Talking With Our Dad

Prayer.

The big P word.

It can be exciting. It can be scary. It can be daunting.

I’ve prayed some pretty weak prayers. Like, the Cubs would win the World Series. Still waiting on that one! Or I would pass this ridiculously hard accounting test for which I’ve barely cracked a book.

Shoot, I’ve even prayed for evil. Like, the time Steve Bartman single-handedly ended the Cubs shot at a World Series title in 2003. I’m not bitter. Or better yet, that I could maybe, just maybe, make-out with that good-looking girl just across the way.

Yeah, I’ve done it. Don’t judge…because you have too. It’s human!!

In Matthew 6:5-9, Jesus teaches us to pray to our FATHER. God is not some distant being in a far-off land. God is not some Zeus-like figure who occasionally sends Hermes down to earth as a message-keeper. We get to talk to him OURSELVES!! We get to be in an intimate relationship with our DAD.

Dad is bigger than our weaknesses. Dad is bigger than our struggles. Dad is bigger than our failures.

Dad is bigger than our weak prayers.

I don’t get prayer…but when our heart is seeking our father’s heart, it works. Like the time we’ve prayed for that sibling to come closer to Christ. Like the time we’ve prayed for sleep when all hell is breaking loose in our minds. Like the time we’ve prayed for wisdom when the words just wouldn’t come out right.

Other times, prayer doesn’t seem to work. It could be the friend, who wasn’t cured from cancer or the loved one, who never made it back. It could also be the job, that didn’t come through, or the sickness, that just won’t seem to go away.

I don’t get prayer! I don’t think we ever will. But this I do know, even during the sucky times where everything just..SUCKS. Our father is still listening. Our father still wants to hear our voices.

Our dad still cares.

Where is the light??

Word on the street has it…WE, as disciples, are the LIGHT of this world.

Huh? Really??

From what I’ve been checking out, more people are interested in the neon “lights” flowing from that bar downtown than our churches just down the street.

So why?? Why is this happening to where we as people (“Christians” included), are more interested in the temporary pleasure light (lust, drunkenness, greed, etc) than in the eternal light Jesus Christ offers?

Maybe because we suck at showing this light.

Per Jesus in Matthew 5: 14-16, WE are the light of this world. I think it should be noted that God doesn’t call us to be lighthouses. He calls us to be lamps. What’s the difference? A lighthouse stands still and doesn’t move. A lamp, on the other end, is MOVABLE and can be placed closer to those who NEED the light.

It’s about time we stop chilling on the sidelines, and start getting in on this action. It’s about time we start shining our light from WITHIN the darkness, instead of from the outside.

So…what does this look like???

Relationships. Instead of waiting for someone to come to you, to talk about Christ…what if we actually went to them??? I’m not saying Jesus-cube-style, but rather getting to know them as a PERSON rather than a NUMBER to save.

We’re either light or darkness. There’s no halfway. Let’s start acting like light.

Porn

Porn.

The internet. TV. Radio. Magazines. Victoria’s Secret. Shoot…the Wal-Mart bra section.

Sex sells is not just a saying, it’s a truth.

Our world is infatuated with sexual intimacy. It’s everywhere.

For the single guy or girl out there who has no way to “release” this sexual energy, porn just makes sense. It’s free. It’s easy to access. Shoot…it’s even pretty easy to hide once a couple buddies show you how.

We even try to reason with the Lord on this issue. “Well, it’s not that big of a deal…it’s just a picture, right?” Or…”I’ll quit when I get married because then I’ll be able to have sex.” Or even better…”Everybody else is doing it…it’s just natural for my age group.”

So what does Jesus have to say about porn, you may ask?

In Matthew 5: 27-30, Jesus makes it very clear that by just LOOKING at a woman LUSTFULLY, we have already committed adultery with her. He goes on to say we should gouge out our eye and cut off our hand if they should cause us to sin for, “It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

Dang. I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty clear. God AIN’T messing around on this one.

Porn = lustfully looking at a woman = ADULTERY = sin.

Plain and simple. Case closed.

However, let’s not stop there. Porn isn’t always something you can decide…”Hey, I think I’m going to give up porn today.” Marriages have been ruined by porn. Lives have been ruined by porn. For many, it’s an addiction.

Why do I know this? Because I’ve been there.

I’ve struggled with porn and been an on- and off-again addict for over 8 years. That’s a long time. It gets easier as we daily CHOOSE to deny ourselves, but it is STILL a temptation.

How can we then begin to find victory?

Through CONFESSION and ACCOUNTABILITY.

If you struggle with porn, I am PLEADING with you to go here. No…I’m BEGGING you to log-on here. XXX Church offers FREE software that allows someone you know to receive emails about questionable sites you’ve been visiting. It’s very subtle. It doesn’t block any sites. But it does provide ACCOUNTABILITY. Enter my address at dwhenrichs@gmail.com. Allow me the opportunity to assist you in this struggle.

I won’t judge, because I’m right where you’re at.

We can find victory. We can find victory…together.

The Hardest Person To F******

We’ve been wronged.

We’ve been hurt.

We can be sinned against in a variety of ways. Failure to keep promises, such as the one who said they’d love you forever. Mistreatment through emotional or physical abuse in an attempt to make one feel better about themselves. Being taken advantage of to satisfy someone else's selfish desires.

And the list keeps growing.

But you know who the hardest person to forgive may be? The one person I just can’t seem to let go?

Myself.

I’ve wronged others. I’ve lied to others. I’ve mistreated others.

But God says to forgive everyone, which means even MYSELF.

Confess and seek forgiveness from others and from God. God will grant forgiveness to the heart that comes in obedience. Others may not forgive, but this is their choice for which we have no control.

Choose to forgive.

CHOOSE to forgive yourself.

Jesus has already paid the price for our sins…they’re gone…completely wiped away!! Why? I have no clue except for a God who loves us eternally and a thousand times greater than the strongest love on this earth.

Let us learn from our mistakes, but don’t let us dwell in them. It’s through God’s forgiveness, that He truly works to find REDEMPTION in our lives.

Suck it fear

Fear.

Even the mention of this word brings up images of snakes, spiders, or heights. It could also conjure something deeper, something more intense. Fear riddles the body and leaves us spineless…unable to move, unable to function.

Fear has taken many different forms in my own life. At times, I’ve been fearful to be alone. Not necessarily relationship status alone, but just alone in my own skin, in my own house. Even worse were the times when I had to drive long distances. After a few panic attacks surrounding road trips, the fear of another attack has riddled me SPINELESS at times, completely OVERWHELMED by…fear.

But what happens when we embrace our fear? What happens when we allow ourselves to be exposed to this fear?

Victory.

Victory comes when we are EXPOSED to our fear and DEFEAT it. But how? How can we defeat fear? In Matthew, Chapter 4, after being tempted for the third time, Jesus COMMANDS the devil by saying “Beat it, Satan!” How does this look in our own lives?

By telling fear…to SUCK IT.

You have no power over me.

You will be defeated.

Fear is only a future thought that we give meaning to in the present. The question becomes…will we allow fear to continue to CONTROL us or will we find VICTORY? The answer is ours to choose.