Becoming a man of prayer – developing spiritual protection (ch. 9)

“We are to be conscious of the reality of spiritual warfare.  We are to be prepared and equipped to wage this war.  To this end, Jesus taught the disciples … to pray, ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one'” (Mt 6:13).

Beltz notes that there are two great enemies that we face in spiritual warfare.  Our human nature, with its bent toward self-centredness and sin, is particularly susceptible to temptation and represents our first enemy.  However, God has provided ways for us to overcome temptation.  Memorizing scripture (Ps 119:11),  resisting temptation (1Pe 5:9), and fleeing temptation (2Ti 2:22) are biblical strategies.  The author suggests that in this component of our prayer time we should ask God to guide us such that our exposure to temptation is minimized.  We pray that God would help us live obedient lives; we dress ourselves to overcome temptation (Eph 6:13-17).

The second enemy is Satan, referenced here in the Lord’s prayer as the evil one.  Prayer offers us the opportunity to request a God-powered spiritual barrier around our lives and our families against the schemes of the evil one.  In Beltz experience this is best a daily request.  The author also regularly prays that God would dispatch those angels he has appointed to minister and protect.

With this Beltz has expanded on each phrase of the Lord’s Prayer.  His book contains some additional comments but we will conclude our blog series here.

Previous post in the series.

Becoming a man of prayer – experiencing forgiveness (ch. 8)

“Many people handle guilt by repressing or internalizing it…others attempt reeducation…some seek to atone for their guilt by becoming religious…some men and women deal with guilt by punishing themselves…The problem with all of these solutions is the same, they don’t work! There is only one effective solution for true moral guilt. That solution is now accessible through prayer.”

In this chapter the author deals with the phrase ‘Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors’ (Mt 6:12). He suggests four stages in order to receive and to offer forgiveness.

First, we need to get honest with God and ask the Holy Spirit to show us concrete sins that we need to confess. Beltz in his prayer notebook has also made a list of character flaws so that he is regularly prompted to pray about these as well. Stage two is agreeing with what the Holy Spirit has shown us and confessing that before God in prayer, giving thanks for the forgiveness that is available to us because of Jesus’ atoning work. Sometimes there is benefit is confessing our sin before another believer (see James 5:16). Thirdly, we seek the power of God to change the defects of our character and the behaviour patterns that are not pleasing to God. Finally we check our attitudes. We need to willfully decide to extend forgiveness to those that have wronged us. This needs to be an ongoing choice so that negative emotions do not embitter us. When we have wronged others we need to attempt to make things right through asking for forgiveness from the one we have wronged and seeking to restore what our sin has damaged.

I have experienced challenges in each of these phases. Sometimes I just want to accept my flaws. Other times I mistakenly try to earn my forgiveness. For sure, it was good to be reminded to persist in choosing to forgive another so that the emotional fall-out has time to heal.

Click here for this week’s assignment.

Previous post in the series.

Becoming a man of prayer – praying for provision (ch. 7)

“Even in coming to the Father for our own needs, we need to focus on God and His agenda.”

There are some principles according to Beltz regarding God’s provision that men need to understand. First, to be assured of God’s provision we need to be in proper relationship with him; authentic prayer and scripture reading fuel that relationship. The author states that if we are not in daily fellowship with the Lord, then God might withhold His provision to encourage us to restore our relationship with him. God’s provision is also linked to our obedience in the area of financial stewardship. If we rob God of what is his due then we rob ourselves of God’s blessing and provision. On the other hand, if we are faithful in our stewardship then we will know God’s blessing.

When praying for God’s provision the author focuses on two general areas. The first is his real needs of the moment which include physical and financial needs, as well as needs that arise out of what is on his agenda. The second area is his anxieties and his desires. Here Beltz prays cautiously, praying for what he wants but asking God not to give it to him if it would not be a blessing.

It seems very natural to me that as we seek God’s provision that we reflect on the blessings that we have in hand and ask for our “daily bread” from the context of gratefulness. Many of us are blessed by safety, security, freedom, shelter, clothes, food, and health. Thanking God for these puts our other needs in better perspective.

Click here for this week’s assignment.

Previous post in the series.

Becoming a man of God Experiencing Divine Intervention part two (ch. 6)

“Prayer is one vehicle through which we participate in what God is doing and wants to do in our world…God has sovereignly willed to be influenced by the prayers of his people.”

In this chapter the author continues the topic of praying that God’s will be done and applies it to three more significant categories.

The first is prayer for one’s church. He cautions his readers that God is not usually in the business of maintaining the status quo. Praying for God’s will to be done in our church may lead to change and may lead us out of our present comfort zone. In particular, he encourages his readers to pray for empowerment and protection for leadership and spiritual renewal for the congregation.

Next Beltz applies this prayer principle to prayer for one’s nation. He shares that it is his practice to prayer for God’s influence and intervention in the lives of national leaders. He also prays that God would heal the nation and bring spiritual renewal. Specific national issues that God brings to his attention are also matters of prayer.

Praying for the world is the last significant category about which the author prays for God’s will to be done. Anticipating that his readers might easily become overwhelmed with the breadth of things that could be prayed about, he urges that one select a series of global issues and peoples upon which to focus prayer.

From my perspective Beltz is right on to anticipate the feeling of being overwhelmed by all the issues one could pray about. Focusing on those church, national and global issues that are top of mind is more likely to lead to growith in our prayer life then trying to cover all the bases we could possibly think of.

Click here for this week’s assignment.

Previous post in the series

Becoming a man of God – Experiencing Divine Intervention part one (ch. 5)

“Authentic prayer brings heavenly realities to bear on earthly situations.” For the next two chapters, Beltz is going to unpack that for us.

In chapter five, he explains that the Kingdom of God is best understood as God’s reign and rule. Although the fullness of that rule lies in the future, the first coming of Jesus prepared the way for God’s Kingdom to be experienced in the present. Prayer is asking God to intervene into our lives and into our situations now. We are not seeking to force our wills upon God, but rather to affirm God’s will and ask that it become a reality in our lives. The author suggests five key areas to be praying that God’s will be done. This week we will cover the first two.

The first area is our personal lives; we seek God’s blessing and favour by praying for it. The author shares a lengthy list of spiritual needs that he prays for regularly. That list includes:

• To submit to the will of God
• To receive empowerment from the Spirit
• To abide in Christ
• To develop character
• To be humble
• To be useful

The second area is our family; we seek God’s blessing and provision for our spouse and for our children.

Beltz underscores both the responsibility and privilege a father has to exercise spiritual authority by praying for his family.

This week’s assignment is to carry on implementing what we have already covered so far.

For me one of the battles is trying to figure out how to pray for my kids with them there. Their combined schedules seem to make chaos a routine.

Previous post in this series

Becoming a man of prayer – getting focused (ch. 4)

Have you ever had the experience of trying to pray, but your mind is full of inner distracting thoughts? The author in chapter 4 talks about the “white noise” that needs to be controlled and quieted, while our head and hearts become focused on God and his agenda.

To assist in “Getting Focused” the author suggests that one ponder the character of God by reflecting on the names of God. Beltz recounts that God revealed to Moses his name, transliterated by the four Hebrew consonants as YHWH. This is a form of the Hebrew verb ‘to be’ and can be translated as: “I am”, “I cause to be”, and “I will be, who I will be.” These meanings help us to focus on God’s sovereign power in the universe as well as in one’s life. The author adds to this seven other compound names built on the fundamental name YHWH (download the assignment below).

As we focus on God and his character and respond with praise and thanksgiving, our awareness of God is heightened; we enter his presence, or as the Psalmist writes we enter into his courts (see Ps 100). This brings vitality to our prayers and spiritually prepares us for the next component of prayer.

Click here to download this week’s assignment.

Previous post in the series

Becoming a man of prayer – Getting Started (ch.3)

For many men, including Beltz, their relationship with their earthly father is far from perfect, yet it is the father-child relationship that Jesus envisions in the Lord’s Prayer. Entering into this mindset for prayer is a challenge, that is why the author suggests that first we acknowledge our inability to pray and ask that the Holy Spirit would empower us to pray and to keep from being distracted.

Addressing God as ‘father’ or with ‘Abba’ (which means daddy, see Ro 8:12-17) underscores the close relationship we have with God. By doing so we consciously enter into God’s presence as the ‘Daddy in heaven who is perfect, loving, interested, involve, gentle, present, available, concerned, kind, wise, caring and good [Beltz, 31]. This spiritual positioning sets us up for sensing God’s loving touch in our lives and gets us ready to focus on God’s agenda in prayer.

How do you presently relate to the Fatherhood of God?

This week’s prayer strategy deals with growing in entering the presence of God the Father. Click here to download the assignment.

Previous post in the series

Becoming a man of prayer – The need for a strategy (ch. 2)

The Need for a Strategy

The first disciples of Jesus struggled with how and what to pray. Many of us can relate. Jesus not only gave them an example to follow, but he also gave them a pattern, known to us as the Lord’s Prayer (see Mt 6:9-13 and Lk 11:1-4).

The author breaks the Lord’s Prayer down into seven key components:

1. Getting Started (‘Our Father…’)
2. Getting Focused (‘Hallowed be your name…’)
3. Experiencing Divine Intervention (‘Your kingdom come…’)
4. Praying for Provision (‘Give us this day…’)
5. Experiencing Forgiveness (‘Forgive us our sins…’)
6. Developing Spiritual Protection (‘Deliver us from evil…’)
7. Final Issues (‘Yours is the kingdom…)

Throughout the remainder of the book the author expands these seven components into a working strategy of prayer.

Action Plan for Week One (i.e., for five days)

1. Read Luke 11:1-13 each day and one Psalm each day (try Ps 1-5)
2. Pray slowly, reflecting on each of the above seven components
3. If something comes to your mind as you reflect on a key component turn it into a topic of prayer.
4. Record that topic of prayer on the prayer notebook sheet labeled with the corresponding key component (see prayer-notebook to download copies)

For example, as I am reflecting on ‘Give us this day’ (i.e., Key Component No. 4) I begin to think about a financial concern. I pray about that concern and I place that topic of prayer on the prayer notebook sheet labeled ‘Praying for Provision’ (see prayer-sheet-example).

If you like, share with the rest of us how it is going during this first week.

Previous post in the series

Becoming a Man of Prayer

I decided that I needed to make some adjustments to how I have been blogging or should I say how I have not been blogging. I mean let’s face it; it has been over a month since the last post.

Where did I go? No place, but into a season with too little margin to think blogging was going to happen without some forethought and some structure. So for the next while I am going to blog my way through Bob Beltz book Becoming a Man of Prayer.

In his introduction the author indicates that it is his hope that the book will serve as a tool that will provide a “working model” and “practical strategy” to deepen the reader’s experience of prayer. I am up for that!

Chapter One: Becoming a Man Who Prays

Beltz talks about a 21 day pilgrimage to an island for solitude and prayer. I have to admit that is something I don’t see in my near future (or distant). During that time, although there were no audible voices or visions, Beltz connected with God in a profound way. His prayer life was rejuvenated. He doesn’t attribute this union with God to some super spirituality but to being available to receive from God, something he believes any man can do.

In the remaining chapters, Beltz promises to share what he has been learning about connecting with God. He is going to lead us through seven assignments that have the potential to move us along toward becoming men of prayer.

I hope some of you decide to join me in that journey.

Next post in the series