Dangerous Prayers: Because Following Jesus Was Never Meant to Be Safe

by Craig Groeschel

We too are to die to ourselves, so we can live for him. Broken and poured out.

God, do whatever it takes to free me from my love for this world. To crucify my love of comfort. God, break me.

When you are broken, you will know it. There will be no question. You will not have to ask.

Guilty that I hadn’t done more. Guilty that I didn’t know he was hurting. But my guilt reached far beyond Jason’s tragedy. I felt guilty that I hadn’t been a better dad because I was focusing so much on our growing church. And guilty that I hadn’t been a better pastor because I was trying so hard to be enough for my wife and kids.

No matter how hard I tried, I simply wasn’t enough.

We may impress people with what we can do. But we connect in our common struggles. This is one of the blessings of brokenness. We may fight to be strong. Show our best when posting selfies. And never let them see us down. But when we are broken together, bonding goes deeper than we can imagine—especially in the family of God. Just as persecution always unites, strengthens, and emboldens Christians who suffer together, so does brokenness create a bond that stands the test of time.

It’s easy to impress people with our strengths, but real connections are forged through our shared weaknesses.

At the gym one day we were trying to work out. John explained to me that tinnitus is the worst pain he could ever imagine. And yet, by God’s grace, he’d never been closer to God than he was in that moment. He told me that in brokenness, he found joy.

In our brokenness, we often experience God’s greatest blessings.

God uses those who are broken and dependent on him.

When Gary told me I’d be broken, at first I fought to avoid the idea. As my trust and faith in God grew, not only did I accept it, but I also found the courage to pray for it. But there was something about brokenness that I didn’t understand.

True brokenness before God isn’t a one-time event; it’s a daily decision.

Being broken isn’t just a moment in time born out of a painful event. It’s a daily choice to die to pride. To crucify lust. To destroy selfishness. Rather than living a life of ease, it’s a choice to live a life of faith.

When things get difficult, many run from God. Don’t do that. Run to him. And don’t fight the breaking. Forget trying to appear strong. Be weak. Be vulnerable. Be broken.

that you discover his strength. In your brokenness, you find his blessings.

When things get difficult, many run from God. Don’t do that. Run to him.

The gospel is an invitation to come and die. Die to your sins. Die to your past. Die to your flesh. And die to your fears.

You can play it safe. But my gut is you want more than that. I choose different. I am a faith-filled, bet-the-farm risk-taker. I will never insult God with small thinking or safe living. If there are blessings on the other side of brokenness, then break me.

I will never insult God with small thinking or safe living.

Rather than asking God to serve us, what if we told God we are available to serve him?

Rather than asking God to serve us, what if we told God we are available to serve him?

What if instead of always asking God to do something on our behalf, we dared to ask God to use us on his behalf?

God calls imperfect, flawed, weak men and women just like you and me. He simply wants people willing to be vessels, and he invites them to use their lives to make a difference for him.

And I have to wonder, did Jonah really think he could get far enough away? Or was it just a case of cultivating moment-by-moment denial to avoid the truth? Putting your head in the sand, or in Jonah’s case, in the belly of a big fish. Trying to pretend—hoping— that God will just go away. Or change his mind about what he’s called you to do.

Instead of living in the confidence of God’s calling, Moses was buried in his own insecurities.

If you’re going to ask God to use you, then a genuine encounter with him goes a long way in trusting him.

You will experience him when you seek him, watch for him, and cry out to him.

You might feel his presence as you drive down the road singing along to a worship song. You might sense his presence as you sit in awe of his creation, admiring his work as the sun rises brilliantly in the morning. You might notice that he is with you during a simple bedtime prayer with your child. The doorposts don’t have to shake to know he is with you. It may be a simple awareness that he never leaves you and will never forsake you.

truly get to a point of submission and availability to God, and to be fully aware of his presence, we are wise to recognize and understand our sinfulness.

Because until we see ourselves as sinners, we’ll never fully understand Jesus as the Savior.

When you pray dangerous prayers, you will see and understand more of God. It changes everything.

The image God gave me was clear: I’d become a “full-time pastor” and a “part-time follower of Christ.”

There is nothing better to fuel your prayer life than a deep appreciation for God’s grace.

Imagine God wiping away all your lies. Healing your hatred. Cleansing your sexual sin.

Embrace it. If you are “in Christ,” your self-centered decisions are forgiven. Your anger—forgiven. Hatred—forgiven. Bitterness—forgiven. Boasting—forgiven. Jealousy—forgiven. Envy—forgiven. All your sins, your evil thoughts, your greed, your hypocrisy, your filthy gossip, your secret lusts, your pride, your ingratitude, yo...

Grace. Changes. Everything. We don’t bring anything. Jesus brings everything.

The moment we see God for who he is, we see ourselves for what we are not.

And when you pray this dangerous prayer, it’s not out of obligation or guilt. You know, because of what Jesus did for me and all, I’ve got to be available to him now, I guess. No, it’s a daring prayer of faith. It’s the deep realization that your life is not your own. You belong to God. You are his servant. His ambassador. His representative on earth.

Your prayers will start to grow from self-focused requests—“Do this for me, God. Help me, Lord”—into Christ-centered, gospel-powered, God-glorifying prayers. “Anywhere, God. Anytime. Whatever you want, I’m yours.”

You recognize that the same God who has forgiven you has also called you and chosen you. Every single day, he has appointments planned for you. People to ble...

When you are surrendered to him, you will have eyes to see where he’s working. A heart to feel what touches his heart. And hands to show his love.

You are his servant. Available. Eager. And ready to go.

What you feed grows. What you starve dies.

When you start to avoid what hurts you, what happens? Over time, your spiritual side grows stronger. And your selfish side starts to die.

Your prayers will deepen, mature, and grow. Instead of just, “Bless me. Help me. Do this for me,” your prayers become God-centered and others-focused.

When you fully submit to God, he will certainly ask you to do things that may seem simple and small. You may even wonder, Why don’t I get to do something big, something important? And God may show you that the small things are often the big things. The simple acts of love often lead to the biggest changes in life.

Every day, no matter what, at least one faith-filled act.

At first, doing something daily that takes faith may seem daunting or even overwhelming. But once you start, not only will you enjoy it, but you may even sense God transforming you from someone with a self-centered faith to someone with a self-sacrificing, God-glorifying, other-centered faith.

Your faith acts don’t have to be big, intimidating, or newsworthy. They can be simple, unassuming, and even performed in secret.

It’s simply a matter of being willing, being open, being attuned to God, and risking more. Take the focus off yourself and notice the needs of others.