Before It Was Said

Before It Was Said--FFH

Everyday I sit and pray that God above will watch over me and my family,
But everyday I seem to pray the same old thing in the same old way and I start to think
That maybe I should change and find something better to say
But I've learned to believe that you always hear me when I pray

(Chorus) So I get down on my knees 'cause I'm stronger than these voices inside of my head
They try to deceive me and make me believe that I would be better instead
To take my requests and put them to rest but You're already one step ahead
You know just what I would say before it was said

Every night I lie awake wondering if You're listening to every heartbeat
You've told me that You know the deepest part of me, you'll watch over me and my family
So I guess I shouldn't change 'cause You hear every word that I say
I know You are here when I come to You this way

(Chorus)

So I guess I shouldn't change 'cause You hear every word that I say
And I knew You were here when I knelt down today, yea

(Chorus)

One day when I was about thirteen, or so the pastor at my church’s yearly week-long revival spoke about prayer. He talked about how sometimes we, as christians, get stuck in the rut of cookie-cutter prayers. He then proceeded to give an example, which was word for word almost exactly what I prayed (and still pray) every single night. “Lord, thank-you for this day. Thank-you for my food, friends, and family. Thank-you for my church, and help me to do Your will. Amen.”

I was aghast. Had my whole prayer life become nothing more than habit? Was I ineffective when it came to portraying to God how I felt and what my desires were? Since then, I’ve often revisited this subject in my mind. I’ve learned that what we say in our prayers should come from the heart. It should be whatever we want to express to the Lord. Sometimes I don’t have the words to express what I feel, but I know that the Lord knows my mind and my heart. I know that when my words fail, that’s when the Spirit takes control.

I still pray those words every night because that’s what’s in my heart. They’re not habit or laziness or my cookie-cutter prayer. I don’t let doubt nag me and draw me away from my relationship with God. I could probably come up with a different way to say those things everynight, but then I’m focusing on the prayer and not on who I’m praying to.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” James 1:5-7

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:26

Hot or Cold

Revelation 3:14-22

The book of Revelation is an account of things witnessed by John while imprisoned on the island of Patmos. The title in Greek is Apokalypsis Ioannou, “Revelation of John.” It is also commonly called the Apocalypse, which is a transliteration of the word apokalypsis, meaning “unveiling,” “disclosure,” or “revelation.” A better title for the book, however, comes from the first verse: Apokalypsis Iesou Christou, “Revelation of Jesus Christ.”
John was exiled to the island prison because of his testimony for Christ. Patmos was a small, volcanic island in the Aegean Sea where the Romans would banish political prisoners. During this time, Romans were beginning to openly persecute the early church.

v. 14 Jesus wanted each church to know without a doubt who was the true author of Revelation. From the introduction, we can learn a lot about the person of Christ:

Amen—it is so; so be it
Christ bears witness to the glory and power of God and also intercedes on behalf of His disciples
Christ was, is, and always will be in existence. Without Him, nothing without Him, nothing was made that was made. (Jn 1:3)

v. 15&16 Our lives do not go unnoticed. God knows everything we say and do…even before we do it. The Laodicean church was luke warm, therefore Jesus said He would spew them out of His mouth. The Bible states firmly that nothing can separate us from the love of God or His grace, but when we won’t give ourselves over fully to Christ, we will often find ourselves on our own.

v. 17 Because of man’s sinful nature, he does not realize that he is a wretched being. We are tricked by Satan into believing that we do not need a thing—that we can make it on our own. He tells us we are rich when we are poor, happy when we are miserable, and that we can see when we are really blind.

v. 18 Jesus offers us everything that the devil wants us to think we already have. With these gifts, we truly have everything we need.

v. 19 As a gardener prunes his plants, so does the Lord shape and mold His followers. Being a child of God is not a guarantee of an easy life, but all things work for the good of those who love the Lord.

v. 20-22 Christ’s invitation is open to all. We only have to open the door, and Christ will come into our lives.

When we are on fire for the Lord, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. Lukewarm christians not only aren’t effective for Christ, they also drag other christians down with back-biting, division, and uncommitment. Christ said that He’d rather us be on fire for Him or not even associate ourselves with His name at all.