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This is the Handbook describing our new SOS (Serve Our Schools) initiative, which is has been developed under the umbrella of Serve The City (STC). So far the vision has been accepted by 22 youth groups. (On the back page is an SOS directory, so you can see the names of all the STC churches as well as a few others who are aligning themselves with our vision.)
History of SOS. The vision began in June, when Luke Reid and I began to share the passion of our hearts for reaching our schools in a significant way. As we’ve talked to other STC youth leaders, our vision has grown and has been confirmed, being crystallized in these pages. Continued feedback and input is welcomed as we enter this new territory of unified ministry.
SOS Vision. The ultimate goal is to spur each of our students towards what STC calls a “Prayer, Care, Share lifestyle”. The SOS plan provides a simple structure whereby they are regularly encouraged to see their school as a mission field. By teaching them to Pray for their school, Care for their peers, and most importantly, Share with them, they will be obedient to the Great Commission in making disciples.
In a nutshell, the plan is to link our 20+ youth groups together and designate a monthly “SOS Day” where all our youth group kids are encouraged to:
1. wear the unifying SOS t-shirt to school,
2. do a service project (either a major cooperative service project or have individuals look for serving opportunities throughout the day), and
3. in the context of natural relationships strike up spiritual conversations and/or invite peers to their church or youth group.
SOS Side Benefits. There are so many residual benefits of this plan. Here are a few.
* Demonstrating to a lost world that Christians are to be about serving, not being served.
* Unraveling the stereotypes saying that Christians are primarily judgers, self-focused, and uncaring.
* Showing the unity in the body of Christ across denominational lines.
* Encouraging Christian kids who may feel they’re outnumbered at their school.
* Communicating between students about needs and opportunities at their school.
* Increasing awareness of on-campus ministry opportunities like FCA, YFC, and prayer groups.
* Bringing the youth pastors/ministers together in a cooperative effort.
* Building up each local youth ministry.
* Reminding youth groups to be intentionally receptive to newcomers.
* Accomplishing more together than we could ever hope to do alone.
* Improving the conditions at the schools.
* Building bridges between Christians and the school administrations and staff.
* Augmenting the overall impact of Serve The City.
SOS Frequency. We agreed we could make plans to do SOS once a month if we encouraged the students to pace themselves--periodically doing simple service projects so as not to overextend themselves. Each school can decide what is realistic for them in terms of the scope of their projects.
SOS Scheduling. We have decided that SOS days will be Wednesdays. Since we want to launch this on See You At The Pole day, the concept arose to have it each 4th Wednesday when possible. There are three months where there are conflicts; in those months the plan is to move it ahead one week to the third Wednesday. The schedule then is as follows:
* Sept 24
* Oct 22
* Nov 19 (third Wed due to Thanksgiving)
* Dec 17 (third Wed due to Christmas)
* Jan 28
* Feb 25
* March 18 (third Wed due to Spring Break)
* April 22
* May 27
Of course we can evaluate it as we go along—perhaps we’ll decide to change the frequency, the day, or whatever. However, it’s important that we agree on the days, so all the youth pastors can promote it easily to their youth groups.
The role of each youth group leader/pastor
One role will be to remind students in our individual youth groups of the upcoming SOS day, making sure they know their service plan and reminding them to wear their shirts. We should try to do an SOS reminder the night before using every means of communication available (email, texting, Facebook, etc).
We also need to be sure we remain outrageous cheerleaders for our kids! More on this below.
Another role of ours will be to prepare for a potential influx of guests to our youth groups. We want them to find our youth groups to be places that are welcoming, relevant, and sensitive to the fact that they may be unfamiliar with “churchianity”. When guests are invited, we might feature testimonies, gospel presentations, or activities that will endear them to us and most importantly towards Jesus.
Organizing the Service Projects. We really want this whole endeavor to be simple and student-led and student-owned, so we want to minimize our adult involvement in the details as much as possible. We do not want to micromanage the students, but to empower them and cheer them on in their outreach efforts.
For Middle School. We’ve decided it would be simplest and best for each of the schools to do the exact same service project on a given SOS day. Each month Mark Eades and Brad Singleton (our city’s two full-time Middle School pastors) will collect ideas from all of us and then choose one that they feel would be most appropriate. (The projects must be simple and do-able regardless of how many SOS students attend the school.) They will announce the plan to each of the youth group leaders on our list and it then will be our responsibility to communicate the plan to all of our middle school students prior to SOS day. Examples of projects might be: “return trays in the cafeteria”, or “write appreciation notes to your teachers.” We adults are simply suggesting what students can do that day and wildly cheer them on—yet the success of each school’s SOS day will directly relate to the effort the students put into making it happen.
For Senior High. For Senior high, the service project part is entirely student-led and indigenous to each school. Our plan is to identify one or more “SOS Student Leaders” for each school. The youth pastors/directors will encourage the “Student Leaders”.
SOS Student Leader – one for each participating Sr. High School
CHARACTER / TRAITS
o Must be a solid Christian student who understands and is passionate about the SOS strategy.
o Must be willing to come under the umbrella of Serve The City and share doctrinal agreement with them.
o Must have natural leadership, be outgoing and influential.
o Seniors are preferred due to their position of influence.
o Should be students who are not already in a key leadership position in other ministries, such as FCA.
o Must be able to motivate and inspire the SOS vision in others.
o Must be able to work with a team of students to make team decisions.
o Must be a good listener and be responsive to the ideas of others.
o Must not be power-hungry, but rather a humble servant-leader.
DUTIES
o Be the contact person for students who later may want to be added to your school’s SOS group.
o Keep the SOS vision alive among the students.
Note: the duties below will vary greatly depending on how many enthusiastic, motivated SOS students are at your school. If you have just a handful, you won’t need much of a leadership team or communication system at all. Nor will you be able to organize large-scale service projects. Your role will mainly just be reminding your peers to look for opportunities to be a servant throughout the day. The duties described below assume a larger number of students will be involved.
o Depending on number of SOS students, recruit a team of 2-5 student leaders to help with the following duties.
o Contact your school principal to explain that the people he’ll see wearing the SOS shirts are simply there to serve (and to alleviate fears that you might be a gang J.) You’ll want to build good rapport with them!
o Establish a communication system to keep all your schools SOS students informed of what’s planned.
o Decide what the service project plan will be each month.
o Work with the youth pastors to acquire the resources needed for the projects.
o Stay in touch with the school principal to seek further opportunities to serve the school.
SOS Q&A.
Q. What was the rally about? A. We had a huge SOS kickoff rally on Wed, Sept 17th to hand out the t-shirts and to get our kids excited and to prepare them for the first SOS day a week later. We had 500 people there altogether with several students who shared their heart for their schools. All the youth pastors/leaders were up on the stage, to challenge, inspire and pray for the students in their mission! After the rally, they broke out into school groups to talk about how they will handle See You At The Pole and the first SOS project.
Your browser may not support display of this image.Q. Who gets the t-shirts? A. Most of us agreed that mainly students should wear the SOS shirts. The thought is that we want our students to receive all the credit for serving their schools—and that if we’re wearing matching outfits, onlookers might assume that the students needed prodding from us in order to serve. We want this whole effort to highlight the fact that students are taking their own initiative to serve their schools. Yet, if individual adults want a shirt to wear to show support, that’s ok too.
Q. Can we still get t-shirts? A. After the rally, shirts may be purchased for $5 (while supplies last) and obtained from any of the SOS youth pastors or from Mark at New Covenant or Luke at First Assembly. If we have to reorder more shirts, the price may be slightly higher.
Q. How can adults show their support if they don’t wear the SOS shirt? Those of us who don’t wear the shirt can still show great support for the students in other ways. We need to be outrageous cheerleaders for our students who serve, and they need to tangibly feel our support. Having them share their serving stories in youth group, highlighting noteworthy achievements, notes, letters, texts, Facebook wall posts, church bulletin ‘Kudos’, church service testimonies, youth group treats, etc. can all be ways for us to affirm their faithful involvement in SOS. Some even suggested that we adults get our own distinctively different t-shirts, saying something like “SOS Fan Club” or “Proud Youth Pastor,” etc. If any of you want to spearhead that project, please do so!
Q. What are some examples of Sr. High Service Projects? A. We’re going to let each school SOS group be creative with this, but some starter ideas might be:
1. Clean up after lunch
2. Take a friend’s lunch tray to the wash area.
3. Pick up litter in the hallways.
4. Pick up litter on the outside of the building.
5. Make encouragement cards for all the teachers and administration.
6. Wash Car Windows
7. Declare holidays (why not, Hallmark does!) and celebrate them with balloons, banners, locker posters, gifts, cards, photos, contests, etc.
• Freshmen Appreciation Day
• Lunch Lady Appreciation Day
• Teacher Appreciation Day
• Janitor Appreciation Day
• Administrator Appreciation Day
8. Free Car Wash in the School Parking lot after school
9. “Candy Bombs” where each SOS student brings 10-15 candy bars with a note “have a great day, from SOS” and secretly hide them all over the school: in backpacks, lockers, shelves, hoodies, bathrooms, etc.
10. When there is an event at school (i.e. music contests on Saturdays, etc.) the youth could volunteer to help for the day whether it is as a runner, assistant to a judge (get supplies, etc. as needed) or some other position. This would provide for a very inexpensive way to serve.
The number of students at a particular school will affect how realistic some of the ideas are. Some ideas will require talking to the principal to find out what the needs are. And some, like #10 might be extra projects, planned on days other than SOS Wednesdays.
Q. What about Sr. High Schools with only a few SOS students? A. Obviously the schools with a lot of SOS students will have the advantage of momentum. But students with small numbers can serve their school as individuals by looking for opportunities to serve others throughout the day, picking up trays, buying someone lunch, writing thank you notes to teachers, putting encouragement notes on lockers, etc.
Q. What about home schoolers? A. Obviously, students who are exclusively home schooled are going to be surrounded only by family members. They can still participate in the SOS day, taking the opportunity to serve and share spiritually at home. Those who are part of home school associations or who take some public school classes can take part in SOS there as well.
Q. What if any non-Serve the City individuals or youth groups want to participate? A. All the STC churches and SOS youth groups embrace a common theological and doctrinal perspective. Other youth groups are welcome to join SOS as long as aligning themselves with our perspective is desirable to them. As is the case with all STC churches, a good indicator of common theological agreement would be substantial agreement with the Lausanne Covenant. http://www.lausanne.org/lausanne-1974/lausanne-covenant.html.
Thanks for reading all this! Please feel free to pass it on to those leaders who would find it interesting.
Privileged to serve side by side with you,
Mark Forstrom
Pastor of Sr. Highers
New Covenant Bible Church
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
Preparing Leaders for Reflection and Prayer Days and Short Retreats
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Preparing Leaders for Reflection and Prayer Days and Short Retreats
U. S Session: May 13–22, 2009
In the U. S.: May 13-22, 2009 at White Oak Conference Center near Charlotte, NC
Lead Facilitator: Dr. Evelyn C. Davis, International Training Consultant
Worship Leaders, Topic Facilitators, and Prayer Coordinators will be announced
Thank you for your interest in the training that will prepare you to facilitate half or full days of reflection and prayer, and short retreats. The total time for the training is ten days. Arrival time is the first day by noon or early afternoon (our first session is at 3:30 p.m.). Departure is on the last day before noon (after the concluding evaluation and prayer session). Detailed information about the location is given below, and the application form is on page 3. Send your application to evelyn_davis@sil.org and contact her if you have any questions or comments.
Location: The White Oak Conference Center is approximately 1½ hours drive from the Charlotte airport, and
airport pickups and transportation to White Oak will be arranged. If you are a member of SIL or
Wycliffe, and want to be at our JAARS Center near Waxhaw for a period of time before the training,
we will arrange transportation from there as well (White Oak is an hour’s drive from JAARS).
If flying, you will need to arrange your flight to arrive in Charlotte by noon or earlier on Wednesday,
May 13, as we must arrive at White Oak in time for you to get settled in your room and ready for our
first session, which begins at 3:30 p.m. During the first afternoon, there will be introductions, sharing,
and an overview of the training. Our first meal is Wednesday evening, and we will have a time of
prayer and communion after dinner.
On our final morning, Friday, May 22, we will conclude with a time of evaluation, communion, and
prayer, and leave White Oak at approximately 11:00 a.m. Since it is a 1½ hour drive to the Charlotte
airport, be sure to arrange your flight home early-afternoon or later.
Schedule: Day One—Afternoon and Evening: We will begin at 3:30 p.m. with introductions, sharing, and an
overview of the sessions. After dinner that night we will have prayer and communion.
Day Two: Experience one of the reflection topics (listed on the overview on page 2).
Day Three: Work in a small group led by a staff member to experience (and then study and
prepare to present) one of the other reflection or retreat topics.
Days Four, Five, Six, Seven, and Eight: Each group presents the topic that they have prepared
(so that they will have an opportunity to practice how to use the topics later). Everyone
experiences each topic.
Day Nine: Teaching sessions designed to prepare you for praying with and for individuals and
groups when you return to your place of service.
Day Ten—Departure approx. 11:00 a.m.: Closing worship time, evaluation, sharing, and praying.
Other: Quality time will be allowed for you to peruse the books and other resources that will be available.
There will be a few evening activities, including an overview of how to lead prayer times, a fun
night, and sharing what God has done during your time of reflection and prayer. There will also be
opportunities for personal ministry and appointments with the prayer coordinators.
An Exciting Development: We now have an interactive website, and participants who take the R & P training
can make it into an R & P life-style! We will introduce the website during the training sessions, and
as participants return to their place of ministry, they will be able to share through this website how
God is using R & P in their own lives and, through them, in others’ lives. The website will also serve
as a prayer hub, and the place where all former R & P participants can access updated materials.
Cost: $675.00 for accommodations (double occupancy), meals, a notebook of the topics, copies of the
retreat manuals, and the basic resources. There is a daily surcharge of $16.00 for single occupancy,
and $75.00 of the above amount is required for registration. Because of a grant that has been
received, some financial assistance will be available if that is needed. Note additional details about
payment on the application form.
To Register: The number of participants is limited, and persons who attend must be recommended by their
branch or entity (if WBT/ SIL), or by their mission, church, or agency (if not WBT/SIL). Fill out the
application form (page 3), and return it electronically to evelyn_davis@sil.org. Please do not return
pages 1 and 2. Send your application as soon as possible, and note that March 14 is the final deadline.
Overview: Reflection and Prayer Days and Short Retreats
Evelyn C. Davis, Ed. D., Training Consultant, SIL International
The Topics for Reflection and Prayer Days
A half-day or full-day of reflection and prayer begins with worship and singing, then there is a brief overview of the topic the group has chosen. Handouts describe the topic, with Bible verses for reference, thought questions for application, articles, and a special Resources booklet. There is time for personal reflection and prayer, then the option of praying with someone else or continuing with individual reflection. There is a time of closure, with an opportunity to share.
. A Spiritual Inventory and Spiritual Markers
It is helpful to identify spiritual markers in our lives—times when we have encountered God’s call or his direction. Then when we face new options and/or decisions, we can review our spiritual markers to be reminded of the context of the activity of God in our lives—his perspective for our past, our present, and our future.
. Personal Worship
Individuals can use these guidelines (with scriptures) that focus on the following steps: worship; attentiveness; approach the throne; submit to God; confession and forgiveness; prayer for personal protection; guidance; special needs; petitions for yourself, family, friends, church, others; put on Christ and commit the day to him; walk in triumph, freedom, and safety.
. Finding A Rhythm of Rest
We struggle with trying to find time for a real ‘Sabbath’—a time to take our hands from the plow, let our work lay fallow, and let God and others take care of things. However, it is finding that balance point at which, having rested, we do our work with greater ease and joy, and bring healing and delight to our endeavors—for when we are refreshed we can give more generously to others. Jesus found special times to be with the Father, and to pray. May we follow his example.
. Life Tasks: Strength for the Journey
There are six life tasks that all adults encounter, with a different emphasis on each during the various decades of life. You will focus on the one(s) that you choose. The tasks are: The Self, Identity (who am I?); Relationships, Intimacy (who will be with me?); Work, Accomplishment (what will I do?); Health, Wholeness, Freedom (can I achieve balance?); Faith, Spiritual Vitality (will my journey be meaningful?); and Commitment, Contribution (can I make a difference?).
. Our Time of Need
What are you currently dealing with? Various points of need are listed (with related Bible verses) and there is space to add other needs. You will choose which area(s) to focus on, and pray about. Examples are: unmet needs; struggling with relinquishment; disappointments and discouragements; going through a barren time; health issues; family concerns; praying for a lost friend or a family member; carrying a heavy burden.
. Prayer Areas and Issues
This topic focuses on specific prayer areas and issues such as bearing fruit; Bible study and prayer; finances; future direction and decisions; health, home and family; relationships; rest and renewal; restoration of life and ministry; seeking the Lord’s power, strength, and wisdom; service; and submitting to him. There are related Bible verses, questions for reflection, and short readings.
. The Servant Leader (separate booklet)
Jesus demonstrated the fact that a leader is called to be a servant. The materials describe what leaders must do to follow Jesus’ example. First there must be a servant heart—leadership character; then a servant head—leadership methods; next servant hands—leadership behavior, and most important, servant habits—leadership commitment and renewal.
The Topics for Short Retreats
These short retreats can be offered to groups over a weekend, or in sessions over a period of several weeks.
. Life Passages and The Missionary Experience
How do our missionary experiences impact on the usual life passages? And how can we find the necessary joy and strength to sustain us? An overview of this retreat will be experienced on the same day the group focuses on the Reflection and Prayer topic Life Tasks. A set of guidelines for leading the retreat is included with the manual.
. New Testament Images of Adult Growth and Change
What can we discover about the adult learning process from Biblical images? They have important implications for ways we discover spiritual truth, and how our faith can develop and grow. The six images are New Wine, The Body, The Blowing Wind, The Yoke, The Grain of Wheat, and The Bread and Cup.
Overview of the Let’s Pray! Manual
The manual provides instruction in facilitating ministry prayer. The Bible lays a strong foundation for healing prayer, and there is a great need for healing in the church and in society. Steps to follow in the facilitation of ministry prayer are listed, with example prayers, worksheets, and other articles and resources to help prepare one to facilitate prayer both individually and in groups.
Application Form
Preparing Leaders for Reflection and Prayer Days and Short Retreats
May 13–22, 2009 at White Oak Conference Center
Return the application form electronically to evelyn_davis@sil.org (not pages 1 and 2). Please request the
persons sending references to forward those electronically.
General Information (use more space if needed)
Name ______________________________
Address ______________________________
Land Line phone __________________ Mobile phone _____________ Fax Number ______________________
If the session of your preference is full by the time we receive your application and references, are you interested
in attending in May, 2010? ________________________
Is a double room acceptable? _______Or do you prefer a single room? _______ ($16 daily surcharge for a single)
How Long a Member of Wycliffe/SIL? _______________ How Long Serving in Current Entity? ____________
If not Wycliffe/SIL, work with ______________________________
Current Job ______________________________
Describe your job responsibilities ______________________________
What do you like best about your current job?
What do you wish could be different? ______________________________
In what other places have you served? ______________________________
What job(s) did you have? ______________________________
Training Focus (use more space if needed)
What is your background in education and/or training (formal and/or informal course work, seminars, etc.)?
What is your background in teaching and/or the delivery of training? ______________________________
What interests you most in considering the possibility of attending the Reflection and Prayer/Retreat training?
______________________________
Could you use this training in your current position? ______________________________
If not in your current position, how do you envision that this training might be useful? _____________________
Are you willing to make a commitment to try to begin offering days of R & P after the training? ______________
The Reflection and Prayer Web Site
In view of the fact that most of the expenses for this training are covered by a scholarship fund, and that the vision for
the training is to get people engaged in a lifestyle of reflection and prayer and then to help others do this also, are you
willing to make an on-going commitment to interact with other participants on the reflection and prayer website?
__________. Note: Betsy Hopkins, a former participant and staff member, is the current coordinator of the site. If you
have any questions about this aspect of the R & P training, before answering the above question, do contact her at
betsy_hopkins@sil.org If you have limited computer or internet access, we can work with you in other ways to include
you in the on-going ministry of sharing R & P with other participants.
Any comments, questions, etc. ______________________________
Finances
If you are requesting financial assistance, please explain why and indicate how much is needed.
______________________________
List the name (and number) of the account that should be charged the $75.00 registration fee after your acceptance,
and also for any balance due after financial assistance is arranged ______________________________
If you are not a member of Wycliffe, please mail a check for the registration fee (made out to SIL International)
to Dr. Evelyn Davis, 18 Winding Poplar Road, Black Mountain, NC 28711.
References
Ask two persons to write a reference for you. At least one should be an administrator or supervisor at your work,
who expresses encouragement and support for your training in Reflection and Prayer, and who speaks to the issue
of how you could use this training in the future. Please list the individuals that you are requesting to send the
references, and ask them to send them electronically to evelyn_davis@sil.org.
Name ______________________________
Name ______________________________
Chapter 7: Intimacy and the Practice of Prayer
Click to enlarge.
Spiritual Intimacy with God
Moving Joyfully Into the Deeper Life
What stage of relationship are you in with Christ? Are you in courtship, marriage or just meeting? Using the image of the church as the Bride of Christ, and Christ as the Bridegroom, Alice Smith delves deep into how intimacy with Christ grows. Just as God has designed you for intimacy in marriage he longs for intimacy in spirit with you.
Chapter 7
Intimacy and the Practice of Prayer
D. L. Moody is remembered for saying that every great move of God can be traced to a kneeling figure. I’m convinced that Moody is correct and that your move toward intimacy is dependent on practicing the discipline of prayer. Therefore, though we touched on the subject in Chapter 6, I want to spend some extra pages sharing some keys I’ve used to unlock this power in my life.
Prayer Has a Head Connection
You know the old adage: “I’m running around like a chicken with its head cut off.” Well, it’s true! When a chicken’s head is chopped off, it will race frantically about for a while, but eventually it will simply collapse. Frankly, nothing could more accurately describe the prayerless Christian. We were born to stay connected to the Lord through prayer, and without his headship, our frantic efforts to look effective will drop lifelessly to the ground.
Prayer is connecting your body to his head. You can’t persevere in great things for God until you connect with your great God in prayer. Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Can you believe it? He will give us his mind if we diligently press into his presence in prayer. Then, it’s no longer me, but Christ in me who is praying.
When you have the mind of Christ, you don’t have to strive to hear his voice—it just flows. Conversely, when you have a blockage, you feel like Job who wrote, “If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling” (Job 23:3).
Nothing prevents us more from finding him and dwelling in his presence than a stronghold of unbelief. Permit me to explain. A stronghold is an impenetrable mindset, or house of thoughts, sometimes even a generational pattern of thinking that refuses change. At the root of this stronghold is a belief system of lies that sets self up as the authority rather than God. And when we are steeped in lies, we knowingly or unknowingly believe and behave in a way other than the way of faith that will accomplish God’s results. The truth is that the spirit of unbelief will either cancel the power of faith, or faith will cancel the power of unbelief—but faith and unbelief cannot coexist. Therefore, when we have a stronghold of unbelief, we cannot have the mind of Christ.
Many of the people Moses led out of Egypt did not enter into the Promised Land because they had a spirit of unbelief. Hebrews 3:19 says, “They were not allowed to enter his rest because of unbelief.” And Hebrews 4:2 says, “The message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not combine it with faith.” When we pick and choose which parts of the Bible we will believe, we give the spirit of unbelief an opportunity to create a stronghold that destroys our ability to have intimacy.
Several years ago, I was teaching at a three-day conference. During the Friday-night ministry session, a beautiful young Scandinavian woman came forward for prayer. Talk about stoic. I felt as though I was praying for a stone. I knew I didn’t have time to deal with the root of her need that first evening so I prayed a short prayer for her and told her to come back on Saturday.
The following day I prayed, “Lord, please show me the root of this woman’s problem.” When I put my hands on her shoulders, I sensed the Lord saying that she had succumbed to a spirit of unbelief. I asked, “Have you or any of your family members struggled with atheism?” The woman confessed that both her father and grandfather had been atheists.
I asked her to renounce the spirit of unbelief and lies that produce doubt and confusion. Suddenly she began shaking violently and fell to the ground. Moments later, like a switch turned on, she was laughing and light hearted. With a broad grin across her face, she exclaimed, “I feel God’s love!”
Often those challenged with a stronghold of unbelief have had a traumatic experience with a father figure and have transferred that fear to God. Their hearts then have been hardened to the Lord so that intimacy can’t be cultivated without prayer and soaking in God’s truth.
People who are struggling with a spirit of unbelief are constantly dealing with negative self-talk and convincing themselves that they are unworthy to be loved or to receive from God. That lie takes up residence in the heart and becomes a stronghold that prevents intimacy. If you are dealing with the stronghold of unbelief, please open you eyes and make the following declaration with me:
“I renounce you, spirit of unbelief and spirit of lies, and I command you to leave my life right now. I break all covenants, vows, and agreements with you. I decree and declare that I am no longer bound by your deception. I decree and declare that God’s Son has set me free and that I am free indeed. In accordance with God’s Word, I announce and proclaim that nothing is impossible with God, therefore, I am free to hear his voice and experience his love now.”
If you have made this declaration, I encourage you to watch your words. Start confessing positive statements such as, “God loves me.” And, “I am loveable.” And, “God desires to share his heart with me.” The following are some scriptures to memorize:
• Everything is possible for him who believes (Mark 9:23).
• I am complete in Christ who is heard over all principalities and powers (Col. 2:9).
• God can do anything, you know--far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us (Eph. 3:20, The Message)
• Finally, brothers whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Phil. 4:8).
As you choose to replace the lies you have believed with the truth of God’s Word, your feelings will catch up with your words and your intimacy will grow—big time! Believe me!
Prayer Requires a Guide
None of us have the ability to get to God without help. I’m reminded of an occasion in the early 70s when Eddie and I had the privilege of meeting Mrs. James Stewart, the wife of the late author and evangelist Dr. James Stewart. Elderly, but still beautiful, Mrs. Stewart proudly affirmed a story told by the visiting preacher at the meeting we attended. The preacher retold it as if Mr. Stewart were speaking.
“One afternoon I was visiting a famous European art gallery by myself. I was keenly disappointed and totally bored. I thought to myself, Why do people come from all parts of the world to visit this place? Sometime later I was invited by believers in that city to tour the same gallery as their guest. I wasn’t very enthusiastic about it, considering my past experience. However, our host employed a guide, and under his skillful instruction, the paintings and tapestries in the gallery came alive. I was thrilled beyond words! I kept repeating, ‘Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!’ I asked one of the hostesses in the group what the difference was between this visit and my previous visit. She thought for a moment, and then with a beaming face said, ‘I see it now. It was the guide!’”
We can’t develop an intimate prayer life apart from the Holy Spirit. He is the guide. Ask him to create a hunger in you for more of God--then get ready to be satisfied. Ask him to guide your time in prayer. The Lord has promised that he will: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” Ask him to get away with you; he will not disappoint you.
Practice Solitude
And speaking of getting away with him, Jesus taught us by example that intimacy is developed in the solitude of prayer. To be close to anyone, we must spend time alone with that person.
Solitude is a hardship when approached from a position of works, but when it is approached from a position of friendship, its absolute joy. Jesus said that he is a “friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24), but we often hurry through life so fast that we forget to take our Friend with us. The distance between where we started out with him and where we end up then creates a void of loneliness. That’s when solitude in prayer is replaced with loneliness of heart. He doesn’t initiate the way back into closeness; we must choose it. The Bible says in James 4:8, “Draw near to him and he will draw near to you.” Many of the Church’s greatest hymns are the outcome of solitude, such as “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Here is the story.
“Joseph Scriven watched in shock as the body of his fiancée was pulled from the lake. Their wedding had been planned for the next day. Reeling from the tragedy, he made up his mind to immigrate to America. Packing up his belongings in Dublin, Ireland, he sailed for Canada, leaving his mother behind. He was about 25 years old.
Years later, in 1855, he received word that his mother was facing a crisis. Joseph wrote this poem and sent it to her. Mrs. Scriven evidently gave a copy to a friend who had it published anonymously, and it quickly became a popular hymn, though no one knew who had written it.
Meanwhile, Joseph fell in love again. But tragedy struck a second time when his bride, Eliza Catherine Roche, contracted tuberculosis and died in 1860 before their wedding could take place.
To escape his sorrow, Joseph poured himself into ministry, doing charity work for the Plymouth Brethren and preaching among the Baptists. He lived a simple, obscure life in Port Hope, Canada, cutting firewood for widows, giving away his clothes and money to those in need. He was described as “a man of short stature, with iron- gray hair, close-cropped beard, and light blue eyes that sparkled when he talked. Ira Sankey later wrote:
Until a short time before his death, it was not known that he had a poetic gift. A neighbor, sitting up with him in his illness, happened upon a manuscript copy of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Reading it with great delight and questioning Mr. Scriven about it, he said that he had composed it for his mother, to comfort her in a time of special sorrow, not intending that anyone else should see it. Some time later, when another Port Hope neighbor asked him if it was true that he had composed the hymn, his reply was, ‘The Lord and I did it between us.’”1
Solitude with God will eventually bring public honor, and things done in obscurity will always be brought out into the light.
Prime the Time
I’ll never forget the summers growing up when we would visit my Uncle Bill and Aunt Claire Day, who lived on a farm in Nacogdoches, Texas that had no indoor plumbing. Sometimes in order to get the water flowing, we would need to prime the pump by adding water to it. Uncle Bill would pour water into the dry shaft. Then as he would thrust the handle up and down, the suction displaced the air, and water flowed freely from the deep water reservoirs below the surface of the earth. Similarly, when God is not flowing through our prayers, there are things we can do to prime the spiritual pump.
The Bible says, “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God” (1 Sam. 30:6, KJV). Just two verses later we read, “And David inquired of the Lord, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, ‘Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.’” By priming his spirit during a difficult time, prayer began and later in verses 18 and 19, we read that everything David had lost was restored.
Perhaps you are having trouble getting started in prayer. Let me encourage you. Worship. Read a book, a devotional, a Scripture. Praise. Reflect on past victories. Any of these can be used to restore the flow of prayer. Allow the Holy Spirit to show you how to encourage yourself in the Lord and prime the time for intimacy.
Realize that Prayer is Communion
My intimate experiences with the Lord have grown and changed throughout the years. So will yours. Jesus can’t reveal everything to any of us at once; we grow closer to him over time. However, “prayer” is the word we use for having communion with Christ.
We tend to think of Communion as relegated only to the Lord’s Supper. The act sounds rather formal and somber; however, Jesus offers the broken bread and poured out wine so that we will “re”-member ourselves as part of his body. In other words, it’s a way of examining our hearts and wherever we have felt disconnected, allowing him to show us how to make the connection again. We must remember to “re”-member for the purpose of staying intimate. I recommend that you experience a personal “Lord’s Supper” as often as possible.
And there is much more about the word “communion” that I want to cover here as a means of developing intimacy through prayer. For example, prayer is not just the quiet time spent in your prayer closet; it also includes making the Lord a part of your daily conversations. Assume his constant presence with you. Ask him to minister to people around you and through you. Ask him for revelation and counsel in every detail of your life. Hey, you can even ask Jesus to help you find a parking spot! Let all of your life become your prayer so that he communes with you and you commune with him about everything.
My friend, pastor and author, Dutch Sheets explains “communion” in this way:
“Second Corinthians 13:14 says, ‘The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.’ The word fellowship here is koinonia and is rich with meaning, as can be seen in the following definitions: The word koinonia implies that the Holy Spirit wants intimacy with us. This very word is used in 1 Corinthians 10:16 to describe the Lord’s Table, the bread and the wine. This is appropriate since it is the Lord’s shed blood and broken body that brings us into covenantal, intimate communion with Him.
The Holy Spirit wants to commune with us. He has much to say if we choose to listen. He is the means to all revelation from God. He is the Teacher. He is a part of the Godhead we’re to be in relationship with. Let him fellowship and commune with you. At times his fellowship with you requires no speaking. Some communion is heart to heart. At times I crawl up to God for a look. Just knowing he is looking back is enough. At other times he shares his heart while I’m gazing.
There is an amazing picture of this sort of intimacy reflected in the following scriptures: The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant (Ps. 25:14, italics mine).
The words “secret” and “intimacy” are translated from the same root Hebrew word cowd, which means “couch, cushion, or pillow.”2
The picture is one of two intimate friends laughing and talking at lunch in a crowded restaurant, oblivious to their surroundings, lost in their conversation. Or, it reminds me of my teen slumber parties. Late at night, we girls would put on our PJ’s, grab our pillows, and sit in a circle to talk, laugh, and tell stories. The Lord desires this same kind of “snuggle close” friendship with you, as if all of your life were an intimate prayer to share together.
Intimates Listen
And speaking of sharing, have you ever known a person who simply wouldn’t tolerate the idea of being quiet? I have. I was acquainted with a woman who talked so incessantly that I wondered how she ever developed intimacy with anyone. Perhaps her constant babbling stemmed from her insecurity, or the fact that she had to be in control at all times. I don’t know. But I do know that good friends listen, especially those who want to live prayerfully close to the Lord.
I often laugh to myself as I watch my friend’s dog, Chester, mindlessly run off while she chases and continues to call his name. He behaves as if he is completely deaf. But when she shouts, “Let’s go bye-bye!” he turns on a dime and dashes for the car. Sadly, the body of Christ is often just as selective with its hearing as that little dog. We get so used to tuning God out that when he has something special to speak into our lives; we’re too distracted to hear him.
At least five times in the New Testament we read, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” It doesn’t say let him talk, but hear. If only we the Church would learn to listen. Listening is always key to developing intimacy in prayer!
Prayer Differs From Intercession
I am often asked, “What is the difference between prayer and intercession?” Let me start by saying that you can pray without intimacy, but you cannot intercede without it. Intercession is praying the burdens of God’s heart. Prayer, however, is talking to the Lord; it is the way in which intimacy is developed. Prayer is also the way we live our daily lives in him--keeping our ears tuned toward him, sharing our thoughts with him, and practicing his presence.
Back in the 1600s there lived a man named Nicholas Herman who was greatly influenced by his parish priest named Lawrence. Young Nicholas served as a soldier and was crippled during the war. Later, he entered the monastic life and took the name Lawrence in want of emulating his mentor. After fifteen years, he worked in the sandal repair shop and eventually went to work in the kitchen washing dishes and practicing the presence of God. He shunned the limelight and sought satisfaction only in the fulfilling of God’s will, whether by suffering or consolation--it did not matter.
Brother Lawrence changed his world by demonstrating for others how to be wholly devoted and how to govern life by love without selfish views. In the book Practicing the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence says,
“There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God. Only those can comprehend it who practice and experience it. Yet I do not advise you to do it from that motive. It is not pleasure that we are to seek in this exercise. Let us do it from a principle of love, and because it is God’s will for us. Were I a preacher I would, above all other things, preach the practice of the presence of God. Were I a director, I would advise all the world to do it, so necessary do I think it, and so easy too. Ah! Knew we but the want we have of the grace and assistance of God, we would never lose sight of Him, no, not for a moment…I do not advise you to use many words and long discourses in prayer, because they are often the occasions of wandering. Hold yourself in prayer before God, like a dumb or paralytic beggar at a rich man’s gate. Let it be your business to keep your mind in the presence of the Lord.”3
I’m reminded of a dear saint of God that I knew who lived in such harmony with the Father that when we talked she had difficulty at times sorting out the conversations. She would say, “Alice, when you come to…Yes, Lord. I will tell her that in a moment…Alice, as I was saying, when you come to….” She was carrying on simultaneous conversations with the Lord and me. And because of the level of holiness on which she lived, it didn’t even seem odd to her. That, my friend, is the intimacy of prayer!
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