Learn to Weep for the Lost

“As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it.” – Luke 19:41

Years ago, there was a small town in the Midwest that had three churches. And each house of worship was being overrun with pesky squirrels. The squirrels were running amuck: making noise, chewing holes in the pews, swimming in the baptisteries and making a mess all over the place. So, each church came up with a solution. At the first church, the leaders determined that God had predestined the squirrels to be there, so they shouldn’t interfere with God’s divine will. At the second church, they tried to drown the squirrels in the baptistery, but that didn’t work. Once the squirrels were baptized, they were so excited, they brought all their friends with them to church the next week.

The third church came up with the most effective solution. They led the squirrels through confirmation classes and made them all members of the church. Now the squirrels only come to church on Christmas, Palm Sunday and Easter.

Now, I hope you’re in church more than a few times a year. But since tomorrow is Easter, I’d like to take a look at the events leading up to one of Christianity’s most-observed holidays, starting with Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

For the past three years, Jesus had traveled throughout Israel urging people to repent of their sins and accept the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven. But, for the most part, Jesus kept a low profile. He didn’t go out of His way to draw large crowds, and when He healed someone, He usually did it privately. So, Palm Sunday marked a major shift in Jesus’ ministry. This time, He entered Jerusalem with a whole lot of fanfare. He rode a donkey, the frequently-chosen mount of a Jewish king. He was greeted by a cheering crowd who laid palm branches at his feet, a symbol of victory. And they cried “Hosanna!”—which translates, “Save us now!”

I think they wanted Jesus to ride that little donkey all the way to the temple, declare himself king, and lead an army to slaughter all their Roman oppressors. But that’s not what Jesus did. According to Luke 19:41-42, “As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.” From the perspective of the crowd it was very anticlimactic. They thought their cheers were leading to a great military victory. But within minutes their bubble was burst. Jesus got off his donkey, looked around a bit and left.

Jesus didn’t bring a great victory on Palm Sunday. But little did the crowds know that in just five days, Jesus would bring the first of the two greatest victories in the history of the world: the victory over SIN. And just seven days after Palm Sunday, He would bring the other greatest victory the world has ever seen: the victory over DEATH.

I’d like to share two Life Lessons we can take from those events:

Life Lesson #1: Don’t be a church holiday squirrel. This lesson sounds silly, but we really DO need to take it to heart. And it isn’t just a lesson for people who only go to church on special occasions. All of us who call ourselves Christians have a tendency to make church too much about what’s convenient for us, and not about what is commanded by Christ. Have you ever wondered how some of the same people who shouted “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday could turn around and yell “Crucify Him!” just five days later on Good Friday? They were fair-weather FANS of Jesus, not committed FOLLOWERS of Jesus. They wanted Jesus to meet their needs and do what they wanted Him to do. They weren’t willing to change their plans to align with His plans. Being a true follower of Jesus takes commitment and discipline. Jesus didn’t save you in order to make your life easier and more convenient. He saved you in order to make you holy and useful to Almighty God.

Life Lesson #2: Jesus calls us all to weep over our Jerusalem. Jesus Christ wants us to pray for our Jerusalem: the unsaved family members, friends and neighbors in our lives. He wants us to build relationships with unbelievers and to always be ready to invite someone to church or share Christ with them. And all of these efforts to help Him save others are more effective when they are mixed with heartfelt tears. Psalm 126:5-6 tells us: “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”  When the gospel seed is mixed with tears, God works in extraordinary ways. Your efforts to build relationships with unbelievers, invite people to church and steer conversations to Christ will ALL be more effective when mixed with tears.

What is true for you as an individual Christian is true for Christ’s Church. We are called to make a greater impact in our community for Jesus. And we will do so much more effectively if our heart truly breaks for our community and we weep over the Victor Valley. Allow the Spirit of God to break our hearts as we see the people around us who desperately need Jesus. Let’s weep over our Jerusalem, and lead others to hope and salvation.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church. Join us at our great NEW worship location in Apple Valley (16209 Kamana Road) at 9am and 11am. You can also join us livestreaming online at Facebook or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Revival Begins with You

 “Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’”
– John 21:15

In the late 1870s—so the story goes—a group of wealthy friends gathered together at a Scottish estate. They were having such a good time that they didn’t notice one of their little boys had fallen into a bog where he got stuck in the thick mud and was slowly sinking. The gardener heard the boy’s cries for help, jumped in, and rescued the drowning child.

The little boy’s parents were so grateful, they asked the gardener what they could do to reward him. He hesitated, then said, "I wish my son could go to college someday and become a doctor." The grateful parents immediately responded, "We'll see to it." They promised to pay for the gardener’s son to go to medical school.

Years later, while Winston Churchill was prime minister of England, he developed a life-threatening case of pneumonia. The country's best doctor was summoned: Dr. Alexander Fleming, the man who discovered and developed penicillin. Dr. Fleming was the first person in his family to become a doctor. In fact, his dad was just … a gardener. The same gardener who had saved Winston Churchill’s life years earlier. According to the legend, after recovering from his pneumonia, Churchill remarked, "Rarely has one man owed his life twice to the same person."

If Winston Churchill had actually spoken those words … he would have been wrong. You see, when Jesus Christ is involved, it’s not rare at all. Jesus doesn’t just save us once. He saves us again and again. When we pray to Him for revival, we’re basically saying, “Jesus Christ, save us again. Save ME again. Lately my Christianity has been like a pile of dry, dead bones. Forgive me. Breathe fresh life into me. Revive me again.”

Over the past few weeks, I’ve focused on the need for revival in our nation and our church. Together we must humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways. But each of us, individually, needs to be revived. And Simon Peter is a great example of personal revival.

In Matthew 26, shortly before Jesus was arrested, He told His disciples that all of them would fall away from Him (v. 31). But Peter boldly proclaimed, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will” (v. 33). And Jesus prophesied, “This very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times” (v. 34). You may recall what happened later. Three times that night, after Jesus was taken away by soldiers—mocked, slapped, punched, and tortured with scourge whips—Peter broke his reckless promise. Three times, when asked, he said he had never been with Jesus, going so far as to say, “I don’t know the man!” (vs. 69-74). There’s no sugar-coating it: The great apostle Peter fell. And he desperately needed to be lifted back up and revived.

Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. According to 1 Corinthians 15:5, Peter was the first apostle He appeared to after His resurrection. It was clear that despite all his failures, Peter held a special place in Christ’s heart. But as the days passed, Peter still needed to experience the full forgiveness and restoration of Christ. That forgiveness and restoration came in a conversation we read about in John 21:15-22. Three times, Jesus asked: “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Three times, Peter affirmed that love. And each time, Jesus responded with a command to take care of His sheep (His beloved followers). I want you to join me in answering these important questions:

#1: Why did Jesus call Peter by his birth name, Simon, instead of by the nickname Jesus had given him? I believe it was because Jesus was giving Peter a fresh start. The name “Peter” means “rock.” But that rock had crumbled under pressure. So, in John 21, Jesus took Peter back to the beginning and gives him a fresh start—a new opportunity, by God’s grace, to be the Rock that Christ had called him to be.

#2: Why did Jesus ask Peter three different times, “Do you love Me?” On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter had publicly denied Jesus three times. So, Jesus gave him an opportunity to publicly confess his love and commitment to Jesus three times.

#3: Why did Jesus follow each of Peter’s confessions with a command to feed or take care of his lambs and sheep? In John 21, Jesus forgave Peter and fully restored him to his position as the lead apostle. But that’s not all. Jesus does something very significant here that the metaphors clue us in about. The first time Jesus commissioned Peter, He said, “Follow Me, and I will make you a fisher of men.” But this time, Jesus switched metaphors. I think it’s clear that Jesus fully restored Peter as a fisher of men. But here Jesus adds to his role. From this point forward, Peter wouldn’t just be a FISHER of unsaved men. He would also be a SHEPHERD of saved Christians.

Isn’t that just like Jesus? He doesn’t just forgive. He restores. He revives. And He promotes. Jesus took a big chance on Simon Peter, and it paid off big time. Peter was the lead apostle of the Church in Jerusalem. He was used by God to lead thousands of people to Christ, and he wrote two books of the New Testament before he was martyred for his faith. In the Book of Acts, it’s plain to see: Simon Peter was a man on fire, fully revived and filled with the Holy Spirit. God worked in and through him in extraordinary ways. And He can do the same with you and me.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church. Beginning on Easter Sunday (April 9^th), join us at our great NEW worship location in Apple Valley (16209 Kamana Road) at 9am and 11am. You can also join us online at Facebook or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Bringing Revival to a Nation

 “Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the Lord.” – 2 Chronicles 34:21

In the 1990s, 70 percent of the Colombian drug trade was controlled by a cartel in the city of Cali. The Cali Cartel was one of the largest and richest criminal organizations in history, exporting half a billion dollars of cocaine every month. As cartel members drove their shiny black Mercedes through the city, all other traffic would pull to the side of the road. Many drivers who defied this etiquette were blocked, then shot. As many as 15 people a day were killed—just for failing to get out of the way. 

By the early 1990s, Cali Cartel interests controlled virtually every major institution in the city, including banks, businesses, politicians and police. Like everyone else, Christians were weak and scared. But in the mid-1990s, all that changed. A few pastors started meeting for prayer. They prayed for the Christians in Cali, particularly the pastors, to develop a hunger for prayer, unity and holiness. Some of the pastors rented the civic auditorium to assemble their congregations for an evening of joint worship, repentance and prayer. The pastors prepared for a few thousand people. But at the “Cali Revival” event in May 1995, more than 25,000 people filed into the auditorium. They prayed for God’s active participation in their stand against the drug cartels. At one point the mayor proclaimed, “Cali belongs to Jesus Christ!” 

Forty-eight hours later, the headline in the daily newspaper was: “No Homicides!” For the first time in as long as anybody in the city could remember, 24 hours had passed without a single murder. The Colombian government declared all-out war against the drug lords. Over the next four months, 900 cartel-linked officers were fired from the metropolitan police force. One by one, the cartel leaders were arrested or killed. Tens of thousands of Christians were revived and countless unbelievers were saved. Revival had come to Cali, Colombia.

The Cali Revival gives us a taste of what could happen across America when God ushers in the next great revival. In the Old Testament, 2 Chronicles 34 tells of another inspiring revival: the revival under King Josiah of Judah. Josiah was descended from two of the most evil kings Judah ever had. But Josiah didn’t walk in the wicked ways of his father and grandfather. Eight years into his reign, King Josiah began seeking the God of his forefather, David. He set out to purge Judah and Jerusalem of all idols and pagan worship centers, and he repaired and purified the temple (vs. 3-8). Then, in verse 14, a high priest found an ancient scroll of the Torah (most likely the Book of Deuteronomy) hidden somewhere in the temple. When the high priest found it, he gave it to Josiah’s secretary, who read it to the king.

How did King Josiah respond? “When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes” (v. 19). This was a sign of deep sorrow … and, probably, fear. He said, “Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the Lord” (v. 21). He sent messengers to ask a prophetess, Huldah, what punishment the people could expect for the sins of Judah—past and present. The news wasn’t good. Huldah replied that God would “bring disaster” on Jerusalem and its people. God’s anger “will be poured out and will not be quenched,” because “they have forsaken God” and “provoked Him to anger by all that their hands have made” (vs. 24-25). Judgment was coming.

However, because King Josiah had torn his robes, humbled himself before God and wept over Israel’s sin, God was going to delay His judgment. It wouldn’t come until AFTER Josiah’s death.

So, in verse 30, King Josiah gathered all the people of Judah and read the Book of the Covenant to them. And King Josiah led the people in a renewal of their covenant with God. They promised to turn from their sin and worship and obey God alone. And they kept that promise: “As long as [Josiah] lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their fathers” (v. 33).

Today, I think you’ll agree that America has a sin problem. So, if we desire God to bring revival to our nation the way He brought revival to the nation of Judah, we have to repent. The people of Judah had to turn from their wicked ways, and we have to turn from our wicked ways.

When we Christians confess sin and repent, we tend to just confess and repent from our own personal sin. And on the rare occasions when we do confess the sins of our nation, we tend to confess the sins that disgust us the most. But if we are serious about turning from our wicked ways and ushering in an extraordinary move of God, we cannot simply confess and turn from the sins of our nation that disgust US the most. We must confess and turn from all sin, because all sin disgusts GOD. (I encourage you to listen to my message, “Revival – part 3,” on YouTube for a list of national sins that you might not have considered.)

In the mid-1990s, God moved in the city of Cali, Colombia in extraordinary ways as the Church confessed and turned from the sins of their city AND the Church. God brought revival there, and He will bring revival here if we will humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways. He WILL hear from heaven. He WILL forgive our sin. And He WILL heal our land. But turning from our sin begins with confessing our sin. And there’s no doubt: We have a lot of confessing to do. 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church. Beginning on Easter Sunday (April 9^th), join us at our great NEW worship location in Apple Valley (16209 Kamana Road) at 9am and 11am. You can also join us online at Facebook or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

How to Pray for Revival

 “I pray that you may grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”
– Ephesians 3:18

Back in 1857, a Christian businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier started a noon prayer meeting in New York City. He distributed thousand of flyers calling on businessmen to come to the Old Dutch Church on Fulton Street at noon on Wednesdays to commune with God. Well, on the first day of the prayer meeting, 12 p.m. came and went, and Jeremiah was sitting in the room by himself. 12:10—still nobody. Jeremiah started praying. 12:15, 12:20, 12:25—still nobody. Finally, at 12:30, one businessman came in, then another and another. Six joined him for that remaining half hour of prayer.

The next Wednesday, there were twenty. Then they started meeting daily, and within six months over twenty prayer meetings had sprung up all over the city, until 10,000 businessmen were gathering in New York City for prayer. Prayer meetings also popped up across the country: 200 towns in New York, 150 in Massachusetts, 200 in Ohio, 150 in Indiana, 50 in Missouri, and so on. Historically, we know it as the Fulton Street Revival, or the Prayer Meeting Revival of 1857 and 1858. It is estimated that at the peak of the revival, 10,000 people a week were becoming Christians in New York City alone—50,000 total per week in the United States.

The Fulton Street Revival was a small taste of what could happen across America when God ushers in the next great revival. God is always at work in and through Christ’s Church. But during times of revival, His presence and power reach a whole new level. During times of revival, the Holy Spirit of God FIRST does an extraordinary work among Christians in the Church, and SECOND, He works through revived Christians to do an extraordinary work among unbelievers outside the Church. Tens of thousands—sometimes even millions—of unbelievers get saved.

If you’re looking for an example of revival in the early Church, we see it in the apostle Paul’s time in Ephesus. For three years, Paul preached the Gospel, started a church and sent out missionaries. And according to Acts 19:11-12, “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” What took place in Ephesus during those three years was very revival-like. God moved in extraordinary ways.  

A few years later, Paul wrote his famous letter to the Ephesian Christians, and his revival prayer in Ephesians 3 is an integral part in teaching the Church to reach its full potential in Christ. In verses 16-19, Paul prays four things for the Ephesian Christians:

#1: Paul prays for the Christians in Ephesus to have inner, spiritual strength (v. 16). It’s very common for Christians to say, “I want to know God better” and “I want God to use me in greater ways.” But honestly, most of us are too spiritually puny to know God better. And we’re too spiritually flabby for God to use us in greater ways. You and I may say we want God to bring revival to our church, families and nation, but, honestly, most of us aren’t preparing for it. We can’t remember the last time we prayed for more than five minutes at a time. We have no spiritual strength or stamina. So, Paul prays that we would bulk up spiritually. Those who experience revival on Day 1 tend to be those who have been prioritizing prayer, so they’ve been strengthened by the Holy Spirit to receive a greater outpouring of God.

#2: Paul prays for the Christians in Ephesus to have inner spiritual depth (v. 17). If we as Christians are serious about making a greater impact in the Victor Valley for Jesus Christ, there’s no way around it: We have to dig deeper and make sure we are solidly grounded in God’s Word and Christ’s love. One of the greatest prayers you could ever pray for me (or for any other Christian you know) is for us to be rooted and established in the Word of God and in the love of Christ. 

#3: Paul prays for Christians in Ephesus to have inner spiritual insight (v. 18). We talk, preach and even sing about the unconditional, never-failing love of Christ. But Christ’s love is immeasurably wide, unfathomably long, incomparably high and unimaginably deep. We have only begun to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. So, Paul prays that the Ephesian Christians—and you and I today—would grasp the love of Christ.

Why did Paul pray so fervently for the Ephesian Christians to have inner spiritual strength, depth and insight? Because, #4: Paul wanted the Ephesian Christians to be filled with the knowledge and fullness of God (v. 19). Paul’s ultimate desire for Christians is that they would know intimately the love of Christ and be completely filled with as much of God as possible.

That sounds like revival to me. Revival is “God.” During times of revival our eyes are opened, and we realize that, up to that point, we’ve barely known God. And any spiritual hunger we had for Him before revival came is only intensified when revival actually comes. We wanted to know God and love God more, but during revival our desire to know and love God intensifies.

If our culture is transformed, it will be on the heels of Christ’s Church being transformed. Christ’s Church is the hope of the world. The Church is Jesus’ chosen vessel for expanding His Kingdom of Heaven here on earth and bringing glory to God. So, won’t you join me in praying for the Church’s revival?

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services: in person at 9 a.m., or online at 10 a.m. on YouTube or Facebook. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

How to Prepare for Revival

 “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” - 2 Chronicles 7:14

On February 8th, something remarkable happened at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. Asbury University is a small Christian college with a little over 1,000 students. And the college has morning chapel services on campus every week.

Well, when their 10 a.m. chapel service began on February 8th, something strange happened. When the time came for the chapel service to end … it DIDN’T. The worship team kept singing, and the students started crying out in prayer to God. The service continued through the afternoon and through the night and into the next day … and the day after that … and the day after that. For two weeks, the prayer service continued.

Students from more than 260 Christian colleges and universities descended upon Asbury’s campus waiting for hours for space to open up in the chapel to join in the prayer and worship. The university estimates that in those two weeks, 50,000 Christians from across the nation and around the world had shown up. Something BIG happened at Asbury University. Many Christians are calling it revival. But the question is: Will it spread across this nation like wildfire? I certainly hope and pray it does.

You may not know this, but historically, major revivals have tended to happen in the United States about every 100 years. The First Great Awakening took place in the mid-1700s. The Second Great Awakening took place in the early 1800s. And there have been other smaller revivals since then, including the Jesus Revolution of the 1970s started the Calvary Chapel movement. But we’re overdue for a huge, nationwide move of God that sets the church of Jesus Christ on fire and spills into the streets so that millions of people are saved.

I’ve been praying for revival for over 23 years. I can’t tell you whether or not that revival has already begun in Asbury, Kentucky – but if not, I believe it's very, very close.

The shortest definition of revival is simply: “God.” “Revival” describes a season when God shows up. The Bible says that whenever two or more are gathered in Christ’s name, God shows up. But during a time of revival … God REALLY shows up. He works in incredible, extraordinary ways. Which leads to my favorite definition of revival: “the extraordinary work of God among His people causing extraordinary results in and through the church.”

It’s important to note that revival is a work of God -- not man. And historically, God’s revivals come unexpectedly. You and I can’t manufacture revival. We can’t produce an extraordinary move of God. But we can certainly open the door so that God can rush in. So, how do we do that? Thankfully, God has already told us: “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Let’s take a closer look at God’s 4 Steps for ushering in a revival:

Step #1: Humble yourself before God. You won’t find a single revival in history that came as the result of Christians calling out, “God, I’m the best thing that’s ever happened! Open up the heavens, Lord, because I’m here!” Remember, God didn’t save you because you deserved to be saved. He didn’t save you because you’re all that. He saved you because He loves you in spite of yourself. He saved you because HE’S all that. God hates pride. But He LOVES humility. In James 4:6 we read: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Step #2: Pray. You won’t find a single revival in history that didn’t have prayer at the center of it. You can find examples of revivals that didn’t include great singing. You can even find examples of revivals that didn’t include powerful preaching. But there’s never been a revival where Christians weren’t spending serious time and effort calling out to God in prayer. You will never experience an extraordinary move of Christ in your midst unless you make prayer a top priority.

Step #3: Seek God’s face. Did you know that most of the time, God doesn’t show up where He’s not wanted? More times than not, God shows up where His children are hungry for Him, where His followers are thirsty for Him, where Christians are desperate for more of Him. How long has it been since you’ve joined with the psalmist who cries out, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2) Do you seek God’s face?

Step #4: Turn from your wicked ways. When we speak of the need for revival, it’s vital to realize that the sin in America can’t be blamed on anyone but us. For years, Christians have been blaming politicians, Hollywood and law enforcement for America’s moral decay. But the problem doesn’t rest primarily with sinners. Sinners sin. That’s what sinners do! The greater blame rests with us. We are called by Christ to be the light of the world. So, if the world around us is dark, it’s not because the darkness has gotten darker. It’s because our light has gotten dimmer. Whenever sin has run rampant in society, it’s because God’s people have failed to repent of their sin and SHINE. As we come to Him humbly in true repentance, God sets His church ablaze. And as God’s people shine, a huge number of unbelievers are saved and society is transformed. When you have unconfessed sin that you refuse to get rid of, you’re not the light of the world. You’re not even a nightlight in the hallway bathroom. You need to get right with God: by confessing your sin, turning from that sin, and doing what Jesus told you to do.

We need to be humble. We need to prioritize prayer. We need to be hungry. And we need to turn from our sin. If we do, you can cling to His promise: He WILL hear from heaven. He WILL forgive your sin. And He WILL heal our land.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services: in person at 9 a.m., or online at 10 a.m. on YouTube or Facebook. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Pray Like Jesus

“When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.” – Matthew 6:6 

When you were a child, you may have been taught a short prayer.  It might have been this one: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” That’s a pretty scary prayer, for kids, don’t you think? It made kids want to sleep with one eye open: “Oh, no! If I fall asleep I’m gonna die!” Here’s another familiar one: “God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Amen.” But that 10-second prayer was evidently too long for some kids, so they shortened it to: “Rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub. Yay, God!”

For a 3-year-old, memorizing a simple prayer is a good way to learn to pray. But if you’re 15, 25 or 65 years old, and you’re still praying canned prayers that sound like a broken record, then you haven’t really started to pray. This is nothing new; it was going on in Jesus’ time as well. That’s why, in His great Sermon on the Mount, He set out to teach us the RIGHT way and the WRONG way to pray.

In Matthew 6:5, Jesus begins telling us the wrong way to pray: “Do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.” In those days, when Jewish men prayed in the synagogue, they would often pray standing with their arms lifted in the air. That was a common prayer position in a worship service and in private prayer as well. But on a public street corner, it stood out like a sore thumb. It was a position that screamed out, “Look at me! If you want to hear a prayer that will knock your socks off, listen to me pray!” And Jesus says plainly, “I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”

In other words, the “attaboys” that flashy pray-ers get from other people are all the reward they’ll ever get. They won’t receive any reward from God. The wrong way to pray is to pray in a way that makes YOU the center of attention.

In verse 6, Jesus explains the RIGHT way to pray. As the New Living Translation puts it: “But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” Simply put, the right way to pray is to pray discreetly and privately—motivated by a heartfelt desire to spend quality time with your Father in heaven. In other words … pray like Jesus. 

In Matthew 7, Jesus continues: “When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” In those days, pagan worshipers would string together long, unintelligible phrases and repeat them over and over as a mantra. Jesus says, “Many hypocrites’ prayers are like that! Their prayers are full of words, and some of those words sound really impressive. But their prayers are meaningless. They claim to be talking to God, but they’re actually just putting on a dog and pony show for people. They’re just … babbling.”

Now, you and I can babble almost as badly as the pagans. Before lunch on Sunday: “Dear God, bless this food that we are about to receive to the nourishment of our bodies. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” And the same thing before lunch on Monday. Then, before bed on Sunday: “Dear God, thank You for this day. Help us to get a good night’s sleep and wake up refreshed in the morning. Forgive us for our sins. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”  And the same thing before bed on Monday. It becomes meaningless babbling!

Why on earth do we pray the same tired old prayers? We could never get away with saying the same tired old lines to people we're in a deep relationship with. If you spoke to your spouse every day with the same tired old language that you speak to God every day, would they think your words had any meaning whatsoever? Parents, if you spoke to your kids every day with the same tired old language that you speak to God, do you think your kids would feel loved?  

At times in our lives, we’ve all heard Christians stand up in church and pray beautiful, eloquent prayers. And we’ve thought to ourselves, “Wow! I wish I could pray like that!” But Jesus turns to us and says, “No! I don’t want you to pray like that. You are a unique child of mine, and our relationship is special. So, your prayers to Your Father in Heaven should be special. They shouldn’t sound like anyone else’s. Don’t worry about using the right words. Just talk with God like you’re talking to your Daddy who loves you more than anything in the world.”

Your Father knows what you need, and He is waiting for you to bring that need to Him. He wants to listen to your needs and meet them. He wants to hear you praise Him for who He is to you, and He wants you to thank Him for the unique blessings that He’s sent your way. And He wants to share His heart and thoughts with you as well.

You need to spend quality time with God—every day—just the two of you. He is waiting for you to come to Him. He is waiting for you to pray like Jesus.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our in-person worship service tomorrow at 9 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville. Or, join us online at 10 a.m. on the Impact Christian Church YouTube channel or Facebook page. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Spiritual U-Turns in Prayer

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” – Isaiah 55:8-9

David thought he’d really had it this time. He was running for his life from his own son, Absalom, who was leading a coup to overthrow David. So what did he do? He turned to God–but not, at first, in the way we might expect.

In the first two verses of Psalm 3, David writes, “Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, ‘God will not deliver him.’” David sounds overwhelmed and scared. He feels surrounded by his enemies, he hears his critics saying, “God will not deliver him”—and David seems to be thinking that maybe they’re right. Maybe God won’t save him this time.

Sounds like a strange prayer from a man after God’s own heart, doesn’t it? So tell me: Is David sinning in these first two verses? Is it a sin for him to be afraid, to wonder if the pessimists around him are right? I don’t think so. But his perspective needs to turn. His faith in God needs to be strengthened. You could even say David needs to repent.

That may seem like an odd choice of words. But you see, most of us have a very narrow understanding of repentance. We may tend to toss up a prayer that sounds something like this: “Lord, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Forgive me! Forgive me! Forgive me! In Jesus’ name, amen!” Well, nice try … but that’s not repentance.

The word “repent” means to change your mind, and it always leads to a change in your behavior. So, whenever you think of the word “repent,” immediately think, “change.” True repentance involves a change in your thinking. A change in your priorities. A change in your decision-making. And that adds up to a change in your behavior. To say it another way, repentance is a turning. When we repent, our thoughts turn from something old to something new. As a result, our behavior turns from one course of action to another. That’s why I like to describe repentance as a spiritual U-turn. Repentance is a 180 – a spiritual U-turn that always includes a turning FROM and a turning TO.

Now, let’s get back to David. As he prays in Psalm 3, notice the change that happens in verses 3 and 4: “But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.”

Do you see how prayer changes David? He goes to God with his finite thoughts and his finite ways, then takes hold of God’s higher thoughts and God’s higher ways, and it’s absolutely transformational. In the words given to us through the prophet Isaiah: “’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” 

You see, true repentance arises from a deep-seated conviction that God’s thoughts are always higher than our thoughts, and His ways are always higher than our ways. So, from a broader perspective, repentance is not just for the times when we sin and turn to God for forgiveness. As we go to God in prayer, whether or not there is unconfessed sin in our lives, repentance is a re-aligning of our priorities with God’s priorities, a re-aligning of our ways with God’s ways. And isn’t this, in a very real sense, the heart of prayer?

There are certain things God will not do unless we pray for Him to do them. So our prayers do move God, and prayers do change God’s actions. But even more so, prayer changes US. We go into prayer thinking one way, and we should leave prayer thinking another. Effective prayer changes our thoughts. We go into prayer behaving a certain way, and we should leave prayer behaving differently. Effective prayer changes our behavior.

Prayer changed David. And it will change you, too, if you are absolutely convinced the God’s thoughts are higher than your thoughts, and His ways are higher than yours. So, go to Him humbly in prayer. Confess your sins to him. Grieve over your sin, and turn. If you are ready for God to change you, He will change you … for the better. That’s a promise.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.