 -Drew Blackston
A few months ago I was having a discussion with a brand new Christian and she was asking me questions about the Bible and certain things she had been reading in the book of Matthew. After a little while the conversation turned to prayer and she asked a question that I had never heard before, “How do I pray?” I stood there thinking for a minute and finally just said, “It’s like having a conversation with a friend.” In all honesty, it was this very conversation that inspired me and Valerie to start the series, “Back to Basics” on the Anchor Movement Blog. As we began doing research, Google searches, and social media scanning, we noticed that many Christians don’t have a good understanding of the basics of Christianity. Often times, we noticed that people would quote something and say that it came from the Bible when in reality, it’s not anywhere in the Bible. My favorite: GOD helps those who help themselves. That’s actually a quote popularized by Benjamin Franklin written in Poor Richards Almanac in 1733. Basic knowledge of scripture and GOD’s character would underscore the fact that we can’t help ourselves at all. Jesus had to come, live a sinless life, die on a Roman cross, and be raised from the dead by GOD, so that He could give us eternal life. So, when my friend asked me the question, “How do I pray,” she illuminated the fact that many new believers in Jesus and even people who have been a Christian for a long time, might not know how to pray or feel uncomfortable praying. So, lets see what the Bible says and give some practical steps to help you begin have a conversation with GOD. 1. Prayer is a conversation Prayer is nothing more than a conversation with GOD. When you accept Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, the Bible tells us that through Jesus we can now come to the Father (Ephesians 2:18). That simply means we can have conversation or fellowship with GOD anytime we want. GOD is not in some far off place or only at church, but GOD is with you every minute of every day. Whether you are in the shower or in the car, GOD is ready and willing to talk, sing, or even just listen to you. How do you talk to your family and friends? Do you text your friends with Thee’s and Thou’s? No. You just talk and it’s you, individual and unique, you. That is the same way you can talk to GOD. He’s doesn’t need any fancy language or special chants before you pray. GOD just wants to hear your voice and spend time with His child. Just like any good father would want to spend time with his children and hear them talk, GOD is the same way. 2. Prayer can be verbal, written, or silent The most comment form of prayer is a verbal conversation with GOD, but that’s not the only form of prayer. Many of the writings in the Bible are prayers to GOD expressed through written word or song. When my friend asked, “How do I pray,” she wondered if she was doing it wrong because she expressed herself better through journaling and painting than actually sitting down and speaking out loud to GOD. My answer was, “Yes!” GOD gave each one of us unique ways that we can express ourselves and many of those talents can be used during prayer. For me, there have been times where the situation leaves me speechless and I don’t know what to say. Thankfully, GOD knew we would have those moments and in Romans 8:26 Paul writes: “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” Romans 8:26-27 NLT GOD is speaking for us even when we are silent. Your prayers to GOD don’t need to be the same as everyone else. Sometimes we talk and oftentimes we are silent. It’s not in the action or way that GOD hears our prayers but it’s through our hearts. 3. Prayer is constant One of the misconceptions about how to pray is that is has to be done in a certain place or at a certain time, but in reality prayer is constant dialogue with GOD. Prayer can be done on your way to school, getting ready for work, in the grocery store, watching your kids on the playground, or as I mentioned earlier, the shower. Some people have a prayer closet—I have a prayer shower. What I have noticed is that GOD is not concerned with the where or how I pray, but He’s more interested in the conversation. Our prayer time isn’t limited to minutes or hours, but its a continual dialogue as we go through our day. If you had the opportunity to spend the entire day with your best friend, odds are you would talk to them for most of that day. With GOD, we have that opportunity, but many times we give Him the silent treatment for most of the day. Philippians 4:6 in the New Living Translation says it like this: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Prayer doesn’t have to be an overly complicated experience between you and GOD. In its reality, prayer is simply communication between GOD and His children. Don’t let tradition or experience keep you from enjoying the fellowship that comes when GOD’s children seek Him through prayer. Just like any loving Father, He only wants a relationship. Over the next several weeks and months, Anchor Movement is going to focus on a series called “Back to the Basics” where we answer and define what it actually means to be a Christian. We want to answer some of the questions that new and old believers have in their walk of faith. Some examples include, “How to study the Bible,” and “Why should I go to church.” If you have a question you’d like us to answer or explore on the blog, go to our connect page and leave your response or visit our Instagram page here and leave your response in the comments.
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 -Drew Blackston
I am a dad in a house full of women. Between Valerie, my 2 daughters, and Gracie our dog, there are 4 women to this one man. My youngest daughter, Brightyn is only 8 months so her days consist of nursing, learning to crawl, and sleeping, but my oldest daughter Brooklyn who just turned 3 loves to spend time with daddy. If I am in the room or in the house in any room, she is right next to me. Her favorite things to say to me is, “Daddy hold me” and “Daddy come play” or my favorite “Daddy dance with me.” Oftentimes when I am sitting on the couch trying to watch TV or read, she just wants to sit next to me and talk. She will tell me about her day, or her drawing, or the dogs, or anything that her mind can think of. She loves to talk to daddy, but she also listens. When I talk to her, she remembers what I said and will bring it up in later conversations especially when it comes to ice cream or going to Disney World. Even though Brooklyn is only 3, I cherish our times of conversations together and hold these very close to my heart. When I was thinking about Anchor Movements “Back to Basics” series and how I could easily explain ‘what is prayer’ I felt GOD was reminding me of my conversations with Brooklyn and the time we spend together just talking about whatever is on her mind. Many times, when we are new Christians, we wonder how to talk to GOD. As more mature or older Christians, we wonder sometimes if GOD is even listening especially when we are facing difficult situations or trials. I know that I have felt this way before and I’ve also felt intimidation when it comes to praying to GOD. Even the Wikipedia definition of prayer sounds daunting: Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity, or a deified ancestor. If you google “What is prayer,” over 768,000,000 search results are returned and within that number are countless other sub results which is why I wanted to write this blog post. Prayer shouldn’t be this complicated undertaking, but it should be a simple conversation with your Father GOD. Just like me conversations with Brooklyn, GOD just wants to talk and listen to His children. He wants to give advice, direction, and wisdom to His kids just like I want to give those things to my daughters. It’s not about routine or rituals, but it’s about a conversation. Conversations are two ways, talking and listening. If all I do is listen to Brooklyn talk, then she will never gleam any wisdom and if I never listen to her than why would she want to talk with me in the future? Prayer is a simple conversation between you and GOD. 2 Thessalonians 5:16-18 puts it like this: ‘Pray continually, Rejoice always, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ' 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV In all circumstances, pray. Just like you talk to your spouse or loved ones throughout the day, talk to GOD the same way. He cares about every single part of your life and He wants to be able to give you wisdom and directions in all areas. I like to use a simple example when someone asks me about prayer: When we moved into our new home I needed to fix the gutters on the back lanai. As I was standing on the ladder drilling in the end caps my screw slipped and fell into the grass. I got off the ladder and started searching for my screw. Normally I would just grab another, but this screw fell right into a part of the yard where the dogs and kids play so I didn’t want anyone stepping on it. As I searched and searched, I couldn’t find it anywhere. In my frustration I asked GOD, “Where is this screw?” He answered, “Up and to the left.” Sure enough, when I looked up and to the left there the screw laid. God cared about me finding that screw and He knew exactly where it was. GOD wants to have those kind of conversations with you. Don’t let intimidation or religious culture keep you from having daily interactions with your Heavenly Father. Start today with a simple, “Hello” and see where it goes from there. In our next two blog post, we are going to explore “How to pray” and “How do I hear GOD’s voice” and what the Bible says about the how to’s when it comes to praying. Until then, take the first steps today and just talk to GOD. He loves you and wants to listen and talk with you every day. If you’d like us to pray for you, your family, or something going on in your life, leave those requests in our comments section or click here to our connect page. Over the next several weeks and months, Anchor Movement is going to focus on a series called “Back to the Basics” where we answer and define what it actually means to be a Christian. We want to answer some of the questions that new and old believers have in their walk of faith. Some examples include, “How to study the Bible,” and “Why should I go to church.” If you have a question you’d like us to answer or explore on the blog, go to our connect page and leave your response or visit our Instagram page here and leave your response in the comments.  Photo by Amy Velazquez on Unsplash -Drew Blackston
According to a recent survey by LifeWay research, 9 out of 10 Americans own a Bible and most American families have 3 Bibles in their house. Out of the 9, half have never even opened their Bible or have read very little of the Bible that they own. As Christian people, I wonder how we can live a life for GOD, but never actually read His word? Its like trying to put together a piece of furniture or electronic equipment without ever opening the instruction manual. In today’s connected world, we have an advantage that previous generations never had. You can download a Bible app for free, read the Bible on the internet for free, or even purchase a Bible on Amazon for less than $5 (Click Here). In American especially, we have no excuse why we can’t find the resources to read the Bible. So why is it that so many Christian’s don’t ever read the Bible? A quick google search will bring up the most common objections: “I don’t understand the Bible,” “It’s too hard” “I don’t like to read,” and my personal favorite “I don’t feel like it’s relevant today.” All these are understandable and worth addressing, but today I would rather help you put a plan together to actually read and study the Bible. The Bible is God’s word written down for us so that we can have a more personal relationship with GOD our creator. From Genesis to Revelation there are historical stories, parables, poems, songs, prophecy, and teachings that will bring meaning and purpose to our everyday lives. Many times in my own life I have experienced where the scriptures I read in the morning impacted me in a specific situation in that day. I honestly believe that most Christian don’t read or study the Bible because they simply don’t know how to start. We need a plan if we are going to do anything in life and reading the Bible is no different. When my wife and I go on vacation we spend hours and hours planning for our weeks vacation. We look on TripAdvisor and Google to find the best restaurants, parks, and places to see. If we added up all the time we spent planning for our vacations, I bet it would actually surpass the hours we spent on the vacation. Crazy right! So lets make a plan. Proverbs 21:5 says, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity.” If we can define the roadmap, search for the best places to start, I believe spending time in GOD’s Word will become less like a chore and more like an enjoyable hobby that you’ll want to do everyday. 1. Set apart a defined time to read As with anything in life, if something is important to you, you’ll set apart time to do it. The same goes for reading the Bible. Set apart some specific time in your day where you can fully concentrate. Maybe you wake up earlier than normal or you skip the last 30 minutes of TV at night for some reading time. For me, I am a morning person so I wake up about an hour earlier than I need to for work so that I can spend some quality time reading and talking with GOD. With 2 kids, I know that once they are awake, my day will center around them and I won’t have the opportunity to devote myself fully to reading the Bible. 2. Put away all distractions One thing that I like to do when I read is to put my phone on the other end of the table or in another room altogether. I know that if it is sitting next to me, I’ll have the impulse to pick it up and check the weather, email, or the daily sports news. For me, it’s easier if I have no internet content sitting near me when I go to read the Bible. My wife on the other hand uses the Bible App to read and for her devotionals. For her, she can separate herself from going on Instagram or the internet so that she can spend quality time reading the Bible using her apps. That doesn’t work for me, but it works for her. If you are an app Bible reader, I would encourage you to go on airplane mode or really use self control so that you are not bothered by texts or emails. 3. Write or Journal what you have read When I was asking my friends how they connect with GOD while reading the Bible, one consistent habit kept popping up and that was writing down or journaling what they just read. I like to keep a yellow note pad next to me while I read and then when something stands out to me, I’ll write down the verse and how it connects in my life. Many of the blogs that I have written for Anchor Movement have come from moments where GOD pointed out a specific verse, I began journaling how it made me feel, and then from there a blog or a series of blogs was born. Throughout the Bible, you can find numerous instances where GOD told someone to “write this down” or “put this on paper.” There’s just a something permanent in our mind and heart when we write the scriptures down that impact us the most. Keep in mind, this is not an all encompassing list of the best practices when beginning or trying to instill the habit of reading your Bible on a daily basis. You are a unique person with individual personalities and characteristics. Each of us learn and study in different way, but I believe if you’ll set a defined time to read, put away all the distractions, and write down what you’ve read and felt, you’ll put yourself into position to have an effective Bible reading time. Quick Tips:
Sources: https://lifewayresearch.com/2017/04/25/lifeway-research-americans-are-fond-of-the-bible-dont-actually-read-it/ -Drew Blackston
Last week my wife and I moved our family from central Florida to the Tampa Bay area. In the process of moving we had to take apart pieces of furniture at our old home and then put them back together at our new home. One of these pieces of furniture is our daughter’s crib. Now, taking the crib apart is easy, but putting it back together is another story. I learned from our last move that keeping the directions handy is a must and you definitely need two people in order to hold some of the bigger pieces together. When I decided to embark on the process of putting the crib together at our new home, I was already in a bad mood. I’ve moved a few times in my life, but never with two kids, two dogs, and across the entire state of Florida. What seemed like an already daunting process turned into an on-edge, mood killing, stress filled experience. My wife, filled with the patience of GOD, always had a calming remark for me every time I tripped over a box or got irritated with one of the kids. This in turn made me more agitated. Ok, back to the crib. So, I got my tools, grabbed the directions, and sat down on my daughters floor, ALONE, to put together her crib. The first few pieces were easy, but as I started combining some of the bigger pieces together that hold the crib in place, I realized I was going to need a second set of hands. In my mind, I knew I needed help, but my attitude and pride refused to ask my wife for any. After about twenty minutes struggling with attaching the same two pieces, my wife walked into the room and calmly asked, “Do you want me to hold this side?” I grunted “no”, but she held it anyway and within about two minutes the entire crib was put together. GOD showed me an amazing lesson in this story: We are built for relationships. Like it or not, you were not created to walk this world alone. Genesis 2:18 says, “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” This scripture gets quoted a lot in premarital classes and at weddings, but it is more than just a marriage scripture, it is a way of life. GOD never intended His children to do anything alone. Whether we are celebrating or grieving, life should be lived together. GOD even promises in the book of Hebrews that He “will never leave you nor forsake you.” Why else would Jesus right before He is to be crucified tell the disciples that He is sending the Holy Spirit to be our comforter, helper, and guide. We were built for relationships. Relationship with GOD the Father and relationships with those around us. We can’t successfully fulfill the destiny that GOD has put on our life if we don’t interact or embrace the people that GOD has put around us. When you become a new Christian, or even if you’ve been a Christian for a long time, relationships are vital to your Christian development and growth. GOD designed each one of us with attributes that can only be grown through interactions with others. Some relationships grow us spiritually and lead us closer to GOD. Others relationships, GOD uses to thicken our skin. What I mean by this is some relationships nurture and push us closer to GOD. That might be through prayer or meaningful conversation or even just someone who helps keep you accountable spiritually. Then there are those relationships that are meant to grow the thickness of your skin. Some people are strategically placed in your life to teach you grace, mercy, and unconditional love. Both types of relationships are necessary, but not always fun. When I look back on my crib experience, it would have been much easier if I would have just asked for help from the beginning. In my stubbornness I wasted time trying to do something alone when in reality the job required two people. We all need relationships to accomplish the purposes that GOD has put before us. Even Jesus needed the 12 disciples the help fulfill His purpose of coming and dying on the cross for the entire world. Don’t let stubbornness or timidity keep you from experiencing the fullness of your calling by keeping you alone. We are built for relationships. Over the next several weeks and months, Anchor Movement is going to focus on a series called “Back to the Basics” where we answer and define what it actually means to be a Christian. We want to answer some of the questions that new and old believers have in their walk of faith. Some examples include, “How to study the Bible,” and “Why should I go to church.” If you have a question you’d like us to answer or explore on the blog, go to our connect page and leave your response or visit our Instagram page here and leave your response in the comments. |
