The Practical Disciple - Part 3

Three Stages of Relationship with Jesus, [Episode 46]

The Three Stages of Relationship with Jesus Christ
 

 
Recently, I preached about three stages or zones of being in relationship with Jesus. The three zones are the Celebrity Zone, the Savior Zone, and the Lord Zone. In today’s post I am going to lay out the three zones for you, so you can profile where you are in your relationship with Jesus right now. Hopefully, with this knowledge you also see what may be the next step toward greater maturity in your walk with the Lord.

Click the image below to download a chart that will serve as a handy guide as

Read More

How to Pray Like Jesus, Part 3 from John 17 [Episode 45]

Today’s episode is the third and final episode in a series on how to prayer like Jesus. In it you’ll learn about the critical and powerful work of praying for the church. We’ll be looking specifically at how Jesus prayed for unity of the believers with one another and with God so that the world would believe. You can do the very same thing and potentially make a huge impact on the kingdom of God.

I also share in this episode examples of how the early church in the book of Acts was both a unified and praying church. Each day God added to their number. You’ll also get to hear

Read More

How to Pray Like Jesus, Part 2 from John 17 [Episode 44]


 

 
Welcome to the second part of this three part series on “How to Pray Like Jesus.” If you missed the first episode which focused on praying about your purpose you can find a link in related resources below.

Today’s episode covers praying for the people within your circle of influence. Jesus prayed for those whom the Father had given him. God has also placed in your life many people: friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and more…

  • Are you praying for the people around?
  • Do you see them as gifts from God?
  • How about the people who drive you crazy?
  • Are you praying for your crazy-makers?

Jesus prayed even for

Read More

How to Pray Like Jesus, Part 1 from John 17 [Episode 43]


 

 
Welcome to the first part in a three part series on “How to Pray Like Jesus” based upon the seventeenth chapter of John. In today’s episode we explore what it means to prayer about our purpose and the daily work of our lives. God created you with particular passions and gifts to serve. Are you taking time to acknowledge God for the gifts and opportunities you have to serve? Are you asking for God’s guidance with your work? And, are you committing what you do to God’s glory even if it seems trivial to you?

If you answered “No to any of these questions, I

Read More

A Great Morning Prayer to Start Your Day [Episode 42]

“Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of Thee, let my first impulse be to worship Thee, let my first speech be to Thy name, let my first action be to kneel before Thee in prayer.” –John Baillie from A Diary of Private Prayer.

Consider how you start your day…

When your alarm goes off in the morning what is your first thought? Do you rollover and grab your phone and check Facebook or email messages? Do you groan because you didn’t get enough sleep? Or, do you start worrying about what’s coming up in the day?

If any of these are true then this post is perfect for you. This morning I started my day using

Read More

Prayer Tips: What Does “Pray Without Ceasing” Mean and How Can You Do it?


 

Paul urged the Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) But what in the world does that mean? Are we to be constantly walking about with head’s bowed and reverently lifting up praise to God? That would be awesome in some ways but not very practical in other ways. We might have to assume a near monk-like existence to do that and it’s hard for me to believe that God wants us all to withdraw from the world into a ministry of non-stop prayer.
 
I have two takes on this mysterious snippet, “pray without ceasing.” The first is that in some ways perhaps, yes, Paul is

Read More