Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

Praying the Beautitudes…and Grace and Truth Link up

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The poor in spirit are blessed,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 Those who mourn are blessed,
for they will be comforted.
5 The gentle are blessed,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed,
for they will be filled.
7 The merciful are blessed,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 The pure in heart are blessed,
for they will see God.
9 The peacemakers are blessed,
for they will be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:3-9 HCSB

Have you ever reached into a bag of your favorite chips anticipating flavor heaven, only to bite into the equivalent of salty cardboard?  At times, my prayer life gets stale and flavorless too.  And it’s just as disappointing.  I sit down with my journal and write down what comes to mind.  But my mind can be a pretty shallow pool to draw from.  My needs and concerns, even my thanks and praise, can get pretty rote.  The same things come up over and over again, and left to my own devices, what should be a two-way conversation can get pretty one-sided.  Not to mention selfish.  That’s why I’ve started praying lots of scripture.

 

All scripture is inspired by God [literally breathed out by God] and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness.  2 Timothy 3:16 HCSB  Since the bible’s words are the words of God (by way of the Holy Spirit – 2 Peter 1:21), and this verse tells us that ALL of it is profitable, when I pray scripture I know I am praying perfectly within God’s will.

 

Sometimes I search the bible with intention for a scripture on a certain topic or situation.  But more often than not, as I study, I just feel drawn to pray specific verses or passages over my family.  Lately I’m fascinated with the idea of praying the Beatitudes.

 

The word beatitude means blessing.  There are many places in the bible, especially in Psalms, where blessings are promised or bestowed.  But the only spot where more than two or three blessings are listed together is the recording of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew.  All of these blessings refer to the future kingdom of heaven.  Not to be mistaken with things we would consider blessings in the here and now.  God owes us nothing, of course.  But because of the work of Jesus, He promises us everything in due time.

 

When reading the Beatitudes, it’s important to understand that Jesus was not referencing a certain group or type of people.  These promises are for anyone who allows the presence of God to manifest in his/her life.  If God wants to bless those who possess these characteristics, then I want them!  My sin nature gets in the way, though.  I need His divine help to be merciful and meek and pure in heart.  So I’m asking for these things in prayer.

 

Prayer

Lord, I’ve spent far too long selfishly praying for you to bless me.  Today I ask that you make me into someone that you will bless.  In my flesh, I am the polar opposite of the person Jesus preached about.  But I’m asking you to take possession of my heart and mind so that my thoughts and actions look more like You.

 

Questions

  1. Poor in spirit doesn’t have anything to do with finances, but humility. In what areas do you rely too much on yourself and not the omnipotence of God?
  2. When Jesus referenced those who mourn, He wasn’t referring to sorrow over earthly things; but people who mourn their own sin and the sins of others. Spend some time confessing your sins and praying against the evil in the world.
  3. Ask God to show you relationships that need an extra dose of supernatural meekness, gentleness and self-control.
  4. In what areas of your life are you struggling with obedience? Ask God to give you an unquenchable hunger and thirst for His will and His justice in the world around you.
  5. Pray about ways you can show mercy to others. Is there someone you need to forgive or someone who needs a hand up?
  6. To take a step towards being more pure of heart, analyze the way you spend your leisure time. Are there movies, TV shows, music or websites you would steer clear of if you could see Jesus sitting beside you?
  7. Where do you see a lack of peace in the world around you. If there is forgiveness you need to offer or reconciliation you should involve yourself in, journal about how you can be an instrument of God’s peace.

A version of this appeared first in Prayer – Approaching the Throne Room of Grace:  A 26 Week Devotional and Journal.  As a contributing author of this book, it excites me that Amazon offers it now in paperback here!  I also want to give away a copy right now!  If you have not subscribed to receive my weekly blog post sent to your email inbox, do so in the right hand column of this website.  You will not only be entered to win a free hardback copy of the book worth $20, you will also receive a scripture coloring page bundle.  What are you waiting for?  A drawing will take place next Thursday August 27.

 

And now for this week’s featured post!

 

My family is currently in the midst of a huge spiritual battle.  And there is absolutely nothing I can do about it but pray.  So Deborah Haddix of deborahhaddix.com struck just the right chord with me in 4 Practical Ideas for Performing the Work of Prayer.  Thank you for linking up, Deborah!

 

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Persevering in Purity…and Grace and Truth Link Up

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I wrote this devotional I wrote a couple of years ago for a book called Perseverance:  30 Devotions for Faith that Moves Mountains.  In the midst of this marathon we are all running called Covid-19, I wanted to remind you of this resource.  At the time of this writing, Amazon has it for $7.99 in paperback and $2.99 on Kindle.  And if you use these links, I will receive a small commission.  Hang in there, friends.

 

When the Lord saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.  Genesis 6:5-6 HCSB

 

 

 

My 13 year old daughter schooled me.  I didn’t expect it.  I didn’t ask for it.  But that’s what happened.  One summer evening my family selected a film for movie night from an online streaming service, and God taught me a lesson.  He used my little girl to do it.

 

Here’s the low-down.  The plot of the film we chose centered on a country singer who fell in love and married; then he skyrocketed to fame when a song he wrote for his wife caught fire.  As he and his music grew in popularity, the sweet story turned sinister.   He spent more and more time on the road away from his wife and young child, and as it turns out, absence didn’t make his heart grow fonder.  The more he distanced himself, the more he exposed himself to booze and drugs.  He sank deeper and deeper into this lifestyle until a drunken night led to an infidelity.   That infidelity eventually advanced to a full-blown affair.

 

Having seen similar movies a time or two, I knew that this character would eventually come to his senses and return to his “roots” of God and family.  But my daughter, either unsure of the outcome or unwilling to experience the heartache the film caused her, ran from the room crying each time the singer strapped on a new sin habit.  Several times my husband and I paused the movie to coax her back out to join us again with promises of coming redemption in the storyline.

 

It wasn’t an easy sell to get her to finish watching the show with us.  Through tears and anger she told us repeatedly, “I HATE this” as she watched the family man turn his back on his family, dissolve his faith and obliterate his resolve.

 

In those moments I admired the tender, uncalloused heart beating in the chest of my last-born.  At the ripe old age of plenty-nine, I’ve seen too much and heard too much to be so broken over sin.  At least I told myself that lie.  But the truth is, I want to be more like my daughter.  And I don’t think it’s too late for me.  I think I just need to spend MORE time with God (prayer, praise, Bible reading and meditation) and in Kingdom pursuits and LESS time consuming what the world has to offer.  Cynicism and hard-heartedness make poor servants of our Heavenly Father, nor do me any personal favors.  I believe God is revealing that, for me, a sifting is in order.  What about for you?

 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise – dwell on these things.  Philippians 4:8 HCSB

 

Father, thank you for the example of childlike faith and purity.  Give us the strength to make hard decisions in this sin-saturated world. Guide us toward pursuits that honor you and bring you glory and away from those with no redeeming value.  Help us to persevere in purity and sanctify us toward ever-increasing holiness.

 

Is a purge of your consumption in order?  Are you filling your mind with movies, books, podcasts , music or other things that could be desensitizing you to sin and its destructive power?

 

Do you need to repent of any unconfessed sin in your own life to restore you to right standing with God?

 

And now for this week’s featured post!

 

Bettie Gilbert of BettieGsRASeasons wrote transparently about her physical pain in Sharing:  Praise in the Midst of Our Pain.  Although my current pain is emotional, she encouraged me to remember to praise our Sustainer through it all.  Thank you for blessing us, Bettie.

 

Now for this week’s link-up! Let’s bless and encourage one another in our walk with the Lord.

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