Cliche'

As I was considering prospective titles for this post it occurred to me that all of the idea's I had were little more than just tired cliche's. Then, upon further reflection I realized how many of my other titles were also cliche's!

(note to self: Try to be more creative/interesting)

What makes this post different is that this time I'm intentionally writing about cliche's so therefore I've concluded that the only logical title is well, cliche...

Since I'm being predictable, I might as well start out with a proper definition of said title.

cli·ché

–noun1.a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse, as sadder but wiser, or strong as an ox.

Ouch, that hurts! Especially that first word "trite" which seems to me to indicate something unimportant. Isn't it enough to be boorish, must I be insignificant as well? ~sigh~

For all of you newcomers, this is the part of the blog where I turn off of the main highway and steer you back along the small meandering pathway that eventually leads to the "profound" point I'm trying to make. And as is the case in both roads and reasoning, the more untraveled either of them are the more likely it is that you'll find a few pot-hole's in them. So try to insulate yourself from any hard or unyielding surfaces or belief systems you might be injured by and read on!

Why do so many anointed men of God seem to do a wipe out at some point in their life?

How many can you think of ? Of course most of us have either read or heard the story of King David, and of course there's Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Baker as well! Here's a few more that you may not be familiar with that I found interesting, people like Alexander Dowie or maybe Finis Jennings Dake. All of these men were used mightily by God and had incredible ministries only to fall prey to temptation and various publicly observed sins. It's happened so much that it's a cliche', man seeks God, God finds man, Gods Spirit empowers man, he get's a big head, takes advantage and starts believing in his own abilities granting himself certain "indulgences". It was pride that got Adam, apparently not much has changed in that pride still comes before the fall!

Solomon had this to say...

Ecclesiastes 8:14

There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

If you're trying to figure out who's good and who's not based on the circumstances of this world you may find them in it probably won't make good sense! Perhaps That is the real vanity!

The great apostle Paul had a lot to say about mans weaknesses, and God's strength,

2 Corinthians 4:7

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

I've been told by people that they don't believe in using doctor's or medicines because they feel it makes a mockery of the atonement of Jesus. That it basically amounts to idolatry because it's putting those things in place of the healing that Jesus' victory over sin, sickness and death obtained for us. I agree that when Christian people are sick they should first do as the bible instructs us to do, be anointed and prayed over by their church elders but if you don't begin to get some relief pretty quickly I think you ought to see a doctor. Even though both drugs and doctors have been known to be BAD, I believe that God can work through them if He chooses to, and I don't think you can toss out the whole of medical science because you feel as though God is limited to healing us in any certain way. It seems spiritually prideful to me, like the guy who sat on top of his house during the flood waiting for God to rescue him...he turned away three different people trying to help him escape and of course he eventually drowned! Before God he asked, "where were you, I was waiting?" and God said. "I sent a guy in hip waders, then a boat, and even a helicopter! Why didn't you get in?'

God can't work through evil? Doesn't seem like He has much choice in this world!

1 Corinthians 1:27

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

I've heard this next one a lot, that all other versions of the bible besides the King James are basically heretical. Look into it, the research is compelling, lots of critical verses are severely butchered or omitted entirely. I personally prefer a KJV, because I believe it is the most accurate translation, but does that mean that the Holy Spirit can't move in a persons heart when they read the NIV or the Living Bible? I don't think so!

As stated in the definition a cliche is an expression that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse. If we're not careful our spiritual lives can also become just a cliche! We pray at certain times or in certain ways which are mostly just routine's that lack the vitality that having a real relationship with Christ should have. Inevitably, this superficial level of faith spreads to every aspect of what our Christian life is supposed to be about until even the most sacred becomes ritual and then a cliche'. That sounds horrible, and for sure it is, but even when we're at our worst, we serve a God that can clean the dirt, sticks and rocks out of the clay he wish's to use and then form it into a vessel suitable to be filled with His Spirit. It's never redundant or routine for God to love His children. Nothing God does is just a cliche', He causes the sun to rise every morning in a special way, He created each of us totally unique! I don't know about you but I'm bored with the cliche', I'm tired of the spiritual circle I seem to be running in and I want more! I don't just want to merely run in a "bigger circle" unless it's big enough for me to be able to continually step out and walk in places I've never been and do things I've never done! None of that will ever happen as long as our faith is a cliche' or until we drop the self righteous legalism and understand what it means to love!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmgZ2EcXCz4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1]

When I Pray

In the mid nineties a book was published entitled "Conversations With God". I thought the title was interesting and I heard great things about it so I bought it. And although I wouldn't recommend the book for various reasons heretical piece of trash I'm still intrigued by it's title. Having a conversation with God sounds so much more casual that prayer, and for many "too busy" people it's a good fit. It's our inner dialogue when we're asking for direction in our lives or when we need answers. It can be us turning to God in sudden desperation and knowing that He's there. Prayer is a conversation with God, one in which we do most of the talking... although I have heard His voice speak to me before but that's a whole other story. I've read in other places that prayer is the lifting up of our desires to God and hoping that they match His, and I can see the truth of that. To many, prayer most commonly happens in what we think of as being the traditional way, In a church or in a private place, heads bowed and on their knee's. How we choose to relate to God is a personal thing to each of us, but regardless of how it happens we're called to...
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Pray without ceasing.


So what is prayer and how can we do it without ceasing?
Isn't it all of those things I mentioned and so much more?
Proverbs 3:6
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
As Christians, It's at the heart of what it means to have a relationship with Christ. It's the acknowledgment of our brokenness and of what Christ's death on the cross means to us. It's how we are to live our lives in His presence, abiding in Him and He in us. When people ask me if God is real, or how do I know He loves me I often tell them "Why don't you just ask Him?"... "Start a conversation with Him and see where it goes!"
Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
We can pray in the Spirit, speak in tongues, or with the tongues of man and of angel's. Prophesy in His name, cast out demons or call Him Lord, Lord! We can worship on Sunday, or Thursday, or even on alternating Tuesdays...

But it's only what's in our hearts that matters to God!
I've written this to myself and maybe to other people who may feel somewhat discouraged at times about their prayer life. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by all of the people and things that really need to be prayed over in my life. At one point I was carrying a note pad in my back pocket to write down my prayer requests. I stopped because it was a "hassle"...oh boy, I have no defence for that! I know that our enemy is clever, and that he's always looking to lay down some ground work so that at some point we might think,
" How could you NOT carry a note pad around in your pocket, don't you care? You're a "bad Christian" lol...or this one, "I'm just no good at this, I can't pray like so and so, it's so beautiful when they pray!", This goes for bible reading as well, "I just fall asleep when I try to pray at night, whats the use?"
Prayer is an expression of the heart... We can use it to praise God! We can use it to lift up others into the presence of God, or to tell God the details of whats going on with us and to ask how we can bring our lives more into line with His will. I think whats critical is that we talk to God about whats most important to each of us, whatever that might be! That we do acknowledge Him in all of our ways and seek His council as to our lives. I've "prayed" in cars, and I've prayed for cars! I've whispered a quiet word and I've screamed at the top of my lungs! Most of the time I wake up and drift off to sleep in "prayer" thinking about how to live in Gods purpose more fully,or how to know him more intimately and serve Him more effectively. I know that if I had only "prayed" in one way I would've never been able to "pray without ceasing." I don't think that God wants us to view prayer as a task that we must perform, or as an empty ritual thats done solely for the approval of others who may see or hear us. I don't think He's impressed with anybodies great oratorical skills or commanding "King James Version" vocabulary. My problem is that I tend to become "religious" about prayer and that mostly has the effect of taking all of the fun out of it. What gives our prayers "umpfh" is the faith that's behind them. I like to think of faith as being a conduit between us and God through which all bussiness is done.
Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.
SO...
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.