Keeping our Hearts unto Prayer, Pt. 3 (Putting away Distractions)

Last time, we considered the first and essential step to a fruitful prayer life: planning to pray.

Today, we will look at Flavel's second word of advice to Christians who are seeking to guard their hearts unto prayer: putting away distractions.

If we really think about it, this could really be seen as a subset, or even a logical application, of what it looks like to plan for prayer. 

Not only must we plan to pray. We must also plan to make sure our times of prayer are as distraction-free as possible. 

If we set aside half hour to pray, but are constantly distracted by incoming text messages or emails or kids who want to play or music playing in the adjacent room, we will probably not really spend half an hour in true prayer.

One of my pet peeves in our day and age is trying to talk with people who incessantly fondle their phone throughout the conversation. Though they're "umm-hmmming" and nodding their heads here and there, we're not really having a conversation (and especially not an intimate one). 

The truth is, we can convey more in 2 minutes of distraction-free talk than in 10 minutes of us trying to talk to them while they're texting, responding to an email, or checking their Facebook.

The same is just as true for us when it comes to prayer: we will get more "accomplished" in 10 minutes of uninterrupted prayer than we will in an hour of mind-wandering pseudo-prayer.

Here are a couple of [obvious] distractions we can plan to remove during our times of planned prayer:

1. Put your cell phone in a different room. It's not enough to put it on vibrate: once it buzzes, your mind will likely begin to wonder who it is that just texted you or updated their FB status. At that moment, you have lost your train of thought, and will likely have to spend the next 10 minutes trying to get back to where you were.
2. Pray somewhere where you have no technology. My mind never stops. And so, in prayer, I may remember I need to email someone, or update the church's website. Sometimes I will tell myself that I need to send the email or update the site. At best, this inevitably causes my mind to wander even more (I start planning my day, etc.). At worst, I may be tempted to check Twitter or YouTube (even to watch something godly), which basically terminates any further prayer at that time.
3. Pray somewhere quiet. I have four young kids. It's hard to pray once they're up and running. They knock on the door, talk under the door, loudly ask me to come and play with them through the door. My most effective times of prayer are before they wake up, or when I go on a long walk outside.
4. Avoid reading or watching material that "gets you going." After watching football highlights is not a good time for me to pray, as my mind will inevitably begin replaying some of the more memorable ones. Pray before you watch that movie with your spouse. Pray before you have that difficult conversation with a family member or friend. This is why it is often wisest to plan to pray first thing in the morning. 

I am sure there are many more distractions we can remove. I simply list these as a sample collection to be built upon.

1 Peter 4:7 says, "The end of all things is near; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers" (ESV).

Being self-controlled and sober-minded "unto prayers" means removing distractions that seek to high-jack our devoted times of prayer.

Jesus' words are as true today for us as believers as they were when He first uttered them to His disciples 2000 years ago: "The spirit is willing [to pray], but the flesh is weak."

May God therefore give us the grace to plan not only to pray, but also to intentionally plan to remove any and all distractions. Let us never forget that self-control is an essential fruit that the Spirit of Christ gives His people to live in a manner worthy of the gospel!

In Christ, and for His glory to the ends of the earth,
pastor ryan

Guarding our Hearts unto Prayer (part 2)

John Flavel's little book "Keeping the Heart" is a true Puritanical gem.

As a faithful under-shepherd, Flavel guides the Christian through the variegated "seasons" he or she will experience in this life, and how they are to specifically "guard their hearts" (cf. Proverbs 4:23) in each of these seasons.

The sixth "season" he walks us through is what he calls the "season of duty." For us today, we might simply call it the season of prayer.

As we saw in the last blog post, prayer is the most important weapon the Christian has in these last days (cf. 1 Peter 4:7).

And so Flavel asks the question, "How may the heart be kept from distractions by vain thoughts in time of duty [i.e. prayer]?"

He then goes on to give 10 (extremely) practical ways the Christian ought to keep their hearts unto prayer, some of which I will either omit or conflate together, as there is often much overlap.

His first prescription is almost so obvious it doesn't need to be mentioned.

And yet as a Christian, as well as a pastor, I know all too well how often we as Christians fail to do this very thing, which is simply this: plan to pray. He writes,

[First], sequester yourself from all earthly employments, and set apart some time for solemn preparation to meet God in duty. You cannot come directly from the world into God's presence without finding a savour of the world in your duties. It is with the heart (a few minutes since plunged in the world, now in the presence of God) as it is with the sea after a storm, which still continues working, muddy and disquiet, though the wind be laid and the storm be over. Your heart must have time to settle.

In other words, says Flavel, we can't expect to have profitable, intimate times of prayer in God's presence if we don't set apart substantial blocks of intentional time to meet with God.

Anyone who is married knows that the deepest times of relational growth come when a husband and wife "get away" to be alone without distractions (especially if you have kids). I need to communicate with my wife throughout the day. But the times we really grow in our knowledge of each other comes when we put the kids to bed, put our phones away, make sure the computer is not on, and just talk.

It's the same with our relation with God.

In a world that bombards us with trivial distractions (I literally just checked to make sure my phone was in my back pocket), we as Christians need to guard our hearts by guarding our time, especially our prayer time.

So this morning, before I even decided to "pen" this blog (thanks Todoist for reminding me!), I determined to go to bed earlier, that I may get up earlier, so that I may spend time on my knees (literally) crying out to God first thing in the morning. Wifey and the kids won't mind (they're still sleeping), and I have a sneaking suspicion God will honor this desire to draw near to Him (cf. James 4:8).

Ironically, one of my favorite verses in the Bible is one I regularly fail to implement in my own life (I confess, I do spend time praying in my head immediately when I wake up, but I don't have a specific amount of time allocated to active prayer):

O LORD, in the morning You hear my voice; in the morning I set [my sacrifice of prayer] before You and wait expectantly." (Psalm 5:4, my translation)

Reader, I don't know your schedule. But I do know mine, and how little time I intentionally (in the words of Flavel) "sequester" for intentional prayer.

Flavel goes on to write,

Few musicians can take an instrument and play upon it without some time and labour to tune it. When you go to God in duty, take your heart aside and say, 'Oh my soul, I am now engaged in the greatest work that a creature was ever employed about; I am going into the awful presence of God upon business of everlasting moment. Oh my soul, leave trifling now; be composed, be watchful, be serious; this is no common work, it is soul work; it is work for eternity; it is work that will bring forth fruit to life or death in the world to come.' Pause awhile and consider your sins, your wants, your troubles. David first mused, and then spake with his tongue.

May God help us not only to make resolutions to set apart time for prayer, but to also keep our deceitful hearts in check, that we may be able to keep our "appointments" with God.

Maybe take some time right now to ask God to help you guard your heart unto prayer by intentionally setting apart time for prayer and communion with God. As D.A. Carson says, we rarely fall into holiness, and so we must be diligent in our pursuit of God in Christ.

In Christ, and for His great glory to the ends of the earth,
Pastor Ryan

Guarding our Hearts for Prayer (part 1)

"The consummation of all things has drawn near. Therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the purpose of prayer." - 1 Peter 4:7

Every one who has been born again by the Spirit of God desires to have a more robust, intimate, and consistent prayer life.

When I read this text, I am reminded not only of the purpose and power of prayer, but also the preeminence and priority it ought to have in my life.

The end has come. Peter's admonition? Pray.

As simple as this may seem, we as Christ's sheep must never forget that we have an adversary who also understands just how powerful prayer is to the believer. And since he hates Christ and His people, our ancient foe "prowls to and fro" seeking ways to thwart and hinder our prayers.

The book of Revelation portrays Satan as a defeated foe who, unlike many Christians, understands that his "time is short." Though he has been definitively defeated by our strong Warrior (Col. 2:14), we must never forget that he is still - at this moment - thrashing around in his death throes.

This thrashing is much more cunning and subtle than can be seen by the naked eye.

With his dying breaths, his strategy to destroy and dismantle Christianity - at least in the affluent West - primarily consists of distracting the church from using her greatest weapon: prayer.

Think about it: if you were battling someone who had an unstoppable weapon, wouldn't it be in your best interest to find a way to prevent them from using that weapon?

This is precisely what the great liar and deceiver does to Christ's church. Whatever it takes - distraction, lukewarmness, love of the world, moralistic busyness, social justice, sin - Satan seeks to keep Christ's people from praying.

And so Peter, himself not ignorant of Satan's schemes, reminds us of our great need to be "self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of our prayers" (ESV).

The first word comes from two Greek words, "save" and "mind", and literally means "safeguard your mind."

The best way to safeguard our mind is to be continually renewing it by the Word of God (cf. Eph. 4:20-24; Col. 3:16; Phil. 4:8; Rom. 12:1-2; Psa. 119).

The second word literally means "to be sober." Again, we see the importance of having temperance in our thinking, which of course comes from immersion in the Word of God.

Just as I used to do foolish things when I was not "sober" as an unbeliever, so also do we as Christians act foolishly (e.g. with our time, talents, treasures) when we fail to act soberly in the spiritual realm by not guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Dear believer, the consummation of all things has drawn near. We are living in the last days. Oh that we might heed the Spirit's call in this text to be self-controlled and sober-minded, especially with regards to our prayer life.

When we read the Bible, we see just how important prayer is. When we are not in the Word, we quickly forget this, and begin drifting away from a vital, powerful, Spirit-enabled walk with Christ.

For the next couple of weeks, I will be working through a short section from John Flavel's gem "Keeping the Heart", focusing on 8 ways he gives for the believer to "guard their hearts" with regards to prayer.

But for now, it might be beneficial for you simply to memorize 1 Peter 4:7. It has been a great reminder to me these last few weeks of just how desperately I need to be a man of prayer, and how desperately I need to "safeguard my mind" and "be sobered" by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Christ, and for His great glory,
Pastor Ryan

Using God's Gifts for God's Glory

"As each has used a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks the oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies - in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and dominion forever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:10-11)

Peter's point couldn't be any clearer or simpler: our gifts are meant to further God's dominion and glory in Christ.

Dear reader, what gifts has God entrusted to you?

Are you using them to make a name for yourself, or are you using them to glorify the name of Jesus?

Let us pray that the Spirit would help us to use 'our' good gifts to carry out God's good works (Eph. 2:10; Tit. 2:14; 3:8, 14; Gal. 6:10) for the good of all people, but ultimately for the glory of God in Christ.

Let us not be like those in Genesis 11, who, though endowed with amazing and diverse giftings, sinfully and selfishly sought to build their own empire and dominion.

Let us rather, in the words of Paul, do everything - which includes the faithful use and stewardship of all our gifts "for the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31), that the saints might be "built up", and the lost might be "brought in."

May God, in answer to Peter's prayer, give us all the strength to do so.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Ryan

P.S. - if you are not sure what "gifts" you have, the best way to find out is to regularly get into a gospel community. As you do life with other Christ followers, it will become clear both to them and to you what your gifts (whether natural or supernatural) are. 

How Gossip Destroys Community

"If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand." (Mark 3:24-25)

Though originally spoken by Jesus in response to the blasphemous accusations the Pharisees were leveling against Him, this well-known and time-tested aphorism can be applied by us today who have entered into God's kingdom by repentance and faith in Christ.

Jesus makes it clear (v.26) that even Satan understands this principle, which is why we should not be surprised that his most cunning attacks against Christ's church are calculated to undermine and erode the unity and peace of Christ's people who comprise it.

One of the fiercest agents in the disintegration of the blood-bought unity and community of the saints is gossip. Which is why we as Christ's people must do everything we can to not only avoid it, but ultimately to "put it to death" by the Spirit (cf. Rom. 8:13) as we seek to "make every effort to maintain the unity and bonds of peace that the Spirit has wrought among us" (Eph. 4:3, my paraphrase).

As OT scholar Tremper Longman says, "As is typical of foolish speech, spreading rumors destroys relationships and thus community."

This is precisely what the OT sage Solomon says in Proverbs 16:28:

         "The perverse produce conflict,
              and gossips separate intimate friends."

When gossip is removed from the situation, community is enhanced:

         "For lack of wood the fire goes out,
              and where there is no whisperer,
                     quarreling ceases."  (26:20)

Gossiping spreads information behind people's backs, not to help but rather to damage their reputations. It does not matter whether or not what is said is true: it is the intention and timing of the speech that is so damaging and reprehensible.

Until the gospel becomes a more delicious "morsel" to us (see Proverbs 18:8), we will never be able to say "no" to it (see Titus 2:15, NIV). And so the only way to slay gossip is by faith in the gospel.

Which is the very remedy Paul gives us in the book of Ephesians:

        "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths,
             but only such as is good for building up,
          as fits the occasion,
             that it may give grace to those who hear." (4:29)

How they communicated to - and about - one another in community was but one of the many ways the believers in Ephesus were to communally "walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which they had been called" (4:1) in a response of gratitude to how Christ has "walked" for them (chapters 1-3).

One of the most crucial ways we are to be "imitators of God" (5:1) is how we use our tongues towards others. When we use our tongues to tear down instead of build up, Paul says that we "grieve the Holy Spirit of God" (4:30).

Rather, with our lives as well as our lips, and in view of God's mercies towards us in Christ (Rom. 12:1), we are called to continually strive to be kind to one another and tenderhearted (Eph. 4:31). "Walking in love" (5:2) means "speaking in love" (4:15), which says Paul, reflects Christ's "fragrant offering when He sacrificed Himself to God."

This is the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5): to esteem others as more important than ourselves (2:3). When we have this mind, we - like Jesus - will seek to build others up for their good, rather than tear them down for our 'glory.'

How we speak to one another reflects the condition of our own hearts (Mark 7:21-23).

Do you gossip much? It's because your heart has not comprehended "the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love for you" (Eph. 3:15-19).

So go back to the gossip and let Christ's death on the cross for your sins, and His resurrection for your justification (see Rom. 4:25), recapture your affections afresh.

Let us, in the words of wise Solomon,

     "Above all else guard our hearts,
           for our heart determines the course of our lives" (Prov. 4:23, NLT)

Why? Because Jesus said that our communal love for one another is not merely a fruit of the gospel, but an actual expression of it (see John 13:34-35; 17:20-23).

Father, help us to guard our hearts by the gospel. And help us put gossip to death by the gospel. May the love of Christ captivate and control our lips as well as our lives. May the love of Your Son be clearly evidenced and effused in our lives, that the world may see and savor our Savior. Be glorified "in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations" (Eph. 3:21). Amen.

In Christ's Name, and for His glory to the ends of the earth,
pastor ryan

Slaying Gossip with the Gospel

"The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body." - Proverbs 18:8

Proverbs has much to teach us about one's speech.

The book simply divides our speech into one of two categories: wise speech or foolish speech.

As OT scholar Tremper Longman says, "the gossip is the classic example of a foolish speaker."

Which led me to ask, "Why is gossip so foolish?"

The simple answer, which we will see, is because gossip is idolatrous: it exalts self by tearing down others.

According to Proverbs 18:8, the reason I gossip and listen to others gossip is because it is so delicious in my "inward parts", that is, my heart.

But why is this destructive perversity so delicious?

The simple and biblical answer is this: even though I am a born-again Christian, I am still a recovering idolater.

Before Christ made me a new creation by the sovereign intervention of His vivifying Spirit, I worshiped myself and anyone else who worshiped me. The idol I sacrificed to was not a silly piece of wood or metal. No. I was my own god. I sat upon the throne of my own heart.

And I was willing to sacrifice anything - and anyone - to this god, that his name might be made great among the nations.

If it meant cutting down others to exalt myself, then so be it. This tyrant allows no rivals.

Which means this: gossip is not an issue of the tongue; it's an issue of the heart.

And so petty programs and silly solutions will not root out this ferocious foe who is not easily exiled from my "inward parts."

Only the gospel can evict this terrible tyrant from my heart:

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." - Proverbs 18:21

What I say is determined by what I deem delicious: if I love the fleeting 'fruit' of self-worship, I will slander and cut down others made in the image of God (cf. James 3:9); but, if I love the forever fruit of God-worship, I will "edify and encourage" my fellow image bearers, even if it means saying hard things and speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15, 29).

Is this not how our Lord Jesus dealt with us?

This is precisely what Paul says in Ephesians 5, right after his commands of how Christians are to use their tongues:

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." - Ephesians 5:1-2

This is almost identical to his exhortation in 4:20-24:

"But that (see vv.17-19) is not how you learned Christ! - assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old man, which belongs to your former manner of life, and is corrupted through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the image of God in righteousness and holiness of truth."

We put off our old "man" with all his or her "deceitful" desires, as well as put on this new self, by "renewing our minds." The "Spirit" does this as we gaze upon Christ in the gospel. As we do so, our desires (i.e. what we love) are changed. We will bless not only God with our lips, but others also, just as Jesus did.

Our old "man" deceives us into thinking that we are gods. It makes us think that evil is good and bitter is sweet. The new man, as he (or she) is renewed into the new-creation image of the God-man by the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18), will not take the life and vitality of others to exalt himself (by gossip and slander), but will like Jesus give up his (or her) life and vitality for the good of others and the glory of God. This is God-wrought love, the very that enables us to fulfill Christ's new covenant law (see 1 Cor. 9:21; Rom. 13:9-10; Gal. 5:6, 13-14; James 2:8).

So, let us endeavor to slay slander and mortify gossip this year by looking to Jesus, learning from Jesus, and then longing to "walk even as He walked", that is, "in love."

God help us to honor You with both our lips and our hearts. Make the gospel of Your Son sweeter to us than the worship of ourselves.

For Jesus' sake, Amen.

Greed as Idolatry

"So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry." (Colossians 3:5, NET)

If it is true that we are idolaters at heart, then according to this verse, it could be said that we're all greedy by nature. Of course, like any sin, there will be different degrees and different expressions in different people. But, to say that we are not greedy or "covetous" (ESV) people is a dangerous position to be in, because such sentiments often proceed from the lofty perch of delusional self-righteousness.

Of course, when one thinks of "greed", inevitably the first thing to come to mind is materialism. Certainly, this is warranted, but the Greek word literally carries the connotations of "the state of desiring to have more than one's due", and thus is variously translated as "greediness, insatiableness, avarice, covetousness." (BDAG, 824)

And so, "greed" might express itself in things like coveting (or being jealous of others if they have) a better job, a better house, a better vehicle, or a better smartphone; greedy people have an unhealthy craving to gain a greater measure of attention or approval or applause from others; they might desire more safety and security and serenity from the things of this earth than God has permitted.

Ultimately, this heart idol comes from and is fueled by a lack of satisfaction in all that God is for us in Christ (Paul's main argument in his letter to the Colossians).

Because of God's creation purposes, we have indeed been made with desires - good desires. We were made to long for God, and the identity, security, and rest that flows from a proper relation to our Creator.

But because of sin, these desires have become crooked and corrupt, depraved and distorted, and now are unruly and tyrannical slave-masters. The result: instead of being thankful for the gifts of creation the Creator has given us (which were given to point us to Him in worship and thankfulness [e.g. 1 Tim. 4:3b-5; 6:17b), we now desire - even slavishly crave - the gifts more than the Giver (see Rom. 1:21-23, 24-25, and 29 [note how "greed/covetousness" is near the top of the list]).

I wish I could say that once we trust in Christ and are converted, that this pernicious and persistent propensity towards the accumulation and guarding of 'stuff' is immediately and forever eradicated. But this didn't happen to the early believers in the Bible (see also Eph. 5:3, 5), and so we should not be overly surprised that we so often find this perpetual battle waging in our own hearts. [Un]fortunately, these desires have been divinely impressed upon the hearts of humanity, and so we cannot simply turn them off like a switch: we cannot not stop our hearts from desiring and seeking satisfaction and pleasure; we cannot not stop being worshipers. In the words of Paul, we cannot eliminate worship; we can only "exchange" it. And inevitably, we exchange it with a worship of self. (see Rom. 1:22-23)

The first thing we must do, then, is ruthlessly wage war to [re]direct the gaze of our hearts heavenward, which is precisely what Paul instructs us to do in the preceding verses (notice that the first word of Col. 3:5 is "so" ["therefore" in the ESV]).

Amazing! Christ is our life. Not stuff. Not bigger barns. Not notoriety or popularity or "likes" on Facebook, or retweets on Twitter, or pins on Pinterest. Christ is our life. And He is infinitely more glorious and glory-full than any of the counterfeits this world could ever produce or entice us with.

Too many of us as Christians are content with being satisfied with the unsatisfying glories of this world.

So, how can we do battle with the immense gravitational pull of the things of this earth that wrestle and vie for our unwavering allegiance? The answer is in the context.

"Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Col. 3:1-3, NET)

Dear Christian, if your life is characterized by spending all your time and talents and treasures on yourself, then you simply are not looking "above". And if we are not looking heavenward to Christ, we will inevitably look horizontally to self. Life will be more about striving to acquire more stuff, instead of striving to rest more in all that we have and are - in Christ.

The illustration by C.S. Lewis could not be more fitting to close:

"It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

Or, in the words of John Piper, "sin [e.g. greed] is what happens when our hearts are not satisfied with Christ." The more our hearts are satisfied in Christ, the less they will be satisfied in idols.

Dear listener, are you struggling with the idol of greed? Then slay it with the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ your Lord more.

If this is a struggle, ask the Father right now to help you by the power of the Holy Spirit to look to His Son that you might truly live.

May His grace free us from the shackles of selfishness, that we might better imitate the generosity He has shown us in Christ. May we give less to ourselves, and more for the purposes of advancing His kingdom on earth.

Perhaps you can prayerfully consider a God-honoring budget that verifies that you are seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Perhaps you could prayerfully consider sponsoring a missionary or Compassion child. Perhaps there is a need in your church that you could meet.

This little blurb was 'inspired' by the following video by David Matthis. It is only 10 minutes. It gets really practical after the four minute mark. I wholeheartedly recommend it for you to watch.

All I Have Is Christ

In Christ, and for His glory to the ends of the earth.
Pastor Ryan