Practice For Precision

February 2, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

An old Sunday School song had me joyfully singing, “I’m in the Lord’s army!” I loved playing “Army” with my friends and I also loved this song and the idea behind it, but it seems like many seasoned saints today get a little uncomfortable with the idea of a militant Church. But military-like precision was drilled into everything the Church was taught from the days of Moses all through the end of the New Testament. 

Let’s just consider the precision of the movement of the tribes of Israel. For 40 years in the wilderness they were an army on the move, and they moved with precision that was drilled into them. 

  • Numbers 2 lays out the precise encampment arrangements. 
  • Numbers 10:14-36 tells us precisely how they marched out with the vanguard, supporting troops, and rearguard. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Charles T. Crabtree wrote, “As spiritual people we are to understand spiritual warfare. We are to be alert to the devil’s devices. We are not to be obsessed with demonic strategy; we are simply, through God, to understand it and be superior to it.” 

We are in a spiritual battle that requires spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:11-13), and we must practice for precision in which armor and which weapons to use (2 Corinthians 10:4; 2 Timothy 2:3-4). 

My friend Dan Chastain spent more than 20 years serving in the US Army, and he notices several parallels between what the Bible says about military leaders and what he learned in his long military service. He shared four key characteristics of warriors: 

  1. Dedication to honorable service 
  2. Obedience and loyalty to whom and what they serve 
  3. Integrity at all costs
  4. Selfless service 

Dan also shared the US Army’s model of Be, Know, and Do. Which is also vital for Christian warriors today. 

When Joshua—the general of the Israelite army—took over, he was given this directive by God: Meditate on God’s Word so that you can live by it (Joshua 1:6-8), and the New Testament would agree (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So we, too, will learn from the military leaders that Scripture has given us how to practice our precision in the Lord’s Army. 

Let’s make sure we can finish well. As Paul said to Timothy, “Fight the good fight of the faith. … I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7). 

You can start today by applying Be, Know, and Do with the Training Manual for the Lord’s Army every single day: 

  • Be in the training Manual every day 
  • Know the Manual 
  • Do what the Manual says 

Follow along with all of the messages in our series on The Lord’s Army. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Avoiding Foolish Controversies

November 3, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Jude calls Christians to contend for the faith without contention and without compromise. Instead, we are to loving serve Jesus by engaging with others mercifully, peacefully, and lovingly. This means we have to contend without quarreling. 

But that’s easier said than done because people love to pick fights, and we hate to lose an argument. 

Look at the ministry of Jesus. His adversaries couldn’t get around the perfect logic that He used based on Scripture, so they came up with all sorts of controversies in the hope of tripping Him up and silencing Him. They posed seemingly unanswerable dilemmas like: In heaven, which one of the seven brothers will be married to the woman they all married on earth? Should we pay taxes to Caesar? Should we pay the temple tax? What’s the greatest commandment of all? They tried to get Him to take the bait about religious traditions, laws concerning the Sabbath, and the punishment for a woman caught in adultery. 

Jesus never got fluster or frustrated—He never took the bait to quarrel with them, but He simply stood unwaveringly and lovingly on God’s Word. But once again, that’s easier said than done! 

King Solomon pointed out the difficulty of this in Proverbs 26:4-5. Do we answer a fool or not? Yes, but we answer wisely not foolishly. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

I believe Jude would agree with Solomon, Jesus, Paul, and Peter, but then he uses three examples that could spark a controversy:  

  • the fate of fallen angels (Jude 6) 
  • Michael and the devil arguing over the body of Moses (v. 9) 
  • Enoch prophesying (v. 14) 

But notice that how Jude uses these examples by not addressing any more than what we already know from Scripture. In this way, Jude keeps this from becoming a foolish, quarrelsome controversy (v. 10). 

Notice the consistent instruction of the Bible on how to handle critics: 

  • Michael the archangel: The Lord rebuke you! (also 2 Peter 2:11) 
  • Jesus: Away from Me! (Matthew 4:10) and Get behind Me! (Mark 8:33) 
  • James: Submit to God and then resist the devil (James 4:7) 
  • Peter: speak gently, respectfully, and with a clear conscience (1 Peter 3:15-16) 
  • Paul: warn people without becoming quarrelsome (2 Timothy 2:14, 16, 23-25) 

In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus addresses two events that could have become quite controversial, but Jesus defused the controversy by simply saying, “No matter what, everyone needs to have their sins forgiven by God.” Paul continued this singleminded focus on Jesus. I love how the Amplified Bible captures his words in 1 Corinthians 2:2. And then Paul encourages his friend Timothy to operate the same way (1 Timothy 1:15-17). 

Don’t let foolish controversies sidetrack you from the faith entrusted to us, but take everything back to Jesus as He is revealed in the Scripture. 

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in our series called Earnestly Contending, you can find them all here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Study To Apply

October 27, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Jude calls Christians to contend for the faith without contention and without compromising the truth. Last week we learned that one of the first disciplines to help us do this is: Study God’s Word and then study it some more. 

What do we mean by using the word “study”? 

Paul counsels his friend and protege to study God’s Word (see 2 Timothy 2:15 in the KJV). But the word study (Greek: spoude) simply means diligence aimed at a goal. So what’s the goal? To contending for the truth (2 Timothy 2:14-18, 22-26). Jude is addressing a similar issue ( see Jude 4).

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Just as Paul told Timothy to stick with “the Word of truth,” Jude says we need to be reminded of God’s Word (Jude 5). 

Jude is writing to people who probably have first hand—maybe even eyewitness experience—knowledge. They have either heard it from someone who was right there, or perhaps from a friend who heard it from someone who was there. And yet, certain godless men have already slipped in among you and are teaching lies. 

Jude goes back to Scripture (vv. 5-7): 

  • Israelites delivered from Egypt rebelled against God and died in the wilderness 
  • angels who were in God’s presence were expelled from heaven and await an eternity in hell 
  • the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah experienced deliverance from Abraham but chose to debase themselves 

Jude says, “In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies” (v. 8) by changing “the grace of our God into a license for immorality” (v. 4). 

So we study the Scripture to apply it first to our own lives (James 1:22-25).  

Jude uses four examples of people who knew the Word of God intimately, but in their pride wouldn’t apply it to themselves: Lucifer, Cain, Balaam, and Korah (vv. 9-11).

  1. The devil—pride is what turned Lucifer into satan. 
  2. The way of Cain—God warned him about sin crouching at his door, but he ignored it.
  3. Balaam’s error—he tried to calculate how close to disobeying he could get without actually disobeying because he wanted earthly rewards. 
  4. Korah’s rebellion—the Greek word for “rebellion” is antilogia: literally anti + Logos, or contradicting the Word of God. 

Jesus warned the most learned men of His day against this (John 5:39-40) and we need to humbly receive God’s Word in order apply to our lives. 

If I don’t diligently study the Scripture, I cannot apply it to my life and I am doomed to repeat the same fatal errors. I must study God’s Word diligently so that it can change me. Only then may I teach others (1 Timothy 1:3-7). 

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in this series from the Book of Jude, you can find them all here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Training For The Fight

October 13, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Last week I challenged all of us to ask the Holy Spirit to check our attitude to ensure we indeed have the attitude of a secure servant. This is especially true when we remember that we are in the midst of a spiritual battle and that Jude writes this letter to us to encourage us to “contend for the faith.” 

When Jesus told His parable about the sower, here’s what He said about the seed that fell on the hard path (Mark 4:15 AMPC). Jesus said the forces of evil want to try to bring down the Kingdom of God (Matthew 11:12).

(All the Scriptures I use in this post may be viewed here.)  

Are we willing to engage in this intense battle? Will we strive with the forces of darkness for the sake of seeing lost people saved? God told Isaiah that it was so easy to give in—to throw our hands up (Isaiah 64:5-7). Paul extolled a Christian brother named Epaphras for his willingness to wrestle in prayer for the saints (Colossians 4:12). 

Indeed wrestling for the saints is what Jude had in mind. 

I like the phrase “contend for the faith” in the Message paraphrase: “Fight with everything you have in you.” 

The Greek word Jude uses here is the only time it’s used in the New Testament. It means:

  1. To enter a contest—1 Corinthians 9:24-26 
  2. Contend with adversaries—Colossians 4:12; Ephesians 6:12 
  3. Struggle through difficulties—Colossians 1:28-29 
  4. Endeavor with strenuous zeal to obtain victory—1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7 

The root word is agonizimai which sounds a lot like our English word “agonize.” This is an all-in mentality. Sitting on the sidelines, casually interacting, dabbling in it every once in a while won’t lead to victory. 

The stakes are too high, our enemy is cunning and desperate, so nothing less than agonizing training that will not quit no-matter-what will do! 

What exactly are we training to do? 

Too many view salvation as just saved from Hell. That’s part of it, but not all of it. We’re also saved to display the glory of God. The first part is accepting Jesus as Savior; the second part is accepting Jesus as Lord. The salvation we share is not either-or, but it is both-and: Jesus is both our Savior and Lord. 

We need to strive to obtain the fullness of Christ’s nature in us. People should be able to see and feel a difference in our lives without us even opening our mouths. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach always; if necessary, use words.” To that end, he offered this prayer—

“Lord, make me a channel of Thy peace, that
where there is hatred, I may bring love;
where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
where there is error, I may bring truth;
where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
where there is despair, I may bring hope;
where there are shadows, I may bring light;
where there is sadness, I may bring joy.”


Will you be all-in?


Will you wrestle in prayer?


Will you let go of earthly things so you can cling to Jesus?


Will you display His light through your life?


Will you be ready to use words, if necessary?


Let’s make sure we are ready to contend for the faith the right way! 


P.S. Speaking of prayer, my new book Amen Indeed is a prayer guide for pastors. Please consider giving a copy of this book to your pastor! 


If you’ve missed any of the other messages in our series Earnestly Contend, you can find them all here. 


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎








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Mediator

August 26, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




For God is not a mere man, as I am, that I should answer Him, that we should come together in court. There is no umpire between us, who might lay his hand upon us both—would that there were! That He might take His rod away from threatening me, and that the fear of Him might not terrify me. Then would I speak and not fear Him, but I am not so in myself to make me afraid, were only a fair trial given me. (Job 9:32-35 AMPC) 


The “umpire” or mediator for whom Job was longing is Jesus. 


Both Paul (Galatians 3:19-20; 1 Timothy 2:5) and the writer of Hebrews (8:6, 9:15, 12:24) make it clear that what Job said was true: Man cannot come before God on his own, let alone attempt to argue his case. 


Jesus became fully Man while remaining fully God to satisfy the righteous requirements of the law and become the one and only perfect Mediator of our justification before God! 






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God-ability

August 11, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



The last time we were together, Pastor Caleb mentioned that I was the only one he knew that put hot sauce on my eggs. But then several of you let him know that you do that too. After the service, someone told me that they like Tabasco sauce on their pizza, which isn’t something I enjoy. 


We all have different tastes. Our tastebuds are just one of the things that makes us unique creations. Unique means one-of-kind, no one else like me. We don’t need to add something like “very unique” because just by itself the word means that God made a once-in-eternity masterpiece when He made you and me. 


It’s a good thing that we are unique. I see what you don’t see, and you see what I don’t see. There are some things I know how to do well, but perhaps you struggle doing them. That’s okay because there are things you can do that I won’t have the opportunity to do. Combined together we saints make an amazing team! 


The apostle Paul understood the value of unique individuals. 


(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 


Titus was probably the one who carried Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and then had the responsibility to teach those saints how to carry out what was in the letter (2 Corinthians 2:12-13; 7:6-7, 13-15; 8:6, 16-17). Titus was the pastor that Paul sent to Crete. Paul quoted a poet who said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12). Titus was confident and bold to stand his ground for what he believed (Galatians 2:1-3). 


Timothy was more soft-spoken and tenderhearted, so Paul had to encourage him more (1 Timothy 4:7, 12), but he was the one who could soothe troubled spots. Timothy stepped in to help behind the scenes (Acts 18:1-5) and he was the one Paul reached out to with his last letter form prison, asking Timothy to come to him (2 Timothy 4:12). 


What a great thing it is to have unique saints in our lives! 


One person—not matter how gifted—cannot do it all. Look at Moses in Exodus 18:13-18. Even an anointed team like the 12 apostles cannot to it all. Look at Acts 6:1-2. 


These leaders recognized the need to other uniquely gifted people to come alongside them. Moses was advised to choose capable men. In other words, those with the ability to judge disputes wisely (Exodus 18:19-25). The apostles chose those who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3-6). The Greek word for wisdom (sophia) means someone with heaven-sent wisdom that also has the ability to apply that wisdom effectively. 


Israel in the Old Testament and the Church in the New Testament would have been constricted if those other people hadn’t agreed to let their God-given abilities be used. 


God’s talent + My ability = God-ability


In 2 Corinthians 8-9, Paul is specifically talking about the ability of people to give their offerings to help the growing church, but there is a phrase that I think is appropriate for any application of our gifts: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord (2 Corinthians 8:5). 


When what we do is a cheerful “get to” and not an obligatory “got to” it is noticed by everyone. Those two chapters in 2 Corinthians are filled with words like cheerful, eagerness, and enthusiasm. 


In our Hand2Hand food ministry, some people have…


    

  • Give-ability to give financially 
    • 

  • Shop-ability to find deals
    • 

  • Organize-ability to make all the parts work
    • 

  • Strength-ability to lift and move 
    • 

  • Deliver-ability to get the needed items to those who need them
    • 



But none of these work without availability. This is the attitude that makes our God-ability a blessing and not a chore. 


There is a place in ministry for every Christian. When you are available, God will allow the talent that He has given you to be a blessing to the Church. You benefit, the other saints benefit, and the watching world sees a living witness that will draw them to Jesus. 


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎








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A Different Response To Attacks

April 29, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



Sir Isaac Newton may have said for every action there was an equal and opposite reaction, but that’s not true for God-fearing leaders. 


Check out this episode of The Podcast. 




The story of Paul and Barnabas that I reference in this video is found in Acts 14:1-21. 


My book When Sheep Bite is divided into three section. In the first section I talk about a shepherd leader’s heart and section two diagnosis the sheep bites leaders endure. The final section is all about the faithfulness to finish well—not giving in to the natural responses of fight or flight. 


I open that final section of the book like this—


     Psychologists and medical doctors have all described what happens to our minds and bodies when we are under attack. They are universal responses that our loving Creator has implanted in all of us to be able to respond to threats that come at us. When confronted with a biting sheep, without consciously thinking about it our minds and bodies prepare for fight or flight. 


     But let’s consider those responses in the context of a shepherd pasturing his sheep. Is it an effective strategy for the shepherd to fight his sheep? No, of course not. Paul told Timothy that a shepherd is “not quarrelsome but forbearing and peaceable” (1 Timothy 3:3 AMPC). 


     Is it allowable for the shepherd to run away from the threat, leaving the flock without a shepherd? Again, no, as Jesus told us that one who resorts to flight isn’t worthy to be called a shepherd but is considered a mere “hired hand [who] cares nothing for the sheep” (John 10:12-13). 


     So if godly shepherds cannot give in to the natural responses of fight or flight, what are we to do? Since we serve an all-power, all-loving Chief Shepherd we must look to Him for the supernatural response of faithfulness. 


     Not fight. Not flight. But faithfulness. 


Check out some of my other posts about godly leadership too. 


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎






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Exposing The Bitterness Of Gossip

March 24, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



A bite we have all experienced is gossip. We called flattery the sneaky bite, but I think gossips believe they are actually being sneaky—that somehow they are getting away with their gossip.  I think gossip is also sneaky because we can be pulled into a gossipy conversation almost without realizing what is happening. 


That’s because gossip usually has a veneer of truth on it. That thin coating of truth may be sugary sweet, but the words hide a bitter poison that is intended to undermine the one that is being talked about. Twice Solomon says, “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels” (Proverbs 18:8, 26:22). The Contemporary English Version translates this verse even more graphically: “There’s nothing so delicious as the taste of gossip! It melts in your mouth.” But Solomon also warns, “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends” (Proverbs 16:28). 


Consider the story in Numbers 12:1-9. 


(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)


Moses had married a Cushite woman, a marriage that was neither morally nor legally wrong. If someone simply said, “Moses married a woman from Cush” they would have been speaking the truth. The gossips (Miriam and Aaron) want to use a truthful statement for the purpose of making a case to prove their point. These siblings crossed the line when they stopped talking about the idea and start talking about Moses. This is especially true when their conversation about Moses was to make him look inferior or to make themselves look superior. 


I think a label that is very apropos for this is “character assassination.” An assassin gets close enough to strike, but also has an alibi to cover themselves. So, too, the gossip can inject their poison to denigrate someone’s character, but then use the alibi of saying, “What? Did I say something untruthful?” 


There is truth in their questions that God has used all three of them to delver messages and to sing worship songs, but in light of their statement in verse 1 they are clearly asking these questions with poisonous intent. You can especially spot gossip by this characteristic sign: They talk about a person, but they won’t talk to that person. We are not told to whom Miriam and Aaron may have been speaking to in verse 2, but it certainly wasn’t Moses. That means they were trying to get other people to rally to their side. 


When we have been the target of a gossip’s words, we should follow the example that Moses gave us.  


    

  1. Remember that God has heard the gossip (Numbers 12:2b, 4-8). 
    2. 

  2. Check your pride (v. 3). If you feel you must address the gossip, you must address the topic without attacking the gossiper (see Romans 12:17-18). 
    3. 

  3. Be careful of who you are correcting. It’s best to let God do the correcting (Numbers 12:8-9), but if do need to speak to the person, be cautious of adding fuel to the fire (Proverbs 9:7-9). 
    4. 

  4. Desire restoration. Moses interceded for Miriam’s healing (Numbers 12:13), and Jesus has the idea of restoration and unity in the Church in mind in Matthew 18:15-16. 
    5. 

  5. Stay away from the unrepentant gossiper. If the gossiper doesn’t acknowledge their sin, we have to limit our interaction with that sheep (Matthew 18:17) . After Miriam was healed of her leprosy, there is no other mention of her until she died which is probably an indication that Moses didn’t have any additional conversations with her. Paul gave Timothy similar counsel about Alexander (1 Timothy 1:19-20; 2 Timothy 4:14-15).
    6. 



The natural response to gossip spoken about you is fight or flight. The supernatural response is faithfulness to the Bible’s counsel about a gossiper. 


And one final word to all of us: Don’t become a gossip yourself! 


Just as God hears those gossiping about you, He hears you gossiping about others! 


Don’t…


    

  • …talk about people who aren’t in the room. Remember the Golden Rule of treating others the way you want to be treated (Luke 6:31). 
    • 

  • …share information that isn’t yours to share (Proverbs 25:9). 
    • 

  • …listen to a gossip. If they gossip to you about others, they will gossip about you to others! 
    • 



Gossip, as Solomon warned us, separates even the closest of friends. We must identify it and deal with both the gossip and the gossiper in a God-honoring, biblically-sound way. And we must avoid becoming a gossip ourselves. 


If you’ve missed any of the other sheep bites we’ve talked about in this series, you can find them all by clicking here. And if you are a pastor, check out my book When Sheep Bite, where I address the bites of sheep from a leadership paradigm. 


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎








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The Prayer Before The Prayer

January 13, 2025 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



Last week I shared this thought with you from Pastor Tim Keller: “Your prayer must be firmly connected to and grounded in your reading of the Word. This wedding of Bible and prayer anchors your life down in the real God. … Without immersion in God’s words, our prayers may not be merely limited and shallow but also untethered from reality.” 


“Untethered from reality” means that we determine the manner in which we come to God in prayer, the way prayer works, and the way God must respond to our prayer. But what we read in the Bible is the opposite of this (Isaiah 1:11-15). 


(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)


I think there are two opposite and equal erroneous thoughts about how we approach prayer:


    

  1. I’m not worthy to come into the presence of an all-holy God 
    2. 

  2. I can waltz right into God’s presence whenever and however I please 
    3. 



Both are wrong and both are strategies the devil has used to keep us prayerless. Either we don’t go to God at all or our prayers are unheard because the Bible says that our arrogance has made our prayer ineffectual. 


Our Prayer Book—the Bible—helps us find the balance. George Whitefield noted, “Reading the Bible is a good preparative for prayer, as prayer is an excellent means to render reading effectual.” So here’s what we read about those two errors. 


    

  1. I’m not worthy. God is unapproachable in His holiness, but Jesus has made it possible for us to enter in through His righteousness (1 Timothy 6:15-16; Isaiah 6:1-5; Hebrews 4:1, 14, 16; John 16:23-24). 
    2. 

  2. I can come anyway I want to. Passages like Psalm 15:1-5 and Isaiah 58:2-4 make it clear that we cannot simply approach God in a way of our choosing. 
    3. 



Let’s unpack that second error a little more. We have to be clothed in righteousness in order to come into God’s presence, but we cannot be clothed in a righteousness that is apart from Jesus. When we say that we are praying in the name of Jesus, it means we are praying in the nature of Jesus and through the righteousness of Jesus. We must be wearing His righteous robe (Romans 3:22-24; Isaiah 61:10). 


So I think we need to pray before we pray. Let’s try these actions which are tethered to the reality of our Prayer Book. 


    

  1. Worship. This is a deep pondering of who God is; it is humbly assigning Him the highest worth. In face, the Old English spelling of this word (“worthship”) gives us insight into what worship does. It is this kind of humility that God responds to (Isaiah 6:5-7; 57:15; Luke 18:9-14).
    2. 



    

  1. Confession. As we are worshiping, we will see our inadequacies (much like Isaiah did in Isaiah 6, or the tax collector did in Luke 18). We then need to confession these shortcomings. Dick Brogden wrote, “Confessed sin opens the portals of heaven into our darkness, and light and glory overwhelm shame. Confession is our glory for it lifts our heads and eradicates shame.” We see this so vividly lived out in the prayers of David (Psalm 139:23-24; 51:1-2; 19:12-14). 
    2. 



    

  1. Repentance. I think we could also call this Repair. After confession where we have fallen short, we resolve now to both take a different path and repair what was damaged (Matthew 5:23-24; Mark 11:25-26; 1 Peter 3:7). 
    2. 



    

  1. Petition. After worship, confession, and repentance / repair, our heart’s attitude is now in the place for God to heed our cries for His help (1 Peter 3:12). 
    2. 



Let’s learn to pray before we pray. Don’t just rush in and rush out of God’s presence. Take time to worship, confession any sins the Holy Spirit reveals, make things right, and then present your petitions. 


Our hearts need to be prepared to present our petitions. This is how we know that God will hear our voice. 


If you’ve missed any of the messages in our prayer series, you can find them all here. 


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎








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What Do We Do With Really Bad Leaders?

December 3, 2024 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



How are Christians supposed to respond to really, really bad guys, especially those in positions of leadership?  


Check out this episode of The Podcast. 




The Scriptures that I reference in this video are Acts 12:1-17; 1 Peter 2:17; Acts 4:24; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; Acts 26.


I have shared a couple of other posts about our interactions with leaders. Check out:



Get more information on When Sheep Bite here. 


Check out the family tree of King Herod the Great:




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