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Category Archives: Prayer

God is Our Supply

24 Mar

Our Supply in GodIn my last post I started talking about a parable of Jesus found in Luke, chapter 11.  In the Lord’s teaching, a man is looking for bread from his neighbor at midnight.

This parable is about going to God on behalf of the needs of others.  Let’s compare this neighbor to what we know about God.

“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’”
Luke 11:7

The first thing this neighbor says is, “Don’t bother me.”  The word bother comes from a root word that means to cut.  We know from the Scripture, that Jesus Christ was cut and bruised for me.

He bore my sicknesses and diseases.  He took upon Himself everything that would hurt or harm me.  This neighbor may not want to help, but the God I serve is ready, willing, and able to meet the needs of those I’m praying for.

The next thing he said was, “The door is shut and locked.”  How does this compare to what Christ has done for us?

I know your deeds.  See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.  I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
Revelation 3:8

The Lord is the One who opens the door before us.  I know that I can go forward boldly because of His work in my life.  If I seek God’s path, then I’m assured that the door stands open before me.

No matter what the circumstances look like in the natural, my advancement does not rely upon the hand of man, but on the power of God.

The neighbor also declared, “My children are with me in bed.”  Of course, this is how many Christians would like to picture their relationship with God.  We want to be cozy in our room – “us four and no more.”

This is not a picture of the God we serve.  Christ has clearly commanded us to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone who would listen.  God wants us to be a blessing to those around us.  We are to be salt and light in this dark generation.

The neighbor’s last statement was probably the most important of all, when looking at the comparison with Christ.  The man said, “I have no power to rise and give you anything.”

Jesus Christ proved that He was the One with power enough to do all of God’s will.

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life– only to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.  I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.  This command I received from my Father.”
John 10:17-18

All power in Heaven and earth was committed to Christ.  He had the power, not only to lay down His life, but to then rise from the dead three days later.  He has proven Himself victorious over sin and the grave.
Unlike this neighbor, Christ has everything I need to be an abundant blessing to those around me if I will go to Him for supply.

Question: What are the needs of others that you are currently seeking God for?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on March 24, 2014 in God's Provision, Ministry, Prayer

 

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The Bread of Life – Breakfast of Champions

19 Mar

BreadAt one point in their time with the Lord, the Disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray.  Here is one line of the prayer Jesus taught them.

“Give us each day our daily bread.”
Luke 11:3

This prayer of Jesus is not only applicable in the physical, but also in the spiritual.  If earthly bread is necessary for life, how much more is the Word of God needed to nourish our inner man?  God is looking for a people who will feed daily upon His spiritual bread – the Word of God.

You should notice that this prayer is not in the form of a question.  Christ is not asking the Father for bread.  Bread, in this context, is something that is already supplied and on hand.

It’s a grocery item that is already in the cupboard.  When my children get up in the morning, they don’t ask my permission to eat.

“I’m going to eat breakfast now.”

That’s the adult attitude.  You’re up.  You’re going to work.  You need a good breakfast before you leave the house.  When you’re ready to eat you go to the pantry, the place of supply, and get what you need for the day.

It’s the same in the spiritual.  God’s Word to us is always available.  He expects us to seek Him daily for a Word from Him.

When Jesus taught this prayer, He also taught the truths that it encompassed.  Different Gospel writers recorded the various teachings.  Matthew and Luke gave us what the Lord taught concerning the bread.

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Matthew 7:9-11

This is the attitude that the Father has toward a child who asks for bread.  In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 11, we see this same teaching, but Luke uses the Holy Spirit as the gift.

There’s no question in the mind of Christ.  If you ask God for a daily Word, you will receive.

This is the desire of God’s heart.  He wants His people derive their nourishment from His hand.  We have the ability to go to the presence of God each day for the Word we need to live victoriously.  That’s what Jesus did.

Questions: Did you go to God for your spiritual breakfast today?  What did you receive from Him?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on March 19, 2014 in Prayer, Word of God

 

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Warning: Legalism is Addictive

17 Mar

PillsIn my last post, I talked about hearing from God and receiving vision for your life and ministry.  This is important, because under the New Covenant, believers need to be hearing from God.

I’m so glad that whenever I pray, God hears me in Christ.  But I also need to hear Him when He speaks.  I don’t think it’s as much God not speaking, as it’s me not listening.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus made a startling statement that many have overlooked.  But first, let’s look at the context.

“And no one pours new wine into old wineskins.  If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.  No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.”
Luke 5:37-38

In this parable the old wineskins stand for those who walk in legalism.  Once wineskins were used, they became empty, used up, dry, and unyielding.

That’s a good description of many of the Pharisees Jesus had to deal with.  They had nothing on the inside to give that would bless others.

In the natural, new wine is unfermented grape juice.  As it becomes wine, it produces gasses that pressurize the skins.

Old, dry and unyielding wineskins would burst under that internal pressure.  You can’t live for God like that.

A New wineskin – one that’s unstretched, oiled, soft, and pliable – is ready to be used in this process.

As we get that new wine of the Holy Spirit in us, it starts to ferment.  There is a spiritual pressure that builds up.  That’s what brings growth.

Now you’re hearing from God and something is being poured into you.  The pressure is building.  You have something to give and pour out into someone else.

Listen to Jesus’ next statement.

“And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
Luke 5:39

Once you get a taste for legalism, you don’t want the new work of the Spirit.  Why is that?  Simply put, legalism is intoxicating and addictive.

Legalism strokes my ego.  “Look at what I’m doing for God.  I read my Bible and pray every day.  I go to church every week.  I’m better than most.”

This “intoxication” with self-righteousness will put us to sleep, spiritually speaking.  We don’t feel the need to hear from God.  We can live the way we want as we perform our minimal church obligations.

Basically, we can live for God without being changed by the Spirit.  That’s the deception of legalism.

I want to be prepared to hear His voice.  This requires that I allow the Holy Spirit to work His change in me – to stretch my outer man sometimes.  It may feel uncomfortable, but it’s worth it to see the Lord working through me.

Question: How far are you willing to be stretched by the Holy Spirit?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on March 17, 2014 in Legalism, Prayer

 

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Leadership and Serving the Word

10 Mar

Fine DiningWhat are the main responsibilities of church leaders?  Is it preaching, visiting the sick, running the church program; or is there something more important.

In this generation, many leaders are ignoring the most important aspect of their ministry.  To the extent that we miss this, the church suffers.

This concept was well known by the apostles in the early church.  It was something they wrestled with.

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.”
Acts 6:2

They literally said that it would not be right for them to leave the Word of God.  There was a ministry that needed to be done, yet was being neglected.  How often do pastors scoop up those things without a second thought?  After all, there’s no one else to do them.

This is a question that needs to be answered in Christian circles.  It causes so much strife.  Church people think it’s the pastor’s job to do everything.  Yet in doing these jobs, that the church people are supposed to do, the leadership is missing the very things that would cause growth.

That’s one of the hardest issues to resolve in church ministry.  Does a minister choose to please God or men?  You may think that’s an easy choice.  But, as someone who’s been there, I can tell you that it’s an unyielding pressure.

The congregation that pays your salary wants to see you working in the church.  Many times prayer and seeking God are seen as “slacking off.”

“Pastor, you need to do more around here.”

All the while we ignore the fact that it’s the church member that’s called by God to do the “nuts and bolts” of the ministry.

“Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.  We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
Acts 6:3-4

The apostles came to the conclusion that it was more beneficial for them to be constantly diligent toward prayer and serving the Word.  That’s the choice.  Serving tables, doing all the things not getting done by those who should be doing it, or serving the Word.

Being a servant to the Word of God is our greatest calling.  That means listening, hearing, and obeying the Word of God spoken to us.  This is the most important aspect of ministry and must not be ignored.

Question: How much of your work for God is doing what God has spoken to you?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on March 10, 2014 in Ministry, Prayer, The Church, Word of God

 

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The Greatest Roadblock to Revival

07 Mar

Give UpLet me start by apologizing.  I don’t usually want to air my dirty laundry in these posts.  But since the goal of this blog is to promote a revival in our generation, I felt that I needed to say this.

So, I’m sorry for letting my emotions get the better of me, but today’s post is coming from a heart that desires to see change.  The body of Christ needs to wake up, from the leadership on down.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”  So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
Acts 13:2-3

This verse talks about a prayer meeting that was held at the church of Antioch.  During this meeting, Saul (later to become Paul) and Barnabas were called into a missionary work.  Their work changed the world forever.

This morning I was at a prayer breakfast hosted by an association of churches that we are involved with.  It was called because of some needs and transitions that our churches are experiencing.  It was to be an hour of prayer, with a half hour of breakfast provided beforehand.

There are just over 100 churches in our association.  All of the pastors and leaders were called and invited to the meeting.  What do you think the response was?  There were 8 of us there to pray.

Just 8.  Of those 8, 4 of them were on the committee that hosted the prayer.  At this point, I have to say that it was a wonderful time of prayer.  Those who attended were there to seek God.  We had a great time in the spirit.

But on the way home, I had to think about what we’re missing.  We need revival in our land.  We know that.  We talk about it.  When someone brings it up we all nod our heads in agreement.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t give birth to revival.  Prayer brings it about.

In the above verse, Saul went to this meeting.  I’m sure he had other things to do.  At that point he was vocational.  He was a tent-maker who taught at his local church.  What if he decided that he was too busy to get to that prayer meeting?

I hear pastors complain all the time about the prayerlessness of their people.  “We can’t get them to come out to the prayer meetings we call.”  Where are these pastors when they are called to pray?

To be fair, I understand that many have vocational jobs during the week and they can’t take the time off.  I understand that others may have some transportation or health issues.  I don’t have a problem with these.

But 8 – out of all the pastors and leaders of 100 churches.  Where’s the revival we seek?  It’s in our hands.  We must remove the roadblocks.  One of the biggest is the lack of prayer from the top down.

Again, I ask your forgiveness for my ranting in this post.  But my heart’s desire is to see a move of God sweep this nation in my lifetime.  Whatever it takes.  Even the “sacrifice” of prayer.

Question: How often do you pray for revival in our nation?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on March 7, 2014 in Prayer, Revival, The Church

 

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Meeting God in the Wilderness

05 Mar

BeamI don’t mind saying that with all the snow and cold that we’ve been getting in my part of the country, I’m ready for spring!  Then I can start one of my favorite pastimes again.  I’m talking about spending time in the woods hiking, praying, and meditating on the Word.

It’s always a lift to my spiritual life.  I believe that every Christian who’s physically able should try it.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.  After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Matthew 4:1-2

Since I’ve started hiking I have a new respect for the Lord’s physical condition.  Being able to survive in the wilderness for forty days, living on only water is quite a physical challenge.

At one point I tried a two-day fast while hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail.  I remember barely making it. The hunger was intense.  I felt weak.  It got to the point where it hurt just to put one leg in front of the other.

I promised myself I would never do that again.  I can only imagine what Jesus felt like after 40 days.

There is a hunger, however, that I want to hike with.  That’s a hunger of the spirit.  If we can go into the wilderness with a hunger for the presence of the Lord, then we’ll come back from our journeys a changed person.

If we can see the outdoors as a meeting-place between God and us, we’ll take our wilderness activities to a whole new level.

The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:3-4

Once you decide to use the wilderness to achieve spiritual goals, it will transform your whole experience.  The outdoors will become a place where you must sometimes face your own personal demons.  In Jesus’ case it was from the outside.  In our case it’s usually from within.

The wilderness gives God a chance to confront us on His terms.  There’s nothing to fall back on; no distractions to hide our thoughts.  God can throw a light on all the issues we’ve been sweeping under the rug for so long.

What I’ve found is that there’s no place to hide.  I can’t “remember” that phone call I need to place.  There is no TV program that I have to watch right now.  God can have my undivided attention.

It’s an awesome thing to go into the wilderness to hear from God.

Be prepared.  It’s not always what we expect.  He’ll set the agenda, and there’s no way out.  Change will happen in our lives, if we give the Lord an opportunity.

Think about spending some time in a wilderness setting with the Lord.  I guarantee that it will be life-changing.

Questions: Have you ever spend time praying in the woods?  What did you take away from that time?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on March 5, 2014 in Prayer, Times in the Wilderness

 

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The Language of the Spirit #prayerinthespirit

28 Feb

JumbleI’ve been posting about Prayer in the Spirit.  The last point I mentioned is that when you pray in tongues, you are not hearing the actual prayer.  It is the spiritual communication with God that’s the important thing.

Remember that until Adam sinned he didn’t hear God with his ears.

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
1 Corinthians 14:14

Paul goes on to say that not even your mind understands what is being communicated in the spirit with God.  This is an intimate conversation between your spirit and the Spirit of the Lord.  All of this is great, but what does it have to do with the power of God in my life?

Let’s get back to where we left off in that discussion.  When you’re saved, the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside of you.  You are now connected to God’s wireless network.  You have everything you need to access the power of God for your life.  However, there’s still something you need in order for the connection to function properly.

Look at it this way.  You may have a state of the art computer with a cutting edge wifi or 4G adapter, but there’s still something it needs.  That’s because the internal language of your computer in incompatible with the language of the internet.

In order for the computer to talk to the internet, it needs a piece of software called a browser.  It’s the browser that translates the internal language of your computer into the language of the internet allowing it to access everything that’s available.

It’s the same in the spirit.  In order for you to use God’s network you need a “download” from the Holy Spirit.  Your spirit needs to learn the language of the Holy Spirit.

You’ve spent you whole life never speaking to God on His level, in the spiritual realm.  The gift of the Holy Spirit is the language of the spirit.  As a matter of fact the word tongue is the old English word for language.

The gift of the Spirit is really the gift of language.  The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the download of the spiritual language you need to access the power of God’s network.  This is why I usually call it the gift of language or the heavenly language.  I want to take the emphasis off of the physical (the tongue) and place it on the spiritual where it belongs.

Think about it.  According to language experts, what’s the most effective way to learn a new language?  They call it the immersion method, where they literally immerse you in the language you are trying to learn.  What’s the Biblical term for immersion?  It’s the word baptism.

It’s amazing how perfectly God chooses the words that He uses to describe His gifts.  The Baptism of the Spirit is your immersion into the language of the Spirit.  Unlike a natural language which may take months and years to learn, God can do the supernatural work in an instant.

This gift, the Baptism in the Spirit, opens up a new walk of power in the Holy Spirit.

Question: How has the Baptism in the Spirit blessed your life?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on February 28, 2014 in Power of God, Prayer, Prayer in the Spirit

 

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Learning God’s Language

26 Feb

LanguageIn my last post I began to talk about the Gift of the Spirit.  We looked at the following verse.

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 1:4-5

According to Christ, the Gift of the Holy Spirit is the Baptism in the Spirit.  This gift brings up so many questions surrounding it.  Is it important?  Is this gift even for today or not?  Was it just a one time thing to get the early church going?

I believe the Scriptures answer all these questions.

For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God.  Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:2

At one point, Paul wrote that he spoke in tongues more than all who were in the church of Corinth (I Cor. 14:18).  This tells me that he had an intimate knowledge of the use and the function of the gift.  Paul wrote about his experiences in the Greek language, which is a very descriptive language.

In order for us to understand what Paul wrote we rely upon translators to help us.  I’ve had the privilege of meeting some of these translators.  I’m in awe of the amount of work they have before them and realize that I could never accomplish half of what they do.  I’m very grateful for their work.

That being said, I also have a problem with a particular portion of their work.  As I’ve said, Paul wrote to us about his experiences in the deep usage of the gift of the Spirit.  Unfortunately, the translators who worked on that passage may not have even experienced the Baptism of the Spirit, let alone the deeper works.

In reading the words that Paul wrote, these translators didn’t understand why Paul was using the words that he used.  So they tried to explain Paul’s words instead of telling us exactly what he said.

Because of this, many of the deeper truths of the Gift of Tongues were lost.  It’s my prayer that the Lord will once again restore our knowledge of these concepts through godly teachings such as this.

The verse I just quoted is one such verse.  The English words used in the translation are not the Greek words used in the original text.  After Paul tells us that the person is speaking to God, not to man, the next sentence actually reads (in Greek), Indeed, no man hears him; his spirit speaks mysteries.

This gives us fresh insight into the gift.  When I pray in tongues, I’m not speaking to man, but to God.  What is coming out of my mouth is immaterial to the spiritual communication.

According to Paul, no man even hears what I’m saying to God.  It’s not your flesh that’s communicating with Him.  There’s no correlation between what’s coming out of your mouth, and what is being exchanged with God in the spirit.

This is an important truth in understanding the gift of the spirit.

Question: How important is the Baptism of the Spirit to your walk with God?

©Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on February 26, 2014 in Prayer, Prayer in the Spirit

 

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God’s Wifi

24 Feb

WifiIn my last post I concluded with the truth that our spirits are now alive to God – the lines of communication are open in Christ.  This is why the preaching of the Word is so important.  The only way God can speak to an unbeliever is through the church.  God speaks to us, then, we bring His message to the world.  This in itself is a supreme privilege.

Since the Holy Spirit now lives in you, your spirit is reconnected to the Holy Spirit.  I want you to see incredible opportunity that God has opened up to us because of this gift.

Until this generation there was no easy way of illustrating the spiritual principles that are at work here.  Now, because of our modern technology, it makes it easier to picture the work God has done in us.  Let me explain.

Before you came to Christ, you were an old, broken-down, unusable, burned out computer.  Then, Christ saved you, cleaned you up, fixed you and put a brand new processor on the inside.  He also wired you up with a cutting edge wireless network adapter – His Holy Spirit in you.

Before this generation, we couldn’t conceive of being connected to something bigger than us, wherever we go.  Think about the internet.  The internet covers the earth.  You can wirelessly connect to it wherever you are, 24/7.  That’s what God has done in our spirits.  He’s hooked you into His wireless system – His network.

It’s through this network that we have access to the power of God.  It comes from the very throne of God, through the Holy Spirit, into our lives.  That’s what this series of posts is about.  I want to show you how to access and utilize the incredible power of this spiritual network.  It’s greater than any human invention.

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 1:4-5

There is probably no subject in all of Christianity that sparks more controversy than the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.   Even among the so called Pentecostal, Full Gospel, and Charismatic churches there are many divisions, inconsistencies, and misconceptions concerning this teaching.  So many terms are thrown around without the knowledge of what they mean in Scripture.

Terms such as the Gift of the Spirit, receive the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, Baptized in the Spirit, tongues, and prayer in the spirit.

It’s through the gift of the Holy Spirit that we have access to more power than we could ever even dream about.  There’s much more to it than just “speaking in tongues.”  It’s the greatest gift that we could ever receive, yet the most underused.  It’s my prayer and desire that the church enters into a fuller and deeper experience in this gift.

In my next post I will begin to explain this spiritual gift in more detail.

Questions: Have you been baptized in the Spirit?  How often do you use this gift?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on February 24, 2014 in Power of God, Prayer, Prayer in the Spirit

 

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Alive to God! #prayerinthespirit

21 Feb

Garden PathIn my last post I showed that God’s definition of death is an inability to communicate.  In the same way, Adam didn’t die according to our modern definition.  He died in God’s definition.

From that point on God could no longer fellowship with Adam and Eve on the level He desired.

God wanted an interaction in the spirit, but this was no longer possible because of sin.  Therefore, to God, Adam and Eve were dead.  God could no longer communicate to them on the level of the spirit.  He would now have to use other means.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:8

Notice the wording that’s used here.  The man and the wife heard the sound of God.  This is the first place in Scripture where it specifically says that God made a sound.

This is emphasized because Adam and Eve had never before heard with their ears, God making a sound.  Before that, they always communicated by the spirit.  This new experience inspired fear.

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Genesis 3:10

We can hear it from Adam’s own mouth.  The two things that caused fear in him were hearing God, and seeing his nakedness.  At that point, as a race of people, mankind was cut off from spiritual communication with God.

Please understand, our spirits are still active.  This is how mediums, witch doctors, and spiritists can communicate with familiar spirits.  They can still interact in the spiritual realm, they just don’t understand the dangers of this practice.

As far as communication with God is concerned, mankind’s spirits can not talk to God because of sin.  After the fall, God could only communicate to man by very limited means. God could speak bodily, through angels, a donkey, a voice, or by taking on flesh.  He could speak inwardly, directly to our mind.  He could also “move upon” someone, which literally means that He “put them on like clothes” and spoke through them.

This was the sad condition of the human race until Christ came on the scene.  He really was “God with us”.  The Gospels record the work He did for us on the cross.  Because of His death, burial, and resurrection we can now enter into a salvation that we could never experience in our own strength.

Now, if we receive His great gift, the Holy Spirit takes up residence on the inside of us.  This means that communication lines are open once again between us and the Lord.  According to God’s definition, we are now alive to Him.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:11

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
Romans 8:10

It’s clear from Scripture that your spirit is now alive to God!!!

Question: How important to you, is the knowledge that God’s Holy Spirit lives in you?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on February 21, 2014 in Prayer, Prayer in the Spirit

 

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