These are books I already have that are on my list for 2019.

Top 10 Books Read In 2018

Books To Read In 2019

Keys To Growth

Having a list of books to read is great, but that alone won’t make growth happen. Three simple keys make growth happen. I HIGHLY recommend that everyone take steps each year to grow in all three:

1. Set goals. What areas of your life do you want/need to grow in? Find a book/resource and set a SMART goal  (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Risky, Time-bound). Be sure to WRITE THEM DOWN.

2. Make a plan. Write out HOW and WHEN you’re going to do it.

3. Prioritize your plan. Don’t just hope it happens, schedule it as a priority. MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Don’t get discouraged and give up WHEN you hit bumps in the road. We all do.

Growth is not so much about avoiding the fall as it is getting up every time we fall down.

Question

What books are you planning to read in 2019? Pick books that hit areas you need to grow in, set a time goal for reading them and times you’re going to read, and then make reading a priority. Readers are leaders!

Last week I posted this question on Facebook: “Learning to pray more and preaching on prayer this month. What have been the biggest influences on how you pray?” I received a number of comments, including some great book suggestions and even a movie suggestion! Here’s my favorite comment: “You can read books and see formulas but there is no substitute for just doing it!”

Yesterday I preached the second sermon in our series Pray: Growing a Heart for the Things God Cares Most About. This message was simply, “A Call to Pray.” HERE‘s the audio. Below are 5 the five keys to effective prayer via Nehemiah 1.

Nehemiah 1, A Call to Pray

Prayer is THE SECRET to Neh’s success! The prayer in chapter one is the first of 12 different prayers recorded in the book. Chapter one begins with prayer in Persia and chapter thirteen closes with prayer in Jerusalem. There are prayers of anguish, joy, protection, dependence and commitment.

Prayer gives Neh perspective; it widens his horizons, sharpens his vision and dwarfs his anxieties.
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When we pray our horizons will widen, our vision will sharpen, and our anxieties will be dwarfed!

The Five Keys to Pray Effectively

1. CONCERN About the Problem.

Even though Nehemiah had never been to Jerusalem, he had heard stories about it, and knew that his ancestors had been led away in chains when Babylon destroyed it. He was doing what Jeremiah 51:50 instructed the exiles to do: “…Remember the Lord in a distant land, and think on Jerusalem.”

As Nehemiah thought on Jerusalem, he listened to the report in Nehemiah 1:3 that the survivors were in great trouble and disgrace, that the wall of Jerusalem was in shambles and that its gates had been burned with fire. As he tried to imagine the shame in the city of David, he could barely stand it. Nehemiah had deep concern for the problem.

The call to pray begins with CONCERN, but turns quickly to…

2. CONVICTION about God’s Character.

After Neh becomes concerned, he expresses his conviction of God’s character in Neh 1:5…

O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands.

Nehemiah’s boss, the king, was the greatest and mightiest on earth. But compared to God, Artaxerxes was nothing. Nehemiah’s concern was in far off Jerusalem. He was in the grand city of Susa. However, both cities – one rich, the other poor, one strong the other weak, one proud, the other broken – were like tiny specks of dust under the vast canopy of God’s heaven.

A CONVICTION of God’s CHARACTER in prayer gets things into their proper perspective.
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Nehemiah knew that God was not only able, but also willing to respond to his prayer. But he also knew that he did not deserve to have God treat him favorably. That’s why the next phase of his prayer is a confession of sin.

3. CONFESSION of sin.

Neh 1:6-7: “Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees, and laws you gave your servant Moses.”

It’s one thing to be concerned and to even have a firm conviction of who God is. It’s another thing to actually confess sin. Notice a few things about Neh’s confession…

• He was overwhelmed with the problem: Neh gave himself to pray for a long time, day and night.
• There were no excuses: Neh owned his guilt. “I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself…we have acted very wickedly…we have not obeyed…” It would have been easy for Neh to look back and blame his ancestors but instead he looked within and blamed himself. It’s so easy for us to blame others, isn’t it? We need to learn from Nehemiah, no excuses, “Lord, I am wrong. I’m part of the problem.”

Thankfully Nehemiah moves from the low of confession, to the high of…

4. CONFIDENCE in God’s Promises.

While Neh spent time in broken confession, he didn’t wallow in his failures or those of his fellow Israelites. He owned his sin then quickly expresses confidence in God’s promises…

Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my name.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and mighty hand.

Nehemiah 1:8-10

Someone has calculated that there are over 7,000 promises in the Bible. The better we know the Word of God, the better we’ll be able to pray with confidence in God’s promises. One of my college profs famously says, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it!”

Growing a heart for things God cares most about takes time getting to know God’s promises and praying through them. But it takes more. Therefore, the call to pray is also a…

5. COMMITMENT to get involved.

O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor (MERCY) in the presence of this man. I was cupbearer to the king.

Nehemiah 1:11

It has been said that prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven but getting God’s will done on earth. But God’s will is done on earth primarily through people who make themselves available for Him to use.

Nehemiah didn’t pray for God to send someone else – he simply said, “Here am I, send me!” He knew that he would have to approach the king and request a 3-year leave of absence and so asked God for “success.” 

The true measure of our concern is whether or not we are willing to make a commitment to get involved.

“Pray as if everything depends on God, then work as if everything depends on you.” ~Martin Luther
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CONCLUSION

There’s no better way to start 2017 than with a call to pray. Here’s a simple prayer outline I’ve been following for years. I hope it help!

1. Praise (conviction about God’s character)
2. Repent (confession of sin)
3. Ask (based on the concern about the problems)
4. Yield (confidence in God’s promise and commitment to get involved)

Begin where you are and take next steps to grow in prayer. 

1. Set aside a time to pray every day (have you tied the Abide app?)
2. Set aside a couple times to pray (morning, noon, night)
3. Pray and meditate on God’s word/promises 
4. Take extended time during a certain day(s) in the week

Lindsey Bridges has put together a wonderful resource to help parents recover from the holidays! Anyone need something like that? We sure do!

On her blog Lindsey lays out a four-part summary, The Essence of Epiphany:

1. Epiphany reminds us wait and look ahead.

2. Christ came for all.

3. Bring your best for Christ. 

4. Christ is King. 

Those are important and essential reminders for me as I begin 2015. I assume that’s true for most of us.

To help parents bring this to life for children Lindsey put together a six part devotional for families, Experiencing Epiphany: 6 Days of an Intentional Epiphany with Your Kids.

Why Experiencing Epiphany is a great resource

1. It’s short! Who has time to read thick books, especially to kids! It’s 16 pages. Each day has a two pages of content. Easy to consume and follow for a busy family.
2. It’s solidly biblical! Each day includes a reading from one of the Gospels. The entire devotion is centered on the passage and it’s main idea.
3. It’s practical! Each day includes hands on activities. The activities put faith into action. They’re great for kids, but they’re also great for adults who need help applying the truths of the Bible.

Get Experiencing Epiphany TODAY!

Experiencing Epiphany: 6 Days of an Intentional Epiphany with Your Kids is worth the $2.99 deal on Amazon right now. HOWEVER, thanks to Lindsey readers of my blog can receive a FREE copy!

Leave a comment below about how a resource like this might be helpful for your family and I’ll select 5 readers to receive a FREE copy!

May God richly bless you and your family as you begin the New Year!

*some of the books on my reading list for this year.

I just finished The Circle Maker, by Mark Batterson. Picked it up in light of some major transitions I’m going through. My wife and I are praying about what’s next for us. We wanted to grow in prayer and had this on the shelf. Mark Batterson spoke at a conference I had recently attended. So it made sense to read it. Bottom line: it’s had a significant impact on our prayer lives. Hope the same for you.

The Circle Maker starts with the Legend of Honi…

The majority of reviews on Amazon are high. 601 5-star. 66 3-start or lower. Of the negative reviews most cite the use of the legend of Honi as a concern. They claim Batterson is following the way of The Prayer of Jabez. That he is using non or unbiblical sources and taking scripture out of context.

One 7-page negative review (not on Amazon) started,

I have yet to read the entire text. However, the little I have read and some preliminary research has revealed troubling things about the text and author and certainly raises the question about whether it is appropriate for leaders, and pastors in church to teach from and recommend this text to the church.

Really? A 7-page rant on something you haven’t even read?

HERE is a well written negative review from Tim Challies. He also has a great list of other books on prayer (HERE). Yet I recommend The Circle Maker and have found it helpful for the following reasons.

While the story of Honi is a legend, it is found in credible sources. The Mishnah Taanit, and first century scholar Josephus record Honi’s story. HERE is a short summary from Josephus. Therefore, it’s not made up. Weather or not we should model our prayer based on it is another story.

The main question is whether or not the principles of the book line up with truth and scripture. You can be the judge.

Note these quotes from the introduction:

God is not a genie in a bottle, and your wish is not His command. His command better be your wish. (page 14).

Batterson builds on that foundation throughout the rest of the book on. This book is NOT about how to get what you want. Or how to grow your church or ministry by using a canned prayer. It’s about how to connect your life to what God wants.

Drawing prayer circles starts with discerning what God wants, what God wills. And until His sovereign will becomes your sanctified wish, your prayer life will be unplugged from its power supply. (p. 14)

The book has three major sections, DREAM BIG, PRAY HARD, and THINK LONG.

1. Dream Big

Is the principle DREAM BIG biblical?

The greatest risk is failing to circle the promises of God because we forfeit the miracles God wants to perform. (p. 51)

While taking OT promises out of context is not helpful. It is true that God wants us to pray with bold faith. For example, Jesus says,

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:16

God wants us to dream big. He wants our lives to bear much fruit. And they will as we seek and commit to His will, as revealed primarily in the Bible. Therefore, DREAM BIG!

2. Pray Hard

Is PRAYING HARD biblical?

Batterson begins the section quoting Luke 18 and the parable of the persistent widow. He builds this entire section on this concept, which I agree with.

Many have quoted the mantra,

Pray like it depends on God, and work like it depends on you.

Batterson adds,

It’s praying until God answers, no matter how long it takes. It’s doing whatever it takes to show God you’re serious. (p. 82)

I agree. And he adds that God either says YES, NO, or NOT NOW. He is careful to note that God is no genie, as noted above.

Batterson is careful to say, “Pray through the Bible.” (p. 94) He adds, “if you pray through it [the Bible], you’ll never run out of things to talk about [in prayer].

Most Christians, myself included, quit praying for things too soon. Therefore this principle is not only biblical, it is highly practical. YES, PRAY HARD!

3. Think Long

Is the principles of THINKING LONG biblical?

The Apostle Paul had a long view of life and prayer.

Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

Being a soldier, athlete, and farmer all take the long view. Christian disciplines require a long view. They require prayer that is sown now but reaped later.

YES, THINK LONG. Pray for things today, but also for things 10, 20, 50, even generations from now.

BOTTOM LINE: The Circle Maker is FULL of inspired stories and examples. They are not necessarily to be imitated. Rather, let them inspire you to DREAM BIG, PRAY HARD, and THINK LONG. All for the glory of God!

QUESTION: Have you read The Circle Maker? If so, what are 1-2 take aways you had?