prayer | Craig T. Owens

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Links & Quotes

January 26, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

This is encouraging: Your Prayer Life Is Better That You Think.

“Prayer reminds us of who is in charge. You don’t take your requests to someone with less authority. You take them to someone who outranks you in the solutions department. The same is true in prayer. You don’t pray just to let God know what’s going on. He’s way ahead of you on that one. You pray to transfer ‘my will be done’ to ‘God’s will be done.’ And, since He’s in charge, He knows the best solution. Prayer transfers the burden to God and He lightens your load. Prayer pushes us through life’s slumps, propels us over the humps, and pulls us out of the dumps. Prayer is the oomph we need to get the answers we seek. So, pray…today!” —Max Lucado

Mark Merrill shares 8 creative ways to flirt with your spouse.

I think we can all benefit from this―6 ways to improve your memory.

[VIDEO] Ken Davis shared this hilarious video from John Branyan―

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: comedy, flirting, John Branyan, Ken Davis, Mark Merrill, marriage, Max Lucado, prayer, relationships, spouse, video. Leave a Comment »

Fill-In-The-Blank Differently

January 26, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

How would you fill in this blank: “The Lord gives, and the Lord ________ _________.”

I had some misconceptions about God when I was a kid. I didn’t want to pray, “God, You can use me however You see best” because I just knew He would send me to do something gross. Or we would sing a song like I Have Decided To Follow Jesus and one of the verses said, “Though none go with me still I will follow.” I didn’t really like that because I liked my friends and family; I liked my life just as it was.

Job was a righteous man, and some really bad things happened to him. He’s the one who said things like, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21), and, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10).

But there was still another 40 chapters to go! In the very last chapter of his story we read this―

After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10)

In hindsight, I think Job might have said something different: “The Lord gives, and the Lord gives back!” But this insight would have come only after “Job had prayed.” Getting into God’s presence helps us capture the heart of God.

A grieving mother learned this when God gave her a son and gave back her resurrected son to her (2 Kings 4:8-37).
And then again when God gave her their family land and gave back the lost income (2 Kings 8:1-6).
The apostles learned this when Jesus gave them His presence and gave back a position of authority (Matthew 19:27-28).
We can also know that Jesus will give us a hundred times what we’ve given up for Him, and give us eternal life too (Matthew 19:29).

**God never takes anything from us unless He intends to give back something even greater, something eternal, something unbreakable, something un-losable!**

You will only begin to see this better when you get in His presence. “The object of secret prayer is to unite us to God that we may know His abiding presence with us” (Andrew Murray). It’s time to fill-in-the-blank differently!

I’ll be continuing our series on The Prayers Of Elisha this coming Sunday, and I would love to have you join me!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Andrew Murray, Calvary Assembly of God, Elisha, God's blessing, God's presence, Jesus Christ, job, prayer, sermon. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

January 24, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Finally! President Obama met with Naghmeh Abedini about her imprisoned husband. Pastor Saaed has been held illegally in Iran for far too long!

Dave Barringer has some good advice for married couples in 8 Things To Evict From Your Mind.

“A quiet time with God is very similar to a special date. Denalyn and I like to go to the same restaurants over and over again. When we’re there we remember special moments we’ve shared before. Our hearts open up. We talk to each other. We listen, we laugh, and sometimes we cry. I love those times! So does God. A quiet time with God is very similar to a special date. Here are some tools to help you keep your date with Him special. Select a slot in your schedule and claim it for God. Take as much time as you need. Your time with God should last long enough for you to say what you want and for God to say what he wants. Bring an open Bible—God’s Word, His love letter to you. Bring a listening heart and listen to the Lover of your soul. Make sure your date with God is on the calendar, and do everything in your power to keep it special!” —Max Lucado

“Are you seeking day by day to live above worldliness, the love of the things of the world, and the ensnaring greed which they nourish? Remember, it is for this that you have been enriched with the treasures of God.” —Charles Spurgeon

Some great information: Understand The Same-Sex Marriage Issue.

“All paths lead to God, but only one path will present you before God without fault and with great joy. Pick a path, any path—it will take you to God. Trust me: you will stand before Him one day. You will meet your Maker. You will see the face of Christ. There are many ways up the mountain, but only one will result in life instead of destruction.” —Kevin DeYoung

William Law On Prayer

January 21, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Some quotes from William Law on prayer …

“There is nothing that makes us love a man so much as praying for him.” —William Law

“He who has learned to pray has learned the greatest secret of a holy and happy life.” —William Law

“The greatest saint in the world is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives alms, or is more eminent for temperance, chastity, or justice. It is he who is most thankful to God.” —William Law

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: holiness, love, prayer, saints, thankfulness, William Law. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

January 19, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“Do not forget the close bond between the inner room and the outside world. The attitude of the inner prayer room must remain with us all day. The object of secret prayer is to unite us to God that we may know His abiding presence with us.” ―Andrew Murray

“There are two ways by which man might have been for ever blessed. The one was by works: ‘This do and thou shalt live; be obedient and receive the reward.’ The other plan was: ‘Receive grace and blessedness as the free gift of God; stand as a guilty sinner having no merit, and as a rebellious sinner deserving the very reverse of goodness, but stand there and receive all thy good things, simply, wholly, and alone of the free love and sovereign mercy of God.’ Now, the Lord has not chosen the system of works.” —Charles Spurgeon

It is appalling to me that people still try to defend abortion. This post talks about the pain that babies experience during the abortion procedure.

Interesting: 11 trends in American marriages and families.

[VIDEO] A very intriguing interview on Meet The Press with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1965―

Your Greatest Stress Reliever

January 19, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Sadly our country is anxious and worried. Based on the number of anti-depressants that are prescribed each year, we are a people dealing with a lot of issues!

When worry or fear begin to interfere with normal thinking and functioning, doctors call it anxiety disorder―that is, disorder in our lives creates the anxiety, and more anxiety creates even more disorder.

What causes anxiety in the first place? One of the main culprits is chronic stress. Things like marital problems, financial pressures, relationship breakdowns, emotional traumas trigger the fight-or-flight responses in our bodies. This leads to increased blood pressure and heart rate, interrupted sleep patterns, digestion issues … and all of this leads to the chronic stress, which leads to anxiety, which leads to even more disorder!

But here’s the great news―Getting into God’s presence could be your greatest stress reliever!

There’s a story in 2 Kings of a woman who is clearly stressed out. Her husband has died, she’s exhausted all her resources trying to settle up with creditors, she has sold nearly everything in her home, and one creditor is ready to carry her sons off into slavery. Talk about anxiety!

Elisha asks this widow two questions:

How can I help you? Jesus said that our Heavenly Father knows our needs before we even ask Him, but in the very next verse Jesus says, “This then is how you should pray…” (Matthew 6:8-9).
What do you have? God will use even what we think is insignificant to show His superabundance in our lives!

God did meet this woman’s needs. He gave her enough to pay off her creditor. But that wasn’t all―God also gave this family enough to keep on living stress-free!

God Who, by the action of His power that is at work within us, is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think―infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams. (Ephesians 3:20, AMP)

Don’t try to carry all your stress yourself, cast ALL your anxiety on Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

I’ll say it again―Getting into God’s presence could be your greatest stress reliever!

We are continuing our series on prayer next Sunday, and I hope you can join me!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: anxiety, Bible, Calvary Assembly of God, Elisha, emotional health, fight-or-flight, God's presence, Jesus Christ, prayer, stress. 1 Comment »

Poetry Saturday—Soldiers Of Christ, Arise

January 17, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

To keep your armor bright,

Attend with constant care,

Still walking in your Captain’s sight,

And watching unto prayer.

Ready for all alarms,

Steadfastly set your face,

And always exercise your arms,

And use your every grace.

Pray without ceasing, pray,

Your Captain gives the word;

His summons cheerfully obey

And call upon the Lord;

To God your every want

In instant prayer display,

Pray always; pray and never faint,

Pray, without ceasing, pray!

In fellowship; alone,

To God with faith draw near;

Approach His courts, besiege His throne

With all the powers of prayer:

Go to His temple, go,

Nor from His altar move;

Let every house His worship know,

And every heart His love.

To God your spirits dart,

Your souls in words declare,

Or groan, to Him who reads the heart,

The unutterable prayer.

His mercy now implore,

And now show forth His praise,

In shouts, or silent awe, adore

His miracles of grace.

Pour out your souls to God,

And bow them with your knees,

And spread your hearts and hands abroad,

And pray for Sion’s peace;

Your guides, and brethren, bear

For ever on your mind;

Extend the arms of mighty prayer,

In grasping all mankind.

From strength to strength go on,

Wrestle, and fight, and pray,

Tread all the powers of darkness down,

And win the well-fought day;

Still let the Spirit cry

In all His soldiers, “Come!”

Till Christ the Lord descends from high

And takes the conquerors home. —Charles Wesley

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Charles Wesley, faith, fellowship, God's power, grace, Jesus Christ, miracles, poetry, prayer. Leave a Comment »

Too Busy To Pray?

January 15, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

I get it, you’re busy. There’s lots happening and it’s hard to find time to pray. But we are robbing ourselves of so much when we don’t find the time to pray!

“Sometimes, if we are not careful, our best friend may distract us. Or it might be some very legitimate activity. This day’s bustle and hurly-burly would too often and too soon call us away from Jesus’ feet. These distractions must be immediately dismissed, or we shall know only the ‘barrenness of busyness.’” —A.W. Tozer

“Time is precious, but there are occasions when the best use we can make of it, is to let it run on. If time flies, that is no reason why I am always to fly. Every experienced man knows that by being wrongly busy for one hour, he may make mischief which a lifetime would hardly rectify. If I run without waiting to enquire the way, I may run upon my ruin. Many who have been very busy in helping themselves, would have done better waiting upon their Lord. Prayer is never a waste of time.” —Charles Spurgeon

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, busyness, Charles Spurgeon, prayer. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

January 13, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“We all have the sneaking idea that we are the favorites of God—‘It’s alright for me to do this, God will understand.’ If I as a child of God commit sin, I will be as sternly dealt with as if I were not His child.” ―Oswald Chambers

“I did not think that I had done anything when I hear them [his congregation] applauding, but when I saw them weeping.” —Augustine

“God uses our struggles for His glory!” Read more from Max Lucado in his post A Season Of Suffering.

“Pain is terrible, but surely you need not have fear as well? Can you not see death as the friend and deliverer? It means stripping off that body which is tormenting you: like taking off a hair-shirt or getting out of a dungeon. What is there to be afraid of?” ―C.S. Lewis

“You can blame your unhappiness on poor health, being misunderstood, or having an uncaring mate, boss or friend. In fact, you can blame it on anything you choose. But the truth is that there is no excuse for a Christian to live as a slave to the devil.” Read more from David Wilkerson in his post The Lack Of Victory.

Pastor Dave Barringer shares 7 prayers you may be the answer for.

Great question, great post: What Keeps Us From Having Deeper Friendships?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Augustine, C.S. Lewis, cartoon, Christian, Dave Barringer, David Wilkerson, death, devil, friendship, God's glory, Max Lucado, Oswald Chambers, pain, pastoring, prayer, quotes, relationships, sermon, sin, social media, suffering, victory. Leave a Comment »

Pray & Dig

January 12, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

The fact is far too many of us get ourselves into hot water all on our own, and then we want to call on God like an insurance policy to bail us out. We usually have some reasonable-sounding excuses:

“It seemed like a good idea at the time”
“It was so practical and common sense I didn’t think I needed to pray about it”
“I’ve done this dozens of times before and never had any trouble.”

There’s a story in 2 Kings where three kings got together for a battle. To them it seemed like a pretty good idea―there were three of them going to war against just one king, they knew the terrain, so it would be an easy victory.

Except it wasn’t.

The Bible says that after a 7-day roundabout march, the three armies were out of food, out of water, stranded in the desert, and about to be defeated without the enemy ever firing an arrow or swinging a sword.

One king wanted to blame God. The king of Israel said, “Bad news! God has gotten us three kings out here to dump us into the hand of Moab.” (2 Kings 3:10, MSG). But fortunately the king of Judah thought to ask, “Isn’t there a prophet of God around that can call on God for us?” (v. 11).

Here’s one of the most amazing things: Elisha―the representative of God’s presence―was right there with them! Think about that … these kings hadn’t asked God for help, and hadn’t invited Elisha along, but there was the prophet right in their midst!

It’s a good reminder for us: God is ALWAYS with us. But it’s up to us to recognize Him and go to Him in prayer.

When these kings finally asked God for help with their water problem, Elisha said, “It’s an easy thing for God to provide water for you. You’ve prayed, now it’s time to prepare for His supply.” The armies were called on to dig lots and lots of ditches. God would send a supply of water without rain to take care of the troops. And if that wasn’t enough, God also said He would give them victory over their enemy. As Matthew Henry wrote, “God’s grants out-do our requests and expectations.”

Pray first. Pray continually. Pray always. And then when God tells you to dig ditches, get ready for His abundant blessings. But get the order right: Don’t dig and then pray; pray first, then dig!

If you’re in the Cedar Springs area, please join me next Sunday as we continue our series The Prayers Of Elisha.