{"id":3296,"date":"2024-10-05T21:06:53","date_gmt":"2024-10-05T21:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=3296"},"modified":"2024-10-05T21:06:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-05T21:06:53","slug":"what-would-your-billboard-say-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=3296","title":{"rendered":"What Would Your Billboard Say (Part II)?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/billboard_featured.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-546 size-medium\" style=\"box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; margin: 10px;\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/billboard_featured.jpg\" alt=\"Muscular Christianity Billboard\" width=\"300\" height=\"178\" \/><\/a><strong>I) Intro<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Last time we talked about \u201cBillboard Christianity,\u201d we talked about one possible tag line being \u201cIt\u2019s All Good\u201d meaning that, as a believer, you have access to a perpetual Source of optimism because you<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0know Who\u2019s in charge<\/li>\n<li>your sense of fulfillment isn\u2019t based on goalposts that never stop moving<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This week we\u2019re looking at another tag line. This one is \u201cPray Big.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>II) Pray Big<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To the right, you see a license plate that belongs to a friend of mine. <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-2920\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Praybig-300x225-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"259\" height=\"194\" \/>\u201cPray Big\u201d is consistent with the message communicated in several Scriptures. Take a look:<\/p>\n<div style=\"font-weight: bold; margin-left: 25px; margin-bottom: 15px; display: inline-block;\">A) He Knows You (better than you know yourself)<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>For I know the plans I have for you,\u201d declares the Lord, \u201cplans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jer 29:11 [see also Josh 1:8])<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No one knows you like God knows you (see 1 Sam16:7;\u00a0 Jer 17:10; Matt 10:30). He had a plan in mind for you before you ever entered this world (Ps 139:16). That plan is tailored expressly for you (Eph 2:10). Because He wired you in a way that results in your having both the ability and a passion for doing what He created you to do, rest assured that the greatest amount of fulfillment you\u2019re ever going to experience in your life is doing the things you were created to do. That being the case, anytime you\u2019re intentional about seeking God\u2019s direction, you\u2019re doing yourself a favor because He\u2019s going to steer you in the direction that results in the greatest good for your life.<\/p>\n<div style=\"font-weight: bold; margin-left: 25px; display: inline-block;\">B) Ask!<\/div>\n<p>If you could ask God for anything, what would it be?\u00a0Do you think you would get it? Why or why not? Take a look at what God told David in the aftermath of his affair with Bathsheba. At this point, David\u2019s busted. He\u2019s getting chewed out by God through the prophet Nathan and he deserves it. He committed adultery and then he turned around and used his authority as king to orchestrate the death of one of his bodyguards in order to cover his tracks. He knows what he has coming and he\u2019s not putting up any kind of argument. In the midst of God\u2019s rebuke, the Lord says something that\u2019s significant. Take a look:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>I gave your master\u2019s house to you, and your master\u2019s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. (2 Sam 12:8)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>God\u2019s listing every beautiful woman that David had access to along with the throne. And then He says if that hadn\u2019t been enough, He would\u2019ve given David even more. Think about what God is saying, here. David had noticed a woman that was not his to pursue. The fact that he had a desire for female companionship was not the deal-breaker. Rather, it was the object of his desire and the way in which he went about pursuing that which was forbidden by violating two commands that carried the death penalty. Look at what it says in Luke:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a0If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!\u201d (Luke 11:13)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Now consider what Jesus says in Matthew:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened. (Matt 7:7-8)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2026and then in James:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>You do not have, because you do not ask God. (Jas 4:2)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>God is not stingy. When you ask, He hears and He stands ready to answer your prayer. Consider this: Anything you ask for is going to pale in comparison to what He already gave in terms of the sacrifice of His Son:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all \u2013 how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Rom 8:32)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So, with that in mind, ask! Go for the brass ring. Pray big! Think about this:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u00a0Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Eph 3:20-21)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can\u2019t out-imagine God. Pray for big things and do so confidently knowing that He hears and He\u2019s more than willing to answer. Now, He doesn\u2019t always answer the way we like and this is where the worship component of all this needs to kick in.<\/p>\n<div style=\"font-weight: bold; margin-left: 25px; display: inline-block;\">C) Worship<\/div>\n<p>Go back to that passage in Luke:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? (Luke 11:11-12)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fact is, sometimes we ask for the equivalent to a snake or a scorpion. We don\u2019t see it that way, but God can see things that we can\u2019t so He says \u201cNo.\u201d Other times we might be asking for something that is absolutely noble and God either says \u201cNo\u201d or \u201cWait.\u201d Either response can be exasperating but only if you neglect to keep the first part of the Lord\u2019s Prayer center stage in your approach.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Father, hallowed be your name\u2026(Luke 11:2)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The word \u201challowed\u201d means to \u201cestablish as holy.\u201d In other words, before you launch into your petition, you begin by honoring God as being holy. In other words, you start by reminding yourself of Who it is you\u2019re talking to. God is not your personal vending machine. He\u2019s not your gofer. And should He respond to your prayer by saying either \u201cNo\u201d or \u201cWait\u201d \u2013 processing that response from a position that acknowledges God for Who He is far easier than if you try to do that while maintaining God as subordinate to your authority. That\u2019s when you can become indignant and worse. <strong>II) <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>III) Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>It is not so much true that \u201cprayer changes things\u201d as that prayer changes\u00a0<\/em><em>me<\/em><em>\u00a0and I change things. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way in which a man\u00a0<\/em><em>looks<\/em><em>\u00a0at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonder in a man\u2019s disposition.<\/em>\u00a0(\u201cMy Utmost for His Highest\u201d by Oswald Chambers, August 28th\u00a0reading)<\/p>\n<p>God often works miracles through very common means. He uses people to accomplish His agenda and it\u2019s not uncommon for an answer to your prayer to be delivered via something seemingly natural (see Luke 17:14). But because it\u2019s God Who did it, it is therefore supernatural and you want to be able to appreciate it as such.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 280px; border: 1px solid #ccc; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; margin: 10px; border-radius: 10pt; height: 190px; float: right; overflow-y: hidden;\">\n<div style=\"width: 100%; height: 30px; background-color: #000; color: #fff; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding-top: 5px; border-top-left-radius: 10pt; border-top-right-radius: 10pt; font-size: 10pt;\">\u00a0&#8230;more about your Billboard<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px; height: 160px; overflow-y: scroll; font-size: 9pt;\">\u2022 <a href=\"http:\/\/localhost\/muscular\/wordpress\/keep-reading\/\">Keep Reading<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"http:\/\/localhost\/muscular\/wordpress\/what-would-your-billboard-say-part-one\/\">What Would Your Billboard Say? (Part I)<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"http:\/\/localhost\/muscular\/wordpress\/what-would-your-billboard-say-part-two\/\">What Would Your Billboard Say? (Part II)<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"http:\/\/localhost\/muscular\/wordpress\/what-would-your-billboard-say-part-iii\/\">What Would Your Billboard Say? (Part III)<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"http:\/\/localhost\/muscular\/wordpress\/what-if\/\">What If?<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"http:\/\/localhost\/muscular\/wordpress\/your-billboard\/\">Your Billboard<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>When you pray and you do so reverently, you change. God sweeps up the distractive dust balls that are scattered on your spiritual floor and you\u2019re given a chance to see things from a different perspective. That is the true miracle of prayer. Sure, the material answer to your request is important, but it\u2019s the change that He exacts in you that is truly amazing. So pray big! Consider Who You\u2019re talking to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Creator of the Universe (Col 1:16)<\/li>\n<li>The One Who loves you and knows you perfectly (Ps 139:16; Matt 10:30; 1 Jn 3:1)<\/li>\n<li>The One Who gave His Son for you (Rom 8:32)<\/li>\n<li>The One from Whom all good things originate (Jas 1:17)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>His answer is assured and whatever that answer is, in terms of the material result you\u2019re requesting, rest assured that His answer is exactly what it needs to be in order for your welfare to be accomplished. And in the interim, you have been changed because your perspective is being aligned with the Greatness and the Goodness of God which produces a more optimistic and a healthier disposition. Believe and trust (Jas 1:5-8). Move forward knowing that God is aware, able and active as far as your request is concerned. Don\u2019t settle for an existence that\u2019s limited to the physical possibilities as dictated by a cynical, human mindset. Pray big and know that God is exactly Who He claims to be, no request is too big and no appeal goes unanswered. For some final thoughts about your, &#8220;billboard,&#8221; click <a href=\"http:\/\/localhost\/muscular\/wordpress\/\/what-would-your-billboard-say-part-iii\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I) Intro Last time we talked about \u201cBillboard Christianity,\u201d we talked about one possible tag line being \u201cIt\u2019s All Good\u201d meaning that, as a believer, you have access to a perpetual Source of optimism because you \u00a0know Who\u2019s in charge your sense of fulfillment isn\u2019t based on goalposts that never stop moving This week we\u2019re [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,27,28],"tags":[23,25,29],"class_list":["post-3296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-discipleship","category-muscular-christianity","category-self-improvement","tag-discipleship","tag-muscular-christianity","tag-what-would-your-billboard-say"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3296"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3298,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3296\/revisions\/3298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}