I was reading today one of Jesus' teachings on prayer.
1. A willingness to take bold risks (synonyms: boldness, daring, fearlessness, bravery)
2. rude or disrespectful behavior (synonyms: impudence, insolence, presumption)
I was assuming Jesus meant the first one, but as I considered it, there is a bit of a tone of the second definition in the illustration Jesus gives as well. What do I understand from this? Jesus is saying he wants us to be so very bold in our prayers that it is on the borderline of being rude or disrespectful. He is saying that if we are to make a mistake it is to be on the side of being too bold, shamelessly bold, in asking God for the things of the Kingdom.
I spend a lot of time these days in Thailand. Anyone who has ever been to Thailand knows it is a very polite country. There are not too many audacious people here and if there are, they certainly aren't looked on as good people! India seems to me to be a bit more bold. Sometimes that rubs me wrong and makes me tired. Yet I see in it something of this verse .
The rickshaw walla who tries to cheat me or audaciously (read boldly or maybe rudely) asks me for 300 ruppees instead of the 30 it is supposed to be, can actually teach me a lesson. He is shamelessly asking for what he wants and needs though its much more than he deserves. Now, I don't really want to take him for a role model, but I do want to learn from him and redeem something out of that!
When I pray for my Lost and Saved list today, for those I'm sharing Christ with in my circle of family, neighbors and friends...when I pray for those I am training, coaching and discipling...I'm going to pray "shamelessly audacious" prayers on their behalf. Bold prayers. Daring, fearless and brave prayers. I will be asking my Heavenly Father who loves me, to move mountains today to bring the Lost to Him today. I will ask Him to help me develop strong, reproducing mighty men and women of God who are disciples who make many, many more disciples. I'm boldly going to ask him to bring breakthroughs in those places we still haven't seen fruit. I'm boldly going to ask Him to send out new laborers into the harvest fields of the unreached. I'm going to ask Him boldly to be my protector and defender against the enemy of my soul, and to heal those who are sick.
Join me today in being shameless and audacious in your Kingdom prayers! Be bold as you pray for the Lost and Saved in a new way today.
Luke 11:5-Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[f] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.-NIVI am a first language English speaker, but I wasn't fully sure what that word audacity exactly meant. It actually has two meanings, one rather negative and one that is positive.
1. A willingness to take bold risks (synonyms: boldness, daring, fearlessness, bravery)
2. rude or disrespectful behavior (synonyms: impudence, insolence, presumption)
I was assuming Jesus meant the first one, but as I considered it, there is a bit of a tone of the second definition in the illustration Jesus gives as well. What do I understand from this? Jesus is saying he wants us to be so very bold in our prayers that it is on the borderline of being rude or disrespectful. He is saying that if we are to make a mistake it is to be on the side of being too bold, shamelessly bold, in asking God for the things of the Kingdom.
I spend a lot of time these days in Thailand. Anyone who has ever been to Thailand knows it is a very polite country. There are not too many audacious people here and if there are, they certainly aren't looked on as good people! India seems to me to be a bit more bold. Sometimes that rubs me wrong and makes me tired. Yet I see in it something of this verse .
The rickshaw walla who tries to cheat me or audaciously (read boldly or maybe rudely) asks me for 300 ruppees instead of the 30 it is supposed to be, can actually teach me a lesson. He is shamelessly asking for what he wants and needs though its much more than he deserves. Now, I don't really want to take him for a role model, but I do want to learn from him and redeem something out of that!
When I pray for my Lost and Saved list today, for those I'm sharing Christ with in my circle of family, neighbors and friends...when I pray for those I am training, coaching and discipling...I'm going to pray "shamelessly audacious" prayers on their behalf. Bold prayers. Daring, fearless and brave prayers. I will be asking my Heavenly Father who loves me, to move mountains today to bring the Lost to Him today. I will ask Him to help me develop strong, reproducing mighty men and women of God who are disciples who make many, many more disciples. I'm boldly going to ask him to bring breakthroughs in those places we still haven't seen fruit. I'm boldly going to ask Him to send out new laborers into the harvest fields of the unreached. I'm going to ask Him boldly to be my protector and defender against the enemy of my soul, and to heal those who are sick.
Join me today in being shameless and audacious in your Kingdom prayers! Be bold as you pray for the Lost and Saved in a new way today.
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