Will Davis Jr.'s Blog, page 14

Do You Believe in Prayer?

I believe in prayer. I believe in prayer totally, absolutely. I know it works. I became a “believer” after about the five hundredth coincidence between events and my prayers. After a while, you start to get the feeling that something’s up.

Let me give you an example. Recently I flew from my home in Austin, Texas, to Chicago to interview three potential staff members for our church. My 6: 15 a.m. flight to O’Hare was delayed by weather and by the crew’s need for adequate rest. When I finally got to O’Hare, I sat from 9: 30 a.m. to 3: 30 p.m. in the same booth of an airport restaurant while I met with the three candidates. (I think my waitress thought I was part of some CIA conspiratorial meeting. She probably never quite figured out why I was having a series of strange meetings with different people.)

After my last appointment, I walked back to the gate, exhausted, only to face more weather delays, noisy crowds, and cramped quarters. Once I finally snuggled into seat 22B on my flight back to Austin, I did my best to avoid any real conversation with the guy in 22A. He quickly ordered three beers and seemed content to sit and sip while I sat and sulked. I was tired and irritable and wanted to be left alone.

Things were on their way to a conversation-free two-hour flight when suddenly the guy in 22A started talking. It seemed the Michelob Light had loosened his tongue. The man’s name was Scott. He was thirty-two, recently divorced, and on his way to Fort Hood, Texas, for deployment to the Middle East. It didn’t take long for me to discern that Scott was probably not a believer and that he was lonely and hurting. Serious bummer.

I am a pastor and, more importantly, a Christian. I’m the perfect candidate to help a guy like Scott. But (I’m ashamed to admit) I didn’t want to. My emotional tanks were near empty, and I was ready to be “off duty” for the rest of that already long day. Knowing that God expects me to be alert to such opportunities and to steward them well, however, I prayed, “Father, I’m really tired, and I could use some rest. But if you want me to talk to this guy, then please show me.”

I hadn’t even finished praying those last two words when Scott turned to me and said, “So, what do you do for a living?”

Great. I actually laughed and shook my head at God’s sense of humor before I turned to Scott and said, “I’m a pastor.”

Now, telling someone you’re a pastor can kill a conversation. But not this one. Scott looked like he had just won the lottery. For the next two hours, we talked about his divorce, his childhood, the death of his stepfather, his cousin’s recent alcohol-related car wreck that killed an innocent young girl, his upcoming deployment, death and heaven, the resurrection of Jesus, and the veracity of the Gospels.

Before we were done, the man in the seat in front of Scott had joined in the conversation. He was a district judge from Louisiana who had just completed a two-week mission trip in India helping the survivors of the 2004 tsunami. I was fully expecting “Amazing Grace” to play through the plane’s PA system at any moment.

Like I said, I believe in prayer. Do you? If so, then what follows will inspire you, encourage you, and quite possibly forever change the way you approach prayer and what you expect from it. Are you ready to have a huge burst of spiritual adrenaline added to your prayer life?

From Pray Big, also known as The Power of Praying Boldly.

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Serve Your City This Weekend!

Greetings, friends!

Just a reminder that this weekend is Serve Our City Weekend…there will be no worship services at any of our ACF communities on August 29/30th. This is your opportunity to get out in your community and make new friends while serving others. If you missed the chance to sign up online, you can still be a part of this awesome weekend by contacting Chelsea Landis at Chelsea@acfellowship.org .

 

Sunday, August 30, 6:30pm, ACF Events Center – City Wide Worship Night presented by Expression Church – Join us for an incredible night of worship. This event is for all people and all churches so please invite someone new so they can experience Jesus alongside of you. Can’t wait to see you there!

 

 

Our new series, Love Where You Live, begins in September!  When Jesus was asked to reduce everything to one command, He gave us a simple strategic plan that has the potential to change the world…Love your neighbor as yourself – Matthew 22:39.  During this series, you will gain insight into God’s truth and learn some practical steps in the art of neighboring. Groups will launch in late September that will further delve into the study, The Art of Neighboring. Contact your 2:42 group coordinator in your community to find out more!

 

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Prayers for Back to School Week, Part 5

Pray that your child will respect authority.

The list of authority figures that your child meets on a daily basis is endless—counselors, teachers, principals, coaches, tutors, pastors, friends’ parents, and even police officers and other civil servants. How your kid reacts to and treats authority figures is a vivid indicator of how she’ll respond to the authority of God.

In Romans 13, we’re instructed to honor and obey our leaders, including government leaders, because they have been placed in authority by God. Our submission to them is a reflection of our submission to and trust in God. In verse 7, Paul echoed the teachings of Jesus when he wrote, “Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

In 1 Peter, Peter underscored the sentiments of Jesus and Paul. He wrote, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right” (1 Peter 2: 13– 14). And in his first letter to Timothy, Paul even called for the church to pray for government leaders: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Tim. 2: 1– 2).

Unfortunately, these inspired biblical commands seem to have been lost on this culture. How many headlines have you read recently that tell of kids disobeying, mocking, and even physically attacking the people in authority over them? And in our recent history, when we had presidents whom many Christians didn’t like or support, instead of being prayed for, they were openly attacked and even hated by many churchgoing people.

What kind of example does that set for our children?

In Matthew 8, Jesus’s encounter with a Roman centurion offered a profound insight into the importance of submission to authority. Acknowledging Jesus’s authority and his power over sickness, the centurion said, “For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (v. 9). Jesus affirmed the man’s faith and humility.

The leadership principle in this passage is clear: only those who are under authority are qualified to be over others. Only those who submit are qualified to be submitted to.

If we want our kids to grow into good and capable leaders— men and women of authority— then they have to learn early on how to submit to and respect those in authority over them. They have to learn that obedience to God and the leaders he’s placed in authority over them isn’t optional. Pray that your child will learn to respect, honor, and submit to her leaders. Pray that she’ll always be respectful of elected officials, even those she disagrees with.

Pray Romans 13: 7 for your child: Holy God, please help my child to be obedient to those in authority over her and to always give them appropriate levels of respect and honor.

A Verse to Pray for Your Child

Matthew 7: 24: Lord Jesus, help my child to hear your words and put them into practice, much like the wise man who builds his house on a secure foundation.

 

From–Pray Big for Your Child: The Power of Praying God’s Promises for Your Child’s Life

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Prayers for Back to School Week–Part 4

Pray that your child will honor God in sports and other activities.

A few years ago, my daughter made it to the state finals in track. She attended a relatively small, private high school. The school competed against other smaller schools from all over the state. My daughter wasn’t competing against the fastest girls in the state, but it was still an honor for her to be invited.

On the day of the meet, I was a nervous wreck. My daughter, on the other hand, was very calm. She couldn’t have cared less how the race went. That, of course, drove her anxious and former track-running father crazy. The race was the 300-meter hurdles. It’s a long, grueling sprint with hurdles thrown in just to make it even more torturous. It’s also painful to watch.

As the race began, I found that my prayer life had a sudden boost of energy:

O God, please make Emily fast! God, help her to clear that hurdle! Oh, she’s last! Why is she in last place? Please help her to run faster! God, why is that girl in front so fast? I bet she takes steroids. Please make her fall on the next hurdle. O God, Emily’s gaining! Make her run faster! Go, God, go!

On and on it went. I just blabbered and blabbered all these goofy prayers. I wonder what God thinks when we pray like that.

Needless to say, while my prayers lacked eternal significance, they didn’t lack passion. I think God understands (and, thankfully, puts up with) a parent’s impassioned prayer for his or her child’s sporting performance. But there is more to competition than winning. If we all pray for our kids to win all the time, most of us are going to end up very disappointed.

What does God want for our kids to experience through activities like Little League, drama club, a debate tournament, or a spelling bee? Simply stated, God wants our kids to honor him. Sports and other activities give young men and women of God the chance to conduct themselves and perform in such a manner that lets Christ shine through them.

How your son responds when he makes or misses a free throw, or how your daughter reacts when her soccer team loses— again— can go a long way toward bringing glory to Christ. How your child treats teammates and competitors will also give them a chance to point to what’s eternal.

It’s okay for your child to want to win. There’s nothing wrong with that. But more importantly, you want your child to seize the platform that sports and competition offer him and to do all he can to glorify God. So pray for your child’s competitions. Pray that he will always compete fairly and honorably. Pray that your child will play hard and always give his best effort. Pray that he will honor coaches, support teammates, and respect opponents.

Pray 1 Corinthians 10: 31 for your child: Father, I pray that whatever my child does, including sports and competitions, he will do for your glory.

From–Pray Big for Your Child: The Power of Praying God’s Promises for Your Child’s Life

 

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Prayers for Back to School Week, Part 3

Pray that your child will have godly friends.

When my wife was growing up, she had a close friend who was very committed in her relationship with God. The two were inseparable in school. They played together, spent the night at each other’s houses, studied together, went shopping together, and were cheerleaders together. They also kept each other out of trouble. Susie credits their friendship with helping her to make wise choices as she was growing up. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, as the temptations increased and as more of her friends were making bad choices, Susie knew that she had a friend who was standing with her in her commitment to the high road.

There is no doubt that Susie and her friend helped each other avoid the traps that many young girls fall into. Sociologists tell us the influence of peers in children’s lives is the number one influence of their behavior. In their early, formative years, the influence of friends has even more impact than the moral boundaries that accompany faith.

A Canadian study of peer influence found that the behavior of friends was the biggest influence in twelve- to fifteen-year-olds’ decisions to use drugs or alcohol. Only 8 percent chose to use drugs on their own, without the pressure from a friend. Four-fifths of kids who had tried marijuana said they had done so because most or all of their friends had.

A recent US study showed that kids who believed their friends had had sex were much more likely to experiment with sex themselves than those who believed their friends had never had sex.  Statistics also show that peer relationships can be a powerful positive influence in the lives of children and teens.

That’s why you want to pray for your child’s friendships. That’s why you want to know your child’s friends, have them in your home, and get to know their families. It’s scary to think about, but there will be times when your child’s friends will actually have more influence on your child’s decisions than you do, and a bad influence can easily lead an otherwise moral kid astray. The apostle Paul stated this truth in succinct biblical stated this truth in succinct biblical language: “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’” (1 Cor. 15: 33).

We pray for our boys to have good friends who point them to God, and we pray that they will be good friends to others. We pray that they will be leaders who point others to God. We pray that they will make friends easily and be welcoming to others.–A praying dad

Again, I turn to the example of Daniel. He stayed faithful to God while in the midst of severe temptation in Babylon. But remember, Daniel wasn’t alone. In his wisdom God sent three other equally committed young men with Daniel to Babylon. When Daniel heard that they were all going to be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon, he went home to his friends, and they prayed to God for their deliverance (see Dan. 2: 13– 18). Later, when the king ordered everyone in Babylon to worship a golden statue, Daniel’s three friends stood together and refused to commit idolatry. Would any of these young men have had the same courage and tenacity if they had been standing alone? There’s no doubt that they gained strength from their shared commitment to God.

Pray for your child’s friends. Pray that your son or daughter will have a large group of peers who love God and are highly committed to living for him. Pray that your child’s friends will encourage him or her to stay faithful to God.

Pray Psalm 119: 63 for your child: Father, please help my child to befriend and be influenced by those who fear you and who seek to follow your Word.

From–Pray Big for Your Child: The Power of Praying God’s Promises for Your Child’s Life

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Prayers for Back to School Week, Part 2

Pray that your child will love learning.

I have a good friend who is an incredibly gifted worship leader. His sensitivity to the Holy Spirit helps him guide congregations through powerful and life-changing encounters with God through worship. My friend is also a very skilled musician. He works hard at sharpening and improving his musical skills.

I once asked him about the balance between the Holy Spirit’s anointing and talent: was one more important than the other? His answer surprised me. Even though his worship leading is anointed, he seemed to really emphasize the importance of hard work and talent. He said, “I want to be an incredibly sharp tool in the Spirit’s hands. The better I am musically, the more I have to offer the Spirit for his work. I don’t want to limit what the Spirit can do through me because of my lack of skill.”

What my friend believes about musical talent is equally true about learning. We live in one of the most highly educated cultures in history. The opportunities for learning that we and our children have are limitless. We need to be good stewards of the opportunities God affords us. But beyond that, we need to learn and grow, because doing so makes us sharper, more effective tools in God’s hands.

Pray that your child will love learning. Pray that he will take full advantage of the opportunities given him to go to school, to study, and to gain new experiences. Pray that your child will be a finely tuned instrument in God’s hands.

Consider the example of Daniel. When he and his friends were deported to Babylon, one of the reasons they were chosen was because of their high aptitude for learning. The Bible states that the king specifically asked for “young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace” (Dan. 1: 4).

King Nebuchadnezzar knew the importance of good learning and education in leadership. That’s why he looked for young men who showed such great potential. Daniel’s discipline for learning was another reason that he rose to such a high position of prominence in Babylon. Not only was he a young man of great faith, but he also had a great mind. He was a sharp, double-edged sword in God’s hands, and God used him mightily.

The children we are raising in our homes today are the future leaders of our cities, our churches, and our nation. We obviously need to pray for their faith and passion for God. We want them to be sold-out to his cause. But we also need to encourage them to learn. We want them to take full advantage of the chances they have to grow and expand their minds. We want them to be hungry for knowledge and curious about the world they live in. We want them to know that all truth belongs to God— spiritual truth, academic truth, and scientific truth— and not to be afraid of or intimidated by what they may read in a textbook or learn in the classroom.

Pray Daniel 1: 4 for your child. Pray that he will develop an aptitude for every kind of learning, be well informed, be quick to understand, and be qualified to serve in the palace of the King of Kings. Pray that he will develop good study habits and will thrive in a classroom setting.

Proverbs 22: 29 says, “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.” Pray that for your child. Pray that because of his skills and aptitude, he will serve before leaders and people of influence.

And pray Proverbs 1: 5 for him: Lord God, I pray that my child would be wise and quick to listen. Let him add to his learning, develop discernment, and gain guidance.

From– Pray Big for Your Child: The Power of Praying God’s Promises for Your Child’s Life 

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Prayers for Back to School Week

As I drove to work today, I saw the long line at the crosswalk just up from our house. School is back in full swing. And with that, we have another great opportunity (and reason) to cover our kids in prayer.

So, every day this week I’ll offer you some biblical prayers to pray for your child. I hope they’re helpful and encouraging.

Here’s the first idea:

Pray that your child will be protected.

My girls love horses. My wife, Susie, rode as a young girl, and she quickly passed on her love for horses and riding to our two daughters. They’ve spent many a Saturday and weekday after school at our local barn. Riding is a great sport. It teaches our girls discipline, hard work, and how to be patient and careful with strong, beautiful animals. Riding and jumping is an incredibly athletic and demanding sport. It can also be very dangerous.

When my youngest daughter, Sara, was only nine, she was training on a beautiful paint filly named Tiger Lilly. The two were working their way through a series of two-and-a-halffoot jumps in a large, sandy training ring. Coming out of one of the jumps, Tiger Lilly stumbled and went down on one knee. Sara tried to adjust her weight to stay atop the filly, but as the horse regained her balance, Sara’s weight shifted again, and she went flying right over the head of the horse. All of this happened in a matter of a second or two, as Tiger Lilly was running in a full canter.

Susie was sitting on the side of the ring with some other moms. She could only watch in horror as our daughter disappeared under the horse in a terrifying mix of sand, hooves, and little girl. When the dust settled, Tiger Lilly was standing off to one side, and Sara lay motionless in a heap right where she had fallen.

When Susie reached Sara, she was unresponsive. Her face was covered with sand, her helmet was broken, and she was bleeding on her forehead. It was a horrible sight. Susie began yelling, trying to elicit some type of response from Sara. As she moved to pick her up, Sara’s eyelids opened, and her eyes rolled back in her head. Then she slowly focused in on her mother. After just a few minutes, Sara was able to answer questions such as, “What is your name?” “How old are you?” and “What day is this?” She was going to be okay.

Sara escaped her close call with a trip to the emergency room, a cut forehead, a concussion, and head-to-toe bruises. We credit a horse that somehow managed to avoid stepping on Sara and lots of closely watching and alert angels for her good fortune. Things could have been much worse.

The whole incident reminded me of how dangerous riding can be and how I always need to be praying for my children’s protection. As your child grows older, she’s going to become more independent and begin trying new things. Every day she’s going to have ample opportunities to learn, grow, and become more mature. She’s supposed to— that’s part of growing up. It’s also your cue to increase your prayers for her spiritual, emotional, and physical protection.

Skinned knees and hurt feelings are going to happen. Your child is going to take some tumbles in her everyday life— physically and emotionally. That’s why you need to be praying for her protection. You want your child to walk through only the pain and suffering that God deems necessary and appropriate for her sanctification and character development. You want God to protect her from making unwise choices and from the pain that others can bring into her life. You want your child to grow through pain, not just suffer in it.

Pray for her protection. Pray that God will watch over her and keep her safe. Pray for protection from other people, from dangerous or bad circumstances, from temptation, and from Satan. Pray that God will allow only the pain that will grow your child more into the image of Jesus.

Pray Psalm 32: 7 for your child: Father, be my child’s hiding place; protect her from trouble and surround her with songs of deliverance.

From–Pray Big for Your Child: The Power of Praying God’s Promises for Your Child’s Life

 

 

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Answered Prayers

Greetings, friends! It has been great to see water falling from the sky again this week…thank you for your prayers to fill Lake Travis! Please continue to pray for God to rain blessings on our great city! Here’s what’s going on around ACF in the coming weeks:

Sign up now for Serve Our City – August 29/30th! There are still serving opportunities available, so make plans to get out and meet new friends while serving others next weekend. If you have not signed up yet, please register today. No worship services will be held on Serve Our City Weekend to give everyone an opportunity to get out and serve!

Our new series, Love Where You Live, begins in September!  When Jesus was asked to reduce everything to one command, He gave us a simple strategic plan that has the potential to change the world…Love your neighbor as yourself – Matthew 22:39.  During this series, you will gain insight into God’s truth and learn some practical steps in the art of neighboring.

ACFwomen head to Guatemala, September 30-October 7th. This is a great first time trip for moms & daughters, small groups, and women of all ages. You’ll get to care for orphans who live in Eagle’s Nest and teach children attending Nueva Dia School. Prayerfully consider this exciting opportunity…learn more or apply here.

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Somewhere Under the Rainbow

In the weeks following the Supreme Court’s decision supporting gay marriage, many people took to Facebook with pictures of themselves or others behind a rainbow filter. Some were obviously showing their support for the decision, while others were clearing mocking those who opposed gay marriage.

FB made this app available for its users.

For instance, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a vocal opponent of gay marriage, turned up on FB with a new rainbow shrouded pic. There were also rainbow filtered pics of the White House, the Supreme Court and various state capitals, churches and courthouses.

I’ve done a lot of thinking about that in the last several weeks—specifically, about the irony of it.

You see, as a Christian, I long for every person I know to be covered by the rainbow. Perhaps I should explain.

The rainbow is God’s idea and God’s amazing creation. The story of how and why God made the rainbow is found in Genesis 9:8-17. In short, it’s a symbol of God’s grace. God placed the rainbow in the sky as a sign of his covenant with humanity–a covenant we neither earned nor deserved–promising that he would never again destroy all living things because of the sinfulness of man. It was a sign of God’s promise to extend grace and mercy to us, instead of responding to us as we deserve.

It was a sign, a forerunner, of the cross.

The rainbow is a symbol of God’s faithfulness, his goodness, his relentless love for sinners and of his willingness to extend forgiveness, grace and mercy to anyone who will ask for it.

It’s ironic that the gay community has chosen the rainbow as their symbol, as it’s the grace and patience of God the rainbow represents that enables them to practice their lifestyles without facing the immediate judgement and wrath of God.

And in further irony, the “rainbowing” of their pics and their opponents’ pics is actually a picture of what God desires for every person–gay or straight. He longs for them to be covered by his mercy and grace, the mercy and grace made possible by the death of his Son Jesus. He longs for us all to be under the covering of the grace represented by the rainbow, not out of manipulation or rebellion or a redefining of God’s laws, but by simple obedience and submission to him.

I pray that the day will come when every person, every government leader and government agency, including the White House, the Supreme Court, every every church, statehouse and courthouse in the land, will be identified with the message of the rainbow–not a symbol of our getting to live anyway we want, but rather of God’s promise not to destroy us when we do.

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I’m baaaack!

Greetings, friends!

I am thrilled to be back at ACF this weekend to share my message on prayer, obedience and how we can all be lights in the darkness. I can’t wait to see what God does with this one! Please continue to pray for rain…Lake Travis still needs a few more feet to hit 681!

ACFmissions – Let’s Serve Our City together on August 29/30th! Registration is open until Sunday, August 16th! Check out our website to find details on each serving project. We want to be a church that invests in our communities by caring for those in need. Our prayer is that through Serve Our City weekends you will build lasting relationships with people and ministries that you can serve on an ongoing basis.  We serve because “even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” No worship services will be held on Serve Our City Weekend to give everyone an opportunity to get out and serve!

Stay connected to your ACF community – This Fall is jam packed with ACF happenings that you won’t want to miss. Sign up for your community e-newsletter on our website, www.acfellowship.org. Just choose your community from the dropdown box at the top of the page, click on the “Get Updates” button and you are on your way to not missing a beat! Also, check out your community’s Facebook page or download the free ACF Mobile App and stay up-to-date with events, messages, notes prayer requests, online giving, podcasts and more…all on the go! Available for iOS and Android.

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