P90X - The Basics - Part 1

P90X - the extreme physical workout.  This month, my wife Shandra and I have begun the P90X workout program.  Man it's a beast.  While in the midst of one of the exercises where we were testing both of flexibility and balance we became painfully aware of how inflexible and out of balance we really are! The Bible teaches that we are all tri-part beings - body, mind and spirit.  What affects one affect all others.  I don't know if I will ever forget the thought coming strongly into my mind as I realized how inflexible and out of balance I was physically that this was also a sign of inflexibility and unbalancedness mentally and spiritually as well.

Around this same time I was asked by a mentor, Matt Keller - Lead Pastor of Next Level Church, about our experience with the workout P90X for a new series they were writing dealing with prayer.  This prompted me to begin going in the same direction for a teaching series for Fellowship Church.  

Over the next several posts I will share with you our thoughts from this series as well as others.  

Our approach was to use the ideas presented in P90X to build the teachings on a prayer that can transform our lives.  As with all our teaching series, we needed a founding scripture to ground our thoughts and we settled on the following.

(James 5:16 NLT) “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

THE BASICS

Every workout program sets forth the basics first.  Likewise, it is importnat to establish some basics if we are to get the most out of this spiritual exercise as well.

1.  Prayer is a ACTIVE CONVERSATION between God and humanity.

(Psalm 91:15 NLT) “When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble.  I will rescue and honor them.  I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

 

So often we forget the fact that prayer is a conversation and not a monologue.  So often our prayers consist only of our words.  But if we will take the time to actively listen, we will hear the voice of the Father speaking to us.  If this sounds foreign to you perhaps the reason you don't "hear" God is because you don't believe that He actually will speak to you.

I have found that God speaks to me in many ways.  Through thoughts, scriptures, life events, others. God is actually always speaking.  Much like there are radio waves transmitting constantly around us, God is always speaking.  Question is are we taking the time to allow the conversation to happen.

This understanding and application are so importnat the Jesus, the Son of God understood and applied this truth.

(John 5:19 NLT) “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself.  He does only what he sees the Father doing....”

Question - How was he able to recognize what the father was doing?  Prayer.  He was in constant communication with His Father.  If Jesus practiced the habit of prayer, how much more do you and I need to practice it also?  

The first Basic Point as we begin looking at prayer is to deciding to enter into a conversation with God.

2.  Keep It REAL.

Have you ever been in a church service where someone begins praying in King James?  Have you ever thought, "Why are they talking that way?"  I have and let me tell you something, God hears you just fine if you pray in modern day english.  The point here is that prayer needs to be real...from the heart.  Don't try to impress God or others when you pray.  True communication happens on the heart level not the head level.  Jesus said it this way:

 (Matthew 6:5 NLT) “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in synagogues where everyone can see them.  I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.  

 

(Matthew 6:7-8 NLT) “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do.  They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.  Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”

So when you pray, be real with God.  If you are angry, trust me He is big enough to handle it.  If you are frustrated or perplexed, He's got it.  Just be real with God because he already know what's going on in your life and He will always be real with you.

Continued tomorrow.

 

Comments

[Air Jordans]

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