A pattern of life

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What do I do?

  • What do I do when I can’t move forward?
  • What do I do when I cant find hope?
  • What do I do when I can’t see the next step?
  • What do I do when I have no way out?
  • What do I do when I feel empty?
  • What do I do when I have nothing left?
  • What do I do when the anxiety is overwhelming?
  • What do I do when the days are all the same?
  • What do I do to grow?
  • What do I do when I need change?
  • What do I do when I need God?

The Pattern

When you ask yourself these questions and you don’t know which way to go, it’s time to worship, pray and go about your day. This habit or pattern of living is a practical and powerful application of Gods truth. It opens the door for God to move in our lives, setting the stage for His Spirit to change us and our situations.

Worship

Why worship? Why first? What good could it do?
Worship does a whole host of good for a person. Worship cleanses you of toxic thoughts and emotions. It shifts your perspective back to God, grounds your mind and emotions back on the truth and reminds you of God’s sovereignty. There is a reason why the Bible prescribes a garment of praise for the spirit of despair1 that can hover over us like a cloud blocking out the sun. When you truly focus on worship it’s like staring at a fire. It holds your attention and the rest of the world seems to fade around you, allowing you to be free from the pressures, anxieties and burdens of life, giving you the space to breathe and re-order your priorities back to what is really important. Worship lays the groundwork and clears the space enabling you to connect and communicate with God effectively. This is why it makes sense that we enter with praise2.

Pray

Prayer is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. Think about the amazing gift we have been given; because of the blood of Christ we have access to the Father3 through prayer and He hears us4! Just take a moment to consider that God, the one who created electricity, wrote the laws of physics, turned on gravity, raises the dead, heals the sick, owns the stars, and puts leaders into place, listens when we pray! How amazing that through Christ we can go to the Father5 with all our questions, concerns, problems and issues and He not only hears us, He listens and acts on our behalf.

Prayer is an amazing time where we can be honest and express the pain, desires and questions we experience on an everyday basis. It’s a time where we can bring forth all our doubt and fear, all our joy and praise, all our desires and requests, all our failures and screw-ups: everything to God and leave it there. When the bible says God already knows what you need6, it’s so that you can come to Him without feeling silly or embarrassed and be free to be yourself in His presence so you can be fully loved.

If you are scared because you don’t know what to say or don’t want to get it wrong, go for it! What matters is that you are trying and seeking God7, He will take care of the rest8. Some of the best things you can do is to be thankful for all God has done, to admit to mistakes that are keeping you from God, to ask Him for help with your problems no matter how small, and to invite Him to join you on the rest of your day.

Go about your day

After talking with the God of the universe and inviting Him into your day, the next thing is to go and do. To go and be. To take God with you to the bank, to the grocery store, to the office, to the online meeting, to your family dinner; wherever you go. Jesus promises us that He will give us life to the full9, but doesn’t that requires us to go and live life? We are told to taste and see that God is good10, but doesn’t that mean we have to go and eat? Jesus says that people are wise and secure when they live out His words11, but doesn’t that mean we have to trust Him in our day to day? This can seem difficult, especially when our day is full of issues, when it’s devoid of motivation and hope, when it’s so mundane even colors seems to be asleep. When it appears nothing will change, when nothing you’ve done seems to be working, when you feel completely lost, remember that this is to be expected. Jesus told us this would happen. However, we can go about our days in peace and confidence because Jesus won12. Now we can live knowing that God, who is the victor, has already defeated our problems for us13.

But How?

How does this playout in actuality? What does it look like to worship, pray, and go about your day?

Here are some practical suggestions to get started in this pattern:

  • Worship
    1. Stop what you are doing.
    2. Put down down all distractions.
    3. Create an environment where you can focus.
    4. Find a song you enjoy that focuses on God.
    5. Sing the song out loud.
  • Pray
    1. Think about God
    2. Thank Him for something personal and specific.
    3. Apologize for your mistakes.
    4. Tell God you want what He has.
    5. Surrender everything you have taken control of.
    6. Be honest about how you feel:
      • Your anxieties.
      • Your doubts.
      • Your expectations.
      • Your struggles.
      • Your frustrations.
      • Your emotions.
      • Your complaints.
      • Your everything.
    7. Ask for His plan for those things (it’s so much better).
    8. Ask for help.
    9. Invite Him into your day
    10. Ask in Jesus name.
  • Go about your day
    1. Go about your day.

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