Day 7 - I've been missing out

Pretty good day today, despite an annoying cold. I've been sneezing and sniffling all day and can't be more than an arm's length from a box of tissues. I'm not really feeling bad as far as "sick" goes, but it is annoying!
Great, GREAT Bible study this morning. Really impactful. Priscilla Shirer helped me realize that I haven't been taking God's power very seriously. That's huge. That's a huge problem. Shirer is an incredibly dynamic, captivating Bible teacher who really tells it like it is - which I really needed today. I used to consider myself something of a prayer warrior; I believed I had the gift of intercession. And while I still believe strongly in the importance of prayer, I think somewhere along the way I lost sight of the power of prayer - or more acurately, the power of God that is mobilized when His people pray. A couple of the highlights of this morning's study:
  • The annointing (every believer is annointed by God) not only guarantees you opposition, but it also guarantees you access to God.
  • Prayer is the most potent weapon we have.
  • My God is the God of breakthroughs.
  • The annointing not only guarantees you opposition and access to God but it also guarantees you specific, divine direction from God. God speaks to us; He has specific directions for each of us individually.
  • The annointed are not only guaranteed opposition, access to God, and specific, divine, direction from God, but also we are guaranteed supernatural results when we obey God. (An important note here is that this does not mean we are guaranteed the answer we want when we pray, only that we are guaranteed action according to God's perfect plan.)

Wow! I mean, I know this shouldn't be news to me, but WOW! It really made me realize that I've been missing the mark. I would say "lately," but in reality, I think it's been awhile. I've definitly not been taking God's power seriously. I've been giving Him lip-service and falling short of engaging Him. What do I mean? My most immediate example is a close family member with a recent diagnosis of schizophrenia. This is a tremendous situation, and one that I can literally do nothing about. So I say, "All I can do is pray, but I know that's the best thing I can do." And I pray a little, but not with the right intentions; not with the expectation that God can do something about it. I haven't been praying in the belief that I have access to the Most High God. I know that He is God Almighty, but I think I lost sight of the fact that He is also the God of breakthroughs, the God of comfort, the God who loves, and the God who desires an intimate relationship with each and every one of us. I know in my head that God loves my loved ones more - far more - than I do. But knowing in my head is different than knowing in my heart. The difference is huge in terms of how that head or heart knowledge affects daily life. Not only does He know what's best, but He also wants what's best, and can do what's best. Another gem from today's study: God is not looking for perfect women. He is looking for passionate women. When, where, and how did I lose my passion? I was once a passionate believer; passionate about the Lord and sharing His love, passionate about praise and prayer, passionate about my personal relationship with the Lord. I want my children to see my passion for the Lord, but how can they see it when I'm not living it? My prayer at the end of Bible study today was "Lord, please forgive me for not taking your power seriously." Gosh, what a loss! I know the Most High God and He has chosen me, hand-picked me to be one of His own - and all this time I've been missing out on His amazing power. Power that He has promised me as a believer, if only I will just obey. What a profound loss! I am praying now for what Shirer calls a God-consciousness; a constant awareness of His presence, of His closeness to me. An acknowledgement of His power in every moment and His wisdom in every decision. As our study leader put it, I want to be "aware of God's glorious presence in the dailyness of life." I want to remember, when the busyness overwhelms me and the dishes pile up and the baby cries and the dinner isn't ready and the boy is disobeying and the husband is late and the project isn't going well and the friends don't seem to like me and Bible study isn't done and the dog hasn't been walked (in months) and the floor needs to be mopped again...that God is there. That He is with me. That He can and does offer peace. That He has a plan and it is perfect!

Lord God, please give me a God-consciousness.

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