God C’s You - and It’s So Good!
Dear friends:
I pray your Thanksgiving was so great that the thanksgiving spills through this whole month! Last week I mentioned part one of Season 2, with a staff change as God is calling our beloved friend and partner Karen Henley in some exciting new directions. I will be sharing more updates in coming weeks, including staff additions! But today I want to take a step back and describe a 16-month almost-daily prayer of mine that is behind much of what God has revealed for this next season of ministry.
In August of 2023, J17 Ministries had helped to coordinate a three-day pastor prayer summit in Phoenix like the ones we’ve been doing in Tucson since 2009. Dennis Fuqua, who has facilitated all but one of the Tucson three-day pastor summits, was facilitating this one, too, and was prompted by Holy Spirit to a prayer exercise he said he’d never used before. It went like this… There are (at least) three passages in the Bible that use the phrase “one thing” in a similar way. In Psalm 27 David says, “one thing I ask of the Lord…” In Luke 10, Jesus tells Martha, “one thing is needed, and Mary got it right.” And in Philippians 3, Paul says, “one thing I do…” So Dennis asked each of us, “What’s your 'one thing' you’d like to ask of the Lord?” After individual prayer, once we knew what it was, we shared it, and everyone gathered around to pray that for us. I haven’t stopped praying that same prayer, though I’ve added to it! I knew immediately my request: that I would hear from the Lord more clearly, consistently, and confidently. I’ve since added two more c’s, and I think about them constantly. (Did you c the extra c there, haha?) The more God answers that prayer, the more I keep asking.
I’d like to briefly discuss each “c”:
Clearly - If we’ve walked with Jesus for 10 minutes, hopefully we know that the place to start when seeking God’s will is the Bible. That “clears” up lots of things. “Should I rob this bank? No.” But there are all kinds of things the Bible doesn’t directly answer? What should be today’s priorities? How should I start that crucial conversation? There’s a Y in the road - which path should I take? I long to hear God clearly.
Consistently - A huge part of my request was a longing to seek the Lord more consistently, instead of just in the big picture. My tendency had been to get God’s direction in the big picture, and then charge off on my own, telling God in essence, “Thanks! I’ll take it from here, and if I need anything, I’ll let You know.” I long to hear God in detail, not just in overall direction. His plan for my day will far surpass mine. So I ask God to hear His voice consistently.
Confidently - Was that You, God, or did I make that up? I’m guessing I’m not the only one to ask that question… like every week if not more. I long to grow in confidence, so that I can recognize the difference. I’ve also thought a lot about the “renewed mind” of Romans 12:1-2, and probably mentioned that here before, too. With a renewed mind, our thoughts begin to match God’s more and more regularly. So that the answer to the “You or me?” question is “Yes.”
Courageously - I added this one several months later, when realizing that God had often answered me clearly and consistently, but if I still lacked courage to do what He said, I could easily pass it off is lack of confidence and decide, “nah, that was just me,” and then not do it anyway. Courageously has become increasingly important in recent months and weeks, which I doubt is going to change in the future.
In Community - I had been doing thing one along the way, but my wife and I agreed I needed to add it to the C list. Jeremiah 17:9 accurately states that the heart is deceitful above all things. We can convince ourselves of anything we want to if we work at it long enough. So even with the first four C’s, the bigger areas need confirmation from others, especially trusted friends who won’t just tell you what you want to hear. Community has helped increase my Courageously!
As we share more and more about Season 2, this is the genesis of it! Blessings on your December/Advent Season. May we all “C” God in the details, every day!
Dave Drum, Founder