Christian Questions Bible Podcast

Prayer is a staple of religion.  If you don’t follow any particular religion then perhaps you meditate. The point is, humans by and large are tuned to opening their minds to some kind of external power or tranquility.  For many, this opening of their minds provides a sense of security and peace as they feel heard, accepted and cared for.  So, is prayer a commodity that should be passed out to and encouraged among the masses?  Is it an elixir that can be taken to cure what ails you?  How does prayer even work?  What are its key ingredients and what is its process – or is there one?  Can prayer, will prayer, change your life?

Complaining.  Everybody does it.  Sometimes, well...actually occasionally, we complain from a positive perspective for the purpose of effecting change and that’s good!  But most of the time we complain because someone or something is irritating us, or putting pressure on us or challenging us or contradicting us. Most of our complaints are not for the purpose of truly solving any issue; rather, they are for the purpose of being heard, of having our position or circumstance or opinion verified.  We complain for attention, for sympathy and to reinforce our ego.  We often use complaining as a tool of destruction against those we oppose.  For the most part, complaining doesn’t sound all that productive.  So, what do we do about it?  How do we stop our complaining or transform it into something good?

Last week we began talking about what it takes to actually change the world around you – what it takes to not only have a dream for change but to begin that process of change. We talked about Nehemiah, a little known figure in the Old Testament, who not only had a ridiculously big dream for change, he worked the idea and recruited the masses to help him progress towards making that dream a reality. Today we finish the story as we catalogue the principles and techniques Nehemiah used to accomplish what seemed impossible. Not only did Nehemiah achieve something magnificent, he also left clues and tools along the way for us to pick up on and use to apply to the changes we want to effect in our own lives.

Everyone wants their world to be better.  Everyone has dreams and ideas they see as transformative - even innovative - yet the vast majority of us never do anything about those dreams and ideas to bring them to reality.  Why the lack of effort?  Because it is hard, because it takes thought, energy and determination and most of us are not convicted enough by our dreams and ideas to be willing to commit all of that effort.  Occasionally someone stands apart from this typical reaction and actually thinks, acts, leads and accomplishes their dream or idea. Today we will talk about a little known man in the Old Testament who did just that.  His dream was laughable, his mission was ridiculous and his enemies were determined to stop him, yet he focused and fought with all of his being and changed his world in the process!

Human nature is a funny thing.  We live in an age of instant gratification, an age of virtually no waiting for anything.  We send a text, a tweet, a message or we post, and our expectation is for an almost instant answer or follow or response or reaction.  What we want we not only assume we can get, we assume we can get it immediately in just the right color, brand and style.  Getting and having have become so easy and expected that we have begun to overlook the value of patience, waiting and doing without. Human nature IS a funny thing.  In this age of abundance, we are experiencing a very high rate of dissatisfaction and unhappiness.  Why?  One reason is that we have all but forgotten the preserving and healing power of gratitude.  It’s really simple - for happiness and contentment to flourish, they require gratitude to be their constant companion.  Let’s take a look and see how it all works…

Every so often someone comes along who stands out from the crowd, someone who distinguishes themselves from their peers by their manner, their motivation and their mission.  They don’t seem to fit into any comfortable category, for theirs is a mission that has world-changing implications and such missions are not common and least of all comfortable.  With such a description we would typically and rightfully envision Jesus as its object, but today we will focus on another.  Today we focus on John the Baptist, the man who prepared the people for Jesus, the man who stood alone as a powerful voice that pointed to the Redeemer of all men.  John the Baptist uniquely epitomized greatness – where did he come from, what did he do and how did he do it?

Everyone has had and will have the experience of being wrong, of making mistakes and of not understanding something well enough to properly represent it.  Everyone!  The question is not about what to do IF these things happen; the question is how do we handle it WHEN these things happen?  Making mistakes and being wrong are never comfortable experiences, but they are priceless in their value if we allow them to be.  So, how do we allow them to be priceless?  When we are wrong, do we face it or ignore it?  When we make a mistake, do we 'fess up or bury it?  Further, how can we identify the thought and behavior processes that bring us to wrong conclusions and actions so we can avoid repeating the same old mistakes over and over again?

So, if you are a little kid it’s time for the excitement of “trick or treat” – costumes and candy. If you are older it’s time for parties, horror movies that look and feel so real they make your skin crawl, the undead, dark spells and generally unfettered behavior. Yup, we are talking about Halloween and all of the trimmings that come with it. Here is the thing – no matter what age you are, when Halloween comes it is also time for a strong and convincing dose of witchcraft. That’s right – no matter what age you are, witchcraft is not only entirely mainstream, it is enticingly mainstream and very much within reach. So, is this something to be worried about? Are we dealing with some big dark and deceiving practice or is it all just harmless home-brewed storytelling?

What has happened to us? We live in an age where ego and emotion are more important than virtue and values. An age where personal preference outweighs personal worth and “I want it now” trumps integrity. We live in an age where absolutes aren’t (unless we decide they fit into our personal plan) and standards are only something to customize and remodel to our personal satisfaction. Ours is an age where the ancient principles of sin and objective morality are being relegated to the trash heap of history. So, what are we supposed to do? Should we go along with the flow of thoughts and emotions that are reshaping our social structure? Should we abandon what is considered to be the old and worn out moral thinking of the past and embrace the new and vibrant personally-based principles of the present?

Peer pressure.  When we say those words we typically think about teenagers, school and bad decisions and those thoughts are accurate.  Young people face inordinate amounts of peer pressure on a regular basis and its effects can be devastating!  Here’s the thing – adults are also subject to peer pressure and its place in our lives and its effect on our lives is far greater than we might anticipate.  So, for the sake of not only our young people but for our own sake as well, what do we do about it?  How do we recognize address and deal with the pressures of life that press us into compromised circumstances and bad decisions?  Even more importantly, how do we reverse the process and create an environment in which positive, righteous and loving peer pressure is the order of the day?