Spiritual Freedom: Do Less, Not More

Forget ritualistic, formal prayer. In this Pulpit cast, we discuss how connected you can be to God while "doing" less...by letting Him do more.  Once God is invited into your heart, He remains constantly connected through the Holy Spirit. Simply open your heart and have a candid, everyday conversation with God. Discover a laidback way to stay spiritually engaged amidst life's motion.

Longer, thought-provoking content lives at the Sinner's Pulpit.
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We take the magnificence of God and try to apply. Human qualities. Like what? Such is some of the doctrines that people talk about. I just heard a guy the other day talk about that if you're saved, you would certainly show evidence of speaking in tongues and tithing and never seen again. That's just not the message. The message is that God so loves you, that he became flesh and died for you and paid your sin debt. How we've turned that in to we? I know you're going to ding me on we how religion has turned that into 600,000 Sunday mornings talking about what you have to do. In our recent writing. We talk about the first. Man did nothing. To come alive. God breathed into him. And. It's kind of like that now. And people don't like that. People don't like the fact that I can't do something to move into this amazing realm that we're just physical humans. We have to. We really have to just give it all. We think they don't like it or they don't believe it. And both they need to do something. And like you were telling me this week about prayer, you got so caught up in in life. So. Maybe that's a good subject here that give God some credit that we don't every second have to be at an altar or bow down at a beach or a cross. Give God some credit in that. What has he done for us? But but talk a little bit about that. The prayer and the obedience and how you feel about a practical working man. Yeah, it's it's far less obedience or. Anything that I felt I had to do. But I was telling you that. The last, I don't know, say 2 to 3 weeks of work were aggressive. I was I was digging those like 80 plus hour weeks, which is not the norm. We had a tough a tough project. Whole team was rallying around it. But I just found myself noticing how busy I was with one thing. And I found myself wanting to have more time for prayer. Or just more time, frankly. But it made me realize how many other times, even when I'm not that busy, I don't sit down, whether it's in the morning or evening. I don't sit down and have a dedicated time of prayer. I don't kneel down to your point at an altar or at the end of my bed or anywhere that I am and have this dedicated prayer time. But in that aggressive work week or multiple work weeks. I just noticed it a little bit more and I wasn't that I thought I needed it, but I wanted it. I wanted to have more time for that, but I didn't. And it just got me thinking about. The fact that. At least I've been told. And I think Scripture says, and you'll do it more justice, but I've got a Holy Spirit interceding for me. And I just reminded myself again, I don't have to do anything. And so in that moment, the thing I needed to do was help my team and provide for my family and be a career guy. And God wasn't going to judge me any better or worse for that. And I didn't need to pray to do anything different because he's already got it. So I kind of went full circle and and reminded myself in that hellish couple of work weeks that it's okay that I didn't have more time to pray, but I did want it. And that's that's just kind of the reflection I had. But I at least had enough time to realize I didn't need to do anything. And that was helpful for me. But I think a lot of people, whether they're already Christians or a lot of the people I think we talk to maybe that are curious, but they would often feel like they need to do something. They might not be able to go full circle like I did in that in that tough scenario, they would think that they need to drop everything and and pray or they would question like, why do I have to do that? And I have to isn't really the case. And that's not really the message. And I think that gets people kind of wrapped up. You know, it takes us back to the doctrine, if you will, of prayer. I mean, let's talk about what prayer is. And I love the way Andrew Farley talks about prayer. Is talking to dad. Yeah. I went for many years with the same struggle. You're talking about that. And I saw people in church. They went to the altar so that they felt like they were closer to God and, you know, they'd kneel down or or people have their their, like you said, their perfect prayer time where they dedicate in the morning and dedicate in the afternoon. And I think. And they'll tell you about it, by the way, they'll make sure that they make sure they mention yeah, every morning at 615 before I do anything else, there's there's time for God. And I'm going like, am I supposed to do that? That's I mean, I jump up for a cup of coffee and I start working. Yeah, it'll be okay. But I think it kind of goes back to the definition of sinners pulpit. Where's the sinner s pulpit? It's where the sinner speaks. Anywhere. And when you when you can't pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes, as you said, intercedes for us and helps us to pray. And he takes our feeble prayer because the Holy Spirit's God said, When the Holy Spirit hears it, the father and son hear. But just back to what religion has done. To the term and definition of prayer. Wouldn't it be wonderful if our entire day he hears our thoughts? You know, there's an old saying. Horrible crash kids under a bus. And I don't know where this originated, but the guy someone said, Oh, Lord, let's pray. And the guy said, You pray. I'll get the kid right. You don't think? And I've had these situations where emergencies happen and oh, my gracious, we didn't seek God first. We've sought God first in the fact that we've asked Christ to come and live in us. So don't you think God hears our hopes and our desires? The Scripture says He gives us the desires of our heart. That doesn't mean you want a Ferrari. So I think I think we really need to revisit and explain to people what is prayer? God doesn't have the ability to hear our mind and heart. Well, I think first unpack a little bit more exactly what I think you just hit on, because I think for. For all practical terms, people that maybe aren't all the way in yet, or maybe not as far on their journey as as you or I are. And we're at different places to. But you just. I think. When you were talking about the fact that. There doesn't have to be some dedicated place. And if we've already sought him. Our work is done and he takes over. And that's such an important part because I think practically that would maybe that can resonate for people that aren't there yet because they've heard it a different way. They've they've typically heard you need to make prayer time, you need to go to A, B or C at X, Y and Z time and do this in a certain amount of it or always be. And that kind of confuses it where you almost say that's impossible or that's, you know, your bullshit flag goes up and you're like, Well, wait a minute, I have to do what like and when? And all these particular times. And a human decided that for me. So your way going to him first. And then letting the rest happen. I think that's really practical for people that get really busy with work or have they have other things they want to do on this earth, but they want to know God too. So go seek him and then go about your day. Go work. Go drive from point A to point B. Go to a ball game. To unpack that a little bit because that is so important that you get to go be. Yes, if you've already done that. And so the prayer is just kind of interwoven into all of that. But we don't have to block it off and segment it off. It'd be like a father and son. Living apart. And every day at 530 in the morning and at 830 at night, you have to call your father to show him that. You appreciate him and talk to him for a little while. But. But it's not like that. We have him living in us. And when we seek him first. Scripture says Seek. Ye first, the Kingdom of God and all things will be added to you. And that doesn't mean first, every day, all the time. It just means. When you seek him first, you have accepted his truth of what he's done to to make you alive. And he promised. What? I'll never leave you. That doesn't just mean for salvation. It means he's at the ball game. He's at the bar. But it doesn't just mean for Saturday. And you have to do it again on Sunday. Sunday? It means you sought him. And now everything that comes after that. He's there. He's there now. He may not. Approve of what you're doing because he's given us choice. We're always in the spirit when we're say, but we have the choice to walk by the spirit. We can still see sin is gone, but we can still open the door to it, right? You know, and we do every day. But he says, I've been there, man. I've been there. When you open the door and I'm with you in all things. So once again, we're back to seek first the kingdom of God. The kids run over by a bus. Oh, let me get down on my knees and pray. Well, he's with you when you're running over there because he knows your desire. The fact that you're running over there is him moving you. So we really it comes down to giving God some credit. And people say. He'll never leave me or never forsake me. They just say that's for salvation. No, he says, I've moved in and I'm in you now. And when you said the work is done. His work is done to bring you into his realm. And you don't think that if God lives in you, that he won't move you to to work? You're absolutely going to maybe feed a homeless guy or you may talk to a guy at a bar or wherever you are. He's with you. So we talked about that before. Fruit bearing mean we'll bear all kinds of different fruit at different times and at different maturation cycles. It's going to take a while to bear some of it. Yes. So it's maybe none of the things you just said. It might be doing your work the way that you do it. And it'll it'll do good things that he wants to have done at other times. But I think. This is helpful framing for me because like I said, that just that two weeks was aggressive, but that's actually what I had to identify for myself. And I think other people do too. If you have salt or you're seeking practically in those two weeks, just the fact when I was talking to quote unquote myself about wanting to just have more time, dedicated time for him, that was I was talking to. Him, that was. Prayer. And I was praying. Yeah. And I think that's the the big thing we want to say is that it doesn't have to be this this pious look. Hey, have you ever. Go on to bed at night. And I usually take that time to lay back on my pillow and talk to God. I don't. I fall asleep. 37 seconds. I know a man that says, You know what? You're lazy. You need to get out and get on your knees. God doesn't hear me when I'm comfortable on my pillow. It's just religion messing thing up. But what I wanted to say was I have fallen asleep and thinking about my day and my family and work tomorrow. And I didn't say the things that I normally say. You know what Jesus said? Don't pray that rote prayer because see, God speaks heart and we forget that. So was I left without God. For that eight hours that I slept because I forgot to pray or fell asleep. Of course not. Of course not. So it comes back to what is the definition of prayer? And it's all day when you're when you think about him now and then if I'm driving, I ask him to drive, use me to drive. But if I were to take my hand off the wheel and go to sleep, the car would wreck. Unless you have a Tesla. But that would do. But see, that's the practical, physical nature that he's entered into and gives you the mind. You need to hang on to this wheel. So. Prayer is talking to God in whatever way. What did Christ say? All who call on me. Dude, how many ways could we people say, What was that actually mean? Well, hopefully that's I mean, even that for people that are listening that aren't entirely there yet. I hope that that even. Sends off a, you know, a thought process because you can be in your car driving eyes wide open. You don't have to walk into a established building that is a church. You don't have to do it any certain way. Pulpit man. Yeah. So back to. The way you talk. God listens what did Peter say? Christ said, Come to me. He's on the water. Right. What did Peter say when he started to sink? Hell, yeah. That's crying out. Yeah. But yeah, I just. I would hope that people to the. You know, if you call on me, you know, he'll answer. And if you want to seek him, that's like right now you just could say all right I don't even totally buy this, but hey, God, right now, like, I'm calling on you because I've been listening to these guys. I'm willing to give it a shot. Not some pious way, like I'm driving my Tesla. It's not crashing. And I'm willing to just call out to you. But once again, he speaks hard, right? So you could say something like that if you didn't mean it. He sees it. Exactly. But you can say it anywhere in any way. You know, people say speak in tongues. That's angel. Acres of talk and as in the scripture about speaking in tongues. But Paul says, I neither speak in tongues or do A, B, and C, C because Christ has come and fulfilled everything you had to do under the law. But we didn't even have to do it. We had the law of conscience. And thats in our next writing we talk about. The Jewish law. The Law of Moses. God's every utterance is law. We had the law of conscience. The Christ filled it all. But we must remember he speaks hearts. So a lot of people say, Why? I went down to the front of the church and I did everything. And I said everything they said I should say. So why aren't I saved? I don't know if you say, but God speaks heart. Yes, but the key message in that little quip was to. God speaks hard, man. Not Greek and tongues and friends. Why do you think people this is this is less right this is less scriptural or, um, directly related to. Why do you think set religion aside for a second? Why do people. Feel like they want it to be pious or and even people that are a little skeptical of that. But in somehow we still frame it up like it's got to have a special place like this is everything we've said is so easy. Like if I can just pray going down the road or when I had anxiety during that workweek or stress and I was just kind of talking to myself and I realized that was me praying. I was just sharing it with God. Why do people do you think that's just our this is just our subjective or, you know, our thoughts on this. But I'm curious, like, why do we often try to separate even me? In that time I was saying again, I knew I didn't need to do anything different, but I wanted some of that time. But why did even I feel like, man, I really wish I was carving out this time for God. And then other people, they do. They wrap themselves around like, I need to make that the first and last thing I do because it'll set my day off right? And it'll now and that, that starts to I'm like, okay, wait a minute. Are you setting yourself up a great habit or is it actually that you think God needs this? But I just wonder why we often do wrap ourselves up a little bit on, uh, I don't know, holiness or piousness or. Well, because. Dedication of it. Because a couple of things. God is so big. God is holy. God's perfect. God knows everything. God is God. So people think in me, to my reverence to him. That is somewhere in scripture. It says he doesn't he doesn't want our sacrifice. He doesn't want it, he says. One by one sacrifice. Hebrews. Ten. 14 by one sacrifice. But the answer. That's what it was His. It was his. But and he also tells us in in first Peter, where he uses Peter to tell us that our lives become a living sacrifice. Just think about that, what we're doing in him with him. But back to your point, your question, people see, look, look out. Just look out, up and inward and we see how magnificent and big God is. And I think people want to, which is not a bad thing. They want to Revere him. Right. So I think that's why they. Okay, I'm pleasing God if I go here and I take this time and I sit down and it's not a bad thing once again, Yeah, it's not a bad thing. So to answer your question, I think people are they reverence him by showing that he's so much bigger than them and they and they know he's holy. But what he did with all that, he says, I became one of you. Yeah, well, you don't have to do that to me. That's a very spot on answer. I think one of probably several, but. The irony of that answer. That's what this thing gets easier and easier to me on my walk because that's how I would feel, too. Like, it's just so big, you know? He made the sun. He made the earth. Yes. All of these things. But. So what do you think you could possibly do? How much time in the morning or like, kneeling down? Like, did you kneel far enough down for a guy like that so that I go, well, yeah, if I can't even get close to doing enough, then I can just realize I can do nothing. So say wow. The irony of it is it is ironic. He would just say, Actually, just live your life. Like the best thing you can do is live that living sacrifice. Yes. Can't you keep trying to do these things? I'm telling you, you already did it. And none of the things you could do or even like, even close. It should show us how small we are, that we should see that that's what the law does. It shows us that we just can't keep it. And we come to him and just say thank you that you have taken a feeble somebody like me and done this for me. But but in our in that he lives in us. We see His Holiness. So we do we do want to reverence that which church It could be a crackhead saying, Dear God, I can't do this. That's his. That's reverence to him. When you call on him and you give your life to him and you believe that and you accept it. It is reverent as what they do in some churches, waving smoke and wearing certain things, and you have to pay a certain amount of money. That's not reverence to him. When you humble yourself to nothing unless you become like one of these little children and by faith. But I sure want to reverence him in Romans. One tells us when we look out here, even nature shows us how magnificent he is. But he's come down to our level. Yeah. Yeah. And that's why I don't knock. If maybe a second reason people do it, as I alluded to, is like it's your own good habits or your intentions. Right? To start your day that way you think you're. Staying in connection with him by doing it? Sure. And that's why we say it's not a not a bad thing. It's just. Your heart. I just hope, you know, I just hope they know if they miss a day. Yes. It's not he doesn't leave you. Yeah. It's not like or even, you know, he doesn't leave you. But I hope you don't feel some, like, heavy guilt that you didn't follow through your habit that day. Because if it if that helps you go on your Christian walk every day and be better for like that's great. But remember God speaks heart. Yeah it's your intent if you say like like I know a woman that if she leaves her little guardian angel pin behind, she's afraid to go about her day. Yeah. True story. Yeah. So. Again. God speaks heart if you're doing it to make yourself look like, Hey, God, I did this. So, I mean, ask yourself this. What does it mean? When Christ said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. I'll never let anyone pluck you out of my hands, including you, dummy. What does that mean to the non-believer and the believer that you have the God of the universe living in you by faith? Well, I hope that. Non believers or people that are. Seeking seeking to maybe be believers that here this hopefully already non believer right. Hopefully they've heard maybe they've heard it a different way today on this cast. But I would answer your question and that's where I think we end up. Often a non believer might hear what you just said from scripture and go, I don't think any body or any God could do that. Like, what do you mean you'll never? What if I do X? What if I do Y? So sometimes that's the, the, the disbelief is the is the magnitude of the promises. They're so, they're so huge. You're like, that's, you know, some, some guy that's super inspired wrote that down because there's no way actually like anything can make that commitment And so it actually leaves people tail spinning away from him because it's like, that's not even a promise anyone can keep or anything can keep. You know, I used. To ask the question, bringing it down on a practical, physical level, if you had like. Some wafer. Probably a bad analogy. Probably. But let's say we had this. This token. That God gives everyone a salvation. That salvation. I asked people, what would you do with it? And people say, I put it in the safe deposit box. I said, no, What if the bank blows up or burns out or if the plane hits it? In it. Some people will say, most people tell me I would eat it. Well, when you say wafer. That's pretty good, though. Okay. So if you eat that thing, God's going to permeate. It's going to permeate like he told Ezekiel to eat the scroll. And one of the best answers I ever heard was and this is the right answer according to scripture, I think. They said I'd give it to Jesus to hold. Wow. It's like, wow. That blew me away. Because that's. That's what we do. With our salvation. You know, you hear people say. My salvation. My. I got my salvation from this or that. Who? Salvation is it? Right? It's his. And he gave it to you. He this gift that you can now enter into this amazing intelligence, power and presence. But it's not your salvation that you earned. It's my salvation that I paid for with my blood, which is the only blood that will pay. So it all comes down to and. Then again, practically, though, kind of maybe pulling this together and then go about your day. I think that that part I've always appreciated that you've brought that to bear. Free to roam. About the world, man. I love that because. That helps so much to say. Like, I'm still here even though I'm still with you. I gave it, gave it all back to Jesus. Just said thank you. But now I don't need to sit here and think about what Just go live your life and see what comes of it. You'll see what. He has for you. Yeah, it'll. Be. It'll be awesome. But just go live your life. And if we were to break it down. Really break it down to a first cause. You were inhaling and exhaling his hydrogen and oxygen and argon and you didn't even think about it. A woman said to me one time. Should I thank God for brushing my teeth? And Dr. Ben Carson said, if you knew what was happening in the synapse in your brain, brush your teeth, you'd hit your face. Because just the simple living is him. Allowing us. To live and move on this planet for his purpose. See, I think that's the thing to. His purpose is for you to roam about the world and meet Joe and Cindy and John and other people are watching you express Christ while you are doing your work. That's his purpose. It is not always some pious vocation. Right? That's the beauty that he's opened to. And people talk more about sin than they do our savior. Well, what about the crackhead? He just called on Jesus. And then he goes and does a line. Well, he did it right. He did it right. And he's going to move it. I think it's a good place to wrap. And you've reminded me that I need to go brush my teeth. Dude, let's. We're free to roam about the planet because we are seated right next to him and he's seated next to us. So let's go roam. Just say wow and thank you.