Roger Perry's Blog

What? Me Worry?

Roger Perry — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:24:44 GMT

I have spent way too much time in my life worrying about things.

I have worried about grades in school, and algae in the pool. I have worried about poison ivy vines and approaching deadlines. I have worried about whether people like me, and what my kids will want to be. I have worried about bills and expenses as well as losing my senses. I worry about the rising gas prices, and budget slices, about the cost of living and how much I am giving. I have even worried about first impressions and contagious infections. And so this current message series at New Horizon was created with people like me in mind. How about you? Do you find a lot of your time caught up in worry?

If so here is some of what the Bible says about worry.

First, Worry does not accomplish anything.

--Matthew 6:27-29 (NLT)
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

Somebody once said that “Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.” We all struggle with the precious commodity of time these days. Worrying won't help any of us solve a problem, so why waste time and energy on it?

Secondly, Worry can be destructive to our health.

--Proverbs 12:25 (NLT)
Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.

Worrying can be destructive to us in many ways. It can even become a mental burden that causes us to grow physically sick.

Third, Worrying takes us away from what is really important.

--Matthew 6:25 (NLT)
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing?

--Matthew 6:31-33 (NLT)
So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

By keeping our eyes focused on God, we can see His love and we can see that He has a wonderful plan for our lives which includes taking care of us. Even in the difficult times, when it seems like God doesn't care, we can still put our trust in the Lord and focus on His kingdom—seeking it first. God will take care of our every need.

Finally, When we worry we are not trusting God.

Matthew 6:30 (NLT)
And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith.

Instead of spending time and energy in worrying, we can be put our time to better use in prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) states: ”Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Don’t worry, be prayerful…about everything!

Roger

1 Peter 5:7(NLT)
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Who Is Your God?

Roger Perry — Thu, 28 May 2009 03:33:26 GMT

“Who Is Your God?”

In our current message series we have been asking that question. Chances are you may never have been asked that question before. You may have been asked what you believe but it would be rare if someone asked you “Who is your God?” So if someone were to come up to you and ask, “Who is your God?” How would you answer? The “who” part of the question is what trips us up. Just saying “I believe in God doesn’t clarify the kind of God you believe in. The kind of God we believe in will impact how we interact with God and how we interact with other people. When it comes to prayer, it will determine how you pray, or whether or not you even pray.

If you see God like a detective who is looking for what you have done wrong then that will impact your prayer life in an unhealthy way. First, it will lead to withholding information from God that you think will incriminate you. Secondly, it will create a feeling that you would like to get as far away from God as you can.

If you see God as a waiter, then you might expect God to be at your beck and call, getting you what you want when you want it. No real relationship there, only a God who meets your needs like a waiter at your table.

Some see God like a mom who is always straightening up after her kids. They make the mess and they just know that Mom will come in and clean it up for them. Others may see God as a busy mechanic that is so busy that He really has no time for them. Others see God as a lovable old man who is not really relevant to their modern day lives.

So it is true that the kind of perception we have of God will influence how we pray. The speaking/teaching team at New Horizon looks forward to looking at how we might best see God and how we can best communicate with Him through prayer.

Also here at New Horizon, we believe that the power of God is released through prayer. We see the importance of being devoted to daily personal prayer, family prayer and corporate prayer, never being afraid to expect too much from God (Luke 11:9-10).

One more thing, if you are available on Tuesdays between 12:15 and 12:45 p.m., I invite you to join me in the Prayer Room on the second floor of the new addition. This is open to anyone who would like to pray or who needs prayer. I plan to be there every Tuesday that I am in town. Feel free to come and join me.

Praying for you!

Roger

Susan Boyle, Early Church and the Viral Effect

Roger Perry — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:40:54 GMT

Its called the “Viral Effect” and its happening again in a major way. A video is sweeping across the internet world and into our hearts. When Susan Boyle, a forty-seven year old woman from Scotland, stepped up to a microphone and began to sing, very few people were prepared for what they heard. The event was an audition for the show “Britain's Got Talent.” Simply looking at Susan’s appearance and hearing her talk, most everyone expected that her performance would be something less than inspirational. But “most” were wrong. When Susan Boyle began to sing, she not only won the hearts of the judges, she has now won the hearts of many all over the world who have watched and listened to her performance on the web. Since it first appeared on the web two weeks ago weeks ago, her performance has been viewed by over fifty million people! This unknown woman from a small village in Scotland is an overnight sensation because of the viral effect.

Our current message series at New Horizon is called “The Viral Effect: The Early Church”. The good news about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection began to be shared person to person and the rapid growth of Christianity has been like a viral effect. AND…it continues! In spite of articles assuming the decline of Christianity, its important to know that the church worldwide is growing at an exponential rate. In his book, Megashift, James Rutz states that if the current rate of growth continues, the entire world will be composed of Christ followers by the year 2032.

Susan Boyle has won the hearts of over 50 million people around the world (at least for the short time it takes to watch a seven minute video). But God, through Jesus Christ, continues to win the world one person at a time. And that is a viral effect that has lasting and eternal significance.

Sign me up! I want to be a part of that! I invite you to join me in praying for the viral effect of Christianity to impact the whole world.

Faith and Helplessness Needed in Prayer

Roger Perry — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:16:47 GMT

Last time I wrote about the importance of an attitude of helplessness for effective prayer. In his classic writing entitled “Prayer” O. Hallesby states that “Prayer and helplessness are inseparable. Only those who are helpless can truly pray.”

But he also mentions a second aspect in our attitude for effective prayer—Faith. Hebrews 11:6 states “And it is impossible to please God without faith." This can be intimidating to me because of the reality of who I am. Different Bible passages talk about the importance of praying in faith (Matthew 8:13; 21:21-22; John 11:40; James 1:6-8). When I am honest, it is hard for me to pray without doubt. And with this in mind, praying effective prayers can seem totally out of reach.

A man once brought his son to Jesus to be healed (Mark 9:14-30). He was not sure that Jesus could help. Jesus’ response to him was “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?...Anything is possible if a person believes.”

The father then cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” The prayer that condemned itself as unbelief was actually revealing the faith that existed in the man. Jesus could act on that faith by healing the man’s son. That needs to be my earnest cry in prayer as well.

It is through my helplessness and doubts that a door is opened to Jesus. My faith is somehow strengthened by God when I am truly honest with Him--even with my doubts. Honesty is what He is looking for in a prayer life. It is letting Jesus into the heart in such a way that He can truly fulfill the hearts desire.

Helplessness in Prayer

Roger Perry — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:37:19 GMT

Helplessness.

Who would have thought that helplessness would be a key attitude for effective prayer? In his classic writing entitled “Prayer” O. Hallesby states that helplessness “is unquestionably the first and the surest indication of a praying heart…It is the last resort of the helpless. Indeed, the very last way out. We try everything before we finally resort to prayer.”

“Ouch!” He must have been watching my prayer life over the years! It seems that my prayers become a lot more earnest when I am at the end of my rope and there is nothing else to cling to. That’s when I am most earnest in prayer—when I am helpless.

As long as I can control the situation, finances, relationships, as long as I feel in control, then I may just forget to pray. But let things get a little out of control and I am on my knees seeking a bail out from God.

When I recognize that I am always helpless and admit it upfront, then God can take control of my life and my time spent with Him is far more dynamic. Like an infant’s communication to his or her parent, our helplessness can be a continuous appeal to God’s parental heart.

I Imagine myself as a toddler stumbling over to my daddy. I lift my arms and say, “Up!” In all my helplessness, my father responds by lifting me high and cradles me in his arms. God seeks to do the same in our helplessness. Hallesby further states, “To pray is to open the door unto Jesus and admit Him into your distress. Your helplessness is the very thing which opens wide the door unto Him and gives Him access to all your needs.”