Do you ever wonder why some prayers don’t seem to get answered?  Did you ever think that maybe he is answering–it’s just not the answer you were hoping for?  How do you sort through questions like that?

One good thing to do might be to reflect on where the interference to your communication with God might be occurring.  Is it a problem with God not being able or willing to hear you?  Maybe there’s a good reason for that.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:46 — 22.3MB)

What do you pray about?  Do you pray at all?  Would you say you have a good prayer life?  Do you enjoy it?  If you don’t, why not?

How about your human relationships–is it easy for you to talk with friends and family?

Prayer is pretty similar.  At it’s most basic level, prayer is communicating with God.  If you know and love God, prayer comes extremely easy, and it’s enjoyable.  If you don’t know God, it’s going to be a lot more awkward trying to have a meaningful conversation with him.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:02 — 22.9MB)

What could be worse than a virus that destroys your organs and causes you to bleed from your eyes and ears and other openings and eventually killing you in extreme physical agony?

How about something that causes you to be in agony without the possibility of finding relief through physical death?

And how many people will wash their hands multiple times a day to keep from getting sick, but won’t think twice about sinning against God and dooming themselves to an eternity in Hell?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:48 — 19.6MB)

Hey Church!  I have a bone to pick with you.  Yeah you–the whole Church–all you people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ.  Do you remember what Jesus prayed for you before he was crucified?  He prayed that we would all be ONE–just like he and the Father are one.  And do you remember why he prayed that?  So that the world would KNOW that God sent Jesus.  Well guess what?  You have fractured the church into so many opposing groups that the world looks at you and says, “Ok, so which one of these factions should I believe in?  They all seem to disagree.  So why should I believe in Jesus, if his prayer for his church didn’t even work?  How can I be any worse off by not believing in what any of these groups say?”

Real nice job church!  You’ve made quite a mess of Christ’s prayer.

So how about working on that problem?  Why don’t you start living like Jesus did…in PERFECT unity with God.  Don’t let there be even a hint of immorality and sin in you.  Let the world see a body of believers who live pure lives from pure hearts made pure and kept pure by cooperating with the power of the Holy Spirit.  Do you remember how upset Jesus was by those who claimed to be “religious” but were really just religious hypocrites?  Don’t be anything like that.  Let your life be lived the way your Lord commands it to be lived–RIGHTEOUSLY!

I guarantee if every person who claimed to follow Jesus actually lived like Jesus, that the world would have no choice but to understand exactly who Jesus is and that God sent him into the world.  And, if the church (the whole church) lived in perfect unity with Jesus and obeyed all of his commands, she would automatically live in perfect unity as the “body” of Christ.  The church would be ONE.

Read John 17 and think about it.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:33 — 21.3MB)

When you pray, do you pray to a gumball machine, or a magic 8 ball, or a living Lord who cares about you?  How do you treat God when you talk to him?  Do you talk to him or at him?  Do you ever listen–really listen–to what God is trying to tell you?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:54 — 21.9MB)

Do you pray?  Does God answer your prayers?  Do you ever wonder why he does or why he doesn’t?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:31 — 17.2MB)

How many electronic devices do you carry around with you?  How many TVs and radios do you have?  How many hours a day do you spend talking on the phone or texting or e-mailing?  How often do you watch TV while you’re doing something else?  Our lives are full of noise and distraction and busyness.  We are a fast paced culture that never sleeps.

I love watching the old films that guessed about the technological advancements we would have today and how much time they would save us.  There were people who were seriously worried that our modern technology would free us up from so much work that we’d wind up with too much extra time on our hands.  But it seems like we can put those fears to rest.  With every new modern advancement, it’s like we learn to multitask another level.

Have you ever just stopped?  Put down the devices and books and magazines, turned off the electronics, and sat down and listened for the voice of God?  The Bible describes the leading of the Holy Spirit as a still, small voice.  How much have you missed of God’s voice because your life was too full of busyness and noise?

Perhaps it’s time to be like Jesus and choose to make some solitude and silence in your life.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:26 — 18.5MB)