Thursday, December 30, 2010

Timing, Prayer, Moses.

whats up.

Today I wanted to talk about timing and how way off we always seem to be. Nobody like to be reminded of God's perfect timing when they are smack in the middle of waiting for it take place on a halo bomb. In our day and age, newspapers are becoming obsolete because they can't get our information to us fast enough. Wait a whole day to find out the Knicks score?? NO chance, get me my iPad, now.
The best example of patience and prayer is, of course, Moses in the desert for 40 years. 40 years of people doubting him, and wandering around a desert. I can't imagine sitting in my own cushy life and waiting on a prayer to hit for 40 years. Another good example is Daniel in chapter 10. He kept praying for the understanding to a complex vision. He prayed and fasted and meditated, got dust. God sent the messenger right away to answer his prayer, but Satan delayed the messenger and God had to bring in the Mo Rivera angel aka Michael to help the message get to Daniel.
I like the aspects of the Daniel example. Maybe we pray for something and God is planning on getting it taken care of right away, but then the Devil gets in the way. Maybe we let that trace of doubt creep in our head about how the prayer won't really help or this takes forever, and the Devil uses that as momentum to delay it long enough for us to give up on it and miss the message.

I guess, my point here is I believe that waiting on God's timing is going to be a growing challenge for us. With our society getting faster and faster, the virtue of patience on God's timing is going to sneak up your list needs pretty quick. Just a reminder to keep this at the top of your minds and hoooooooooooooooooooooooold on to those prayers.

On a positive note, some of you might have been praying for me since I missed my day to post. Then you woke up this morning and see that I rolled out of bed and got it done! yes, it was technically late, but we got it. Thanks for the prayers

ONE

Ty

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Money and Worry

Gents,

hope everyone is enjoying bowl season. Boise State looks flat so far... anyways lets get going.

before we reorganized here, I replied to Jules on an email and had some things sitting on my chest like an elephant. Biggest topic was money, and how it was occupying my mind. To sum up for those who have missed it, I was just saying how the main things on my brain have been "get money, then get more money". All of this felt from the pressure of a new addition to our family and busting out of our house at the seams. We just had our second daughter, Harper, and actually she is a really good baby. Only problem is the manly desire I have to provide or make things better for my family.
We have been over the money issue before, but it always comes back up as a problem in my life. It is mentioned over and over in the bible as something to be mindful of. I have been in talks with Nolan on this and his point is a good one. It is a HEART issue as well as a money issue (Nolan, feel free to elaborate on a reply). Your heart is in the wrong direction when money is at the top of your list. And, I agree with that for the most part. I have another direction that weighs on me with the issue of money and that is WORRY.
I told Terry this conversation that I was having with a friend of ours, who actually got me my first real job in sales after pro ball. This guy has done very well in sales and is making tons of money. He is also working late every night and stressed out Boiler Room styles. Anyways, I was talking to this friend at lunch the other week, and I was going on and on about how I want a promotion. I deserve it! Im sick of this! I need more money! I got a 13 yr old car, my house is to small. I want out of this ghetto neighborhood, blah blah blah. His reply to this was very helpful. it is an old lesson, but it bears repeating. He simply said, "well, I have a huge house. I have two brand new cars, very high paying job and I hate my life" Folks, the grass is always always always greener.
So, to bring us home on the Worry factor of money. I am always worried about bills and cars breaking down and house payments and Christmas presents being good enough. Does this convo sound familiar ("Well, we spent $50 on your mom and only $45 on my mom, we are going to have to go find something else for my mom". haha what a joke). I like these verses from Matthew about worry and how useless it is:

Matthew 6:25- Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about y our body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the b ody more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
-little PETA slam there as well. Humans ARE more important than birds, go figure

We all see the point here with this verse. Stop worrying, it helps nothing and changes nothing. Be proactive, get out and make your own worry disappear with work. The birds dont have barns and yet God still provides them with food everyday, but they have to work for it.

ONE

Ty

Theology topic

I'm in the middle of a text exchange with a Jehovah's witness. He just threw at me I don't celebrate Christmas because in scripture it doesn't say Christ was born on Dec. 25th? Thoughts?

December Points To Jesus

My pastor last Sunday spoke on the birth of Christ and how it is another revelation that points us to the Savior and our need to be redeemed. It hit me really hard and brought me back to a familiar place where I thought about all the non-believers and the people who claim Christian just because it sounds sophisticated. My heart is broken for them and I wanted to spend this time to remind us all that we need to pray for them with a diligent pursuit. I really believe that is the worst place a person can be in, being that of ignorance (not knowing they need a savior because they don't feel lost). For by all of God's revelations we (all of us) will be without an excuse as to why we didn't believe in him and accept His truth.

Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead so they are without excuse."

As much as there is a need to pray for the nonbelievers there also is a need for us to press in so we will have the foundation and faith muscle to stand firm in the face of the enemies attacks. Let's all take a minute and throw up a prayer for the group, the non believers, and ourselves.

Monday, December 20, 2010

A Sheath With No Sword


I wanted to let you guys in on something I started almost 2 weeks ago. I had a conversation with a friend of mine where we were talking about life, the bible, etc. and at one point of the conversation I wanted to make a point using a specific quote from scripture to validate what I was trying to say. Unfortunately, I couldn’t quote the scripture and to make it worse, I didn’t even know what book of the Bible it was in…I just “knew” it was in the Bible somewhere. I left that conversation very frustrated with myself. So I began to think about the whole thing and play it back in my head and tried to think of all the scriptures that I knew by memory. The list of memorized verses was frighteningly short. At the next moment, by God’s providence, I began to recall everything that I knew, basically, by heart. I was very convicted by what I knew by heart in comparison to what I didn’t know. I could recall whole movies (Dumb and Dumber, Anchorman, etc.), whole songs (most of these should remain nameless), complete MLB lineups (past and present), and telephone numbers from my childhood, but no scripture!!

Here’s where God really grabbed my attention…The few verses I did know were all rooted in MY benefit. I knew what the Bible had to say when it came to MY salvation, but knew almost nothing outside of things that “pertained to ME’. Why do I care so much about MY salvation and don’t really pay much attention to the other parts of scripture?? It’s because I’m self-centered at the core and more concerned with ME rather than God and HIS glory. How hypocritical it is to say I love the God of my salvation, but not really care about what He’s said about Himself or any other part of scripture enough to know some of it by heart?? I know that “all scripture is God breathed and profitable…”, So I’m not knocking on the verses that I and many of you know, but we miss so much when all we know is John 3:16 and a verse or two out of Philippians.

How are we supposed to “meditate on His law day and night…” unless it’s known by heart?? There are lots of times where I don’t have my Bible handy. How am I supposed to fend off the devil with out a sword to fight with?? Satan is millions of times more powerful than we are…our only hope is when God’s word abides in us.

So what I have started is nothing fancy…I’ve simply started trying to memorize scripture. I started with Psalm 1 and 51…and for the first time in my life I have meditated on God’s word using memorized scripture. It is AMAZING the difference!! For those of you who do this already you understand…for those of you who don’t, TRY IT. God really does something supernatural through this…I can’t explain it. All I do is pray and seek God’s help with the memory and pray that He would help me delight in it’s truths…

So it’s my prayer that those of you who aren’t doing this that you would give it a shot…and for those who already do it, be encouraged!! Let’s be a people who craves knowing and understanding scripture…

- Nolan Gottlieb

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Prayer Agenda

"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your father knows what you need before you ask him." Matthew 6:7-8 ESV

I find myself often feeling guilty about my prayer time. So at times I'll rush up some prayers and find myself after it feeling even worse. I guess I just get lazy, and that's convicting to even admit because when we pray God is right there. He doesn't sit prayers out! He already knows my needs so why am I so pressed to tell him right away? I gotta line up prayers with God's word. From finances to sex, what doesn't the Bible tell us!? It blows my mind how true and relevant it is. So here we go:

1. Confess Sins (pour it out)
2. Holy Spirit takes over (can't happen without #1... get the flesh to shut up)
3. Petitions of Praise
       -what God has done for me, and others
       -remind him to remind yourself all he's done for you (so many blessings we take for granite)
4. Petition of Needs
       -your last! Matt 6:7


Let's try to hold each other accountable on our prayer life. Prayer Warriors!!! Let's take it serious and "pray so much we need some knee pads." - Andre 3000