Recently, I wrote two controversial, yet liberating, blog posts on prayer that has caused quite the chatter in the form of both positive & nasty private messages. It never ceases to amaze me how the same message can elicit such a wide margin of responses. What I would like to share with you today, however, is more of a practical response to some of the questions that have arisen as a result of those two posts on prayer. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to read those posts, here are the links to them:
In Order To Pray Without Ceasing, You Must Quit Praying
Are You Afraid Of Satan’s Plans For Your Loved Ones?
These two articles exposed the faulty foundation & motivation of prayer for many people in the evangelical religious system. Prayer originating in the flesh, and prayer rooted in fear, is truly unfortunate as it misses the heart of the New Testament.
What’s left?
When fleshly striving and fear are removed as the foundation of prayer, what are we left with? As I stated in the second article, the root of most fear comes when we ascribe to mankind or Satan the power to trump God’s good plans. Make no mistake about it, no such power exists. He is in firm and complete control. We can rest securely in that.
Because of this, many have incorrectly assumed that I am advocating a passive, fatalistic approach to prayer & life since the Lord will accomplish His purposes no matter what. Nothing could be further from the truth at all. The opposite of prayer rooted in flesh & fear is prayer rooted in the rest of the Spirit. I am finding that this kind of prayer moves mountains!
Priestly Weapons
According to the New Testament, each person in Christ is a priest. Priests have tremendous authority to work & intercede on behalf of another. Again, this ‘work’ is not rooted in our fleshly striving, but in our rest in the Spirit. Priestly work done on behalf of others in the Spirit can literally move mountains that were once humanly impossible to move. I am experiencing this first hand in my life right now. Let me give you an example.
There is a loved one in my life that currently does not experience much peace. As a matter of fact, he is consumed with a lot of anxiety and fear most days. This has been normal existence for him for many years. In the last couple of months, I have been very burdened for him. Oh, how I truly wish that he would be set free! As this burden for my loved one has increased in my life, so have my attempts to ‘make’ him experience peace. I have tried to ‘make’ him understand some concepts that could help him have peace if only he would ‘get’ this, or he could ‘get’ that.
In my attempts to help my loved one, I have also noticed a trend occurring in my own life as well. The more ‘peace’ that I try to ‘make’ my loved one have, the less peace that I actually have. Because my attempts to ‘make’ him have peace were not working, my peace was actually being disturbed! During one particular afternoon in which I was particularly frustrated at my loved one’s lack of peace, I began to sense the quiet voice of the Spirit speak to my spirit. Here is how the conversation occurred. (Note: this is a paraphrase)
THE SPIRIT: ‘Making’ him have peace is hard work, isn’t it?
ME: Yes, it is.
THE SPIRIT: Do you find it ironic that you are trying to ‘help’ him have peace, yet you yourself are losing your ‘peace’ in your attempt to ‘make’ him have peace?
ME: Wow, I didn’t realize that this was even happening. It’s kind of silly, isn’t it?
THE SPIRIT: Yes, it is needless. It doesn’t have to be this way, you know?
ME: What do you mean?
THE SPIRIT: Did you know that you are ‘IN’ the very one who is the personification of peace? His life flows in your innermost being. As the scriptures have declared, you have become a partaker of the divine nature. He is your peace right now, and nothing can, in reality, separate you from this Christ who IS peace.
ME: Amen, that’s right! But, what am I supposed to ‘do’ about him (my loved one)? How can I help him know this as well?
THE SPIRIT: Stop trying to ‘make’ him have peace. Realize who you are.
ME: And, who am I?
THE SPIRIT: You are a priest of the most high God. You are ‘in Christ’ who is the ultimate high priest. Embrace your role as a priest for your loved one and do something on his behalf.
ME: Ok, what should I do on his behalf?
THE SPIRIT: Cease your striving to ‘make’ him have peace and rest in the peace that you already have in Christ.
ME: Seriously? That’s it?
THE SPIRIT: Yes, that’s it. If he (my loved one) will not have peace, simply have peace on his behalf.
ME: Wow, that is so liberating, thank you. I can totally do that because Christ is already in me and He is my peace!
THE SPIRIT: Yes, and He (Christ) will be your peace continually no matter what situation you are in. I will take His (Christ’s) peace and give it to you always.
ME: Thank you.
Obviously I am paraphrasing and putting to words this impression that the Lord was sharing with my spirit recently. After this conversation with the Lord occurred, I instantly had peace restored in my spirit. I knew that the Lord shared something very profound with me that I will never forget.
Here is where this story gets crazy. When I encountered my loved one after this conversation that I had with the Lord, I noticed my loved one a bit more anxious than he had been previously. I was immediately tempted to try to ‘fix’ and ‘correct’ his anxiety. Instead of trying to ‘do’ something to fix him, however, I remembered what the Lord said to me. As a result, I made a conscious effort to focus on Christ my peace in my spirit. I exhaled and rested in the abundant peace that I already possess. I did this while in my loved one’s presence. It seemed that the more peace that I would have, the more anxiety he would have. I could tell that spiritual battle was occurring. Then, after a bit of time, something broke!
I began to notice peace coming to areas of my loved one’s life that he had never known before. He even began to tell me about this peace that he was experiencing. Amazingly, the areas of his life that he was now starting to experience peace in, was exactly the same areas of his life that I had previously tried to ‘make’ him have peace in before. My loved one began to experience peace when I stopped trying to ‘make’ him have peace, and I simply rested in Christ on his behalf.
The anxiety that my loved one experienced seemed like an unmovable, permanent mountain until this occurred. While there is much of this mountain still there, I am watching this mountain being dug up and removed in my midst! All of this mountain removal is being done in and through rest and peace in Jesus Christ! Can you believe it?
You Have It All
I write this to you today to encourage you with the same encouragement that the Lord has given to me. It doesn’t matter what you are facing, what you think you may need that you don’t have, or what obstacles stand in your way. The best way for you to ‘do’, ‘accomplish’, or ‘move’ unmovable mountains in your midst is by resting and receiving what you already have. You have all that is real and good because you have Christ who is the personification of reality & goodness (John 14:6). Through resting in what you already have on behalf of someone else, you can also move mountains in their midst as well.
‘Being’ in Christ & rest are our priestly weapons. May we readily use these weapons as long as it is called ‘today’.
Jamal Jivanjee
amen brother, while I haven’t consciously recognized this it is really a truth, when we are living by Christ, hearing Him and following what He says when we express Him that’s when His life does His work in others.
Yes, how we pound away at those walls with our own efforts, and with what we see as “good intention.” It is Christ, and Christ in us, and Christ through us who is that power. Ha! It is Christ and only Christ that can move mountains and walk right through the strongest of walls. So silly we are sometimes, it is Christ who walked through walls in Resurrection Life, as it is written in the N. T. writings, did He not? And He still walks through walls. Greetings!
Amen sister, He still easily and lightly walks through walls!
I love you my brother ! Words fail how meaningful this is. I thank God for you and your impact upon the collective body!
Thanks Jim, love you too brother:)
Great post! Ive noticed this same tendency in my life, never been able to put it into words though. Thanks so much!
The pleasure is mine Otto, thx for reading:)
“I simply rested in Christ on his behalf.” It took me a minute, but i think i got it.. I think i’ve experienced it also. Sometimes in my experience, second guessing myself, just after the erruption of the spiritual war, would happen all to ofen for me. The reality that my loved one was thinking that i was uncaring, or flippant, would settle in my mind. I would be prodded with, “You should’ve helped more”, “You should sacrifice more”, “Your not doing something right because surely they would “get it”, “If i was a better speaker or more educated or had more resourses they would obtain the Answer, they would “get it.” On and on I would go. I would trade my peace, my rest for frustation and confusion. All in the name of humility valuing others above myself, not looking to my own interests but of the interests of the others.(Phil.2.3-4) However, by His overcoming grace, my mind would line up with my spirit, His Spirit, and His Rest would assume the rightful position over my identity.
To be overwhelmed with greif for another’s soul, another’s burden, another’s life, is a staple of the co-dependency for some christians today. If you’re not disturbed, if you’re not despairing over your brothers heartache, then you don’t care. If you don’t care, then your not a Christian.(sarcasm)
Yes, we carry one another’s burden, yes, we hurt with the body, but His burden is light and His yoke is easy! Our brother’s happieness, his peace,his rest, can not be a direct indication of our spirtual health! How often times we assume it is. Shame as to how we allow our joy, our contentment, our rest to be shaken by the minupulation of the enemy.
Lauren,
Wow! Well said sister. Thank you.
amen – amen… what a breath of fresh air Jamal – I have experienced a very similar situation and the Lord’s message was the same to me as it was to you – that is so amazing – gives me shivers almost
“I” can’t make anything happen – so I rest in Him and watch Him do amazing things through me – so glorious!! What a privilege to be mere jars of clay through whom the king of kings has His being!! Thanks for sharing!!
Amen sister, we have the same Spirit who speaks with one voice!
Yes!!!! He is doing something so amazing in me. His mercy is fresh and new everyday! I’m so thankful for your heart and this blog dear brother. He is releasing me from so much. I stayed up all night last night with the most terrible headache of my life and I picked up a book I have been putting off to read called The Sacred Romance. The opening quote by A.W. Tozer says this: “Thirsty hearts are those who longings have been awakened by the touch of God within them.” When I read this I burst into tears because my heart is so thirsty to know Him and to go on an incredible journey with Him and yet so much of “normal life” and ministry seems to steel this longing time and time again. I want the steady stream of peace and satisfaction so desperately and at times I have found it. And yet at other times I allow people close to me steel it because I’m trying to “fix” them. You my dear brother have touched the deepest part of my heart with your candid sharing of your conversation with the Spirit. A hundred times thank you for your blog and speaking life into the body!!! Please pray for me in the Spirit. I feel so blessed to know you and that you are my eternal family
I’m truly humbled Jess. Thank you.
Jamal, there have been very few supernatural witnesses in my life that compare to this message. I won’t waste space with details, but simply say “bless you brother for the confirmation”. The Spirit had this conversation with me…
ME: I’ve lost my peace because it wasn’t received by my brother in need.
Spitit: Then let it return to you….after all, it is YOUR peace.
Great insight Hal, thanks for sharing.
AMEN!!
Great post as always Jamal. This really touched me. I am going through a very rough season and I am suddenly surrounded by this same message. I am truly learning my weakness, how vast it is. But He is my strength and I ca have peace even through this if I just let it come, just rest in sweet arms. I have had much confirmation of this in my life right now, so I thank you brother for another piece of the puzzle, a piece that I had lost.
So glad to hear that Pam. The Lord certainly knows how to saturate us with His message exactly when we need to hear it. Thanks again for reading:)
This is EXACTLY what I needed to read!!! Thank you!!!
This is a very timely message, Jamal. The Lord is most definitely the Head of all things for the church! It seems many people, including me, are resonating with the reality examined here.
I too have a close loved one who I find myself trying to fix. It seems that this loved one cannot trust anyone, or God. He perceives bad intentions from me even when I am “trying my hardest” to prove I am trustworthy.
Isn’t that funny?! The harder I try to prove my own value, the less valuable I appear to this loved one. What comes to my mind is how our Lord didn’t make a habit of “trying to prove” his own value. Not to people, not to Pilot, not even to Satan!
He just lived out the inward fellowship he had with the Father and the Spirit.
How simple! How scandalously uncomplicated!
Watchman Nee has challenged me lately to see from God’s perspective, not from mine or from other human perspectives. Therefore, when I feel I am being devalued or discredited by Satan or by humans, I can respond in rest instead of religious work. Because my value is secure in Christ.
Thank you for the divine cuisine! As long as the Lord leads, keep up the blogging!