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Thursday, November 13, 2008

"I'll pray about it."

The "death rattle" in God's kingdom is when someone says in response to an invitation to minister, "I'll pray about it."

After 28 years, I know that "I'll pray about it," is code for, "when pigs fly" or as the French say, "Quand les poules auront des dents" - "When chickens have teeth" - "I'll participate in that ministry."

There are some things you don't need to pray about.

Sharing your faith with your neighbor. That is God's will for your life.

Walking through your spiritual disciplines on a daily basis. That is God's will for your life.

Putting God first. That is God's will for your life.

As we walk through the process of dreaming together and completing our vision of relocating out to 127th street, I am praying for a group of people that will get in line and say, "How can I help?" "What can I do?" "Is there anything else I can participate in?" "Why didn't you ask me before?"

I am praying for a group of people who are willing to do as God commands. Who are willing to "kick it up a notch" for God, and "put a knife between their teeth and a bandanna around their head," and "Rambo" it for God.

Some might be waiting to be asked to participate. I encourage you, yes, I pray that you will be open to seeking out opportunities to serve God.

Mark Batterson writes, "Several years ago I was a part of a small group with a friend who was working with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Georgetown University. As we shared prayer requests at the end of one of our meetings, my friend said their ministry needed a computer, and I said I'd pray for him. I started praying that God would provide a computer, and then I felt as if God interrupted me. It's hard to describe the tone I heard from God. It was stern but not unkind. It was as if the Holy Spirit whispered these words in my spirit: Why are you asking Me? You're the one with the extra computer!

So I quit praying midsentence and decided to do something about it. I told my friend I had a computer that I wanted to give him. And I became the answer to my own prayer. Why ask God to do something for us when it is within our power to do something about it ourselves?"

Perhaps the answer to the challenge of relocating lies not with everyone else around us but with we ourselves.

There are some things you don't need to pray about.

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