Author name: Tom Stuart

The Priority of Praying God’s Word

5 Comments / Prayer /

Most people would agree that the major challenge to praying faith-filled, prevailing prayers is to find out God’s will and pray it back to Him. While at times discovering His will may seem a daunting task, it is not as shrouded in darkness as some may tend to assume. Thankfully God in His providence has given us “a lamp for [our] feet, a light on [our] path” with which to guide us to His will, and it is called His Word (Psalm 119:105 NIV).

Praying God’s Word with the help and illumination of the Holy Spirit, is therefore the primary means God has provided for us to pray according to His will. The Bible, which contains all of God’s words and promises, is among other things a prayer book. When we pray from the Bible, reciting back to God His own words and will, we do so with an incredible confidence, knowing not only that we are in agreement with Him, but also that He is hearing and agreeing with us. When that happens, we cannot help but believe that answers to our prayers are sure to come.

Psalm 119, the longest recorded prayer in the Bible is illustrative of this priority of praying according to God’s word/will. In this Psalm, in which God’s Word is likened to a lamp and a light, we find its author David, appealing to God repeatedly on that basis. At least twenty four times, we see David asking God to hear and answer him based on God’s own “word,” “promises,” or “laws.” “Remember your word to your servant.” “Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live.” “Preserve my life according to your laws” (Psalm 119:49, 116, 156 NIV emphasis added).

The Priority of Praying God’s Word Read More »

Stay In Your Lane

Growth & Development, Life Balance, Overcoming /

Years ago I was invited to a meeting with a couple of Christian leaders in our city with the purpose of exploring a cooperative ministry effort. I knew each of the men and was familiar with the intensity and dedication with which each led their well established and successful ministries. As I was making the thirty minute drive across town on the freeway I decided to take the time to pray for the meeting. Almost immediately I heard these words, whispered by the Holy Spirit “Stay in your lane!” At that moment traffic was fairly heavy on the four lane stretch of road that I was on and my first impulse was to warily check the lanes on either side of me.

Assured that everything was alright, I figured I would stay in the lane in which I was driving until I needed to exit and turned my attention to what the Lord really intended with the words “stay in your lane.” I knew it was a word of wisdom for me as it related to the meeting. The lane I was being warned to stay in was my lane and focus of ministry. God was reminding me of the importance of fixing my heart clearly on His calling and purpose for my life, and not being drawn or forced out of that lane into the lane of another. Having this quickened in my spirit brought a sense of peace with the realization that there was sure to be pressure in the meeting to change ministry lanes.

Stay In Your Lane Read More »

Hope for a Prayerless church

Answers to Prayer!, Check this out!, Prayer, Stats & Trends /

In my previous blog post “What can the righteous do?” I established that the moral foundations of society are being destroyed all around us; and that the mandated response of the righteous, as spelled out by Jesus, is to watch and pray.

The question of the hour now becomes, why does it seem that this priority to watch and pray is not being heeded by the Church? My use of the word “Church” refers primarily to expressions of the Body of Christ in Western culture including both the Church universal and individual churches. In order to answer this question, and propose a remedy, it is necessary first to understand the dynamics that have shaped the typical Sunday morning church service in the West in recent years

Hope for a Prayerless church Read More »

What can the righteous do?

Holy Spirit Aha's, Overcoming, Prayer, Uncategorized /

When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? Psalm 11:3 NIV

I don’t know about you, but I find this to be very unsettling and thought provoking question. It comes in the context of a prophetic Psalm that was penned by David, but inspired by the Holy Spirit, describing the very days in which we are now living. It refers to a crisis situation where the moral foundations upon which a society or a nation has been built are being systematically overthrown and destroyed.

The scenario which Psalm 11 describes is one in which demonic forces of darkness are launching wicked and violent attacks specifically targeting God’s people and the righteous ways of God they represent. Does that sound familiar? Any God fearing person who has any awareness whatsoever of what is going on in their community, the nation and the world cannot help but acknowledge that we are presently under such concerted assaults. As a consequence, we can certainly identify with Lot who while living in Sodom and Gomorrah experienced his righteous soul being vexed daily by “the lawless deeds he saw and heard” (2 Peter 2:8 ESV).

What then should the righteous do when confronted with such unsettling, perplexing, and ruinous circumstances that threaten our very existence? Right at the outset in verse one David suggests that we have two alternatives, either take refuge in the Lord or flee to the mountains for safety. He offers the idea of fleeing with the phrase “How then can you say to me: ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain?’” It is obvious, from the way he says this that fleeing to “your” mountain, wherever or whatever that may be, is not a viable option.

What can the righteous do? Read More »

Silencing the Voices of Restriction

Growth & Development, Overcoming /

No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.” Isaiah 54:17 ESV

Have you ever stopped to consider what things are holding you back from serving God the way you’ve always wanted? Can you pinpoint what is restricting you from a whole hearted commitment to following Jesus in the way you believe you really should?

Like most people, I love the opportunity afforded us, as we begin a new calendar year, to turn over a new leaf in our spiritual lives.

Regardless of your answers to the opening questions, the reality is that there are obstacles and restrictions standing in your way of new beginnings spiritually. The enemies of our souls are always seeking to thwart the forward progress of every believer who sets their heart to abide in and do the will of God. These enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil all afflict us with restrictions that can hold us back from experiencing the fullness of God’s plan and purposes for our lives. It’s as if they have “fashioned weapons against” us that through threat and intimidation, bludgeon us into passivity, or worse yet, retreat and hopelessness.

As this verse from Isaiah indicates, these weapons typically fire their volleys as voices – either from within or without, in the form of a “tongue that rises against you in judgment.” These wagging tongues have a way of pelting us with misbeliefs and untruths about ourselves and God. If we give heed to them they inflict us with a sense of unworthiness, lack, fear or worse, which result in spiritual paralysis.

Silencing the Voices of Restriction Read More »

Scroll to Top