Graham Cooke shares about the stunning reality we live in as new creations in Christ.
Watch this episode to see what you can look forward to in your prayer life!
Key scriptures in this episode:
- Psalm 46:10
- Proverbs 18:10
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Transcript
Today, we are going to take a Posture of peace by carrying with us into every circumstance and into every prayer an expectation for redemption.
Posture is a short, audible fist bump to remind you, God is with you in everything. Together we’re going to be emboldened to take a daily Posture of perfect peace.
Listen to this beautiful promise in Psalm 46:10, the Lord says, “be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth”. Today’s episode is extra special. It’s actually a clip from the three-day prayer challenge that I hosted with Graham Cooke last week. And you might remember from Episode 180, I talked about the stunning reality that we have as new creations in Christ when we pray. And that reality is that we are not praying to find an answer. We’re not praying for an answer. We are actually praying with the answer and in this clip Graham shares more about what that kind of praying looks like. Okay, so here’s the scenario, right? I realized, and by the way, Graham mentioned Crafted Prayer. This was really pivotal for me years ago when I first picked this up and we’ll be unpacking more of that. I realized I was praying in response to my situation often spontaneously, therefore panic filled because I was just responding to what I was seeing in front of me, the reality of my earthly situation, instead of praying in response to what God is saying and discovering what he’s saying by first discovering who he is, and who I am becoming in him inheritance. So I would just love to talk a little bit more about that reality of the new man.
Yeah. It’s always fascinating to me that there are particular ways that God chooses to overwhelm us. So if you’re in a situation with a difficult relational situation with a person or a group, God’s going to overwhelm you with who he is for you. So that you’re not overwhelmed by that. You’re so enamored of God, you come into that, that group situation as a different person. So whatever’s overwhelming you in life, God intends to overwhelm you because he always moves in the opposite spirit. So if you’re overwhelmed by anxiety, guess what? You’re going to be overwhelmed by peace. That’s what’s, that’s what’s available right there. That’s where the comforter comes in. The comforter comes in, not just to go there, there don’t worry, try not to be anxious. He comes in saying, okay, so I’ll just take that anxiety and I’ll give you this piece and then I’ll teach you, how you’re going to love being peaceful in this situation. That’s what he does. He doesn’t counsel your anxiety. He just takes it. Cause actually it doesn’t belong to you anyway, it belongs to Jesus. He died for it. So then he’s gonna give you a replacement for anxiety, which is always peace. So that’s what you’ve got to look forward to. Whatever is against you, something is going to be there for you. And that’s what the three in you are doing. And when you come to prayer, you, first of all, that whole stillness thing is the Lord saying, before we start praying, why don’t you give me that negativity and I’ll give you this. Give me that stress, I’ll give you this. Give me that anxiety, I’ll give you this. So when he looks at you and says, okay, now we’re ready to go because now you can hear me. We, you can’t, the noise of stress and anxiety, you know, can only be replaced by stillness. So it’s like, I love the fact that the Redeemer lives in us. That means everything is about to get redeemed. So I wonder what situations you’re in today, where you can ask the Lord today. Thank you, you’re the redeemer living in me. These are three situations here, which one do you want to redeem first? And how? And because you have an expectation of the Redeemer, you can sit and listen in the context of your expectation. I love that. It’s like God always provides a safe place. That’s where Jesus is your high tower. Sometimes you just need to take a step back. The righteous run in and they are safe. Take a step back into God, let him close the door on the outside world, this is stillness and then sit in this, that’s a daily thing. You know that we practice, we practice everything because practice makes permanent and we are permanent residents of the kingdom. So let’s maybe stop living as if we’re in the world and start living like we’re in the kingdom over the world. So that will be an interesting dynamic.
I love, I love that exchange that happens in the process of prayer, because it’s no longer about bringing what we think is currently ours from the situation like you mentioned, anxiety or fears, sickness or whatever the situation is that people are facing. But it’s about discovering what is actually ours and taking that in. So peace and healing and provision and protection. But I don’t want us to miss the richness of the real inheritance being God himself. He brings himself, gives us himself.
Yeah. I love that, you know, that’s why I think that when you’re in stillness your first response is to give thanks. You know, it’s 1 Thessalonians 5, you know, in everything give thanks. You know, rejoice always, pray without ceasing in everything give thanks. But rejoicing is the first thing you do. The first thing you do, you don’t pray. You rejoice. Father I rejoice that you are in me. Lord Jesus, I rejoice that you are with me, that you are for me, that I’m on your prayer team and I’m going to hear you praying. And I’m going to pray with you. There’s always something to rejoice. So rejoicing is like the first thing you do because it settles everything then, you know, and I love that, you know, we have to assume the position that we belong to God’s household, we’re in his house, praying with him. Jesus lives in our house, but we have access to God’s house too. So I love that, that value of being co-related with the father through Jesus. So Jesus is the beloved son and we’re learning how to be beloved in that same relational context. So never underestimate the power of your relationship with God that God feels towards you. And you know, and God responds to inheritance in us so you can ask him any question. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dumb one. If it’s a dumb question, he’ll just answer the question you could’ve asked if you were in your right mind. So that’s okay. He’s like, it’s not like he doesn’t know where you are and it doesn’t, it’s not like his love doesn’t cover a multitude of things, you know. He’s always the same. He’s unchanging. He’ll be the same towards you on your worst day as he is on your best. He doesn’t change. He doesn’t relate to you according to what you’re doing, he relates to you according to who he is. And that is the beauty of three plus me. Makes you a 300% person, cause there were three amazing geniuses, all who have some connection in your life and will make their presence felt. If you just come joyfully as a much loved child.
That’s why I say, Lord, I know you. I feel it, you’re up to something. What is it? And I can feel that now. And it’s almost like am I tapping on the window or something just gets your attention. I know you, you’re up to something. What is it? And, and I love the way he comes in with a smile. And even on your worst day, he comes in with a smile because this is good. This is good cause I’m here with you. Everything works together for good because goodness walk through the door. So we have encounters with goodness. Jesus went about doing good and healing people who were oppressed. That was the world’s testimony of him. And that’s my testimony of God. You know, I know goodness is gonna be present because it’s a huge part of his nature. So I expect goodness, even if I’m being followed around by the spirit of stupid, I expect goodness. Even if I’m just like on an adventure in missing the point, he’s still the goodness of God. He’s just going to reorient me into his heart. I love that. There’s no, there’s no place on earth where the love of God for you cannot be. There is no place. You know the love of God is there because it’s in you, you carry it. You’re a carrier of goodness. That means you get to experience it first. I love that.