Do you ever feel as if you are praying the same things over and over again?  Or, do you find yourself at a loss for words only minutes into praying?  Does your mind wander when you pray?  These are extremely common problems which can readily be addressed by simply adopting a prayer model.  I have found that praying an A.C.T.S. prayer is a great way to both focus my prayer and expand my prayer vocabulary.  It is one of my favorite prayer disciplines.  A.C.T.S. stands for:

Adoration

Confession

Thanksgiving

Supplication

Adoration

What does it mean to adore someone?  It means that you love them.  You love who they are and what they do.  When I adore God I use what I call the formula of praise.  This formula is a recurring pattern I noticed in the Psalms.  David adores God in three ways:  First, he tells God that he loves Him.  Second, he praises God for who God is.  Third, he praises God for what God does.  To learn more about the formula of praise and to see examples click here and read the post, The Formula of Praise.

Confession

When I extol the goodness of God through adoration I find myself humbled.  I am reminded of my sins.  So I move from adoration into confession.  When you confess try to be specific about acknowledging what you have done wrong.  Get beyond generic confessions such as, “I haven’t been as loving as I should be.”  Be specific, “God I have been avoiding Janet because I am angry with her.  Forgive me for pushing her to the side so that I don’t have to deal with my anger.  It is sinful for me to not give her the grace I have received.”  Being specific will help you change.  Notice in the example that I actively acknowledged my action as sin and why it is wrong.  That sort of processing your actions within your prayers will help you change, but you only get there by being specific.  To learn more about confession click here and read the post, Eradicating Spiritual Virus.

Thanksgiving

I am not sure I need to say much about thanks because most of us readily know how to say thank you and what gratitude is.  I do want to point out two things.  First, my experience has been that having thanks in my prayer model forces me to consider what I am grateful for on the days I feel less than grateful.  Paul told the Colossians, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:16)  Second, I actively give thanks for the whole of creation.  I don’t only focus on the people and circumstance of my life.  I give thanks for the earth, the plants, the trees, the animals, the birds, the stars, the sun, and the moon and all of these amazing pieces of creation that God has intricately woven together to make life possible.

Supplication

To supplicate simply means to ask. At this point in your prayer offer God the concerns of your heart.  Pray for friends, family, community, situations and yourself.  Pray for whatever concerns you.  Take time to intercede for others.  I used to think that intercession just meant praying for someone else in general.  However, as I studied the scriptures about interceding, I noticed that intercession almost always means praying about someone’s spiritual well-being.  You may want to adopt someone specific to pray for daily.  I find that to be a very powerful prayer discipline.

Lastly, when trying a new prayer discipline like praying A.C.T.S. prayers, do it for several weeks before judging the merits of the practice.  Your entire first week you may be just getting comfortable with the practice.  I highly recommend living into a practice a minimum of three weeks.  Research suggests that it takes as much as 18 days for something to become a habit or norm for us.  Persevere for a season so that you can see the fruit.

Blessings from The Practical Disciple.

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Dusk in Venice by Claude Monet

Herman Melville wrote, “It is better to fail in originality, than to succeed in imitation.” We tend to have a bias in our culture against imitation. Imitation often equates in our minds to fake. For example, imitation leather or imitation fur. Imitation may connote something being cheap or of lesser value. The idea that originality is always better is not always the case. In fact, imitation can be an amazing tool for growth.
 
When I was a candidate for ministry I had to write a statement of faith that would be reviewed by a committee of my denomination. I’ll never forget that some of the committee members were put off by the fact that my statement of faith read and felt like classic statements of faith, such as the Apostle’s creed. I was criticized for not being more creative. That’s probably one of the only times I have ever been criticized for a lack of creativity. Frankly, I took it at as a complement and thought their comments said more about them than me. Imagine being in an art class and the instructor with obvious displeasure telling you, “You paint like Rembrandt.” or “That work looks like it came right out of Monet’s studio.”
 
I was prompted to think about these things this morning as I did my devotional reading and came across these verses:

“You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7

“For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews.” 1 Thessalonians 2:14

Paul in other places did not only acknowledge believers for begin imitators, but actually encouraged them to be. In the scriptures above Paul actually notes three different ways the Thessalonians imitated good models. They imitated Paul and the other disciples who had brought them the gospel. They imitated the Lord and other churches.
 
Whom do you admire for his or her faith? How can you imitate his or her lifestyle, speech, behaviors, or disciplines? If you admire someone, but don’t know the habits they keep, you may want to invite them to lunch and learn more. If you know someone with bottomless biblical knowledge, then ask how he or she studies and follow that example for awhile. If you know someone with an amazingly powerful prayer life, ask about prayer practices.
 
Imitation is a very effective way to grow as a disciple. You will eventually become that which you imitate if you practice long enough.
 
 

Summer months for many people include travel. I find that travel can present some challenges to maintaining my normal routines for prayer and Bible reading, but they are not insurmountable. Yesterday, I drove to our church camp to serve as a chaplain for a couple of days with our camp staff who are going through training. When I got to my room, the first thing I did was set up my devotional space. You can see it in the picture above. Something that is sacred or holy is something set apart for God. That little space is my sacred space for the next few days. It’s where I will take time set apart from the rest of my day to encounter God.

In my devotional space there are several items I brought from home and my office. These things serve as mental anchors to my home routines and are visual triggers to keep me faithful to my spiritual disciplines. Here is what is in my space.

1) My devotional bible. I use a Kay Arthur Inductive Study Bible for my devotional reading. It has no headings, footnotes or commentary. It’s basically raw text with wide margins for keeping notes. I do most of my reading from it because I like to first look at text and pray about it without being led by any other commentary. I use an ESV (English Standard Version) Study Bible, when I start moving into more research.

2) A candle. In the picture, a red glass candle holder with a cross on it sits behind the bible. That candle holder is from my office and was a gift to me. I often begin my devotional time by lighting a candle and saying the words, “I light this candle as a reminder of Christ’s presence with me.”

3) A blue mug full of colored pencils. I brought the mug and pencils from my office, as well. I annotate my devotional bible using colored pencils. I use colored pencils intentionally because they won’t bleed through the pages like highlighters or pens. To learn more about this practice read the post, What to write in your bible.

4) My journal. The black book in the picture is my journal. I journal in lots of ways. When I wrote my Novena, I intentionally wrote it on loose leaf paper, because I wanted to file it for easy reference next year. I find a bound journal more convenient when I am on the road. It’s smaller and I can readily pull it out when I am killing time in an airport or want to lie in bed and journal at the end of the day.

5) A little plastic turtle. You may not have noticed him in the picture. But in front of the blue mug is a little turtle. When I use to travel, I would get something from my kids to take with me as a tangible reminder of them and I would put it in my devotional space. For my son, I regularly brought a small plastic turtle I had bought for him while on vacation. For my daughter I carried a tiny clay vase with a dragon fly on it that I had bought her. This little turtle happened to be on my beside table when I was packing; so, I tossed him in as a reminder of my whole family. When I see him I remember my family in prayer while I am away from them.
 
Your travel set-up can be very simple. May be it’s picking a certain chair in your room to be your prayer spot and leaving your bible or a devotional guide in it as a visual reminder. Even if you don’t pick a space, carrying an object with you that spiritually reminds you of God and home can be very helpful. I began this practice when I was a missionary in Alaska by simply carrying a pocket cross. You can read more about that in the post, Surround yourself with objects that teach. I suspect that experience was the root of my practice now of creating a sacred space while traveling.
 
This practice has served me well and kept me true to my spiritual disciplines when traveling. I hope you will try it next time you travel. I am confident that you will find it is a blessing.
 

Call Before You Fall

Verse:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25

Meditation:

In yesterday’s verse we were urged to set our minds on the Spirit that we might live by the Spirit. In today’s verses, Paul paints a picture of what living in the Spirit looks like. Given what we learned yesterday; specifically, that the focus of our minds produces are actions and eventually our character, what thoughts are necessary for us to find the fruit of the Spirit in our lives? What thoughts lead toward joy? What thoughts produce patience? What thoughts kindle kindness? etc.
 
Similarly, we must understand what thoughts lead us away from the fruits. We must recognize what thought patterns push us toward being impatient, cruel, bitter, envious, etc. Whenever we recognize that we are trapped in those thoughts, we need to call upon the Spirit to help us walk faithfully.
 
Yesterday, I was lying in a hospital emergency room being checked out after a car accident. I saw a sign on the wall of someone holding a nurse call button and above it where the words, “Call before you fall.” I commented to my wife that it was a sermon in a sentence. When we find ourselves thinking thoughts contrary to the Spirit we need to call out to the Spirit before we take any steps. If we do not, then we are sure to fall.
 

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, I quiet my heart before You so that I might become aware of  any thoughts contrary to You. I would like to be able to observe my thoughts without reflexively reacting to them. Bring me that awareness. I want enough objectivity in my relationship to my thoughts so that when I stray from  you I can see it happening and choose differently. Then I pray that through your power, I am able to disassociate from my mind of the flesh and embrace a mind of the Spirit. When I consider the vast stream of never ending thoughts that rush through my head, bringing them under the control of your Spirit seems nearly impossible. But, I know that all things are possible through You. Thank you for your gift of power, love and self-discipline. I give you my mind. Use it for your purposes. Amen.
 
P.S. In regards to my car accident–The car was totaled, but I am not. Just got some nasty bruising and swelling from my safety belt doing its job. I want to thank the many friends and family who have offered prayers and words of encouragement.
 

If you are new to this Ghost Dose series, you may want to read the post, A Protestant Novena, A Dose of the Ghost..

Verse:

“For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6, NASB)

Meditation:

Today’s verse reminds us of simple yet often ignored truth, the gift of the Spirit requires responsible continued attention. The greek word translated “kindle afresh” in the New American Standard Bible, is a difficult word to translate cleanly. An examination of five versions yielded four different translations.

• The English Standard Version and New International Version-”fan a flame”
• New Revised Standard Version-”rekindle”
• King James-”Stir up”
• New American Standard Bible-”kindle afresh”

 
The translation challenge that results in so many different version is that the greek word is a compounding of several things. Perhaps, a more literal and accurate translation would be something to the effect of “to fire to life again.” Regardless of the translation the image given is a of having been given a fire that needs continued tending to burn and burn well. I teach fire making skills to camp counselors and children every Summer. I can’t tell you how many times I have started a fire for a struggling group only to leave for a little bit and find it nearly extinguished for a lack of care.
 
Caretaking a fire requires feeding and stoking. You must continually feed a fire so that it has fuel to keep burning. Often times you also have to interact with the fire to keep it going. You may have to rearrange some logs so they get better air flow or you may need to shuffle the coals around to expose them. I am learning through scripture and through this novena that the gift of the Holy Spirit needs to be also feed and interacted with. Through studying the Word we can feed the gift of the Holy Spirit. By exercising our spiritual gifts we can feed the gift of the Holy Spirit. Through prayer, particularly asking the Spirit to teach us and/or leaning on the Spirit for strength, comfort and discernment we can interact with the Spirit. What will you do today to actively feed or stoke the fire that has been placed in you?
 

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, Paul told Timothy in an earlier letter “do not to neglect the spiritual gift within you.” (1 Timothy 1:14)  His language in this letter is even more proactive. This word reveals to me a history of being passive in attention to you. I prayer that I will continue when this novena is complete to seek to learn more about you. I would like to come away with a plan from this nine day period of reflection for knowing specifically, how I should continue to “rekindle” or “kindle afresh” this gift.  I give you thanks for this word today.  Amen.

 
If you missed the beginning of this “Dose of the Ghost” series, just read this post, A Protestant Novena, A Dose of the Ghost.
 
 

Verse:

“For God did not give you a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Meditation:

The greek word that is translated self-discipline can also rightly be translated self-control, moderation, or prudence.   The idea behind it is one of rightly exercising restraint in moral matters. The spirit reveals to us truth, but it is not enough to only know the truth. We have a response ability to respond appropriately. The good news is that through the gift of the Holy Spirit we are empowered to exercise restraint and diligence in moral matters. We not only know what is right or wrong but we are empowered to do the right thing or resist doing the wrong thing. We are no longer alone in resisting and confronting sin.
 

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, your entrance into my life in many ways robs me of my excuses.  I know through God’s promises that I am a new creation and that my old self has passed away.  I know too that through you I have the power to resist that which is evil.  Their really is no excuse for me to do the wrong thing.  If I do, it is a blatant exercise of self will against you.  I prayer that daily I will yield myself over fully to your promptings, your courage, your strength, your goodness, and your holiness.  Paul told Timothy to kindle the gift that had been given to him, that gift being you.  Open my eyes to see and understand how to kindle a spirit of self-discipline so that I might more fully serve and honor God in all things.  Amen.
  

Verse:

“For God did not give you a spirit of timidity but of power, love and self discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Mediation:

Jesus told us “love your neighbor as yourself.” I know what he means. He means that he wants us to love others the way we would want to be loved. Did you ever stop to think though that you probably are loving your neighbor as yourself right now but not in a good way? Here’s what I mean by that. It’s is difficult if not impossible to love others more than we love ourselves. If you are unrelentingly judgmental of yourself, you will have a difficult time being anything but judgmental of others. If you only care for yourself when you accomplish great things, you will have difficulty loving others unless they are high achievers. If you love yourself for how you look, then you will struggle with loving others who don’t measure up in being attractive.

For us to love others unconditionally with what the Bible calls ‘agape’, then we have to come to a place where we realize that we are unlovable. We must grasp that God loves us out of the goodness of who God is, not because there is something about us that is lovable. God loves us despite our sin. God loves us despite our disobedience. God loves us even though we can’t doing anything for God that God can’t do for Himself. We really have nothing to offer except perhaps gratitude. We are unacceptable, yet accepted.

If you believe otherwise you will never grasp the depth of God’s love for you. Your grasp of God’s love is only as deep as the grasp of your undesirableness, what theologians have called “your utter depravity.” As long as you think that you are only partial depraved, you will only know conditional love and it is all that you will have to offer others.

Lastly, I am not sure that the gift of love that we get from the Holy Spirit is a direct gift but rather a by-product. As holiness grows within you, you become painfully aware of just how unholy you are, of just how unlovable you are. When that reality becomes undeniably real to you, then you will be able to truly realize and receive love from God as unconditional. And then, you will be able to love others not for who they are, but out of who you have become, a person forgiven and accepted unconditionally.
 

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, in the light of your goodness may the darkness of my depravity become undeniable to me, so that I can accept others with humility and grace. I confess that most of my love at some level is motivated by what appeals to me. I like someone; so, I love them. But Jesus made it clear that virtually anyone can love the people who love them. The challenge is loving enemies. That’s what he did. He loved the enemy and truth be told, I need to accept the fact that I was/am that enemy. I mock him. I crucify him. I betray him. I do these things each time I sin. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Receive me, that I might love others the way you have loved me, unconditionally.
 
 

Verse:

For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity , but of power and love and discipline. 1 Timothy 1:6-7

Meditation:

     There are multiple truths offered to us in today’s verse, but our focus will be upon one truth.  The gift of the Spirit is a gift of power.  The Greek word used here for power is “dunemaos”, from which we get the word “dynamite”.  I once witnessed dynamite exploding.  I was at a 4th of July celebration and sticks of dynamite were laid out on the surface of a dam and ignited.  We were in a canoe easily a couple of hundred yards away.  I could feel the percussion of wind even at that distance and it caused the side walls of the canoe to pulse as a wave of power rolled out from the explosion.  It was hard to fathom how something so small could create such an intense and visible wave of reaction.  Yet, when I consider that power it is really nothing in comparison to God’s power which we are told has been given to us and is within us.

     God’s power is infinite..  God’s power can break the grip of depression.  Comfort the grieving.  Shatter the shackles of addiction.  Melt an angry heart into a forgiving heart.  God’s power can heal.  God’s power can take that which is dead and give it life.  God’s power can love that which is unlovable.  God’s power can rejoice in  all things, even in the midst of persecution.  God’s power is not only dynamite but dynamic.  God’s power can birth stars.  God’s power can humble the exalt and exalt the humble.  God’s power can change, hearts, houses, neighborhoods, nations, and the world.  God’s power shapes all of eternity and it is in me and it is a gift.  Why should I ever fear anything?  Why should I feel any sense of want?  any sense of loss?  any sense of hesitancy?  any sense of timidity?  any trepidation? 

Prayer

     Dear Spirit of power, thank you for meeting me where I am, weak, broken by sin, fearful, and wanting.  Thank you for finding me in my weakness and filling me with power.   Thank you for word power.  What I mean by that, is that you call to mind just the right words at just the right moment so that someone hurting can be ministered to:  someone feeling down can be encouraged, someone grieving can be comforted,  and someone hopeless, can be inspired.  Someone can hear the Good News.  Thank you for strength, courage, and joy.  All amazingly powerful attributes that our evidence of your presence.  Thank you for healing power–healing of wounds both invisible and visible.  You, O Spirit, are amazing and wondrous to behold.

     Lastly, Spirit I confess that for one who has been given an inheritance of power I live in small ways.  Forgive me.  I do Christ a disservice when I live small by thinking in terms of limitations, and pursuing only what appears readily achievable.  I live small when I allow people being petty, divisive, or gossipy, to get beneath my skin and draw me into anger.  I live small when I allow evil to overcome good, rather than overcoming evil by good.  I live small when allow that which is, to take priority over which is eternal.  I live small when I live in anything less than the fullness of grace I have received in Christ.  Forgive me.  Fill me again to dream dreams, see visions, and speak the truth and joy of your kingdom to a broken world.  Amen.
 
     If you missed out on the beginning of the “Dose of the Ghost” series, checkout the post that initiated it, A Protestant Novena, A Ghost of the Dose.
  

“Protestant novena” may be an oxymoron, because as far as I  know a novena is a totally catholic thing.  I wonder how many people reading this have even heard of a novena.  I never had until this morning.  Or, at least I don’t recall knowing about it.  I was researching the church holiday  ”Ascension of the Lord” this morning and came across the term.  A novena is a nine day prayer commitment focused upon a specific intention.  It seems from what I have read, that the most common is a novena to the Holy Spirit between Ascension of the Lord Thursday and Pentecost Sunday.  A novena though may be said at anytime of year and there is no limit to the focus of a novena.

According to scripture Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection and continued to spend time with them for forty days.  At the end of that forty days, Jesus ascended or more literal “was taken” up into the heavens.  The disciples stood and watched as he disappeared into the clouds.  A promise was made that the gift of the Holy Spirit was coming soon, which then came to pass ten days later at Pentecost.  So, forty days after Easter some traditions celebrate the Ascension of Christ.  This year the celebration of the ascension of Christ falls on Thursday, May 13th.  In the Catholic church, Ascension of the Lord is an obligatory holy day for all catholics.  It is also common to observe a novena to the Holy Spirit for  the nine days between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost.  Some churches celebrate the ascension on the Sunday following Ascension Thursday.

The novena to the Holy Spirit consists of nine days of prayer guided by a verse, meditation and prayer for the day.  The first day is sort of a getting started day in which you acknowledge your need for the Holy Spirit.  Each successive day focuses upon a different aspect of the sevenfold nature of God’s Spirit; specifically, “the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and the Spirit of Holy Fear.”  I put those aspects in quotes because I am completely borrowing here some catholic rhetoric from the novena to the Holy Spirit.

While I am not sure that I completely agree with some of the theology used in the prayers and meditations, I really love the idea of taking nine days for focused prayer around my relationship with God specifically in regards to the Holy Spirit.  The denomination that I am in tends to keep the Holy Spirit a bit at the edges.  I have often said that if you attempted to express how our denomination regards the different parts of the trinity using fonts, then  ”God the Father” would be in 48 point arial, “Jesus Christ” would be 12 point times new roman, and the Holy Spirit would be in microfont wingdings.  (Refer to the above graphic) Because of this, I think it would really behoove me to spend some prayer time around understanding the Holy Spirit more fully.

So, come Friday I am going to write and observe my own version of a novena to the Holy Spirit.  Each day for nine days, I will identify a scripture about the Holy Ghost, write a brief reflection, and prayer.  I will post each one for anyone who would like to join me.  I am going to call each post  ”A dose of the Ghost.”  I have never done anything quite like this, so I will offer a reflection on the experience at the end and would appreciate feedback from anyone who joins this little nine day prayer party.

Blessings and may the Holy Spirit be a vibrant presence in your life.

Do you ever stop and wonder about the value of what you are doing?  If not, then you might ought to.  This weekend I visited with my brother and he was talking about his pastor labeling things in his home with the words “kingdom value” and whatever didn’t have it, he needed get rid of.  The idea of sorting my life by what has “kingdom value” has really grabbed my attention.  I can’t seem to let go of the thought or perhaps it won’t let go of me.

The pastor was talking about physical things in his life, but my mind instantly gravitates more toward the activities of my life.  What will I do today that has kingdom value?  What will I do today that adds to the over all value of God’s kingdom?  What about you?

How will you spend today and what activities will add to God’s kingdom?  What is just ONE thing you could do today that would have kingdom value?  How about one thing you could do in the next hour that has kingdom value?  Or what is the action you could take the moment you finish reading this post that has kingdom value?

Part of me wants to reflexively protest, “but I have all kinds of other things I need to get done.”  Then a little voice sounds off in my head and I hear the scriptures saying, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of these things will be added unto you.” Mark 6:33

I thought about closing this post by urging you to examine each action you take today through the lens of “Does this action have kingdom value?”  That’s not a bad idea, but probably limitedly effective.  Most of us would start out with good intentions, but quickly fail to check our actions as we got into familiar routines.  That’s just human nature.

So, I would encourage you instead to plan some kingdom value into your day.  Don’t be passive and just evaluate what you are doing already.  Make a point and have a plan of sowing some kingdom seeds.  I don’t know if you have a to-do list, but if you do, write on it at least one thing you will do today that has kingdom value.  While you are at it, look at what’s already on your list and remove at least one thing that doesn’t have kingdom value.

What do I mean by “kingdom value”?  Activities that make God’s desire for life a greater reality right now.  For example, from God’s word we know that God desires us to have joy.  What can you do today to sow joy?  God desires his believers to have unity.  Can you heal a connection that is broken or build a healthy one?  God desires us to follow.  Will you take a step today that is led by his direction?  God desires us to love one another the way he has loved us.  What can you do to forgive someone or love them unconditionally.

These are just a few kingdom values.  Can you think of others and what will you plan to do today to make those values a reality?  Blessing to you as you seek first the kingdom.