Life is a story that is written throughout our lifetime. The circumstances, situations, emotions, and such make up the story. Alot of times we wouldn't have chose what we've had to face. The hurt, the anxiety, the fears, the pain, the broken heart, the depression. Or the sicknesses. Yet as we walk through these situations, we may find out in the end just how they've been a blessing. They helped carve us into who we are. Of course it's human nature to wish for an easier journey. But we haven't been given that. That's not to say that life is always tough. Rough and tumble. There are some bright points....blessings...joy...peace...love...
Our life story is read by many people. Though circumstances be different, yet there is the familiarity of some things that people can identify with cause it helps mirror back to them the reality of their story. Maybe they can gleam something you've learned through the living of your story.
Maybe this is the reason we go through what we do through our story. Our story isn't meant for us alone. It is meant for others who read it. Maybe somehow we can reconcile that thought to our story. If our story can help someone else and they help someone else with their story and use a bit of your story along the way...wow...what a blessing.
Again this brings up the issue that we've talked about in times past....the risk. Are we willing to risk opening the book on our story of life and allow people to read and let their reaction be what it may? Some may not be willing to venture any further than the first sentence. Some may not be willing to go beyond the first paragraph. However, some will be willing to read to the end of the story and allow themselves to expand the way the think about their story.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The Prayer of Mercy
I find it very interesting that God would feel the need not to hide what He was doing from Abraham. I think God sets up intercession. God is always looking for a man to stand in the gap. Abraham had a reason to intercede. His nephew was in Sodom. His nephew was more like a son to him.
The prayer of the Spirit is always about finding the righteous. The prayer of the Spirit is always about mercy. The prayer of the Spirit is always about love for people. You can’t pray effectively if you don’t love people. Love is the central core of our faith. There can be no faith without love.
The prayer of mercy is always right. You can’t go wrong with that. I sense we are in a time when mercy is needed more than anything.
Let me share some definitions with you... I love the study of words:
Mercy:
to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior
to favor
bestow;
to implore (i.e. move to favor by petition):--beseech
fair, (be, find, shew)
be (deal, give, grant (gracious(-ly), intreat, (be) merciful
have (shew) mercy (on, upon)
have pity upon
pray
make supplication
Beseech
1: to beg for urgently or anxiously
2 : to request earnestly : implore
Implore
1 : to call upon in supplication : beseech
2 : to call or pray for earnestly : entreat
Entreat
1 obsolete a : negotiate b : intercede
2 : to make an earnest request : plead
transitive verb 1 : to plead with especially in order to persuade : ask urgently
2 archaic : to deal with : treat
Praying in the Spirit isn’t praying what you know from outward circumstances. Outward circumstances have to be laid down so that you can allow the Spirit of God to flow through you in a pure flow. It doesn’t matter what the outward circumstance is speaking….what it God speaking? Mercy should come easier than judgment.
Abraham was willing to go to the ends of the earth so that God would redeem not only Lot but the righteous souls of Sodom. There was no judgment in Abraham’s prayer.
May we enter into the prayer of mercy.
The prayer of the Spirit is always about finding the righteous. The prayer of the Spirit is always about mercy. The prayer of the Spirit is always about love for people. You can’t pray effectively if you don’t love people. Love is the central core of our faith. There can be no faith without love.
The prayer of mercy is always right. You can’t go wrong with that. I sense we are in a time when mercy is needed more than anything.
Let me share some definitions with you... I love the study of words:
Mercy:
to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior
to favor
bestow;
to implore (i.e. move to favor by petition):--beseech
fair, (be, find, shew)
be (deal, give, grant (gracious(-ly), intreat, (be) merciful
have (shew) mercy (on, upon)
have pity upon
pray
make supplication
Beseech
1: to beg for urgently or anxiously
2 : to request earnestly : implore
Implore
1 : to call upon in supplication : beseech
2 : to call or pray for earnestly : entreat
Entreat
1 obsolete a : negotiate b : intercede
2 : to make an earnest request : plead
transitive verb 1 : to plead with especially in order to persuade : ask urgently
2 archaic : to deal with : treat
Praying in the Spirit isn’t praying what you know from outward circumstances. Outward circumstances have to be laid down so that you can allow the Spirit of God to flow through you in a pure flow. It doesn’t matter what the outward circumstance is speaking….what it God speaking? Mercy should come easier than judgment.
Abraham was willing to go to the ends of the earth so that God would redeem not only Lot but the righteous souls of Sodom. There was no judgment in Abraham’s prayer.
May we enter into the prayer of mercy.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Are There Abraham's, Jeremiah's, Esther's, Daniel's still in the land?
Over the years, I have had to deal with some thoughts toward where I grew up. I have had to deal with some resentment, anger, frustration, misunderstanding, offense. It hasn't always been easy. Emotional issues never are.
I went for a walk today as I have been doing for some time now. I heard in my heart a word for my community I grew up. I won't share that here. But what I want to say is this: God is looking for Abraham...someone who will contend with Him on behalf of a community. Are there 10 righteous? What about 5?
Where are the Abrahams who had a love for the people; not the sin; but the people?
I pray that there is a generation of people who will not just be intercessors; not just warriors; not just people who pray.... we need people who love. We need people who will weep. We need people who will seed prayer into the soil of the situation. We need people who won't pray what they think or what they desire or what they want to see happen. We need people who hear the Voice of the Heart of God. We need people who will rely on and trust the Spirit within. We need people who will stand at the cornerstone of a town, village, city and declare what God is saying. We need people who will be the trumpet. We need people who will sound the alarm of the Spirit. People who will pray mercy like Abraham.
Today I sensed a weariness in the tone of the Word of the Lord. Why are towns rejecting Him? Why are towns fighting Him? Why are towns saying, "God, stand back!" So God stands back. But for how long?
This is a heavy word today. I felt it while I walked. I felt my spirit weeping. We need people who will stand on the parking lot of town hall and speak the Word only...not our interpretation of the Word....just the Word is enough. Is Jeremiah in the house? What about Esther? What about Daniel?
I went for a walk today as I have been doing for some time now. I heard in my heart a word for my community I grew up. I won't share that here. But what I want to say is this: God is looking for Abraham...someone who will contend with Him on behalf of a community. Are there 10 righteous? What about 5?
Where are the Abrahams who had a love for the people; not the sin; but the people?
I pray that there is a generation of people who will not just be intercessors; not just warriors; not just people who pray.... we need people who love. We need people who will weep. We need people who will seed prayer into the soil of the situation. We need people who won't pray what they think or what they desire or what they want to see happen. We need people who hear the Voice of the Heart of God. We need people who will rely on and trust the Spirit within. We need people who will stand at the cornerstone of a town, village, city and declare what God is saying. We need people who will be the trumpet. We need people who will sound the alarm of the Spirit. People who will pray mercy like Abraham.
Today I sensed a weariness in the tone of the Word of the Lord. Why are towns rejecting Him? Why are towns fighting Him? Why are towns saying, "God, stand back!" So God stands back. But for how long?
This is a heavy word today. I felt it while I walked. I felt my spirit weeping. We need people who will stand on the parking lot of town hall and speak the Word only...not our interpretation of the Word....just the Word is enough. Is Jeremiah in the house? What about Esther? What about Daniel?
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Is There Room In Your Heart?
I heard in my heart this week as I was out for my walk that God wants to expand the capacity of my heart to love more. I remember growing up how I loved people. I loved to share my heart with them. I loved to minister to them. I just believed that love was the key.
After having lived some life, pain came along. Rejection. Hurt. Frustration. Fear. Man I just lost faith in people either preceived or real. I felt my pain was real but now looking back I wonder if it wasn't just preceived.
That day on my walk, I not only heard that but I felt it. I felt as if something had been restored. I felt as if something that I had lost was returned to me. Restoration is more than gaining back what may have been lost. Restoration is the expanding of the capacity to hold above and beyond what had been lost. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation: a greater capacity to love people for who they are. Let's begin to stir up the desire, the craving for it. Not to just have things return to "normal" but to have the expansion of our hearts to be the encouragement to one another that we were designed to be.
This song I wrote is what I believe God is saying to us, His church, His people...I pray it challenges us to think a bit outside of the box.
Is There Room In Your Heart
Is there room in your heart for more
Is there room in your heart for Me to move
Is there room in your heart to love
Is there room in your heart
Do you love only those who love you in return?
Do you love only those who believe like you?
Do you love only those who are easy to love?
Do you love only those who are in the fold?
I long to expand the capacity of your heart
To embrace those I have a desire to see in My Kingdom
I long to expand the way you think
And love those who are longing for a home a place where they belong
Will you love those whose hearts are broken beyond repair
Will you love those who don't know what they do
Will you love those who curse My name
Will you love those who won't darken the door of a church
What about those who are so alone and depressed
Who have nothing positive to say or think or feel
Will you love them without a word spoken
Just let it be shown and known by what's in your heart
Clayton A Stairs, January 15th, 2010
After having lived some life, pain came along. Rejection. Hurt. Frustration. Fear. Man I just lost faith in people either preceived or real. I felt my pain was real but now looking back I wonder if it wasn't just preceived.
That day on my walk, I not only heard that but I felt it. I felt as if something had been restored. I felt as if something that I had lost was returned to me. Restoration is more than gaining back what may have been lost. Restoration is the expanding of the capacity to hold above and beyond what had been lost. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation: a greater capacity to love people for who they are. Let's begin to stir up the desire, the craving for it. Not to just have things return to "normal" but to have the expansion of our hearts to be the encouragement to one another that we were designed to be.
This song I wrote is what I believe God is saying to us, His church, His people...I pray it challenges us to think a bit outside of the box.
Is There Room In Your Heart
Is there room in your heart for more
Is there room in your heart for Me to move
Is there room in your heart to love
Is there room in your heart
Do you love only those who love you in return?
Do you love only those who believe like you?
Do you love only those who are easy to love?
Do you love only those who are in the fold?
I long to expand the capacity of your heart
To embrace those I have a desire to see in My Kingdom
I long to expand the way you think
And love those who are longing for a home a place where they belong
Will you love those whose hearts are broken beyond repair
Will you love those who don't know what they do
Will you love those who curse My name
Will you love those who won't darken the door of a church
What about those who are so alone and depressed
Who have nothing positive to say or think or feel
Will you love them without a word spoken
Just let it be shown and known by what's in your heart
Clayton A Stairs, January 15th, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
My Generation: Please Forgive Me
I pray this blog will challenge us all...
Last night coming home from work, I was overwhelmed in prayer. This travail came over me. There was a brokenness that was so deep. My prayer was for forgiveness from the church to a generation. We've lost a generation of people. They have no desire to be in the church. My age group 30-40 years old has been lost. The people I went to youth group with don't go to church anymore.
I look back and wonder: we've been so foolish, petty, doing crazy things, not caring about others, getting caught up in feuds, gossip, judgements, condemnations. No wonder we've lost a generation. Nobody wants to be a part of that. Not in the business world, not in the church world. Lord, forgive us. Let us learn from our mistakes.
Forgive us of our pride.
Somehow please redeem a generation.
I remember when my friend Victor took his life back in 1993, this same feeling was present. I wasn't able to reach him...the real him.
There's a younger generation that we need to be conscious of. Let's not lose them.
The Bible says that in the last days the love of many will grow cold. Here's a thought to consider: is the reason that the love of many grows cold is because our love for them has grown cold? People need love. People want love. They want to know what love is. If I don't have love for them, then the fire of love within them grows cold and the light dims. Oh, Let's not let the light dim. Not in us but more importantly, not in this young generation.
This may seem like a different blog as of late... but can we as the body of Christ take this as a matter of prayer? I really believe that 2010 is a year of prayer and I think that God through the Holy Spirit is going to put His finger on areas that we are lacking in and help us grow and fulfill these areas.
The Great Commission can only be accomplished when we begin to fill in the grey areas with the Love and Mercy of God.
Last night coming home from work, I was overwhelmed in prayer. This travail came over me. There was a brokenness that was so deep. My prayer was for forgiveness from the church to a generation. We've lost a generation of people. They have no desire to be in the church. My age group 30-40 years old has been lost. The people I went to youth group with don't go to church anymore.
I look back and wonder: we've been so foolish, petty, doing crazy things, not caring about others, getting caught up in feuds, gossip, judgements, condemnations. No wonder we've lost a generation. Nobody wants to be a part of that. Not in the business world, not in the church world. Lord, forgive us. Let us learn from our mistakes.
Forgive us of our pride.
Somehow please redeem a generation.
I remember when my friend Victor took his life back in 1993, this same feeling was present. I wasn't able to reach him...the real him.
There's a younger generation that we need to be conscious of. Let's not lose them.
The Bible says that in the last days the love of many will grow cold. Here's a thought to consider: is the reason that the love of many grows cold is because our love for them has grown cold? People need love. People want love. They want to know what love is. If I don't have love for them, then the fire of love within them grows cold and the light dims. Oh, Let's not let the light dim. Not in us but more importantly, not in this young generation.
This may seem like a different blog as of late... but can we as the body of Christ take this as a matter of prayer? I really believe that 2010 is a year of prayer and I think that God through the Holy Spirit is going to put His finger on areas that we are lacking in and help us grow and fulfill these areas.
The Great Commission can only be accomplished when we begin to fill in the grey areas with the Love and Mercy of God.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Trust The Christ Within - the Mystery
8 days within the new year.... my thought is to trust the Christ within. Trust the Holy Spirit that speaks deep within our spirit. He knows all things and transmits that to us through the avenue of prayer and intercession. Trust the Spirit within even when there isn't any visible signs of what He's saying to you because at some point what He has shared with you will come into view.
I posted this on my status on Facebook the other day:
wonders who can explain the mystery... Christ in us the hope of glory.... without explaining the mystery away? That's the problem with organized religion...we try to explain the mystery and wonder out of our faith... why is it that we don't give them something to think about?
Let's keep the mystery in our prayer life, in our spiritual life, in our emotional life, in our mental life.
1 Corinthians 2:7 (King James Version)
7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Ephesians 3:9 (King James Version)
9And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Colossians 1:27To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
I posted this on my status on Facebook the other day:
wonders who can explain the mystery... Christ in us the hope of glory.... without explaining the mystery away? That's the problem with organized religion...we try to explain the mystery and wonder out of our faith... why is it that we don't give them something to think about?
Let's keep the mystery in our prayer life, in our spiritual life, in our emotional life, in our mental life.
1 Corinthians 2:7 (King James Version)
7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Ephesians 3:9 (King James Version)
9And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Colossians 1:27To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Lyrics to "Love In The Key of Mercy"
Posting lyrics to my first new song of 2010:
Love In The Key of Mercy
Sometimes all you’ve got left to hold onto is love and it’s enough
Somehow mercy’s the gift we’re given to reach higher heights
I’ve heard it said when it all comes down to it in the end
All we’re gonna have left is our faith and that’s when it’s said well done
Chorus:
Oh mercy
Oh sweet mercy
Oh love in the key of mercy
Sometimes it takes a few hard knocks to make one realize what they have
Somehow mercy’s there to shine its glorious light in the darkness
I’ve heard it said when it all comes down to it in the end
We don’t need faith when everything’s right, but in the darkness soul
Chorus again
Love’s got to go deeper than what we’ve made it out to be
More than trivial word that escapes the lips and we turn our back away
Where there’s love there’s got to be mercy lurking in the background
Where there’s love there’s got to be mercy knocking on the door
Let Him in…Let Him in…
Chorus again
Clayton A Stairs, January 3, 2010
Love In The Key of Mercy
Sometimes all you’ve got left to hold onto is love and it’s enough
Somehow mercy’s the gift we’re given to reach higher heights
I’ve heard it said when it all comes down to it in the end
All we’re gonna have left is our faith and that’s when it’s said well done
Chorus:
Oh mercy
Oh sweet mercy
Oh love in the key of mercy
Sometimes it takes a few hard knocks to make one realize what they have
Somehow mercy’s there to shine its glorious light in the darkness
I’ve heard it said when it all comes down to it in the end
We don’t need faith when everything’s right, but in the darkness soul
Chorus again
Love’s got to go deeper than what we’ve made it out to be
More than trivial word that escapes the lips and we turn our back away
Where there’s love there’s got to be mercy lurking in the background
Where there’s love there’s got to be mercy knocking on the door
Let Him in…Let Him in…
Chorus again
Clayton A Stairs, January 3, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Mystery & Prayer
Mystery. That’s a word to think about. It’s easy to forget that this whole thing started as a mystery…the invisible coming into visible. The intangible become tangible. The wonder of it all.
Mystery
1 a : a religious truth that one can know only by revelation and cannot fully understand
2 a : something not understood or beyond understanding : enigma b obsolete : a private secret c : the secret or specialized practices or ritual peculiar to an occupation or a body of people
3 : profound, inexplicable, or secretive quality or character
In our society today, it is so easy to lose sight of the mystery. We are in an age where we must
explain everything.
One of the frustrating things for Christian Artists in the 80’s was they felt they had to write a 3 minute song that expressed all the answers to life. Some of these artists left the Christian Music fold in order to have creative freedom to express themselves in such ways that would honor the fact that life is full of mystery. Because they did this, they were ostracized. They were called unbelievers.
We have been taught through religious systems, whether verbally or by actions that to be thinkers is wrong. To question the system was heresy. I believe that this is a great disservice. I believe it’s time to allow God out of the box we’ve tried to put Him in.
The Apostle Paul described for us that there is a mystery. He even told us what the mystery is. He didn’t bother to go any further in that thought. The mystery is simply “Christ in us, the hope of glory.” How can we explain this thought? Christ in us.
The first thought that comes to me is, “why”?
Why did Christ come to fallen man as a Man Himself?
Why did He die on a wooden cross?
Why did He take our sin upon Himself who knew no sin himself?
Why did God breath into man and he became a living soul?
Now, this simple question of why, causes the church to go into a frenzy. You’re never to ask why. That thought is absolutely absurd. Some have said that to ask why is to doubt. I don’t see it that way at all.
The word why is a mystery question. Why should be a question that we need to learn to embrace rather than shun.
Christ in us. Isn’t that what the purpose was? Christ was and is known as Immanuel… God with us. Not only is God with us. He is within us. His Spirit was left to dwell in us. Jesus called Him the comforter.
So how does this mystery play out in context to our subject of prayer? I find prayer to be very mysterious. I don’t fully understand its operations. You can be going along in your day when all of a sudden this drive and desire rises up within you to pray for a particular person.
As quickly as that desire rises up, it leaves and you carry on with your day as if nothing happened.
What does one say in prayer? What happens when you don’t know anything about the person or the situation? How do you pray?
This is where we must learn to trust the Holy Spirit within us. Christ within. The Word within.
Then there is the thought that the Apostle Paul made: pray always in the Spirit. How is that even possible?
I realize that there have been times that deep within my heart and spirit I’ve been praying and didn’t realize it. There is a deeper form of prayer than our mere words. Silence can be the deepest form of prayer of all. In the quiet, our spirit is able to pray in ways that words just won’t do.
There is a higher form of word. That is thought. When our thoughts are centered and zeroed in on a situation, we will find ourselves in a state of prayer that only Spirit can understand. Spirit is word. It’s Thought. Word comes from thought. Word is formed through thought.
Being a person who loves to talk, it is very difficult for me to quiet myself and allow my thoughts to come into a unity with my spirit so I can pray effectively.
Words…my words…tend to clutter up the Spirit world. God isn’t asking for my words of intelligence (or lack thereof). He’s not asking for my intellect. He’s asking for me to listen so I can catch the wave of His Words, His heart, His mind, His emotion, and His tone.
The question in prayer then becomes this: What is God’s intention in having me pray? What direction does He have in mind? When I find that direction, then what is His heart concerning the situation? What is it that He wants to speak into that situation?
Jesus said, “I only speak what I hear the Father is saying.” I certainly need to take the time and learn this. When I take the time to speak what is in His heart, I will be able to effectively minister to the situation. Before I can get to this point, I need to learn to listen first.
A lot less speaking…and a whole lot of listening. If this is what we need to do in the natural when ministering to people, how much more do we need to do the same in the Spirit.
Mysterious isn’t it?
Mystery
1 a : a religious truth that one can know only by revelation and cannot fully understand
2 a : something not understood or beyond understanding : enigma b obsolete : a private secret c : the secret or specialized practices or ritual peculiar to an occupation or a body of people
3 : profound, inexplicable, or secretive quality or character
In our society today, it is so easy to lose sight of the mystery. We are in an age where we must
explain everything.
One of the frustrating things for Christian Artists in the 80’s was they felt they had to write a 3 minute song that expressed all the answers to life. Some of these artists left the Christian Music fold in order to have creative freedom to express themselves in such ways that would honor the fact that life is full of mystery. Because they did this, they were ostracized. They were called unbelievers.
We have been taught through religious systems, whether verbally or by actions that to be thinkers is wrong. To question the system was heresy. I believe that this is a great disservice. I believe it’s time to allow God out of the box we’ve tried to put Him in.
The Apostle Paul described for us that there is a mystery. He even told us what the mystery is. He didn’t bother to go any further in that thought. The mystery is simply “Christ in us, the hope of glory.” How can we explain this thought? Christ in us.
The first thought that comes to me is, “why”?
Why did Christ come to fallen man as a Man Himself?
Why did He die on a wooden cross?
Why did He take our sin upon Himself who knew no sin himself?
Why did God breath into man and he became a living soul?
Now, this simple question of why, causes the church to go into a frenzy. You’re never to ask why. That thought is absolutely absurd. Some have said that to ask why is to doubt. I don’t see it that way at all.
The word why is a mystery question. Why should be a question that we need to learn to embrace rather than shun.
Christ in us. Isn’t that what the purpose was? Christ was and is known as Immanuel… God with us. Not only is God with us. He is within us. His Spirit was left to dwell in us. Jesus called Him the comforter.
So how does this mystery play out in context to our subject of prayer? I find prayer to be very mysterious. I don’t fully understand its operations. You can be going along in your day when all of a sudden this drive and desire rises up within you to pray for a particular person.
As quickly as that desire rises up, it leaves and you carry on with your day as if nothing happened.
What does one say in prayer? What happens when you don’t know anything about the person or the situation? How do you pray?
This is where we must learn to trust the Holy Spirit within us. Christ within. The Word within.
Then there is the thought that the Apostle Paul made: pray always in the Spirit. How is that even possible?
I realize that there have been times that deep within my heart and spirit I’ve been praying and didn’t realize it. There is a deeper form of prayer than our mere words. Silence can be the deepest form of prayer of all. In the quiet, our spirit is able to pray in ways that words just won’t do.
There is a higher form of word. That is thought. When our thoughts are centered and zeroed in on a situation, we will find ourselves in a state of prayer that only Spirit can understand. Spirit is word. It’s Thought. Word comes from thought. Word is formed through thought.
Being a person who loves to talk, it is very difficult for me to quiet myself and allow my thoughts to come into a unity with my spirit so I can pray effectively.
Words…my words…tend to clutter up the Spirit world. God isn’t asking for my words of intelligence (or lack thereof). He’s not asking for my intellect. He’s asking for me to listen so I can catch the wave of His Words, His heart, His mind, His emotion, and His tone.
The question in prayer then becomes this: What is God’s intention in having me pray? What direction does He have in mind? When I find that direction, then what is His heart concerning the situation? What is it that He wants to speak into that situation?
Jesus said, “I only speak what I hear the Father is saying.” I certainly need to take the time and learn this. When I take the time to speak what is in His heart, I will be able to effectively minister to the situation. Before I can get to this point, I need to learn to listen first.
A lot less speaking…and a whole lot of listening. If this is what we need to do in the natural when ministering to people, how much more do we need to do the same in the Spirit.
Mysterious isn’t it?
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