Got Any Praises to Report?

I came to a realization recently.  It came by an innocent question, "Anyone have any praises or blessings they'd like to share?"  And then, silence. 

There we were -- the staff at church -- looking over Sunday's prayer requests and without a bit of God's goodness to report.  It really bothered me.  How can we say we believe in a living, active, all-powerful God and then draw a blank when asked to report on His Goodness?

I realized I haven't been paying attention. 

Later I remembered how Billie had encouraged my prayer life.  She shared with me that she talks to God without artifice, just chatting away as she does with her friends.  I remember being that way when I was younger.  I asked Jesus to help me reclaim that.

Friday, over lunch, Rita shared that she senses the Holy Spirit moving in our church (I didn't tell her about our staff meeting) in a way that hasn't happened for years.  We both feel on the verge of revival, but something is in the way.

I can't remember the last time I sat down with someone and talked about scripture (outside of Sunday school class), shared new insights, or ways I'd seen God at work.  I need that. I think it's vital to church.

For some reason, that kind of intimacy is scary.  We don't want to share.  We don't want to confront. We don't want to grow.  It seems we huddle in fear hoping our inadequacies don't show, too prideful to let anyone in as they might find our weaknesses.  So, we put on a strong front (pride).

We become masters of pretense and excuses.
We become mockers and cynics.

In our own way, we become Pharisees -- projecting a good show on the outside that crumbles on the inside.  To top it off, we impose this illusion others and burden them with a "churchy" lifestyle.

Jesus rebuked Pharisees.  He hates "churchy-ness" and show.

Pride and Fear: we fail to see them for what they are -- the deceivers greatest arsenal.
Christ's perfect love casts them out.

Trust and Obedience: they go hand in hand.  Your trust in Christ is evidenced in your obedience to him.  You can't obey unless you trust him.  But, you can't do either unless you are in the Word.  You need to know God's word to what you can trust and how to obey.

Recently, someone told me that Bible study wasn't their gift so they based their entire Christian life on prayer.  I should have asked them, "If you don't read your Bible and know what God says, on what do you base your prayers?"  It seems to me that they would become whimsical wishing that's easily led astray.

The strongest, most powerful Christians I know make time to read and study their Bibles.  They can pray with authority and claim God's promises because they know what His Word says!

I want to grow, but how can that happen without instruction and correction? 
I want to have unity and intimacy with other believers, but pride and fear get in the way. 
I want to "be happy in Jesus" -- as that old song goes.

And so, I will fling away pride and fear.  I will learn to trust and obey.  And I'll pay attention to what God is doing around me so I have an answer the next time someone asks me if I have a praise.