A sincere prayer of repentance

 The psalmist is making a passionate plea to God, you could almost hear the desperation in his plea to the Lord. Not one of "I am sorry that I got caught" but the one of a backslidden man desperate to be once again in the will of God. Not so much just the will, but the beautiful comfort and peaceful presence of God. This man knew God intimately! He basked in the presence of the Almighty. 

 And his sin separated him from that. His conscience had been pricked and he knew... "I have done wrong!" And it bothered him to the point that he had to get on his face and get before God and get some forgiveness. Make peace with his Master. Today we sin and it is nothing. Because we just throw the "grace card" in God's face and tell him to accept it. That's a harsh way of putting it but it is the truth. Or we start with the terms of deception "Lord knows my heart" "He knew what I was gonna do" "Thats why he died" "God knows I struggle" "I was weak what was I suppose to do"

  

 This is not just some prayer service, but imagine the psalmist on his hands and knees begging for God to restore him. Then up with outstretched arms sobbing and crying before the Lord. Broken before the master. In a room of solitude, dark and quiet facing the east. No food no drink nothing! Not able to leave until the peace has been restored. 

 He starts using words like "cleanse" "purify" "wash" "restore" "sustain."  The mighty man is broken before the Lord. There is a solemnness in the castle. Others are praying and quietly interceding for him also. They have felt the repercussions of his sin. They know that if the situation is going to get better, it must first start with him and his God. Throughout the castle his weeping and wailing is heard. A man upset with himself! Realizing that he has broken the peace between him and his God. His prayer is one of "Lord I hurt you and I am truly sorry" There is such a sincerity in his prayer that God does have mercy on him. You see the bible says that "God looks at the hearts" 1 Sam 16:7 We read about David being restored, but there is a brokenness in his life after that. 

 When was the last time you got before God and just had a true time of confession and asking God to forgive you? But just a quiet time with God. One that restores the peace and assurance. One that leaves you broken. Prayer is such a purifying process. Many avoid it and settle for empty religion cold and judgmental. True prayers changes you forever. Yet makes you hungry for the next session. 

True prayer purifies the heart, to the point that we don't go back to the same stuff he just set us free from. True prayer breaks you before you break away. It reaches the inward parts of a man or woman. Marked by God. 

 Isn't time you got before Him and just confessed and then let Him search. I challenge you this week. To make an appointment with Him. Don't ask for anything but to forgive, wash, purify, cleanse and restore you. You will be surprised with what comes up. You see God desires not just to be apart of your life, but live in it. "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?" 

Lord forgive us all for taking things so lightly. Forgive us for the secret things that we willingly do against you. Knowing the truth, yet in deception we justify. Father forgive for my wrongs and the things that I have done against you Lord. Restore me Father and wash me in secret places of my heart. That I may be restored. I pray God this will bless many people. In Jesus name I pray.

Amen!

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS

In 1995 I gave my life to the Lord, and immediatley after my mom gave me the best advice ever. She said whatever I do now make sure that I pray everyday. The second thing she said to me was make sure I pay my tithes! That is exaclty what I did. I made it a point to have time with God constantly and I gave as much as I could beyond my tithes.
I wish I could say that I lived happily ever after but I would be lying. The truth is that I was very blessed, then I became religious and my marriage started to suffer then it fell completely apart. In 2006 I lost everything! I truly believed that I became a religious man. What I mean is that I stopped praying and chasing God. Instead prayer I filled my day with lots of meetings and speaking engagements. The church growing and within two years we went from 15 people to 400! God must be with us! I became soo busy for the Kingdom!
While I was out winning the world I was losing my marriage, my home and then eventually I lost it all. It was a terrible site to see. I eventually ended up so backslidden (7 times worse!) that alot of people wanted nothing to do with me. Especially the religious community (that shouldn't surprise you one less church to have to compete with) I was now on drugs and alcohol completely miserable! I now felt what Adam probably felt when he broke relations with God and was chased out of the Garden. My friend that is the worst feeling the world. The enemy daily would mock me and I was so depressed. I tried to kill myself through drugs and alcohol putting myself intentionally in unsafe situations with dangerous people hoping someone would just kill me.
Then one day I was at my wits end and I remembered. PRAYER CHANGES THINGS! The chase was on! For almost two years I have been praying that God would restore my life, and you know what? He has! My wife and I divorced last year because of all this. And we both began to move on with other people. It seemed like God's hand was too short and that He was not able. Then within a month, my ex wife came back and said "I want to make this work!" I want to marry you again! Knowing that this was the result of prayer and God bringing the answer literally to my doorstep I said yeah!!
Let's make it work! Daily we are getting before the Lord and praying. Sometimes it is so hard and you just want to give up. But I know that prayer changes things! I know for a fact that he is able. See I am just sharing tidbits of info with you. My situation was really really bad! It was public and bad! The moment I repented, surrendered, God began to move. Daily I chase Him. Because as I have known all along, I am the type of person who needs prayer daily as one with a chronic illness needs their daily medicine.
I know prayer is outdated and not cool anymore in the church, because we have technology and gifted people who can grow a church with their methods and step by step books. But the reality of the church today is that it lacks in its prayer life. Families are being picked off by the thousands and the pastors are so busy with the latest gimmicks and 3 steps to getting an offering out of their people, that we have forgotten about prayer!
We are now no different than a corporation. We hire talented people and figure out the best ways to get people to give. Yet our statistics compete with the worlds in every area. We have just as many divorces and out of wedlock pregnancies. Pastors are abandoning churches in hopes of something better. Churches are dying in the communities that their in because they refuse to reach them. My friend let me tell you something. Change will come when you change your attitude towards God and prayer. Chase Him and He will leave the blessings of healing and restoration behind. Follow after Him in prayer and He give you the most innovative ideas to reach your community.
Simply put prayer changes things. I think it was EM Bounds who said "when God gets ready to move he first sets it in the heart of his people to pray."
Throughout scripture the greatest of men and women were the greatest of prayer. Prayer will always change the odds against you. Why? Because PRAYER CHANGES THINGS! It brings God into the equation and changes perception. Once the perception of a person is changed by prayer it automatically changes the odds. Read 2 Kings 6:15-17
It was in prayer that Hannah being barren and unable to bring forth a child, gets her breakthough. Read 1 Sam 1 :10
Through out scripture we see God showing up through the invitation of prayer. Prayer changes things. Whatever your circumstances are today, bring it to God in prayer and let him do what he wills.