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

by Craig Groeschel

Praying from the heart is

personal and unmistakable.

If you call out to him, God

assures you that he

hears the cries of yo...

Our ways are not God’s ways. That’s why we need Christ. Not just to forgive us, but to transform us. To redirect us. To make us new.

I realized the closer I got to Jesus, the more I’d have to face my shortcomings.

Instead of simply asking God to do something for you, ask God to reveal something in you.

Are you willing to pray such a prayer? “Lord, reveal what holds my mind hostage. Show me what I fear the most. Go ahead, help me face what terrifies me.”

What we fear matters.

God showed me that what I feared the most revealed where I trusted God the least.

them to terrify you? What fears are you withholding from God?

you’re paralyzed with worry about the safety of your children, could it be that you aren’t trusting God to keep them safe?

Our fears matter. Because ultimately, our fears show how we’re relying on our own efforts and not trusting in our Savior. The

truth is we—you and I and everyone—are

always inadequate. We’re never enough. We’re always weak. But here’s the incredible thing: when we’re weak, God’s power ...

“perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18).

As God reveals your fears, he will also build your faith. You need him. You need his presence. You need his power. You need his Spirit guiding you. You need his Word strengthening you. Faith doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Faith means you don’t let fear stop you. What you fear the most shows you where you need to grow with God. What do you fear? What are your anxious thoughts? What is God showing you? Where do you need to grow in faith? Trust him.

What about you? Is there something others have been trying to help you see about yourself that needs to change?

there something in your life that is wrong, but you continue to ignore God’s gracious warning signals?

Would you ask God to show you if this is something he would have you change?

That place that I had been most sure that I was right was the place that I was most wrong.

We don’t want God to just show us the

impurity of our hearts. We want more than to simply know our fearful and anxious thoughts. We desire more than just knowing how we are offensive. We want God to lead us, to direct us, to guide us to become who he wants us to be.

I’ve consistently battled with putting the approval of people ahead of the approval of God.

Your deepest need becomes a gift when it moves you to depend on Christ.

Step through your greatest fear and into faith. Embrace your deepest need and let it drive you to depend on Christ.

“It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.” —a. w. tozer

God would also have to break me of things that I didn’t even know needed to be removed from my life.

To be wholly useful to God, we have to be empty of self.

What are we losing by clinging to our comfort?

We don’t realize what blessings might be on the other side of God’s breaking.

Some believe that

Jesus’ “do this” also refers to how we are to

liv...

don’t just remember Jesus during Holy Communion at church; we remember him in how we live our lives daily. Because Jesus’ body was broken, because his blood was poured out for us, we to...

Rather than

pursuing our will, we surrender to his.

Instead of trying to fill our lives with all that we want, we empty our lives to make a differ...

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

What if, instead of praying, “God watch over me, protect me, and bless me,” we invited God to do something deeper in our lives?

That trials can strengthen our faith? That hurting can make us more compassionate for the plight of others? That suffering can draw us closer to Christ? What if we had the courage, the audacity, the faith to pray, “God, break me”? What if we too lived broken and poured-out lives for Christ?

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

It’s easy to impress people with our

strengths, but real connections are forged

through our shared we...

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.

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

God uses those who are broken and dependent on him.

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