Will Davis Jr.'s Blog, page 31
June 11, 2014
June 6, 2014
The Danger of Distance
Here’s this week’s entry from Pray Big for Your Life
Deadly Distance
Following Jesus at a distance can be very dangerous. When you’re at the back of the pack, it’s easy to get picked off by the enemy. The safest place in Christ-following is right next to Jesus.
The disciple Peter learned this lesson the hard way. On the night that Jesus was arrested, Peter had gone out of his way to declare his loyalty to Jesus. He made the bold claim in front of the rest of the disciples that he was ready to die for Jesus. But later, after Jesus had been arrested and he had taken off a soldier’s ear with a wild swing of his sword, Peter lost some of his nerve. He didn’t abandon Jesus entirely, but he didn’t stay at Jesus’s side, either.
Luke described what happened: “Then seizing him (Jesus), they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance,” (Luke 22:54). It was that “distance” that would get Peter into serious trouble. Peter was too enough away from Christ to be easily identifiable as a disciple. Within the hour, he would deny three times that he even knew Jesus. What a long fall for Peter. In just a matter of hours he went from swearing his allegiance to Jesus and risking his life for him, to swearing that he didn’t know him. What was the difference? Lack of proximity.
It’s never a good idea to put distance between you and Jesus. If you do, you just might end up falling like Peter did. So pray for your relationship with Christ. Pray that you will always be near to him. Pray that there would be no distance between you.
Just a Closer Walk with Thee
When Jesus called his disciples, he made them an unusual offer. Mark tells us that Jesus “appointed twelve–designating them apostles–that they might be with him . . . ,” (Mark 3:14). Part of Jesus’s invitation to his disciples was to just spend time with him. He wasn’t looking for mere workers; he wanted brothers. He wanted men that he could pour himself into and reproduce in his image. His unconventional strategy paid off.
Years later, after Jesus had ascended into heaven, Peter and John were confronted by the same tribunal that had condemned Jesus. Luke tells us that, “When they (the members of the tribunal) saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus,” (Acts 4:13). There was something strange, almost eerily familiar about the men who were proclaiming Christ. Finally, the members of the tribunal made the connection: These same men had walked with, trained with and lived with Jesus.
Do you see the obvious difference in Peter when compared to the night he denied Christ? When he followed Jesus from a distance, he was quick to fall. But later, when he crossed over the line of radical obedience and forever closed the distance between himself and Christ, he became a bold disciple. That’s what proximity does. The closer you are to Jesus—the more you walk with him and the less distance you allow to grow between you–the easier it is to live for him.
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June 4, 2014
June 3, 2014
How Praying for Rain is Changing My Life
As you may know, I am one of thousands of central Texas believers who are praying for rain and revival in our region.
I’ve been praying for God to fill Lake Travis, a large man-made lake just west of Austin, for about three years. The lake’s full elevation is 681. Today, it’s at 629.
Just over a week ago there was a city-wide day of prayer and fasting here in Austin, along with a prayer service. The four day after our prayer service saw huge rains statewide, and the timing of it with our praying caught the attention of media around the country.
Praying and fasting for rain has been really good for me. It’s changing me. I want to share with you what I’m learning. Maybe it can encourage and grow you as well.
First, I’m praying more. Having the big, hairy, audacious request for a full lake and the end to a drought has made me much more desperate in my prayers, especially since we told the world what we were praying for. I find myself talking to God about it–and other things–pretty much all day. That’s a good thing.
Second, fasting has gotten easier. With the stakes being so high, suddenly my desire to eat seems very trivial. I’ve done two fasts since we started this and I’m looking forward to another this week. Again, that’s a good thing.
Third, I’m more spiritually alert. The other day, as I was looking at the sky wondering of rain might be on the horizon, God nudged me to be as alert and expectant when I pray for other things. I need to keep my eyes open for those signs that God is answering my other prayers too.
Fourth, My faith is increasing. God’s immediate answer to our prayers was really encouraging to all of us who prayed and fasted together on May 22nd. And even though it hasn’t rained in Austin in 7 days, Lake Travis’ elevation is up five feet and it continues to rise. I know God is answering these prayers. I can’t see it yet, but I know it. That’s faith.
Finally, I’m more aware of my own spiritual drought. I’ve grown way too used to half-empty lakes here in central Texas. I’ve also grown too accustomed to half of all Christian marriages ending in divorce, my own half-hearted efforts at evangelism, half-empty offering plates and seats on Sunday, and little to no response at altar calls and for baptism. I’ve gotten to where I think that half-full Christianity is normal.
It’s not, and I’m praying now for the end of our spiritual drought, not just the physical one.
What are you praying for that is so big, it captivates your every waking moment? What are you praying for that brings perspective to the things you’ve settled for in your life?
Tired of half-empty? Start praying for rain. It’s a tangle and specific request, and everyone you tell about it will know if and when God comes through.
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May 31, 2014
Pinpoint Prayers for Yourself
Here’s this week’s entry from Pray Big for Your Life
Section 2
Pinpoint Prayers for Yourself
I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me–Romans 15:30
In this section, I’ll share several pinpoint prayers that I pray for myself almost every day. They’re certainly not the only prayers I pray for myself, but they’re some of the most important ones. I’ve been praying these prayers for years.
My purpose here is twofold. First, I want to provide some good starter prayers for you. You can easily pray these same prayers for yourself. They’re broad enough and universal enough that just about everybody can relate to them. But secondly, and more importantly, I want to spur on your thinking about your own pinpoint prayers. I hope that as you see how I pray for myself, the Holy Spirit will begin to lead you to ideas and Scriptures that will become your own personal pinpoint prayers.
Chapter 4
Arm in Arm with Jesus: Prayers for Proximity
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13
Not long ago, my wife and I went to hear a visiting violinist play with the Austin Chamber Orchestra. They were performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Now, you need to understand that I’m much more likely to be seen at a Doobie Brothers’ concert than a classical music concert, but I do sometimes have moments of civility, and this was one of them. Besides, Susie made me go.
The performance was amazing. The violinist was quite good and he brought to life the beauty and intricacies of Vivaldi’s great work. At one particular point in the concert, the violinist was playing a long solo. The members of the orchestra sat quietly behind him as he played, watching their score sheets and following what the soloist was doing. Suddenly, I noticed that many of the orchestra members started smiling and even giggling among themselves. Obviously, the soloist had done something they thought was funny. He didn’t miss any notes—at least not any that my untrained ear could discern. But somewhere along the way he added a measure or skipped a few bars or did something that the musicians behind him thought was funny. It was obviously an inside joke.
That drove me crazy. I wanted to know what I had missed. I had to resist the urge to stand up and yell, “Hey, wait a minute. What just happened? What’s so funny? Could you please let the rest of us in on the secret?” What impressed me, and made me even a little jealous, was the way the rest of the musicians synched with the soloist. They obviously knew him and the music well enough to sense even the most subtle of changes. When he did something, they were right there with him.
That’s how we want to be with Jesus. We want to be so close, so tightly connected, so familiar with his ways, that when he moves or speaks or nudges, we immediately sense it. You don’t want any distance between you and Jesus. That’s why you should pray for proximity to him. Pray that where he is, you’ll be. Pray that you’ll know his ways and always be right at his side.
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May 30, 2014
Only Prayer
And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.” Mark 9:29
There are just some things that only prayer can do. If we want to truly be people of kingdom impact, then we need to figure out what those things are.
Prayer is not the last resort of the hard worker, nor is it the only hope of the weary warrior. Prayer is not reserved for those Kingdom endeavors where we have tried everything else and failed. It should not be the last option when nothing else seems to work.
No, prayer is not to be relegated to that camp at all. Rather, prayer is reserved for the most important things in Jesus’ Kingdom. If we can accomplish it, buy it, persuade it, manipulate it, manufacture it, construct it, build it or do it ourselves, then prayer isn’t needed.
But if it involves something that is eternal, if it is something that humans cannot do but only God can, if it is something with Kingdom-level impact, then it must be assigned to the realm of prayer.
You decide: is what you’re aiming at within your own reach? Then you probably don’t need much prayer. But, if what you’re striving for requires the miraculous, then prayer is the plan of action required by God and ascribed to by saints throughout history. In the Kingdom, things that matter are only accomplished by prayer.
So are you a regular in the prayer closest? Do you have calluses on your knees or worn spots on the carpet next to your bed? Do you bear the telltale dark circles of someone who has skipped sleep to pray? Do you frequently skip lunch or a work break, or do you often schedule time alone so you can pray more?
If not, then one of two things is probably true about you:
1. You’re not engaged in anything of eternal significance. You’re not praying because you don’t need God. Nothing in your life is eternal enough to require his aid.
2. You’re terribly mistaken about your own abilities. Somehow you’ve become convinced that you can have Kingdom impact apart from the help of the King. Either way, option 1 or 2, you’re dead in the water.
Things that matter can only be accomplished in prayer. Start praying and you’ll soon learn what impact you’ve been missing.
****THIS IS THE LAST WAKE-UP CALL UNTIL AUGUST 18. I’LL SEND YOU A START-UP REMINDER NOTICE ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13.
SEE YOU THEN!!!!!!!******
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May 29, 2014
Are You Teachable?
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!”
And they threw him out. John 9:34
How teachable are you? Do you allow the Lord to instruct you through even the most humble of messengers?
Balaam was instructed by a donkey. King David was rebuked by a common citizen. Job said that he was taught by the animal world. What about you? Is your heart soft enough to be able to learn from such unlikely sources?
These leaders John mentions in this verse were not teachable. They saw no value in this blind man. He had nothing to offer them. Not only was he an irrelevant citizen, but he was also a spiritual misfit. They knew that such an outcast could certainly never offer them any spiritual insight, and so they rejected him.
But Jesus didn’t. Jesus saw past the man’s handicaps and saw into his soul. He knew that he was infinitely valuable to God. So Jesus healed him and gave him a world of new vision–both spiritual and physical.
When this blind man decided to push back against the narrow-mindedness of these religious leaders, they were too arrogant to hear him. Their pride in their great learning and religious performance made their hearts cold toward such a lowly messenger. He didn’t stand a chance. They simply refused to listen to someone without a spiritual pedigree.
But the blind man was in good company: they didn’t listen to Jesus either.
Are you teachable? Are you able to discern the voice of God in even the lowliest of voice boxes? God rarely speaks to you in golden tablets from Heaven. He doesn’t always require his messengers to be professional, polished or well known.
God may choose to speak through a child, a neighbor, an enemy, a spouse, an article, a parent or grandparent, a circumstance, or even a blind man. And he will do so to both honor the messenger and humble you. So listen up. He’s probably speaking to you right now.
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May 28, 2014
A Friend’s Joy
The bride will go where the bridegroom is. A bridegroom’s friend rejoices with him.
I am the bridegroom’s friend, and I am filled with joy at his success. John 3:29
I have a friend who has become quite successful. You could even say famous. This friend is a shooting star in the exact field in which I serve–Christian ministry. He is becoming a household name in Christian circles.
He has two books on the bestseller list and publishers begging him for contracts, and he has so many speaking and teaching opportunities that he has to turn down most of them.
Now if I’m totally honest, my initial response to my friend’s success has been less than enthusiastic. In fact, I would say that it has bordered on jealousy and bitterness:
What’s up with this guy? I mean, who does he think he is? Come on God, I just don’t understand. I work just as hard. I pray just as much. I’ve been to seminary and he hasn’t. I’ve been in ministry longer. Why him and not me? This just doesn’t seem fair! I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve thrown that little pity party on more than one occasion.
Can you relate, or am I on the only one capable of such selfishness?
That’s why I’m so grateful for the example of John the Baptist in this text. John had also been a rising star in ministry. God had used him to bring a true revival to the nation of Israel.
In John’s ministry, religious fervor reached a high-pitched level that Israel had not seen in 400 years. He was HUGE in Israel. And then he wasn’t.
Along came John’s younger cousin Jesus. Jesus had an anointing and a role that eclipsed John’s. As Jesus became well known, John’s ministry lost steam. John’s own disciples even voiced their concerns over Jesus’ rising popularity:
What’s up with this guy? Who does he think he is? We just don’t understand. We work just as hard. We pray just as much. We’ve been at this much longer. Why him and not us? We have serious market-share concerns with this guy. This just doesn’t seem fair.
John, to his credit, had no such issues. His response to his disciples’ jealous inquiry could not be more poignant:
When a groom gets married, the best man isn’t jealous, he’s thrilled! He is filled with joy over his friend’s newfound happiness. I am a friend of Jesus. I came to prepare the way for him. How can I not celebrate his growing ministry? I’m just honored to get to be his best man.
Oh that I was that mature.
Remember that it’s all about Jesus. He will use anyone he chooses, both the likely and the unlikely, to build his Kingdom. He doesn’t need anyone. We are all fortunate to just be in the wedding party. So when you see God blessing a friend’s marriage or business or finances or ministry or family, don’t get jealous. Celebrate with him and for him.
God is the giver of all gifts. He knows what he is doing.
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May 27, 2014
Ten Things Jesus Never Said—On Sale!!!!!
Today only (May 27–Midnight to Midnight), my book Ten Things Jesus Never Said–And Why You should Stop Believing Them is on sale in e-format for only $1.99. It will be available for only $6.99 May 30-June 7.
Please tell your friends about this opportunity to get this transformational book at reduced cost.
Click here for Barnes and Noble
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