I've been pondering Ephesians 1:17-19 lately, more specifically one phrase that Paul prays. He desires that we would know the "hope of His calling", or as the NIV puts it, "the hope to which we have been called". I've been making a little handout on it, so I figured I would share with you some of my thoughts from it!

Hope is an emotion deeply rooted inside of every human. Hope is simply the expectation and desire for something better than what currently exists. For example, the small child hopes to be a teenager, the teen hopes to be an adult, and the adult hopes he or she will find in life that which satisfies. Hope is a powerful motivator. When it is lost, the burden of pessimism and despair can be heavy on its bearer. The Gospel has the power to lift this burden by giving us a confidence – a true and living hope that will not disappoint us.

God created every human with a deep longing to marvel and be fascinated. Since the fall in the garden, we have been disconnected from what we were created for. The intrinsic hope for every human is unhindered fellowship with God as it was in the days of Adam and Eve in the garden.

“One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek … To behold the beauty of the LORD ...” (Psalms 27:4 NKJV)

The Lord promised to destroy Satan and restore the paradise and unhindered fellowship through a descendant of Eve (Gen. 3:15). The hope of this “seed” and of the restoration He would bring prevailed throughout Israel for thousands of years, as prophets continued to unveil more and more about who He would be and how He would be manifested.  read more »

Tuesday’s election was a very significant crossroads for the nation of America. Our nation elected the first African American president and at the same time elected perhaps the most pro-choice candidate that has ever been in office. Mike Bickle spoke briefly at our 10am prayer meeting yesterday morning regarding these issues and made some very good points on the election that I really want to pass along to you. It’s so easy to get derailed and discouraged by Tuesday’s results if our hope was in John McCain as “God’s candidate” or if our trust was in a political process that is detached from the ways of the kingdom of God. I’m hoping this little post brings encouragement and clarity and reconnects you to the bigger picture of what the Lord is doing in our nation and in the world today.

Before I get to what Mike said though I want to address the common question I am sure many have been asking - “What about the prophetic words? What about all of our prayers? I guess we didn’t pray enough.” I want to boldly state that to ask this question means we are believing lies about the heart and the nature of God. First, prophetic words are given as an invitation from God, not a guarantee. When Daniel was living under a wicked Babylonian king and saw the crisis ahead for his people, he set his face towards God to pray and fast (Daniel 9:1-3). He earnestly prayed and from the first day he set his heart, his words were heard (Daniel 10:12). Jesus longs to hear our voice. Every prayer we prayed counted, and not one was lost. When we pray, we’re not “charging up God’s battery” wishfully hoping that we can pray enough that He would finally be “charged” and moved enough to act. Prayer is about agreement with who He is and what He desires. Prayer is not for Him, it’s for us. In saying “we didn’t pray enough”, we’re essentially saying “God doesn’t hear my prayers” or “God won’t act until enough people pray”. These are unbiblical, unfounded lies from the enemy that we must resist and fill our mind and heart with the truth of God’s word.

Even though the cries for change were greater than the cries for mercy on Tuesday, that does not negate or cancel out all of our cries for mercy. Jesus longs to dispense mercy much more than we want it. Our prayers were heard and they will be answered. But we must understand that what He is doing is beyond our ability to know and discern fully. He sees the big picture, and Barack Obama as our president is the exact thing the Lord has set in place to provoke the greatest number of people to the deepest level of love without violating anyone’s free will in the process.  read more »

Okay, so I got a divine idea this afternoon while talking to my roommates. We know that Jesus defined "love" for Him as something more than a sentiment, an emotion, or a feeling - He defined it as one firm, clear word that is frightening to our selfish, prideful, fallen human nature. In John 14:15, John 14:21, and John 14:23, Jesus said:

““If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
(John 14:15-23 NKJV)

Love is obedience.  read more »

... I got it working. For me, AND for you.

It seems like they're having some problems with their website. I used some of my tech skills to make it work for those of you who want to be a part of the prayer meeting - watch it here.

It seems to be working right now, but I'm not sure when it will stop working, so click at your own risk :)

UPDATE 4:55pm: GodTV's site looks like it's working again!

I want to start out this series with a pretty intense statement that hopefully will ring true with your heart by the end of the series: The letters to the seven churches are perhaps some of the most “forgotten” passages in the entire book of Revelation.

In a day when even unbelievers are becoming more and more interested in what the Bible has to say about the future, discussion between various camps in studying the book of Revelation always tends to revolve around passages like Revelation 20 (the 1000-year reign of Jesus), Revelation 4:1 (“come up here”), Revelation 6:1 (the first seal), or Revelation 12 (the symbolism of the woman and the dragon). These passages and others are rightfully discussed and debated more than these letters to the seven churches, simply because of the various systems of eschatological thought that have developed in the last 2000 years since the book’s writing in 96AD.

In the limelight of these passages lies Revelation 2-3. Despite their lack of emphasis across the body of Christ today, there is much in the New Testament surrounding the issues Jesus raised in Revelation 2 and 3 – from fervency and wholeheartedness, reigning with Christ, and the first commandment to the toleration of immorality and a dull spirit.  read more »

For anyone like me dismayed and utterly disgusted with the political system, the elections, and the state of our nation because it does not line up with that of heaven's, I'd highly recommend reading this amazing blog by one of my favorite teachers here at IHOP, Stephen Venable. I couldn't agree more with what he said.

Here's a quote that sums it all up:

Biblically God’s winds of change do not blow from capitals and courtrooms, nor are they the least bit hindered by the resistance of wicked men. The greatest revival in history began in the city that crucified the Lord of Glory, and spread like wild-fire through an empire that worshiped their leader. My guess is that neither of the candidates in this election will soon seek to demand worship, but even if they surprised us all and did, America would not be disqualified. And regardless of who gets elected America will still be the recipient of God’s judgment, for no matter who the nation crowns on November 4th, men and women all across this land will lie down on their bed after turning off the news and give no heed to the glory of Christ and His infinite worth. My concern is not that men and women in the Church have voiced support for a particular candidate, but that in doing so they have demonstrated more commitment and more zeal than they do for the majesty and renown of Jesus. We are consumed with a host of things but not with Him, and it is this disease of Christ-less Christianity that threatens the future of our nation, not a movement to the left or the right of the political aisle. We must awake and return to our first love, curing the malady that now runs rampant under quaint country steeples and in the sprawling suburban campuses of mega-churches alike.
- Stephen Venable

For some other great reading by another favorite of mine, John Piper, check this out.

The only possible option for our nation is God's mercy. Even though His mercy might not come in the way much of the church may expect it to, rest assured He will answer us as we ask for it. The “cry for change” might be louder than the “cry for mercy” in our day, but that does not negate the prayers we offer Him for it. God remembers and cherishes our prayers - and because they are prayed in agreement with His will (Micah 7:18), He will dispense mercy. This is where we must find our hope - not in a single candidate, even though they may seem like they have the "best plan" for America or even because they love what Jesus loves. Mercy and Justice is a Man named Jesus Christ. We will never experience the fullness of these things we are all longing for apart from Him.

For the past few weeks I've been studying Revelation 2-3 extensively, trying to wrap my head and my heart around each of the issues Jesus rebuked and affirmed in them and the promises to the overcomer given to each of the churches. In the past I have not spent much time in these chapters, but I've recently begun to see their importance and application towards us today. These two chapters are critical to understanding the rest of Revelation, and they're instrumental in motivating us to be an "overcomer".

John penned some hard-to-swallow yet encouraging messages that Jesus gave to the churches during the first century. Some scholars like to apply the spiritual principles set forth to each church to specific ages in the history of Christendom. It may indeed be a worthy way to apply Jesus' words, but I believe the most important application of each letter (after its primary purpose of speaking to real churches in the first century) is speaking to believers who will witness the events of Rev. 6-19 in their own lifetime. That could quite possibly be some of you reading this blog right now.

The main phrase that provoked me to study these chapters in more detail is actually repeated seven times in the 51 verses in Rev. 2-3. Each time Jesus finishes speaking to a church, he closes with the phrase: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Do you have an ear? Jesus is speaking about you and I - the readers and hearers of the words that He spoke. Have we taken heed to the words He's spoken? Does our heart begin to burn when we meditate on receiving a "white stone" (Rev. 2:17) from Jesus? Do we have any idea what it means to have the new name of Jesus written on us? (Rev. 3:12)

I'm just beginning to scratch the surface of the answers to those questions, and I figured a series on my blog would help me to understand them a bit better. So, you get to benefit from my study and my prayer. :) Hopefully it provokes you to go deeper in these things as well!

I'm still helping out with Dave Sliker's Biblical Foundations of Eschatology class at IHOPU for the next few weeks, but expect at least a 7-part (perhaps more) series on Rev. 2-3 in the weeks to come. Stay tuned!  read more »

Even though it's a couple of months away, we're already getting excited about the year-end conference held in Bartle Hall in downtown Kansas City. The promo video we've put together came out really well - I'm a huge fan of the mountainous scene at the end where my friend Steven is running around as someone who was just healed by the power of God. I heard that the video team actually drove all the way to Colorado with the jib camera just for that shot... It was worth it!!!

Enjoy the video! If you're reading the feed, you may want to look at the actual blog entry to see the video. More on onething as the end of the year approaches. For now, check out the website at:

http://www.ihop.org/onething08