MIND OF TRUTH

This month of blogging has gone by so quickly. What a joy its been to spend time each day in Foster's book letting the Holy Spirit teach me more about prayer. I feel I need to focus more on these different prayers throughout this next year. I may continue to post on some of the remaining chapters throughout January. Foster shares three classical practices which are "designed to lead us into the Prayer of Rest." The first is solitude . Foster says that "In solitude we voluntarily abstain from our normal patterns of activity and interaction with people for a time in order to discover that our strength and well-being come from God alone." This can be a difficult task for many of us. In our culture, it is difficult for many to sustain themselves without outside stimulus. We are always doing something, entertained by something, checking FB, watching TV, and any number of other things. When everything goes quiet and there is nothing to do, we get very uneasy in t

Foster  asks "How do we enter into this Prayer of Rest?" We tend to think in terms of being active or passive. We think we need to always be doing something, trying harder or passively praying and waiting. Relational prayer is not like that. Foster says "Resting in God does not mean resignation or idleness." He describes this place of prayer as the "middle voice." We neither take action nor passively receive the action of another. He says "We are involved in the action and participate in its results but do not control or define it." In other words we are full participants in prayer but prayer does not depend on us. Paul tells us in Romans 8:26-27 that the Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us in our struggling and halting prayers. If you look closely, you will see the heart of the Gospel right here. We were dead in our sins and unable to find our way back to God. The Father sent His Son to make a way for us. We're still i

As we get ready for a new year, its important for us to consider this "Prayer of Rest." Foster makes a statement that there is perhaps "no more appealing invitation in all the Bible than Jesus' gracious words, 'Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest' (Matthew 11:28). I've struggled along with so many others to live in a place of rest. To live a life free of straining, anxiety, and stress. I've come to understand rest as living in a place of trust. Its an ability to release the moment, the day, or the future into God's capable hands. Our inability to do this causes our anxiety and stress.Our release of self-striving does not lead to inactivity, but rather it "promotes dependent activity." I think this is why we have so much unrest in our churches. We all seem to be wrestling against each other, doing our own thing, and always thinking we have a better way to get God's work done than

Yesterday we took a look at Foster's stepping stones to the Prayer of Adoration. Foster reminded us that this prayer must be learned, it must be cultivated. Isn't this true of any development of the spirit-man? The first step was to watch and observe the beauty of the world around us. The second step is the practice of gratitude . We can have confidence that God is always working in our lives. We all have things to be thankful for. If we focus on these things and practice giving thanks to the Lord, we'll begin to recognize God all around us. Foster says "When we practice gratitude, a time will come when we find ourselves saying, "Not 'please,' but 'thank you.'" The third step is magnifying God . This is a key component of adoration. We can begin by reciting or praying many of the Psalms. I've often written these psalms out then started journaling about the passages. If we devote some time to this, we will soon find our own words of p

I'd like to spend a little more time on the Prayer of Adoration. Foster rightly recognizes that "the prayer of adoration is something that must be learned." This pattern of learning or discovery followed by practice or application is the only way to truly grow in any spiritual endeavor. I've often been convicted about how much time I let slip away from me without any growth to show for it. We can't jump right to the final version of the self we would like to be. The best approach is taking intentional steps of learning and living. Foster shares a few stepping-stones which will help us mark the way into a "deeper, fuller adoring." The first step is right where we live in the midst of ordinary life. Learn to be observant and watch the world God has placed around you . Watch a butterfly or a flowing stream. Don't try to analyze these things, just watch and pay attention. After a while, we begin to experience beauty and feel the affects of being sur

It would seem worship and adoration should be the natural outflow of every believer's life, but its not. There are always obstacles hindering us from finding this place of adoration. Isn't it true that the more we try to quiet our minds to focus on the Lord, the more we get distracted and frustrated with our efforts. I've found the key is to approach God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). Let go, yield your thoughts to the Holy Spirit and He will help you. Isn't that what Jesus promised he would do? Foster identifies a few obstacles to adoration from C. S. Lewis. First is inattention . We can all agree life can be overwhelming and draw our attention away from the inner place of adoration. These distractions are not necessarily wrong, but just the obligations of life. This is where spiritual disciplines come into play. I was thinking yesterday about Mary of Bethany who took time to learn and receive from Jesus and then when the time came, she anointed his feet w

Merry Christmas! What a wonderful time to celebrate the Father's gift of Jesus Christ. I wanted to share this Christmas poem from an old Pentecostal teacher John Wright Follette. Is there room in our life for prayer? Are we making a place for the Savior to come and fellowship with us or do we find we're too busy? Hopefully this new year will be one of growing in prayer for all of us. The Neglected Guest I do not know the reason - false or true,   Which ruled the heart of him who kept the inn. It was enough howe'er to shut the door,   And answer that there was no room within. How little did the keeper realize   What privilege and honor waited there, Brought by the strangers to his very door,   If he but open it and room prepare. It was not that he sought to do them harm;   In turning them aside he had no plot. His time of visitation waited him,   But dead to heaven's touch, he knew it not. What reason rules the keeper of thy heart?   Are all the doo

"Prayer is the human response to the perpetual outpouring of love by which God lays siege to every soul. When our reply to God is most direct of all, it is called adoration . Adoration is the spontaneous yearning of the heart to worship, honor, magnify, and bless God." This is Foster's description of the Prayer of Adoration." He goes on to describe it as "The air in which prayer breaths," and "The sea in which it swims." Personally, I feel that adoration is the heart of prayer. Its the heart of our existence. This is one area which the enemy has stolen from so many churches. Why are we so afraid to express emotion and pour out our love and gratitude to our Lord? Is it wrong for us to fall on our faces in the presence of the Living God to worship and adore him? Is it wrong for us to stand with hands lifted high singing holy, holy, holy is our God? We feel uncomfortable with worship because we don't worship. We feel dry and empty because we

Through His Son Jesus Christ, the Father has made a covenant with us which can never be broken. What will our response be? Foster asks "Are we willing to offer up lives of obedience in return?" He says "The point of a covenant is commitment-the very thing to which we have such an aversion." The point of daily obedience to the commitment we've made with the Lord is the key to true spiritual growth. The enemy tries to push us to the extreme getting us to focus on the big life-altering sacrifices we may be called on to make. Jesus only says I am here with you, I have given you a helper, my grace is sufficient for you. The Holy Spirit will bring us right into the present moment with Jesus. Foster reminds us that we can never hope to fulfill this covenant with God without failing. "We cannot do a single good act except God first gives us the desire for it and then empowers us to do it." Its important for us to place every call to obedience on the Lord an

" What we need is a desire to know the whole will of God, with a fixed resolution to do it. " - John Wesley Foster begins this next chapter on Covenant Prayer with this sobering quote from John Wesley. I fear this is a critical point in the spiritual formation of many believers. We've become good at living in a place of expectation; having the knowledge and desire to do God's will, but seldom do we actually following through. We like the excitement of the expectation of change without the responsibility and sacrifice of doing the work. This is why we often make so many promises to God - more time for devotion and prayer, more Bible reading, ect - but we often fall short. Foster encourages us to not look on these times as failures, but as steps in our growth. God is not only working in us the discipline to follow through, but also the desire to make these commitments to the Lord. We have to go back to the "Prayer of Examen" and ask the Holy Spirit to s

The third classical approach to Formation Prayer is " The Little Way " from Therese of Lisieux. Foster says this "deceptively simple" way to bring spiritual transformation into our lives is "to seek out the menial job, to welcome unjust criticism, to befriend those who annoy us, to help those who are ungrateful." He calls this the "ministry of small things." As I've read these three approaches to the formation prayer, I've been surprised at how simple they are. The kingdom of God is like this. Dying to self and following Christ is the easiest thing in the world, yet at the same time its the hardest. Pursuing a relationship with God through prayer is not hard to understand, but it can be difficult to do. We grow by overcoming so when we find it difficult to love an unpleasant person, the best way is to serve them, put them first, and give our self fully to this simple task. Foster says these are "unrecognized conquests over selfi

Continuing with the three classic ways of proactive prayer, Foster shares that the second approach to "Formation Prayer" is the "active pursuit of humility." Humility is one topic I've devoted little if any study to. I was intrigued by Foster's description and hope to study this further. Foster defines humility as living "as close to the truth as possible; to the truth about ourselves, to the truth about others, and to the truth about the world around us." What a profound life altering statement. Spiritual formation in prayer comes as we remove hindrances to truth in our life and pursue Christ. How often does spiritual pride, past teachings, or long held doctrinal positions keep us from truth? This is something I feel I've not had much luck in conveying to church people. Walk through life holding everything you know, everything you are, and everything you hold dear with open hands out in front of you. Learn to trust the Holy Spirit. He res

Over the next few days, I may share some of Foster's insights on "three classic ways of proactive prayer whose principle aim is our transformation. Foster defines the active side of the formation prayer as our pursuing God, seeking after him, journeying with him, and working out our own salvation (Philippians 2:12). The first way to proactive prayer comes from The Spiritual Exercises by Ignatius of Loyola. His regime of spiritual exercises include four basic sections or weeks. These are 1) focus on our sin in light of God's love, 2) center on the life of Christ, 3) the passion of the Christ, and 4) the resurrection of Christ. These exercises require meditation, scripture reading, and my favorite, imagination. I know these exercises are strange to many of us, but frankly, that's pretty sad. Do you know what insight and new understanding the Holy Spirit will give you after you spend a week intentionally focusing on the life of Christ or God's love? We don't

God is omnipotent, but there are limits to what he can do. Because he has given man a free will and has chosen to partner with us to build his kingdom, not all that God desires to do will be done. Foster reminds us that "prayer by itself is severely limited in the good it can accomplish" without our obedience and participation with God. Foster shares three major areas from Dallas Willard that God uses in our continuing formation. First, is the "classic disciplines of the spiritual life." These include solitude, fasting, worship, and others. Spiritual disciplines can often be a form of obedience in prayer. These activities can also prepare us for formation. Similar to digging up the soil for planting. The second area is "our continual interaction with the moving of the Spirit of God. Willard includes here "resistance, disobedience, repentance, submission, faith, obedience, and more." Our actions have a direct affect on the results of prayer and th

“ Prayer – secret, fervent, believing prayer – lies at the root of all personal godliness ” William Carey How many believers go about their day with little or no awareness of inner spiritual growth? Why do we neglect such a great gift as prayer? The “Prayer of Formation” brings our focus back to the process of transformation. Maybe we neglect prayer so often because it will require us to change. Foster cites the common saying “Prayer changes things,” but adds that “it also changes us.” This is the point where we start to get to the heart of prayer. Are we focused daily on being open to the Lord, putting into practice his Words and obediently following the Spirit’s leading? This cycle of learning and living is what produces spiritual growth. Too many of us hold God’s Word like a seed that never falls into the ground. We collect seeds and pat ourselves on the back for it. God never intended this. Foster says “None of us will keep up a life of prayer unless we are prepared to chang

How can we move forward with this Prayer of Relinquishment? Foster tells us that the best approach is to surrender our will moment by moment as we "face the ordinary decisions of home, family, and job." He says we will not know the "shape of relinquishment until specific issues arise." The practice of surrender prepares us to make sacrifices when the time comes. Its like everything else, we keep doing it until it becomes second nature. Moment by moment we redefine our walk with Christ so that living sacrificially becomes our new normal. Foster gives us five practical prayers we can interpret into our individual experiences. First is the "prayer of self-emptying." Wait on the Lord, ask him to help you empty your decision, your day, or even the next 15 minutes of self. This takes practice to ask, listen and then obey. Second , learn the "prayer of surrender." Like Jesus in the garden, this is a struggle. Learn to ask for the father's will

The prayer of relinquishment is accompanied by the necessity of struggle. There's really no way around this. God has convicted me before of keeping my distance from him in prayer because I know moving closer means struggle is coming. Paul said "I want to know Christ." We all want that part, but then he said "in the fellowship of his sufferings." That part is harder, but its the only way to intimacy. My wife and I recently celebrated our twenty year anniversary. We've had many amazing years, but there has also been pain and struggle along the way. I'm glad we made a decision when we were first married to never let anything come between us. We've gone through the good times and difficult times together. As a result we have a much richer and deeper relationship than I could have ever imagined. Foster doesn't leave us with the struggle, but encourages us that this complete letting go is a "release of hope." He says "We are buoyed

Our journey in prayer should be a progression of growth and learning. Foster says we start out in a struggle of wills with God. "We beg, we pout, we demand. We expect God to perform like a magician or shower us with blessing like Father Christmas. We major in instant solutions and manipulative prayers." We can all relate. Its natural for us to come to God in this way, but our prayers should grow richer and more participatory. Foster says in time we should "begin to enter into a grace-filled releasing of our will and a flowing into the will of the Father. Its the Prayer of Relinquishment that moves us from the struggling to the releasing." Our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak. Have you ever released something to God and felt the burden lift? A few times I've gone on backpacking trips carrying a 50 lb. pack. When I took that pack off at the end of the day, I felt like I was floating. Its the same when we finally release something to the Lord. Imagine w

Foster reminds us that the Christian life is one of daily repentance. We've been restored through Christ, but sin can still hinder our relationship with the Father. The Psalmist declares that God will not despise a "broken and contrite heart" (Ps.51:17). Foster asks, "How do we experience a contrite heart?" First, he says "we begin by asking." I can't overstate how important this is to our prayer life. The Holy Spirit has reminded me many times of James 4:2 "You have not because you ask not." I've asked God for a lot of things, but when I get serious and my heart desires what his heart desires, then I ask for a contrite heart. I ask to see the Kingdom of God flourishing around my life, my family, and others. He is faithful to answer when we ask. Foster's second response is that "we confess." Confession is an acknowledgement that we have fallen short and we are in need of correction, or what I call an adjustment o

Next on Foster's list of prayers is the Prayer of Tears. This is one many of us don't experience very often. Foster says this is "being 'cut to the heart' over our distance and offense to the goodness of God" (Acts 2:37). There are many accounts of weeping in the Scriptures. David exclaimed "every night I flood my bed with tears, I drench my couch with my weeping (Ps. 6:6). What is it about tears and a deep, heartfelt sorrow that aids us in our prayer life? Foster makes a great statement that we need to heed. He says "unless the emotive center of our lives is touched, it is as if a fuse remains unlit." This is a primary reasons why we struggle with prayer and why so many people fail to experience intimacy with God. We wrongly put up walls to protect ourselves and hold God at a distance. We want a relationship with God, but we don't want to get emotional about it. We'll never know God that way. We'll never know the depths of intima

The process of examination is different for everyone. There are some tried and true methods like solitude and spiritual journaling which are always effective if we apply ourselves to these disciplines. I think its important to set goals and know what your objective is before taking on specific times of spiritual examination. One example would be to set aside 15 minutes each day for one month and spend that time alone with the Lord asking him to examine your heart and mind. Ask him to show you what he thinks this process entails, ask him to help you understand the process, ask him to help you focus and concentrate on this process. If you need to, write these questions and others down to use in your prayer time. It may be good to combine journaling with this time so you can write down what the Holy Spirit is teaching you along the way. The main objective for the first time is to just get started. Trust that the Lord will show you a few things about yourself during this month. You shou

Foster asks us, "What is the purpose of all this examination business anyway?" Good question. The process produces within us the "priceless grace of self-knowledge." Honestly, this doesn't seem so priceless to me. I've spent much of my life building up a pretty good impostor self.* For years I practiced the not so emotionally healthy habit of burying things rather than digging them up for examination. The Holy Spirit has a way of changing that in us. Prayer changes that is us. In Romans 12:1 Paul tells us to present our bodies, our life, as a living sacrifice. Foster says "This offering cannot be made in some abstract way with pious or religious acts. No, it must be rooted in acceptance of the concrete details of who we are and the way we live." We have a tendency to manufacture an impostor self and soon begin to believe the lies it tells us. We put this other self on show at church and with friends and family. We even approach God through thi

Foster shares two basic aspects to the prayer of examen. "The first is an examen of consciousness through which we discover how God has been present with us throughout the day and how we have responded to his loving presence." This is a prayer of remembrance when we get quiet with the Lord and reflect on on how God has been at work throughout our day. Were we attentive to his promptings or to the needs of others around us? Too often I go through my day unaware, just trying to get through the day. Its good to ask the Holy Spirit to help you be more present in the moment, more in tune with what God is doing around our life. Foster says "The examen of consciousness is the means God uses to make us more aware of our surroundings." The second aspect of this prayer is "the examen of conscious in which we uncover those areas that need cleansing, purifying, and healing." This is a process of  scrutiny when we invite the Lord to "search the depths of our

In Chapter Three, Foster discusses what he calls "The Prayer of Examen." The word examen is a noun which conveys the idea of an accurate assessment of the true situation. In the next couple days I'll share more of Foster's thoughts on this prayer. The Psalmist declares "O Lord, You have searched me and know me" (Ps. 139:1). Do you take comfort in God searching you and knowing you or does this causes some discomfort? I guess it depends on your relationship with the Lord. We should see this examination process as a wonderful blessing. God is present in our lives, guiding us and bringing us into alignment with Truth through his examen. The prayer of examen gives God permission to make an accurate assessment of our life in light of Truth. This is not judgmental or harsh, but loving and caring as a father wanting the best for their children. It will never be condemning, but it will always be convicting. If your afraid to pray this prayer, to open yourself

Foster finishes up chapter two by offering one more counsel to those in a wilderness time with God. His advice is simply to "Wait on God. Wait silent and still. Wait attentive and responsive. Learn that trust proceeds faith." I was talking with a friend last week about spiritual disciplines and I commented that one of the most difficult practices is that of solitude. Waiting on God is difficult. In silence with God our minds keep rehearsing every trouble and reviewing every unanswered question. We don't want God to confront us with the real issues buried deep in the inner man. We use the imposter self to defend and rationalize our own way. Our struggle with God is one of trust. God can finally begin his work once we trust him and surrender. Waiting on the Lord is so important. Personally, my strategy to make it through has always been to refuse to quit. There is no going back and no retreat. Jesus Christ is all there is for me. He is everything and without him there i

What kind of pray can we offer to God when it feels like he has abandoned us? Foster encourages us to engage in the "Prayer of Complaint." How do we express our anguish and frustration to God? How do we pour out our heart when it seems to be full of anger and doubt? Foster says "This is a form of prayer that has been largely lost in our modern, sanitized religion, but the Bible abounds with it." In my experience, I've found too many Christians are afraid to have a real conversation with God. They conform to a religious faith that they never question, never examine critically, and never put to the test. I've discovered coming to God with my heart and mind on my sleeve results in closer intimacy and spiritual growth. Every frustration, every fear, and every doubt I have towards God is like an offering I can lay at his feet. I pour out all of me to receive from the Lord and be filled with His Spirit. My fears are replaced with peace, my frustrations transfor

Foster's words on God's silence are such a comfort to me. One thing I love about Truth is the warmth of it's light. Have you ever experienced the cold frustration of the unknown? When God opens his truth to our soul, the warmth and assurance of his voice is like nothing else. Foster describes the "purifying silence" of what Saint John of the Cross calls the "Dark night of the soul," as something subtle and unrecognizable at the time. That's why my best advice is just to hold fast. I like to envision Jesus alone in the wilderness for forty day. I can see him in his extreme hunger and weariness when he is almost at the point of giving up. Then a slow smile comes across his face as he remembers the Words of his Father spoken from the sky "This is my Son in whom I'm well pleased." What a comfort that must have been. Foster shares two purification processes from Saint John of the Cross that occur during the dark night of the soul. The

" Have you ever tried to pray and felt nothing, saw nothing, sensed nothing? Have there been times when you desperately needed some word of assurance, some demonstration of divine presence, and you got nothing ?" Foster's words here certainly ring true for me. Many times I've asked God why he seems to have hidden himself from me, why the answers don't come. Honestly, this is when the nice Bible verse platitudes people like to quote just don't cut it. When we build our life on a real relationship with Jesus Christ we grow dependent on his presence and his every word. When he's absent, we start to feel the desperation like thirsting for water in the desert. We must trust though that God has a purpose in his absence. One benefit is that " God is slowly weaning us of fashioning him in our own image. " We learn he is not at out beckon call, coming to take away every discomfort and immediately supply the answers to every question. How would we ever

I've heard preachers tell people to only pray according to the Scriptures. I guess I agree in a sense, but if I did that my conversations with God would be rare and honestly disingenuous. I usually bring stuff to God that's pretty much just me messing up again or me being fearful again. I've heard some say don't pray "God be with me" reasoning that God already made us this promise (Heb. 13:5). I disagree. I pray everyday that God will be with my family, my wife and kids. I'll admit I often pray this out of  anxiety and sometimes just out of habit, but I always truly desire our lives to be saturated with the presence of my God. He is a watchman guarding our lives with a ready sword. He is a shield around us that no enemy can penetrate. Foster encourages us to come to God with our "Simple prayers." We don't need to get our lives all together first, we don't need to make sure we pray right. Like a loving parent, he just want us to come

I've found that spiritual growth requires constant adjustment. We must hold loosely to our own conclusions about this life in Christ allowing the Holy Spirit to change and re-order our thoughts as he wills. Prayer is like this for me. I honestly devote far too little time to this intimate gift, and as result I have little understanding of the true nature of prayer. To receive understanding we must let go and come to the Father as a child full of  wonder and willingness. Foster says " loving is the syntax of prayer. " He describes it as " an enduring and continuing love relationship with the great God of the universe. " This kind of love " invites a response ." This is the key to prayer. Do we enter into prayer attempting to maintain self and get God's blessing on our own agenda? I usually only talk to God about the things I'm interested in. What kind of relationship is that? Do we have the courage to enter into his presence with nothing,

It occurred to me this evening that I blogged everyday in December 2016 as I read through The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard. Of course I pull a new book off my shelf to read tonight and God reminded me that today is December 1st. So I guess this is the first of thirty-one posts. Some of you may know Richard J. Foster by his book The Celebration of Discipline . I'm reading  a book he authored  Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home . His intro contains a section entitled "Coming Home: An Invitation to Prayer." I wanted to just share a few excerpt which really stirred my heart. Foster says " Today the heart of God is an open wound of love. He aches over our distance and preoccupation. He mourns that we do not draw near to him. He weeps over our obsession with muchness and manyness. He longs for our presence ." What a profound thought that God longs for our presence and our fellowship. We so easily forgot that he is calling us, inviting us