Braveheart, Gladiator, The Last Samurai and The Patriot are some of my absolute all time favorite movies. The common denominator? Courage, bravery, “strength and honor” (I did that for you true Gladiator fans (Sam Erisman and James Lorenzen)).
The heroes were willing to face danger, suffering and even death for something bigger than themselves. Louise shared an awesome sermon outline by Aaron Brown on Dangerous Prayers. It brings out the fact that we pray general prayers – bless me, protect me… You get the idea. Instead, we should be praying dangerous prayers. Prayers that would release answers that would change us, the people around us and our world.
The challenge is to begin praying, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24).
What would this do in our lives? How would things change if we became vulnerable? What would happen if we faced our fears with Christ instead of justifying them or just calling them a bad habit? What would happen if we asked God to show us what is offensive to Him that lies within us? What if we begged Him to really prod and poke and root it out?
This challenge is not going to be comfortable. There might even be danger and suffering, but imagine what we would gain.
Dangerous prayers are the first part of the challenge. Doing something about it is the second part. We all have something that we have been prompted to do. There is something we all fear, and we know the first step we need to take to begin trusting God. It’s the dangerous step. It’s the step that makes us vulnerable. It might take away our security in something we have been trusting in instead of God. It will force us to lay down our pride.
I knew what mine was. I did it today. It wasn’t pleasant, but I know it’s worth it. Now, He has already revealed my next step. Through obedience, I can be one step closer to a more intimate relationship with Christ.
“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8
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