Tag: Lord’s Prayer

Are You in Need of a Game Winning Touchdown?

October 22, 2017

Homecoming High School Football

This week, I’m featuring my friend Ken Garber who is a registered addiction specialist. I appreciated how his most recent post uses this great football analogy for taking our life forward for a win…

Image result for ken Garber

Maybe you’re like me and not watching football this year. But my guess is that I am probably in the minority!

For those of you who were paying attention to the games on Sunday, did you find yourself saying something like, “Come on, we need a touchdown right now!” Or perhaps your team was scoring touchdowns, but came up one touchdown short for the win.

I decided to go to the internet and type in a team that typically doesn’t do very well and I chose the Cleveland Browns. (Sorry to my Cleveland friends!) I discovered that although they have been scoring touchdowns this season, they’re still not getting the victory — most of their games they have been one touchdown short. Just one key player or superstar missing in the lineup can make all the difference.

Last week I was praying the Lord’s Prayer and found myself saying,

“Father, let Your Kingdom come and Your will “touch down” upon this earth and in our city. Touch down, Father, in my life, in my marriage. Touch down in my ministry, come Lord Jesus with Your Kingdom and touch down in my health and in Janie’s health, and in our finances. Come, Lord Jesus, and let Your Kingdom come and touch down upon my dreams and passions so I can be obedient to the purposes of you, God, in my life just as it is in heaven.”

We need a touchdown and when God’s Kingdom comes and touches down in every area of our lives as it is in heaven, we will have the victory every time because Jesus is the Undefeated One!

Are you in need of a game-winning touchdown right now? Where do you need the Undefeated One to touch down in your life?

I believe God put that within my heart to say those words — “touch down” — because God is on the move and His Kingdom is coming with power to touch down in our lives so that we will know that we are special and distinct from all other people on the earth.

I love this post.

When God’s Kingdom touches down it is an amazing thing.

I like this analogy too. Since my son (on the red and black team above) is playing football right now I can relate to yelling for a touchdown. As I read Ken’s post, I prayed for a game winning touchdown in many areas of my life too. But I was also reminded that sometimes a touchdown comes only after a lot of first downs.

Last week, one of our young men ran a ball back nearly 80 yards for a touch down. It was spectacular, amazing and so unexpected. I love when God does that kind of touch down, don’t you? The hail Mary pass or the 80 yard run back has us cheering with high fives all around. We’re blown away and ecstatic.

Especially when it wins the game.

But that isn’t always how touch downs are scored or how God brings those wins either, right? I realized that much of the time, the game winning touchdown comes with small wins of first downs along the way.

Watching players plow through a wall of opposition to gain a few yards, lose some, gain a dozen more, get sacked and finally inch past the 10 yard marker is more the way my life looks right now.

Of course, each first down is a celebration, but most of the time it takes a lot of those to get down the field to finally score. Hard work, perseverance, blood, sweat and tears is often the precursor to that big win.

Just as Ken pointed out, it begins by asking God to bring his kingdom to touch down in our lives on earth as he has planned in heaven.

I appreciate Ken’s great analogy and prayer for God to touch down in our lives. Whether by incremental first downs or the miraculous catch or run, we can count on God to move us forward with wins in our life.

I’ll echo Ken’s words from above:

Where do you need the Undefeated One to touch down in your life?

I’d love to hear about the ways God has touched down in your life. Tell me in the comments below or email me at laurabennet14@gmail.com or Ken at ken@liferecoverycoach.org

Get my FREE guide on Taking Your Life Forward by signing up HERE.

Why Pray?

November 24, 2014

Have you ever asked yourself that question?IMG_0368

I don’t mean in a skeptical, it-won’t-do-anything kind of way. What I’m talking about is that deep searching of what prayer means. It’s not like God needs us to tell him what’s going on in our lives. He knows everything. And he knows what we need, so do we need to remind him? Besides, He is God Almighty, creator of the universe and the one who holds everything together and controls it all. Does he need our input?

So what is the purpose of prayer then?

Well, I asked Him. After all, in James he tells us if we lack wisdom to ask and he will give it to us. So I asked. And I guess that is the first purpose of prayer. God wants to give us things and he’s waiting for us to ask. He says if we ask, we will receive. And wisdom is a good thing to start with. But sometimes we can feel like we’re asking Santa for a Christmas list, and that’s not the point. Even though God longs to give us the desires of our heart.

I thought there was something more.

Partnership is a concept we’ve discussed in church. A former pastor, Daniel Brown, used to describe God wanting to partner with us in doing his will. Like a father asking his son to help him take out the trash. Dad doesn’t need his little boy’s help, but it’s about the relationship. Doing something together. I like that.

But, I still believed there was even more.

So when I asked, I was reminded of the Lord’s Prayer. We call it that because it is how Jesus told us to pray. Hmm…maybe there’s something in that.

I grew up reciting that prayer as a rote tradition. Even singing it, while deeply moving, didn’t impart the depth of it’s meaning to me. But the day I asked Jesus about praying, this is what struck me…

If God is all about us talking to him, and asking him for things, and partnering with us, then maybe praying that prayer would look something like this (translation my own):

Our Father, who is in heaven, I praise your holy name! I honor you as Almighty God. You are so holy! You are so worthy of my praise. Because You want to do good things for us, I invite you to bring your kingdom into my life and do your will just as you have purposed it already in heaven because you are great and good and have wonderful things planned for me. Whatever that is, I want it, so I ask you for it. Please, Lord God, I ask that your kingdom would come here to earth. That your will would be done here on earth. And please, since you know all I need, will you provide it. Just for today? I won’t worry about tomorrow, but trust you to give me what I need today. And about forgiveness, Lord. You forgive me for everything so will you please make me willing and able to forgive others the same way? Thank you that temptation is never from you. Will you please deliver us from evil? That awful enemy, Satan, who is looking to distract us from you and destroy our lives? I know you can and will do all this because your kingdom is glorious and powerful, and you love me so very much.

What do you think?

I’ve begun to pray this way, acknowledging who God is and inviting him to bring his kingdom to earth. That his will would be done in my life, in my home, my marriage, my children’s and family members’ lives, my friend’s lives, in my church, community, city, state and nation, as well as the world. Because if I believe God is who he says he is then I have to be open to and accepting of what he wants to do here on earth.

And I’m seeing incredible things happening.

Not always what I expect, but always great and good. In my life, my husband’s life, our marriage and family. Truly amazing.

God is a gentleman and never forces us. But he longs to do good for us, with us and through us. As soon as we invite him, remembering who he is and what is truly important, he will bring his kingdom to us.

I challenge you to give this a try and let me know what you see happen in your life.