Deepening Our Relationship with God Through Spiritual Practices

But it also says everyone who hears these words and doesn't do them is like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand. And so connected to the Sermon on the Mount is this very strong idea that hear plus do equals wise. Like in heaven's mathematics, when it comes to Scripture and the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, hear plus do equals wise, hear plus do not do equals foolish. Hear plus do is firm, an unshakable foundation, Christ alone, a cornerstone. Hear plus do not do is unstable and collapse, uncertain. [00:57:55] (44 seconds)  #HearAndDoEqualsWisdom

Because Jesus is after our hearts. He's after our motives and our intentions and our thought life even more than he's after our habits and what we do. It begins on the inside. Giving away our resources and trusting God with money, but also how we pray, when we pray, why we pray, how we fast, when we fast, why we fast, these require time, energy, and commitment as a priority. [01:00:25] (27 seconds)  #HeartOverHabitsInFaith

There is a reward that only comes from the Father when we learn to strengthen our inner life through a practice of praying in private. And as we seek to become practitioners of Jesus or sincere followers or apprentices or whatever language you want to give it, we have to pay attention to the frequency and the consistency of Jesus going away by himself to spend time in prayer with the Father. [01:04:23] (27 seconds)  #StrengthInPrivatePrayer

I'm like, if Jesus needed to do it, you better believe I do. And what have we learned today? Here plus do equals, you can say it, wise, firm, unshakable foundation. And here plus do not do equals, do you want to be foolish or do you want to be wise? [01:05:41] (26 seconds)  #WiseFoundationHearAndDo

We choose to believe that God is as good as Jesus says he is. And this is why fewer words and a greater degree of listening matter in our private prayer life. To be uncomfortable in silence. To ruthlessly eliminate hurry in our prayer closet. To pay close attention to our hearts, our worries, our anxious thoughts and fears. [01:13:48] (27 seconds)  #SilenceAndSurrenderInPrayer

And I paid attention to that thought on my knees before the Lord. And I did what Scripture asked us to do when those moments happened. I surrendered in silence. I took a wrong thought captive. And I said, God, I know this isn't you. This is not my good father. And so I held it metaphorically. But I actually was like, okay, that's what the enemy's whispering to my heart. What is it the Lord wants to speak to my heart? And I sat in silence and that thought came back and I went, nope, that's not God. Enemy, you've got no authority here. And I was weeping by myself. And all of a sudden, from deep within me, I heard this whisper that said, courage, son. Courage. And that fear just melted. It's just gone. And that anxiousness and that imposter syndrome just melted. Kneeling in silence, and this one single word began to shout itself loudly from the inside out. Courage, son. [01:15:17] (71 seconds)  #CourageFromQuietFaith

To ask to be forgiven while oneself refusing to forgive is hypocritical. And those who ask for forgiveness must be a forgiving people. Whether the offense is concerned, our past or future, the issue isn't whether somebody apologizes. The issue isn't whether they're working to rectify or make things better. The issue is, if I ask for grace, am I giving it? If I ask for forgiveness, am I quick to say, of course I forgive you. Of course. Not, I forgive you, but it's going to be different. Not, I forgive you, and you don't deserve it. None of us deserve it. That's grace, undeserved favor. [01:20:46] (47 seconds)  #NoUnforgivenessOnlyChoice

``God does not forgive us because we forgive others, but on the basis of the blood of Christ. However, an unforgiving spirit will hinder a prayer life and show that a person has no understanding of the grace of God. And if Ryan Solomons was in the room, he'd say, there's no such thing as an unforgiving spirit. And I agree with him. Oh, I have some unforgiveness. No, you have bitterness, anger, resentment, pain. Invite the Lord into that, and forgiveness will find its way. There's no such thing as unforgiveness. There isn't. You either forgive, and you're intentional about it, or you don't, and you're intentional about it. Unforgiveness is Christian gobbledygook for I have a bad attitude. [01:22:15] (50 seconds)  #FastingAmplifiesPrayer

And fasting, just so you know, is not social media. It's not, I'm taking a break from Instagram. Fasting is food. It's always related to food. And I would love, if you want teaching on fasting in greater in -depth, practicing the way, John Mark Comer, some of the teachings that they've produced about food fast. And how, when I fast from food, I identify with poor people. When I fast from food, it's like I put a megaphone up to my mouth in my prayer life. For some reason, it amplifies my prayer. When I fast from food, it postures my heart to deeper dependence on the Spirit. [01:23:19] (39 seconds)  #PrayerAndFastingUnlockPower

But remember, in what we give away financially, in our private prayer life that overflows into our public, and in fasting, it's not just that we do these things. But it's that we take the time to pay attention to our hearts for why we do these things. Because following Jesus is not about checking boxes. It's about surrendering our hearts, our thoughts, our emotions, our intentions. King Jesus, your Lord of it all. [01:27:44] (31 seconds)