Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

What should you and I do when we have needs?  Easy answer:  PRAY! That is what Jesus is communicating to his followers in Matthew 7:7.  It could be that Jesus and his disciples are at a place of need as Jesus speaks. Hunger.  Thirst.  Shelter.  Energy. Perseverance.  Protection.  Whatever need they had, Jesus’ instruction was clear: PRAY!

Why did Jesus have to share this with his followers, because it seems like commonsense to pray when we have needs.  Jesus shares this command in 3 ways (ask, seek, knock) for a very simple reason…because we DON’T pray when we’re in need.  All too often we do something much different than pray when in need.

So why don’t we pray?  We know we need to, or that we’re supposed to as followers of Christ.  I want to suggest the #1 prayer barrier is because we aren’t impressed with God.  We don’t pray because we’ve lost the luster of God.  We don’t consider and aren’t amazed at the grandeur of God.  We don’t sit and take the time and invest ourselves in prayer because we’re not consumed with our Creator.  Something has gone wrong and we’ve become impressed with other things, far and above God.  We text, we buy, we watch TV, we “do” other things, other than pray.  Why?  Because we’re far more impressed with other things far and above the creator of the universe, and the savior of our souls.  (I put myself in this category as well.)

Our enemy feeds us the deceiving lie that nothing will happen when we pray.  Our time can be better spent “doing” something about our need, rather than “praying” about our need.  Jesus promises 7 times in Matthew 7:7-11 that God will answer us with good things as we pray and ask, seek and knock.  But our enemy says, don’t bother.  Do something yourself.  Solve the need yourself.  Open the doors yourself.  Use your networks and connections you have personally to do something about your needs.  Don’t pray.  Do “do.”

When we are gripped with the greatness of God we delight in praying and talking to God – we don’t pray begrudgingly out of duty to God because we’re “supposed” to.  We delight in spending time with God.  Let me say it this way.  Inasmuch as we are impressed with God, we pray to God.  If little, then we pray little. If much, then we pray much.

So…what is your temperature today in measuring your being gripped by the greatness of God?

Here’s a practical help to get “re-gripped” by the greatness of God.  Consider and marinate daily on the gospel.  The good news that even though we rejected and rebelled against God, he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue the rejectors and rebellious ones.  The rejected God is also the rescuing the rejectors God.  Awesome.

Dig Deeper.

PC

I’ve received a lot of feedback from yesterday’s message on Matthew 7:7-11.  Positive for the most part.  May God increase, and may I decrease!  Thanks to all who received the message well, and I pray now that God roots the truths of the text in your hearts for many days to come.

What I’m finding out most is that most people resonated with the portion of CHOCOLATE BEFORE BED PRAYERS. What I mean by this is Jesus promises us 7 times in Matthew 7:7-11 that as we ask, seek or knock, we WILL receive, find or have the door opened for us.  Jesus promises believers good things as they ask, seek and knock.  Done.  He WILL give.  He WILL open.  We WILL find.

The secret of this is rooted in what we will receive.  Here’s what He says will receive when we ask, seek and/or knock:  good things.  So…what are good things?  Good things may or may not be what we ask of God.  They may be.   But they may not be.

My daughter recently asked me for chocolate before bedtime.  I know how to give her good things, and I love giving her good things.  As she asked me for chocolate before bed I had a decision to make.  Yes or No.  I chose “no.” Why?  Because I love her and always am poised and ready to give her good things.  So I didn’t give her what she asked for.  I gave her bedtime.  That was a good thing for her.  It replenished her.  It refueled her.  It made her ready for another great day as a 2-year old.  I knew what she needed, but she really didn’t understand what she needed.  Do we ever do this to God in prayer?  Are we ever de-motivated to pray because we’ve tried asking, seeking and knocking and it hasn’t worked?  Do we ever not believe God because we’ve tried asking, seeking or knocking and those 7 promises seemed not to come true?  I’d say we’ve all been there.

Here’s the bottom line:  Are we praying chocolate before bed prayers?  Are we trusting in God to ALWAYS give to us good things, even when it appears he’s saying no to our requests?  When God doesn’t answer us according to our prayers, He’s not saying “no”, rather, He’s saying I’m giving you something good that you might not be able to see yet.

Sometimes waiting is good because it produces further trust and further experiences of God.  Sometimes pain is a good thing from God because it refines us to look more like Christ.  Sometimes pressure is a good thing from God because it forces us to rely on His strength and His persevering power at work in us.

Where are you?  Do you believe God ALWAYS comes through when we ask, seek and knock with good things?  Jesus says he does.  God always gives us when we ask him…just look for His definition of good.

Dig Deeper

PC

At the DeArman house recently we have been on a Finding Nemo kick.  CS loves the movie.  She gets a kick out of all the fish and sea creatures…She gets a kick out of it.  I’m over it.  But…she gets a kick out of it so she wins.  Anyway, lessons from the movie are a plenty.

DORY:  Dory, the friend of Nemo’s Dad, Marlin, is a carefree kind of fish. She technically is a Pacific Regal Blue Tang.   Nothing gets to Dory.  She’s cool, calm and collected.  Not bothered by much.  No worries in her world.

MARLIN: Marlin is Nemo’s Dad.  He’s an Orange Clownfish.  He, in contrast to Dory, is a worrier.  He’s a worrier due to the fact that his family suffered great tragedy in the past, and he intends to guard against any further future tragedies, and so he keeps a tight reign on Nemo, his son.

Dory has a saying that say mentions as Marlin is, well, worrying.  She says, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” What she is saying is profound.  Keep on going!  Don’t give up!  Just keep doing what you do!  She is encouraging Marlin to not give up hope, but to keep living.

I think there’s a lesson there for all of us.  What’s got you worried today?  Money?  Marriage?  Parenting?  Job? Economy? The political scene?  School? Friends?  Relationships?  Just keep swimming.

Here’s a deeper tip, though, that is core-level to being a believer in Jesus Christ.  Here’s how to keep swimming: Matthew 6:25-34.  Your identity as a child of God is a sharp tool against worry.  You’ve been blood-bought with Jesus death on the cross.  Through faith in Jesus, You’re a child of God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the blood-bought child of the Supreme and Sovereign One.  So because of this, just keep swimming!

Here’s some scriptures to encourage you today.  Look ‘em up and be encouraged:

• Matthew 6:26
• Matthew 6:30-32
• Romans 8:12-17
• Galatians 4:1-7
• Ephesians 1:5
• Colossians 1:9-14

Sonya and I moved last weekend.  Actually we moved all of last week.  We spent several weeks packing the home where we lived and raised the girls EB and CS for the past 4 years.  Lots of memories there.  Lots of tears, laughter, guests, etc.  That was a great house.

What i’m not excited about are all the things that come with moving.  Setting up new services.  Transferring new services.  Set up fees.  Inconveniences of boxes everywhere.  Rehanging decorations.  Remembering where the coffee cups are in this house.  You know, all that stuff.

But we’re excited about this house too.  It’s close to EB’s school.  Great place to swim, run, be outside.  Great community.  Closer to where we spend most of our time.  All that stuff.  Also, sorting through the clutter and chaos.

Moving has got me thinking a bunch, theologically.  That’s dangerous.  Right now we have clutter and boxes everywhere. We’re working on getting settled, but it’s a work in progress.  We don’t know where we’re going to put certain things.  We’re in the middle of chaos.  In our lives, where is the clutter and boxes?  In your life, what needs “unpacking?”  What needs to be disclosed, unpacked, sorted through, evaluated?

Psalm 139:23-24 is a great verse.  It says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

We all need to be sorted through consistently, at least 1 time a month.  Our enemy distorts truth about who God is and what he’s done, and how he’s rescued the rebellious ones, even us.  What if we took 1 day a month, one afternoon, one morning, one day and de-cluttered…evaluated…sorted through our thoughts with the Holy Spirit at the helm?

Wanna join me?

Dig Deeper,

PC

Man, this week in the Word, my life was changed as I was reminded of a transformational truth.  It was life-giving to me.

I’m a self-confessed worrier.  I can worry about anything.  Why?  Because I’m a control freak.  I like a plan.  I like guardrails. I like rules.  I like to plot the course and travel down the road laid out for me.  Problem is, life doesn’t always play by the rules.  Life doesn’t always work out.  God doesn’t always give us the road map ahead of time – he gives it to us as we need it so that we’ll learn a rock-solid trust in who he is and learn faith along the journey.

So what to do with worry?  Couple of things:

We need to know that Worry and Anxiety is a part of the human condition and won’t go away until He returns.

We need to “not” try to rid ourselves of worry and anxiety by putting our lives in a box.

We need to FIGHT worry with gospel identity:  Here’s what I mean by this:  Jesus tells us “do not worry about your life…” (Matthew 6:25).  He then tells us why we don’t have to worry…This is where it gets good.  We don’t have to worry because we’re NOT Lilies and Birds.  Jesus says that he takes care of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.  He then tells us we are more valuable than they are.  He’s saying don’t worry because you aren’t birds or lilies.  Who are we?  He says we are the Father’s kids.  He says “your Heavenly Father feeds them and clothes them. (Matt. 6:26 & Matt. 6:32)  Don’t miss this.  Jesus says we have a Heavenly Father.  We…sinful, rebellious, rejectors of God and worshippers of created things are the Father in Heaven’s kids.  The Father that we have rejected is also the Father who has rescued us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, adopting us as His children.

So…the point is this:  Fight Worry with Gospel-Identity.  We have a powerful weapon as we are prone to worry and be anxious.  That weapon is the truth that we are blood-bought children of the King.

Who are you?  Are you believing what God calls you if you’ve placed faith in Christ?  Inasmuch as you believe the truth of who and whose you are, your worry and anxieties will decrease.

Believe today!

Pastor Chris.

I think I’ve written about APTAT before.  If I have, sorry about that, but I’m writing about it again.  This is so powerful.  This is so life-giving!  So simple, yet so mind-blowing!

As we seek to follow the Lord in deeper ways in 2012, let me commend to you APTAT.  What is APTAT?

• Admit you can do nothing without Jesus
• Pray for help from the Father
• Trust in God’s Word – his promises
• Act on God’s Word and what it says instead of emotions
• Thank God for his faithfulness

That’s APTAT.  In your life, as you seek to apply the Word of God to your daily walk with Christ, this is a helpful tool to lead you deeper into Jesus and what he wants to do in and through you.  Have something you know you must do that God is leading you towards?  Fearful about that?  Here’s how APTAT works.

Father, I admit I’m scared here and that I can’t do what you’ve called me to do apart from you.  I pray for your help, your strength and for courage to follow you.  I trust that your Word says that “I am with you always, until the end of the age.”  Act and follow through in Trust in God’s bloodbought promise to you and me.  Thank God for what he’s doing/will do through His  leading.

I’ve posted a link for you to look at it more in depth here:  http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/dana-doug-and-an-aptat-recap

Dig Deeper,

PC

Prayer is a difficult thing to get!  It’s a life-long journey of learning how to communicate with God…learning how to focus and not get distracted…learning how to NOT fall asleep…learning how to not drift mentally…

Prayer is so hard, and I’m certainly not as far along on the journey as I’d like to be.  But one thing that I see Jesus giving advice about in regards to prayer is this:  The result of praying is either poison or pleasure.  Check out Matthew 6:5-14 for more.

There are 2 groups of prayers:

Group 1: Jesus tells us that those who pray for public praise & pray so that others will make much of them have a reward (6:5).  What is their reward?  I believe their reward is just what they’re asking for.  They receive public praise and their name and reputation get’s made much of.  That’s their reward, and it’s poison.  It’s poison because being made much of and receiving public praise leads to pride and destruction.  And this was what was happening to the Pharisees.  They lived for self exaltation.  And self-exaltation leads to death because at its root it’s idolatry.

Group 2: Jesus tells us how to pray.  ”Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (6:9).  Their goal is the exaltation of God’s name, not their own name.  Their goal is to make much of God and to lift up God alone, not themselves.  They also received a reward.  They receive pleasure.  We receive pleasure when our desire is for God to be made much.  When we live for God first we enter in to a new dimension of life.  Real Life. True Life.  True Joy.  True fulfillment.  True happiness.

So…what group are we in?

Dig Deeper, RiverStone!

PC

God’s encouragement is fuel that gets us moving in order to follow through with an assignment from God. God’s patter in Scripture is this:  He calls…he encourages…He moves and proves faithful…People experience God…People Worship God.  God Gets glory.

In light of this above a couple of thoughts: What is God calling you to in 2012?  What door has he opened wide for you to walk through this year?  As a church, what is God leading us towards in 2012?  These are such important questions as we look forward to having a “Greater Things” year.

• Assignment:  Go over the Jordan and take the land.  Encouragement: Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you…No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.  Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.  I will never leave you or forsake you…Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:1-9)

  Assignment:  “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, and go up to Ai.” Encouragement: “See, I have given them into your hand…the Lord God will give it into your hand.” (Joshua 8:1-9)

  Assignment: “Do not fear them (enemies)”…go to war against them.  Encouragement: “Not a man of them shall stand before you.” (Joshua 10:1-8)

  Assignment: Take the remaining land.  Encouragement: “The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight.  And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.” (Joshua 23:1-5)

  So…how could Joshua and the people follow through with the assignment of God, fueled by the encouragement from God?  He believed God at His Word.  Whatever God encouraged, God did.  Whatever God promised, God delivered.  God’s encouragements are promises.

  Let this give you fuel for 2012, and let 2012 be a year that we all believe God at His Word!

  Dig Deeper,

  PC

What comes to your mind when you think about the number 40?

For me 2 things.

1. The U2 song, “40.” Here’s a link to that amazing song!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czzIhi3s7UY
2. 40 years old…I can’t believe I’m gonna reach that milestone in 5 years.  It blows my mind to think that life has me 5 years away from being 40 years old.  (No offense to those who have reached that glorious milestone, and beyond.)
3. 40 years is how long the Israelites wandered in the wilderness.

I want to camp out on #3 for a minute.  God has been helping me to see through His Word that the result of pursuing “His clear assignment” is wandering.  We talked about this at length on Jan. 8th in our corporate worship.  When we say “no” to God, nothing good ever happens.  When we “run” from God, why is it that we believe our joy will increase?  It will in fact decrease, because the wandering begins.  That’s what happened to the Israelites in Numbers 13-14.

Our main text on January 8th was Joshua 1:1-11.  We began with the premise that God desires to do “Greater Things” in 2012 in and through RiverStone Church for His Glory.  Not for our praise.  But for His Glory.  He wants to do more.  He wants to reach more.  He wants to show the praise of His Glorious Grace to more and more people.  We believe this.

But one thing is foundational for us: “Greater Things” begin when we are participating in His agenda, and not our own.  Joshua would experience a great movement of God as he followed God; not by following his own lead.  Joshua and the people of Israel would stop wandering around the desert as they participated and responded to God’s Agenda, not their own desires.

What exactly was God’s Agenda for Joshua and the people of Israel?  Cross the Jordan and take the land. Why did God want them to do so?  So that the fame of God’s name would spread!  We have the same agenda today from Jesus – “Go and make disciples of all nations…(Matthew 28:19-20).  Why?  So that the fame of God’s name would spread to the ends of the earth.”

So…it’s time to decide.  In 2012:

• Do we want to see Greater Things?
• Who’s agenda are we pursuing?
• Do we believe Joshua 1:5 and 9?

Hey RiverStone,

We are so fortunate to have capable and Godly Men in our faith family.  Dan Underwood is one of those men at RiverStone!  I praise God for him bringing the Word on Sunday, January 1st.  As we talked prior to him teaching, I shared with him a prayer for RS from my heart.

One of my prayers is that in 2012 we would grow deeper in our APPETITE FOR THE WORD OF GOD as a Faith Family.  I’m asking God to give us a deeper hunger for the truth of the Word and the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ than we had in 2011.

As Dan preached the Word, he shared the great tools that are out there to help us get in to the Word in 2012.  There are many tools available, and I’ll post some links below to some Bible Reading Plans that are out there via the web.  You don’t have to use any of these, but please have a strategy of feeding and developing a hunger for God’s Word this year.

• Here’s what I’m using in 2012:  http://www.youversion.com/reading-plans/life-journal-reading-plan
• Some other options: 
•  http://www.youversion.com/about/reading-plans
• http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/12/27/bible-reading-plans-for-2012/