MINISTRY NOTES

Week of July 26, 2009

Hi Everyone,

As many of you know, our weekly Marriage Workshop is considered a help to our State, as many people who are an expense to our State, come from broken homes. Since we started in 04, we have helped hundreds of couples learn how to make their marriage better. Recently, I receive an expression of appreciation from the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative and in my thank you note to them; I expressed my appreciation from a Godly point of view for their effort, which I will share with you. I would remind you that our Marriage Workshop accomplishes more than just improving marriages.

"Also (her name), as a man of God, I want to personally thank you and all your people for their efforts. You do have my permission to share this with them. Although I realize that most people don't care or are unaware, of the fact that Jesus teaches us, that most people are going to hell (Mt 7:13-14). The way many people live now days, they will not have a chance to spend eternity with God, unless they get married and/or stay married. Greater than the economic advantages to our State, is the potential benefit to peoples' souls that you provide by helping people stay married which enables them to potentially live the life God intended them to live."

Message Notes:

Why Pray to Not Hear?

We seldom think about God helping us to not hear or to not know something and yet that can be very important in our walk with God.

Many years ago, a man shared this story with me, we will call him J L. He lived in a duplex with his wife and three children and they shared a carport with a cute young couple with no children who lived on the other side of the duplex. The husband was gone for a few weeks for military training. One day J L came home and his neighbor was unloading sacks of groceries. He offered to help her by carrying in the sacks and she gladly accepted his offer. One sack was particularly heavy and he noticed that inside was a 10 lb sack of sugar. He wondered why they needed so much sugar but he didn't say anything because he didn't want to appear nosey. The next day his wife and kids left for one of the kids' soccer games and his kids were so rowdy that you could hear them for blocks as they slammed doors and got in the car. Within a few minutes, there was a knock on the door and J L's neighbor was holding a cup and asking if she could borrow a cup of sugar. As he quickly went to get her some sugar, he was thinking how she was looking very attractive but then he thought she must not wear much clothes around the house. She was real chatty and one statement she made seemed strange, "You are so strong and have such big muscles." He though, it doesn't take much muscles to carry a cup of sugar. He walked her to the door and she went home quietly. A few hours later, after his family was home, he was thinking about the cup of sugar visit. He remembered how she said something about missing being with a man and she changed her mood when he started talking about her husband would be home soon. The more he though about her visit, he realized that she was coming on to him. Then he remembered the 10 lb bag of sugar from the day before and thought that she didn't really need a cup of sugar. He said his first reaction was disappointment that he had missed an opportunity to fool around, then he felt blessed that God had protected him and ashamed of his first reaction. Then he wonder why God protected him, until he remembered that everyday he prays the prayer Jesus taught us to pray and that in that prayer are the words "don't bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One..."1. God was protecting him from being tempted to sin even though he really doesn't pay attention to what he is praying.

When someone says something hurtful or ugly, God can keep you from hearing it, so you aren't tempted to have anger2. God can keep you from being aware of something that might cause worry, so you aren't tempted to worry3. God can keep you from being aware of something that might cause you to be judgmental, so you aren't tempted to judge others4. God can keep you from being aware of something that might cause you to be unforgiving, so you aren't tempted to not forgive5. Avoiding temptation by praying the way Jesus teaches us to pray seems simple. However over the years, I have discovered many different teachings about this prayer in groups that call themselves Christians. To keep it simple, does Jesus lie or tell the truth? Most people, even those from false religions, will say He tells the truth. (of course if they say He is just a prophet, they are calling Jesus a liar) Jesus says He is the Son of God6 and that everything He says comes from God7.

So the prayer Jesus teaches us to pray is the way God want us to pray to Him! Jesus says this is how we should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. May Your kingdom come, May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever, Amen1.

As I encourage you to pray the prayer above now and daily, I realize some will say they don't have time. Use a stopwatch or your seconds on your watch as you pray it and most people discover that it takes less than 1 minute. Can you spare 1 minute a day for God?

1. Luke 6:13 (TL); Matthew 6:9-13

2. Matthew 5:22

3. Matthew 6:25-34

4. Matthew 7:1

5. Matthew 6:14-15

6. John 10:36

7. John 12:49