Should Know
In college, the Word was your daily bread.
In the "Real World", it's your weapon, your peace, your road map to life, your answers to hard decisions and so much more. Don't abandon the Word!
Here are 15 scriptures the class of 2015 should know once leaving college! Eat up.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
Isaiah 40:8
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33
‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
Jeremiah 33:3
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:3
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
Psalm 71:21
Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.
Psalm 20:6
Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalm 126:5-6
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:9-10
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans
Psalm 37:5
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23
Contributors: Samuel A., Debbie D., Olamide I., Tobi O., and Jummy O.
Your Conviction Is My Conviction
I love people. I love people, a lot. But not enough to inform them that they may be a little off. Sometimes, not enough to share my convictions about a particular matter. And thus, I may compromise.
One of the first things I “learned”—heard, when I first came to Christ, was “your convictions are not my convictions,” and vice versa. It was a statement that I had heard so much, I almost even took it as scripture; you know, maybe Paul in one of the letters to Corinth or something, slipped in:
Thou foolish Corinthians, what has caused you to falter? Know ye not that, that which is burdened on me, is for me alone. And that which is burdened on you, is for you alone? Please, carry and mind your own.
3 Corinthians 1:1 NONE
Honestly, the statement might even have scriptural root (Romans 14:22), but not enough for it to stand as a biblical code
It’s a sad, sad case that one of the most regurgitated bible verse in modern Christendom is John 15:13 “No greater love exist than this, for one to lay down his life for a friend,” yet this act is almost only limited to driving up to upper, Upper-Marlboro to scoop a friend for a function; sharing a little of my chipotle bowl; and eventually taking a minute to pray for someone, who asked you to pray for them some time ago—eh, that’s besides my point. We’re a generation, along with the church in Galatians, that rests on what we do or have done. Don’t get me wrong, going out of my way to do something for a brother or sister in Christ is good, and should be done more often but so should honouring their walks.
Jesus preaches “there is no greater love than this, for a man to lay down his life for a friend,” and goes on to actively live it out. Jesus said to anyone who wanted to be his disciple: deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Him. Jesus was so Jesus that He never went without exemplifying, to the extreme, any of the things He taught. Jesus literally had to “deny” Himself [His will and God-being capabilities] (Luke 22:42), “pick up His Cross” (John 19:17), and well—He followed Holy Spirit (Matthew 4:1) and the Father (John 5:19), so He paved a path for us to follow. Yet, His desire wasn’t that we’d become
One thing I did take in stride when I came to Christ—actually, this was my first favorite verse: Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Very early on in my Christian walk, I, like many other young believers, adopted an understanding of “dying to yourself.” It’s the expressive statement of what Jesus meant by “deny yourself.” It’s essentially putting away ALL of You for ALL of Him—and expressively, the next believer.
Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
Acts 4:32 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.”
We are given this notion that, “It’s not about me anymore. It’s about Jesus, and my brothers and sisters in Him.” However, the notion doesn’t always remain in effect, as we passively make the statement, our hearts actively stray from it. We are often about “me, myself, and I...okay, sometimes you, Jesus...ehhh...and maybe once in a while, you too” (*points to you*); we do things that aren’t plainly defined as wrong, but don’t glorify God nor yield good fruit. If that be the case, we have to chop it off like gangrene. (cc: JGivens verse from “Same Team”) No, SERIOUSLY, cut off anything in your life that doesn’t produce good fruit, nor glorify God. (Matthew 7:19).
Matthew 16:25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it.
When you’ve made the choice to pause from you, and live for Him, you’ll soon realize, that Jesus gave us a very quintessential law in Mark 12:31: “love your neighbor as you love yourself;” His prayer was for us to be as one (John 17), and Paul teaches us that in being one, we must bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). So that leads me to believe that there remains a very elegant focus in the bible: unity amongst the brethren. But why is unity such an issue for us? Why is it such a problem for the world? My proposed answer: we’re not willing give goodly and godly compromise.
Ew. Compromise.
Yes. Compromise. You can perceive that’s almost all Jesus did on Earth; goodly and godly compromise. He compromised Him being God, the Creator of this Universe, to dwell amongst His creation, as one of them. He compromised Him being a righteous, blameless, perfect human being, to die on the cross for us unrighteous, sinful, and imperfect humans. Yep, Jesus compromised a great deal. Aren’t we to do the same? I mean, we do profess “I want to be like You, Jesus,” all day long.
Notice I’ve added “goodly” and “godly” to compromise. Compromise is a word that has polarizing connotations:
Jummy compromised his integrity, as he joined his friends in smoking.
OR
Jummy compromised his pride, as he washed the feet of his friends.
I can, and likely will, bamboozle you with a plethora of scriptures, but you’ve seen enough so far. God desires that we would be one and together glorify Him in that one. But to do so, it requires for us to surrender—compromise—our self-fulfilling will and desires to God, and for the edification of the body. This will then allow us to bear one another’s burden, and fulfill the law of Christ.
It’s easy to point scripture declaring our freedom in Christ. But Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. The convictions we receive from Holy Spirit are often tailored to ourselves personally but ultimately for growth within our spheres of influence. Bill Johnson once said, “Your breakthroughs are not just for yourself, but for the next person.” I believe that principle is the same concerning many of the convictions we have. I’ve personally been convicted of wearing too-skinny pants, listening to particular (most...if not all) secular music, drinking, smoking, partying, watching particular movies and TV shows, etc. Some of the stuff I’ve been convicted of, aren’t necessarily unlawful—but God beckons I follow these convictions.
Matthew 11:15 “Whoever has ears, let him hear.”
If I am to honour God, by following these convictions, I better live them so fully out...that they seem as if they’re written on my flesh. I better live these convictions so fully out, that when I’m offered a drink, in the midst of my Christian brethren, I deny. And if I remain in that company, I better so fully live out these convictions that I explain why. Many of us receive convictions because we’ve struggled with these things or perhaps once tasted and realized “God hasn’t called me into this.”
It might sound killjoy-ish, but sharing my stance on a matter is much better than me compromising what God has paved for me, where I’d stumble and fall short. To me, it’s compromising my cool versus compromising my divine impression from God. One might be the more appealing, but the other, of course, is the most beneficial. But it’s hard. It’s hard to stand for what you’re for and not about, in the company of other believers, who for the most part, are like-minded. I don’t have a definite answer as to how to do so, but I have a couple of friends who do a good job of “suggesting” their convictions, it’s almost rather annoying...but it works.
The opposite, or, corresponding side of that coin is receiving that conviction and honouring it. Swallow that pride! Swallow it! Swallow it! That’s almost all I can say, because it’s so hard! This is the very reason that this dauntingly dauntless piece was crafted: honour one another’s convictions, as if your own. A sister of mine once shared how whenever someone would share their burdens with her, she’d bare them so much, that she began to ache with empathy for that person. She’d adopt that burden, and lift it with that person. Given, all the person is likely looking for, is someone to pray for them. But like Christ, my sister takes it an inch further, and actually aches, mourns, and joys with the person as they together carry that burden.
Jesus, Himself, was so willing to submit, that He even honoured the customs of the Pharisees as shown in Mark 12:15 and Matthew 17:27, just so that they wouldn’t stumble. It’s seldom said, but God bless Simon of Cyrene, who aided our Lord Jesus Christ in carrying His cross (Matthew 27:32). Just as that Simon did, so also should we do: respect, honour, and aid one another’s struggles. God forbid a friend of mine tells me they’ve struggled with drinking before Christ, and I’m found, by them, even looking at liquor. God forbid someone tells me how much they struggle with pornography, and I sit with them to watch a movie that has any inch of sensuality or sexual immorality.
Matthew 18:6 If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
This walk with, for, and after Christ is not easy, and often times isn’t fun. Often times, we are urged via convictions from God, and even from or for our brethren, to do or not do something—those convictions aren’t fun, and may even often seem repetitive and unfulfilling but, I, rather Paul, say this:
Romans 14:21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Recall that these convictions handed to us whether by God or a member of the body are not to hinder or limit us. Nor are they to disengage us from individuality. But rather to align us, in unison, with the standard that God has given us, which is Jesus Christ. If these convictions don’t help me conform into the image of Christ, than taking them on is pointless; but for those which do, how selfish and stupid would it be for me not to uphold them and share them with others? An awesome man of God, Kevin Muchiri says, “Although we are custom made, the things that do not please our Father are not custom but standard, and should be the same for every believer.” So I pray that God softens our hearts, and that we hearken our ears to Him and one another, to hear as the Spirit speaks, knowing that every Word from God is a gift, to be cherished and honoured, and not only heard, but done. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Shalom,
(Jum 1:4)
The Lord’s Prayer Doxology
In Matthew 6, Jesus realizes a problem. That problem is: Christians don’t know how to pray. So, being the wonderful Teacher He is, He teaches us a very practical and simple way to pray. I believe Jesus did a great job in teaching prayer, so I won’t reiterate what He taught—plus, there are two pieces by a beloved Urban Disciple guest writer on prayer, you’ll probably want to check out—but I do want to quickly discuss why the Doxology, at the end of our Lord’s prayer, matters to us.
"...For Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the power, Yours is the glory forever! Amen.”
Matthew 6:13
For Yours is the Kingdom
You’ll find it all over the Gospels, John the Baptist and Jesus preaching “Repent! For the Kingdom of God is at hand/near.” Jesus, as well, through parables, teaches us a whole lot about the Kingdom of God. But one of the most profound truths about the Kingdom is found in Luke 17:20-21: Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is within you." This statement is validated when Jesus departs from Earth, into Heaven, and Holy Spirit comes upon and fills the believers (Acts 2:4), and Paul later smacks us with this truth: “Don’t you know that you are the temple of God, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16) Now the two facts here are: 1) the Kingdom of God is within us, and 2) God’s Spirit dwells in us. So when Paul addresses the Romans, he leaves them with more reality: For the kingdom of God is...of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (14:17). Therefore, God who dwells in us, has placed His Kingdom in us, and this is now verified in righteousness, peace, and joy from/by/in the Holy Ghost. But this Matthew 6:13, emphasis “For Yours”, reiterating and re-establishing the fact that, the Kingdom of God, is God’s. We are God’s. The Kingdom is not manipulated or conjured up by any man, but is of God’s sovereignty.
For thine is the power
In Matthew 28, Jesus tells us that “all power and authority has been given unto [Him].” He then commissions us, as believers, to “Go,” living out that power and authority in making disciples; baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that He had commanded us (v. 18-19). In Matthew 10:1, when Jesus calls His 12 disciples, He gives them the “power and authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.” Power is also in the Gospel: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the POWER of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16). When the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we receive power (Acts 1:8). And the Holy Spirit also gifts us various workings of His power in gifts (1 Corinthians 12) and in fruits (Galatians 5:22-23). So centrally, we receive power from God, through time within His presence [in His Word, in prayer, in submission/surrender, and in worship]. Therefore, the power we receive is not from ourselves and should not be received from any other man, but from God and God alone. Jesus gave us power and authority in the Gospels, and we received power in the Letters. It’s imperative we remain submitted to the leading of God, as it is His power, and who else, but Him to teach us, how to walk in it. For once again, in His sovereignty, he grants us power, that is still for, by, and to Him.
For Yours is the Glory
My God is a jealous God, who’ll never share His glory with any other (Isaiah 42:8). All throughout the Bible, He reveals His glory, whether it’s in the Creation (Genesis 1-2), in saving Israel (Exodus 14:30-31), healing the sick/casting out demons/cleansing lepers (the Gospels), or killing liars of the church (Acts 5)—He shows His glory. When we walk out in the power [fruits, giftings, commissions], which He’s given us, He and He alone [should] receive(s) glory. When we do simple good works, God receives glory (Matthew 5:16). When we seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness, He receives glory (Matthew 6:33). Even in our human defiance, God is given glory (Psalm 76:10). While God is the same God from yesterday, God, now in our partnership with Him, is to receive glory from every and anything we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). If all power and authority is God’s, then all glory is God’s. We boast not in ourselves, but in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:2). There is not a story in the bible, that at the end God didn’t receive eternal glory, and so shall it be with our lives.
Forever, amen!
The central purpose of this piece, is for us to take a moment and reflect on the sovereignty of God. “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). There isn’t a thing that He isn’t sovereign over. A quote, I’ve come to cherish by a man named Abraham Kuyper, is this: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” So, I bid thee: Become aware that God is within us, use what God has given us, and give Him all the glory! It’s rightfully His forever, amen
Selah,
Jum (1:3)
The Interesting Truth About Prayer: The Journey Of Prayer
A pastor once said, “Once God has spoken that something will happen or that He will do something, you don’t need to pray about it.” His reason for saying this is that God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19) and His Word will always accomplish whatever He intends it to (Isaiah 55:11). I agree with the pastor because it’s true, but it is not the entire truth; people often say you shouldn’t pray for what God has already given you. Again, I agree because this is true, but there is more to be understood about this. Even though God has spoken that something will happen, it is important for us to pray to Him about that thing for two main reasons: One, the Bible teaches us to put God in remembrance of His Word (Isaiah 43:26).
God isn’t unrighteous that He would forget His own Word, however, God is looking for partnership here on earth (2 Chronicles 16:9). He wants to know if we’re actually interested in doing this thing—I mean this Heaven come to Earth thing. Do you actually want to see His will be done in your lifetime? Or are you willing to let it pass you by and allow Him to manifest His promises in those to come after you? The reality is that God may promise me something today, but, because I did not put Him in remembrance of His Word, it may not come to pass until years after I’ve passed away. If so, He remains faithful to His word, because He did what He said He would—I just didn’t get to witness it. The story of Hezekiah reveals some of what I am saying, and you should check it out ☺.
The second reason to pray about things God has said will happen, is because sometimes the things God promises are conditional: take for example God’s promise to heal the land in 2 Chronicles 7:14:
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Meet the “if.” The “if” provides a condition to the promise that He gives. In this case, the actual promise depends on “if” the people choose to “humble themselves, pray…” or not. In other cases, things, such as disobedience, un-forgiveness, or simply just a person’s character that isn’t ready to receive that blessing, may uphold the answer to a prayer. The truth is that, God’s Word(s) or promise(s) coming to pass in our life can sometimes be based on us continuing to believe what He said will happen; the point at which we stop believing His word, may be the point at which we disqualify ourselves from witnessing His glorious promise(s) (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 and Matthew 21:22).
A brief example of this is when God told the Israelites that they would inherit the promise land. Unfortunately, because the majority of the Israelites stopped believing in God, they didn’t enter the promise land. Only Joshua and Caleb’s families entered in because they CONTINUED TO BELIEVE all the way up until the fulfillment of the promise (read Hebrews 4). We see that the Word of God manifesting in their lives, was dependent on their ability to continue to believe.
This is why prayer is a place. When I enter into my place of prayer, I meet with God and I pray about the same things over and over sometimes—it’s not because I’m trying to persuade God to do something that He still has to think about; in fact, sometimes God will tell me beforehand, that He will do something and I still pray about it anyway—it’s not that I feel some special assurance, that once I pray, I expedite the process or even make Him want to do it more. When I run to my place of prayer, what I find is a memorial of who God is and what He has done.
PRAYER IS A PLACE! I’ve learned that praying for things that God has already given me, isn’t for His sake, but it’s for my sake. You see sometimes going through life or even throughout one’s day, one can get so caught up in what external circumstances reveal; God may have spoken one thing to you, but your circumstances tell you the exact opposite. This can be very discouraging.
Here’s an example: I recently prayed for a sister in Christ who was feeling ill. After we prayed her illness actually got worse. What do you think happened to my faith? I’ll tell you this much, my faith was NOT shaken! I ran to my place of prayer and began to feed off of God’s faithfulness. God has promised us healing in His Word, so it wasn’t that I didn’t pray according to God’s will. But in the midst of the adverse situation, I ran to my place of prayer to be reminded of who God was and what He had promised. Remember Genesis 28? Jacob built a memorial of where God had met Him and told him many promises. That memorial is like a place of prayer: a place where we can retreat when life tells us contrary to the promises and Word of God. Prayer is a place of refuge where we can remind God what He has said and more importantly remind ourselves in order to keep our faith strong. The memorial Jacob made was a place to remind Him of the encounter he had with the Living God. Anytime he returned to that memorial, he would remember what the Lord had promised Him and he would have the strength to continue to believe for it.
Acts 10:1-4 “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, 2A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always. 3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, ‘Cornelius. 4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, ‘What is it, Lord?’ And he said unto him, ‘Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.”
Meet Cornelius. Cornelius is described as a man who prayed to God “always.” Don’t be discouraged if you pray to God about some of the same things over and over again, because there’s a good chance Cornelius did too. Now once God answers your prayer, you can chill out. If you read the entire chapter of Acts 10, you’ll find that Cornelius’ prayer was to see the message of salvation brought to the Gentiles. I’ll tell you a secret: whether or not Cornelius prayed to God about the gospel being brought to the Gentiles, God was going to do it anyways! We know this because it was prophesied about in the Old Testament that God would do so. Howbeit, Acts 10 lets us know that Cornelius’ prayers became a memorial before God! God took special notice of this man’s humility and faithfulness to praying for what was already God’s will.
Cornelius was desperate, hungry and thirsty to see God’s will be fulfilled. Not only that, but Cornelius was invested in seeing God’s will be done in his life; that’s why he continually prayed for it. As a result, Cornelius had a special experience when the angel of God encountered him. In addition to this special encounter, where God encouraged Cornelius, because Cornelius had spent time in his place of prayer seeking God’s will, he also received specific instructions on how to see God’s promise manifest. Can you believe that? God actually invited Cornelius on a step by step journey on how He was going to manifest the promise, all because Cornelius had spent time in his place of prayer, meeting with God.
Here’s the conclusion of the matter: Build your place of prayer by praying always. Everything can happen around you in life, but when you enter into prayer, your spirit connects with God in another place. In Psalm 77:6, David says that he communes in his own heart and his spirit makes diligent search. Prayer is a place that we go to when we turn into ourselves and commune with the God on the inside. Something happens when you get on your knees, close your eyes and begin to set your mind on God and begin to desire Him. When this happens, the real you is taken to another place. Your mind, will, and emotions melt in the presence of God and now your spirit is in full drive as you cry out to God for His help and His hand. In the place of prayer come stillness, order and relief. The reason why this happens is because when you pray with faith you enter into His presence. That’s the best place to be.
Oluwatobi Oke is a young entrepreneur from the University of Maryland College Park who is the CEO of Good Lord Clothing. He's the Vice President of Bethel Campus Fellowship and attends Hope Christian Church In Beltsville Md. He shares the Gospel through rap music and considers himself a worshipper rather than a rapper. Not to mention he plays the Congo's.
An Interesting Truth About Prayer
It’s always interesting to share about prayer; so many great men and women of God have offered great insights from God’s Word concerning prayer and its purpose. I’ve heard numerous explanations of what prayer is, such as: communication with God, the way we bring Heaven to Earth, the Master’s key, a way of accessing God’s heart, and many other things that are completely accurate! I’d rather not repeat or list the vast definitions of prayer or even try to give some new deep sounding definition of prayer; but, know that, no matter how many definitions of prayer you have, the most important thing we MUST know about prayer, is that it’s SIMPLE!
Once we understand the simplicity of prayer, we can make the shift to making prayer our lifestyle. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that prayer is a complicated thing, or that it’s so deep that you spend more time figuring out what to pray than you do actually praying. Here’s truth number one about prayer: it’s simple and the Word of God clearly defines what prayer is—once you understand even the littlest truth about prayer, you can accomplish so much with prayer; the key is to be certain about what you know about prayer—for example, here’s a Biblical truth regarding prayer:
"And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." -Isaiah 65:24 (KJV)
To sum this verse: God knows our needs before we ask, in fact, He often wants to answer them more than we want to pray them. As previously stated, prayer is simple, so don’t get caught up in feeling like it’s burdensome—just pray! If you are reading this, and you don’t believe in Jesus, know that, eventually, there’ll come a time when you’ll face situations that are outside of your control; at that moment, when you’re ready to lay hold of a power and provision that is able to reconcile the issues in your life, that are without your reach, you can start by calling upon the name of Jesus Christ, who is also God, asking Him for forgiveness of your sins and to fill you with His Spirit. Then will you be fully ready to engage the area of prayer.
Now before I share this interesting truth that I’ve learned about prayer, I want to address a few things: One, prayer can be thought of various ways—I personally think of prayer in a number of ways. There are also various types of prayers, such as prophetic prayer, declarative prayer, intercession, spiritual warfare prayers, etc. Additionally, many people have come to me in the past with an odd concern regarding their prayer life: they usually tell me they have a problem praying or feel awkward in their personal prayer time because they always pray about the same things or don’t know what to pray about. If you’re in that position, the good news is that this interesting truth about prayer will help you with that.
All right, here’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for; here’s how the Lord Jesus has begun to expand my understanding of what prayer is! (Drum Roll please! :P) It’s true that prayer is a way of encountering God, a way of communication, and a way of accessing God’s presence and provision, but of recent I’ve started to understand that PRAYER IS A PLACE. This revelation has been especially beneficial for my personal prayer life. Prayer is a place. It’s the place that you run to when you want to meet with God. When you want Almighty God, who created the Universe and everything in it, to take a moment and pay attention to you, you must run to prayer.
Prayer is a place of mutual agreement, where the believer meets with God and God with the believer. Amos 3:3 says “can two walk together except they be agreed?” When we journey to our place of prayer to meet with God, the implication is that we have humbled ourselves and are ready to agree with God and with what He already wants to do in our lives and in the life of those around us. Going into prayer, makes the statement, “I CHOOSE to no longer be prideful, believing that I have enough power and control to take care of my own life.” (Anyways that was a bit of a side note☺.)
Prayer is a place. I think of Jacob in Genesis 28, where Jacob encountered God in a dream. After his encounter with God, he set a stone as a memorial and named the place Bethel—House of God. Now, let me go off on a tangent for a brief moment to tie this in so it makes sense for our lives. According to 1 John 5:14, when we pray according to God’s will, He hears us and if we know He hears us, then we can be certain that we have whatever we ask for. What this means is we must pray in the will of God. Jesus also says in John 16:23-24, that, when we ask God the Father for anything IN THE NAME OF JESUS, meaning, according to Jesus’ character and nature, we will receive whatever we ask for.
So, how can you know the will of God, to pray it? The answer is: through the Word of God. We have to pray the Word of God, because God’s Word is also His will. Simply, the Will of God is what brings God pleasure, His desires, and His wants; these are all made known by and through His Word. Sounds simple enough, right? Even we as humans, convey our wants and our desires through words. The importance of talking about this is because 1 John 5:14 says, when we ask according to His will, we will automatically get what we have asked; His will is found in His Word, which we must pray to Him in our place of prayer.
What does this all mean? It means God has spoken/will speak His Word to you, that you may know His will, in order for you to pray it, so that He can do what you’ve asked Him—what He wills. Remember, when we pray according to His will, He will automatically answer (1 John 5:14). Now, personally, I pray over the same things in my personal prayer time; one of the reasons I pray the same things over and over again is because God’s Word and Will do not change. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever more. God’s Word and His will do not change.
Oluwatobi Oke is a young entrepreneur from the University of Maryland College Park who is the CEO of Good Lord Clothing. He's the Vice President of Bethel Campus Fellowship and attends Hope Christian Church In Beltsville Md. He shares the Gospel through rap music and considers himself a worshipper rather than a rapper. Not to mention he plays the Congo's.