Common Hindrances to Prayer

Gary DeLashmutt

Gary DeLashmutt addresses the most common reasons people find it difficult to pray: 1) feeling like an outsider; 2) feeling aversion or lacking the desire to talk to God right now; 3) feeling unworthy of God's presence due to a guilty conscience; and 4) being unwilling to listen to God. With humility and empathy, Gary explains some spiritual implications behind these common hinderances and offers solutions that are Biblical, yet often counterintuitive in the moment.

Jesus Stills the Sea

Jeff Gordon

Hebrews 1:1-2

Jesus performed supernatural miracles and walked on water to show his disciples that he was God. God is powerful and in control of nature, when we put our trust in Him we can be secure that He is in control.

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

Gary DeLashmutt

John 20:30-31

Jesus made it clear that he was God through his actions, he healed a paralyzed man on the Sabbath. He was communicating to the Pharisees that he as God could work on the Sabbath, and that he had the power to heal broken and sinful people.

Schemes of the Adversary

Jim Leffel

Ephesians 6:10-12

Paul warns to be aware of the schemes of the devil. Believers are encouraged to stand firm in the truth, being confident in God's Word. Believers can put on and trust in a breastplate of righteousness. This righteousness is not of their own, but it comes from the grace that Christ has given them. Believers should also know their mission and understand the urgency of it. They should stand with each other as a wall of defense, and they need to gather up a will to fight. Believers should be calculated in their force, trusting and knowing when to use the power of God's Word.

Isn't Freedom Dangerous?

Jim Leffel

Galatians 2:11-21

Paul rebukes Peter for his hypocrisy and how his actions don't communicate the truth of the gospel to Jews and Gentiles. The grace of God motivates people to obey God based on total undeserved acceptance and contrasts legalism, where acceptance before God is based on our works or by obeying the law. Once we know Christ, the new identity we have through his death allows us to serve God out of grace, and not push us towards a lifestyle of active rebellion and sin towards God.

Legalism and Grace

Dennis McCallum

Galatians 5:1

Jesus and Paul both took strong stances against the pharisaic teaching that our moral decisions could make us righteous in God's eyes. When any works are added to the Gospel of grace, it is no longer the gospel. As we have been saved by God's grace, we can communicate the Gospel in the context of gracious relationships.

Paradoxes Concerning "Greatness"

Jim Leffel

Mark 10:32-45

As humans, we aspire to be great; this is an aspiration God has given us. So, it is God who defines the terms of what greatness is. When we pursue greatness as the world defines it, we pursue disappointment. Mark records Jesus' definition of greatness as those who strive to serve others. When we pursue God and greatness through sacrificial service, that is when we find true fulfillment.

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Dennis McCallum

Luke 18

In this parable, Jesus first describes a Pharisee who goes to worship in the temple. He exemplifies a self-righteous attitude, minimizing and compartmentalizing his sin in order to tell himself that he is justified before God. In contrast, the tax collector realizes his sin for what it is and confesses this humbly before God and asks for God's mercy. It is this second character who returns home justified before God, as God's righteous standard is not a comparison of how we measure up against others, but against His own perfection. This teaching also includes a personal testimony from Dave Glover about his own experience with this concept.

Matthew's Party

Dennis McCallum

John 9:39-41

Jesus showed compassion and love to the despised and sinful people of his day. Jesus partied with Matthew, a despised tax collector, and invited him to become a disciple. Jesus came to heal the sinners, rather than saving those who thought they were righteous.