Pursuing Jesus when you are discouraged emotionally

About a week ago I was in a hit and run car accident with my daughter in the back seat. We both are fine, but my car was totaled. Having gone through the process of dealing with the insurance and the like we are now moving ahead. Due to the nature of my ministry it is time to find a used car to replace the last one.

For some people the idea of shopping for a car would be fun. I am not even close to being a car guy. The whole process feels a lot like walking through a maze with a lot of dead ends. I am hoping that every phone call, Google search, and visit to a dealership is leading me toward my new to me car.

To be honest this whole process is an emotionally exhausting event at times. It can be discouraging to be on a journey and not there yet. Since I know very little about cars I wonder if the effort will be worth it.

This reminds me of the blind man on the road to Jericho in Luke 18. He hears that Jesus is coming by and begins to cry out for him. The people around him just tell him to be quiet. This blind man doesn’t know if his crying out will even be worth it. Will Jesus hear him? Even if Jesus does hear him is He going to stop? And then what will happen?

But the blind man doesn’t let the crowd shut him down. It actually says that, “He cried out all the more…” (18:39). He didn’t let the discouragement keep him back but tried even harder. And that crying out changed his life. Not only could he now see, but he was able to follow Jesus and worship God.

We can easily get discouraged in our pursuit of God. Whether the discouragement comes from outside or maybe even from within ourselves. Sometimes we need to be like like David and talk to ourselves, “Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Psalm 103:1). Inside or out discouragement must never stop us from pursuing Jesus.

[tweetthis]Inside or out discouragement must never stop us from pursuing Jesus.[/tweetthis]

Jesus is worth pushing through the discouragement. I may question the effort of pushing through the discouragement of looking for a car, but being with Jesus is worth the effort. My emotions, physical tiredness, discouragement from other people and any other reason must not keep us from seeking the greatest treasure we can ever find. Will you cry out for Jesus again today?

5 Tips To Feel Confident Leading People In Prayer

man in white crew neck t-shirt wearing black framed eyeglasses

They say that one of the greatest fears people have is speaking in public. It might be even higher if we were to ask Christians about leading in prayer. I teach pastors that leading in prayer is one of the main reasons that people don’t come to prayer meetings. I have even heard of someone who left a church because she was called on to lead in prayer.

I was doing a seminar at a church and after the seminar a lady came up to me and asked for some pointers on praying better in public. She loved praying when she was alone, but she never felt comfortable leading others in prayer. I don’t think she is the only one.

But leading in prayer does not need to be a terrifying situation. It can actually be a great opportunity to make a difference for the kingdom. With a few tips and tricks you will be raising your hand to volunteer to be the person to pray in public.

Realize that it is not about being impressive– Pretty words do not impress God or engage the hearts of people that you are leading in prayer. Actually using the language you use everyday is more likely to get people praying with you than something that makes people go “wow!” The Bible is filled with simple, straightforward prayers that God answered.

Keep it short. Elijah prayed what was probably a 60 second prayer and fire fell from heaven. Revivalist Charles Finney actually encourages short prayers in the prayer meeting. If you are a leader trying to engage new people in praying in public I would even recommend having a bunch of people pray 1 sentence prayers.

Engage your emotions. Leading others in prayer is often about connecting the people you are leading with the request and then bringing that request to God. Emotion is a great way to do that. If you are praying for a prayer request think about the feeling of those connected to the request. This is not about emotionalism but connecting to the emotion.

Connect to scripture. The people you are leading have more faith in prayer when it is connected to the word of God (Romans 10:17). Even if you don’t feel like a Bible scholar there maybe a story that comes to mind that will give you the content for your prayer. If you are praying for a big challenge someone is facing you might think of David and Goliath or a person who is alone may remind you that “the Lord is our shepherd.”

Practice– Somehow we think that since praying in public is a “spiritual” activity we should automatically feel comfortable with doing it. Maybe a better way to think about it is a skill like cooking. The more you practice, using the recipe above the more comfortable you will become. So my encouragement would be to volunteer to pray whenever you get a chance. Whether it is at your small group or as a family the more you pray in public the more confident you will become.

Do these things and before you realize praying in pubic will be a skill that you are not terrified at having to do. But something even more important will happen. You will now be able to help people to touch heaven and see God’s kingdom advance. Let’s be a people who pray together!

4 Important Truths About People Who Pray

What if your favorite super hero forgot who they were? What if people of prayer forget who they are as Christians? Here is a little encouragement to give you important perspective.

[tweetthis]Who I am in Christ gives me power in my prayer life! [/tweetthis]