If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
Romans 8:31b NLT
As I look back over the past year, there are three things God has shown me that have changed my perspective and my faith:
- Yes, but…
- Lay Me Down
- Pocket Prayer
Yes, but…
Those two words have made such a big difference in my life. When satan tries to bring up the past, reminding me of my failures or stirs up feelings of guilt, regret, or condemnation “yes, but…” stops him in his tracks. “Yes, but…look how far God has brought me.” “Yes, but…look what God has done.” According to the Scriptures:
He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged
[he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment;
for him there is no rejection, no condemnation—he incurs no damnation];
John 3:18a AMP
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1 NLT
Satan despises those two words—”Yes, but….” That simple phrase keeps me from getting caught up in the enemy’s trap and shifts my focus. Those two little words give me the opportunity to praise God for all He has done in my life.
Lay Me Down
Too often I get in God’s way. I run ahead of His plan. I forget to seek His will. One night in church we sang ‘Lay Me Down’ by Chris Tomlin. The words of the chorus resonated deep within me.
“I lay me down I’m not my own
I belong to You alone
Lay me down, lay me down
Hand on my heart this much is true
There’s no life apart from You
Lay me down, lay me down
Lay me down, lay me down”
In John 13:38a (NIV) Jesus asks: “Will you really lay down your life for me?” I must let go of my pride—I have to give up my rights—if I truly want His light to shine through my life.
Pocket Prayer
I just finished this Max Lucado study. It answered so many questions I had regarding prayer. It completely changed my prayer life. The idea behind it is simple (because prayer should be simple). The basic outline goes like this:
“Father, You are good.
I need help. Heal me and forgive me.
They need help.
Thank You.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.“
Simple, right? Then I embellish it in the areas I need to pray about. Funny, sometimes I get so caught up in the ‘You are good…’ and thanking Him that I forget to pray the rest. And that’s ok. After all, prayer is just a conversation with God. If I am all out of words…beyond words…incapable of words, then I just pray this and the Holy Spirit takes it from there. As Romans 8:26-27 (NASB) tells us:
In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we should,
but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is,
because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
It is so freeing when I don’t have to worry about saying the right words or praying the perfect prayer. As Max says “Intercessory prayer isn’t rocket science. It acknowledges our inability and God’s ability.” God’s ultimate Will is inflexible but we can alter His strategy with our appeals and intercession. Hallelujah!
(click here to find the Pocket Prayer Challenge. And here for the Before Amen book.)
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I love Christian worship music. Many, many songs have touched me this year. But today, let me leave you with just one that speaks volumes about my life. For no matter where I find myself in this life, His great grace always finds me.
