By Jeff Christianson
Editor’s Note: My friend and president of the International Association of Biblical Counselors (IABC) recently sent this blog to me at my request to share with you. Jeff strives to walk in God’s Word and prayer in normal times, much less in this extraordinary time. You will hear and see his passion through His words. I appreciate his service to the IABC as its president as well. This will bless and help you.
In the Colorado Independent News update on COVID-19 crisis, Kathleen Collins Becker, of the Colorado House of Representatives, said, “These are unprecedented times, and there is a lot of uncertainty…” We are not living in ordinary times. My daughters were recently reading a biography of Susanna Wesley, and they shared with me about the turbulent times the Wesley’s lived in – of kings persecuting Christians, and political unrest within the country.
Yet in the midst of all of this, the Wesleys taught their children to be glad to be alive at such historic times. They would see God working in their generation. Similarly, these are not ordinary times. Now is the time to ask God to reignite the flame of your heart. If we have grown half-hearted in our Bible reading, or in prayer, this is the time to get fervent for the Lord once again. Ordinary measures will not do.
ARE YOU IN THE WORD AND IN PRAYER?
Fellow Christian, we need to be in the Word and in prayer. We need to be hearing from our Lord, and then submitting to His work on the earth. We need to be in the Word and in prayer because when we are in God’s Word, His Word transforms our lives.
We can have our fill of man’s words on all the subjects, read all the news articles, listen to what everyone is saying about it, or we can fill ourselves with God’s Word.
The Bible teaches that in order to speak God’s Word to others, to have His Word pouring out of our hearts, His Word needs to dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16). Ephesians 5:19,20 says, “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Psalm 1:1-6 says, “Blessed is the man… His delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.”
Look at the appetite of the one who delights in the law of the Lord. The true Christian is a Bible Christian. He continues in the law of the Lord. The Bible says, “The Lord knows the way of the righteous.” Another way to read that is, the Lord “is knowing” the way of the righteous. He is personally involved, intimately involved in the way of your life and mine. We need to be hearing from Him daily and inviting Him to have His way in our times.
Examples to Follow
Three examples of Old Testament believers who recognized their need for the Lord in the times in which they lived are Daniel, Esther, and Jeremiah:
- “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks…” (Daniel 10:2). He yearned for God’s Word (Psalm 119).
- Mordecai told Esther of the time in which she lived: “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” To which Esther replied, “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me.”
- Jeremiah devoured God’s Word: “Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart,” (Jeremiah 15:16).
God promises to pour Himself into the life that seeks Him instead of seeking after the things of the earth, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat… Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me” (Isa 55:1-3).
MORE FERVENCY
The believers in the Bible recognized their need for God in the times in which they lived, and they entered into the Word and prayer fervently. We are exhorted to hold fast to the word of life in order to be a light in our generation and to pray always with all…perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Phil 2:15-16; Eph 6:18).
We need the Word; we need prayer; we need fervency. Our Lord taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” (Luke 11:2-4).
Steps to a growing prayer life:
- Find a quiet place, free from distraction. In these days of stay at home rules, you may need to wake early or stay up late.
- Recognize that with God you can convey truths that you may not be able to share with others.
- Do not worry about praying ornate words, or if you cannot find words to completely share your heart. God translates what we cannot put into words into prayer (see Romans 8:26).
- Humbly walk in wisdom. Ask God to help you through Scripture. Ask God to grant you wisdom as you seek to follow His Word through this tough situation (James 1:5).
You can also pray with loved ones:
- Fathers and mothers who kneel in prayer with their little ones, children, and even grown children, have a great impact on them.
- Take the time to get in prayer with others online (using any number of video apps such as Zoom). Be assured that where two or three are gathered in His name, God is in the midst.
GOD WORKING IN AND THROUGH YOU
As you let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, you will overflow with a Word fitly spoken available to share with others in your home or over the phone in conversation. You will be ready with a reason for the hope that is in you. God will fill you with His Word and His Word doesn’t return void, but accomplishes what He pleases.
God wants to give you the type of walk with Him that you yearn for but could never produce. He will work it in you as you invest your life into your relationship with Him.
God wants us to be aware of the times in which we live, so He can make us an intercessor and a light to the people around us.
More time in the Word, more prayer for the church and for people to be saved, more need to encourage one another, and more and more as we see the day approaching.
You read, meditate, contemplate, memorize, and focus on God’s Word.
You find time for prayer, pray without ceasing, and specifically pray with and for others.
Also you wait, watch, and you will see what God will do when ordinary measures will not do!
About the Author:
Jeff is a grateful husband; applauding dad of four; indebted worshiper; online course creator; and the blessed pastor of the remarkable folks at Calvary Glenwood. He is the President of the International Association of Biblical Counselors. He serves as an online course creator and Dean of Biblical Counseling at Calvary Chapel University. He helps ministry leaders and pastors know Jesus and make him known through the sufficient resource of God’s Word, all while equipping, training, discipling, coaching and certifying biblical counselors.
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KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together
Both encouraging and challengung!
Hey Warren! Many thanks for reading :-) Blessings, my friend!
Thanks Jeff, great to be back to the podcast after the week off.
I have enjoyed the theology assignments especially about the person and work of God the Holy Spirit. I feel even more confidence now in the power and work at the the Holy Spirit in these harder times. I have started some online prayer groups and the amount of prayer & fasting has been amazing, we are seeing answers to prayers. Ever time I pray I feel the Spirit filling me so my eyes are focused on him and not on the death toll figures that come out every evening.
It’s only in suffering that we can go deeper into Christ and away from ourselves and I rejoice in this victory.
The prayer is the way forward and memory verses that lift the spirit. Today in our prayer group one man felt very down and then in prayer we all turned our focus to the character of God in these verses:
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished.” Exodus 34.
As we began to praise God for his character we were all lifted up and rejoiced in God!
Hi Anne! Thanks for listening to the podcast and reading the Blog here on Kevin’s site! This topic is dear to my heart – in that folks will draw near to God during the season at home!
Thank you for the encouragement in this podcast. As we are living in unprecedented times, we need to draw close to the Lord as we seek His truth during this time where fear and anxiety is through society. I liked the way Pastor Jeff explains some simple ways we can pray. These were simply explained, and I passed them on my prayer team page at my church to encourage others. It is important that we keep apprised of the current situation, but we also need to be on guard with how too much influence of the media in our lives will bring us away from the Lord and cause anxiety. However, during this time, I have been encouraged as Jesus is being spoken about more and more as the weeks pass.
Autumn!! We are looking forward to getting you certified with IABC. Congratulations on you (soon) graduation and earning your Biblical Counseling degree. Wow. Class of 2020 – during the crazy COVID-19. Sure appreciate you and your heart to serve the Lord in these unprecedented times. Jeff
For those that are curious, the corresponding podcast is located here —> https://jeffchristianson.org/podcasts/
Thanks for the insight on how. It is very important to stay in the word and not get distracted by what the news says or what people say, because ultimately God has the final word in everything. There could be chaos all around us but if we are planted in the word of God we will be filled with God’s peace in our heart. All the distractions around us can cause us to have anxiety and panic attacks if we are not studying the Word and being doers of the word. Thanks for the reminder to be praying for our leaders, our pastors and others who could fall under spiritual warfare, in this times we are called to hold one another up and be encouragers and doers of the word. To always pray for others and always try and remember to stay in the word and not ourselves be led by what we think we know always use truth from the Word as our counsel
Margaret! Many thanks for stopping by to read the latest blog post. You are so right, “…when we are planted in the word of God we will be filled with God’s peace in our heart.” Jeff
Thanks for the good insight on how It is very important to stay in the word and not get distracted by what the news says or what people say, because ultimately God has the final word in everything. There could be chaos all around us but if we are planted in the word of God we will be filled with God’s peace in our heart. All the distractions around us can cause us to have anxiety and panic attacks if we are not studying the Word and being doers of the word. Thanks for the reminder to be praying for our leaders, our pastors and others who could fall under spiritual warfare, in this times we are called to hold one another up and be encouragers and doers of the word. To always pray for others and always try and remember to stay in the word and not ourselves be led by what we think we know always use truth from the Word as our counsel
Revived, renewed, and quickened. Those three words really stood out to me from Pastor Jeff Christianson. He is right, we are inundated with so much brutality via the news media, Twitter, and other sources of information that I believe are designed to stir up negative emotion in order to both further a particular cause and also get users “coming back for more.” There’s a business model that depends on that.
Scriptures, though, are where we find the truth and are what revive, renew, and quicken us so that we may see with spiritual eyes and overcome. I’ve worked in the news industry for more than 20 years and, while there has always been an element of stirring conflict, never have I seen it like it is today. Thank you Pastor Jeff for emphasizing the importance of being nourished in the Word and in prayer, and encouraging us to pursue that even more than we ever had before. Ordinary measures just won’t do. Amen.
Hey, Tom! Thanks for jumping into the conversation. I didn’t know about your background in the news industry. We will have to catch up soon. Jeff
Hey Pastor Jeff,
Up early, eh? Thanks for your ministry.
Yes, the news business is crazy and getting crazier. I’d love to catch up and tell you more. I’ve been in the broadcast journalism industry since the 90s. There are a few of us born again believers scattered throughout.
Blessings,
Tom
Ha! Yea, up earlier than the test of the West Coast. We are living in unprecedented times, calling for an early wake up ;)