Title: Meditative PRayer
Text: Psalm 119:14-15 & Luke 7:12-15
Meditative Prayer embraces the Truths of God’s Word by passing them from the eyes, to the mouth, into the mind, and down to the heart where quiet rumination produces in us a praying, loving, faith-filled response to Jesus Christ.
4 Phases to Meditative Prayer
Internalizing God’s Truth (holds up to 25 gallons of food)
Drawing Motivation from God’s Truth (50-70% of the cows energy comes from here)
Wrestling with God’s Truth (sifts and sorts what can be used for nutriants. What can’t be is regergitated)
Implementing God’s Truth (nutriants drawn out for the rest of the body)
When you meditate on God’s Word…
Sanctify your Imagination
Engage your Senses
Listen for the Choice (Christ is asking you to make)
Teaching Synopsis
In this teaching we ask, “How can we experience God as active, close, personal, and relevant to our everyday lives through the gift of praying?”
Introduction
When I was thinking about prayer, and how to graphically represent that, I went through
People praying, folded hands, stain glass windows, looking up into the sky, etc. But the more I thought about it, all of those images where driven by the perspective of us. Which is precisely the problem with humanity, we make most events revolve around us. What if we understood prayer symbolically, by looking to what we can be in awe of, but not quite understand. What we can experience, but not explain.
So today we are going to dive into this initially short series (which may turn into an ongoing series) on Pray, the verb.
The Framework
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
- 2 Chronicles 7:14
Upward Prayer – If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face…
Inward Prayer – …turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin…
Outward Prayer – …and will heal their land.
The Prayer of Examen The Plague of Shallow Drillers. There is a shallow Christianity by which we stay on the surface and do not plunge into the depths of who we are and who Christ wants to make us be. We seek God’s quick first aid-kit of salvation and avoid the deep surgery he desires to do to our souls.
In The Prayer of Examen I reflect on how I have responded to God and others in my daily life. I open myself to God’s Holy Spirit to investigate what motivates me and continual work God needs to do in my heart.
Two reasons why we need God to examin our souls Self-Justification – if we are the lone examiners of our heart, a thousand justifications will arise to declare our innocence.
Self-Loathing – If lfet to our own devices, it is so easy for us to take one good look at who we truly are and declare ourselves unredeemable. Our damaged self-image votes against us, and we begin beating ourselves mercilessly.
The prayer of examen removes the fig leaves that we are covering up our shame with. It positions us to be naked in front of God. It is a portion of His restorative work.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
- Psalm 139:23-24
The Prayer of Examen considers… Examen of Awareness – in this phase we discover how God has been present to us throughout the day and how we have responded to His loving presence. (Foster, p. 27-28)
What were my thoughts, feelings, and emotions today?
Where did I sense God’s presence, voice, correction, celebration, direction, etc.?
How did I respond to God’s movement in my life?
The goal of this prayer is to make us aware of our surroundings. By remembering, we take time to look back and see how God was moving and how we responded to that movement.
Examen of Conscience – in this phase we allow God to uncover those areas that need cleansing, purifying, and healing. We are inviting the Lord to seach our hearts to the depths. Far from being dreadful, this is a scrutiny of love (Foster, p. 29)
Aspects to Remembering
The Method to Remembering – there are many ways in which you can take time to reflect and remember how God has been moving. Journal, artistic expression, physical activity, music, a dedicated moment. The point is to pick one that will serve your awareness of God’s presence in your life.
The Rhythm to Remembering – when will you do this? At what point will you stop what you are doing and allow God to move through your soul? When can I do this daily? When can I do this monthly? When can I do this quarterly? When can I do this Annually?
Wrapping it Up
All of us need to take time for the prayer of examen. We need to internalize Psalm 139:23-24 so that we can live in the freedom and liberty that Christ died for.
Teaching Synopsis
All of experience demonization at some level. The question is, how do we identify it, what do we do about it both in the moment and long term?
Demonization is being acted upon by demonic spirits who are wrestling to blind you from the work that God wants to do.
Levels of Demonization
Level 1: Harrasment – the effort to get me off of my appointed task. (Apathy vs. Passion)
Level 2: Oppression – a fog that limits your perspective and clouds your vision (discouragement vs. Courage)
Level 3: Affliction – a physical mality that can bring physical pain (despair vs. hope)
Level 4: Bondage – a power that paralyzes from the freedom Christ intends (surrender vs. surrender)
Ways we open ourselves to Demonization
Belief of the Lies
Garbage in my life
Unrepentant Sin
Embrace the freedom God has for you by changing my
Teaching Synopsis
So far we’ve considered the need to understand reality by not only the physical lens, but also through the spiritual lens. We’ve looked at who the “players” are in this epic battle, and what is driving the efforts of the enemy. Here is the question I want us to wrestle with this morning, “As we move through life, aware of these forces, how do I know what to do in moments of significant decision? How do we discern the works of the enemy & the work of God? Where do we turn for counsel, advise, and wisdom?
1. Sorcery vs. God’s Power (2 Timothy 1:7)
2. Witchcrat vs. God’s Voice (Hebrews 4:7)
3. Fortune-Telling vs. God’s Leadership (Ps. 143:10)
Title: Eyes to See, Ears to Hear
Text: Mark 8:14-21
Teaching Synopsis
We kick off our new series by looking at how we determine reality and the impact that can have on our relationship with God. There are two ways in which we measure reality:
The Physical World understood by Science
The Spiritual World understood by Religion
In this teaching we looked at three examples that illustrate the collision of these two ways of understanding:
Example 1: Physical Health & Illness (Luke 13:10-12)
Example 2: Personal Economy & Finances (Matthew 17:27)
Teaching Synopsis
One of God’s greatest miracles is using our brokenness as a way to share his truth and love. In this teaching we will consider how God wants to use our story to impact the lives of people around us.
Teaching Synopsis
Jesus is a master at pointing out the things that really matter in life. In this teaching we look at how Jesus handled an awkward situation and used it as a way to point out what is ultimately important in life.
Word on the Street – everyone has an opinion
Real Stories – everyone has a story to share
What God Thinks – everyone is experiencing God in some way
Teaching Synopsis
Every conversation we have with a friend is a “spiritual conversation” in one way or another. This morning we’re going to learn how to initiate “spiritual conversations” with people that are natural and flow out of who we are.
Listen to God’s Leading
Maybe some of you feel as though one of the “have-to’s” in yoru life right now is your job…you know, what you do with your life from 9AM-5PM most days. You’d rather be doing something else, but right now you “have-to” go to work everyday. So you go…because you “have-to”, but instead of embracing it and looking for God in it, you just try to get through it every day. (Pause) Think of what could happen if you embraced that “have-to” and started listening for God’s leading in it? Imagine what God could do with it!
Let God Stretch Us
When Jesus took time to talk with this woman he broke all kinds of social norms. He broke out of what was anticipated or expected and engaged with this woman. Watch this clip and ask yourself, “would I start a conversation with that guy?”
Listen to Understand, not to Judge
I think too many of us are way too worried about what we would say to someone if we actually engaged with them in a conversation. Maybe we should be more concerned with just listening to them…with trying to UNDERSTAND them instead of JUDGING them. (Pause) When we’re willing to do that, God has a way of opening doors in their heart and in ours. God can mysteriously begin to do something in both of our souls that’s supernatural!
Teaching Synopsis
In this teaching we look at how Jesus used a party to intentionally built bridges with Zacchaeus. All of us someone in our life that we intentionally build bridges with, so that we can show them how Christ’s love can revolutionize their life.
Lessons we learn from Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus:
Posted by milocurtis 
Posted by milocurtis 
Posted by milocurtis 