21 Days Praying for Family

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 5 – Genesis 32:27-28

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.” [1]

What is your name? What have you named your children? What, if anything, do their names mean? I often wonder what parents were thinking when I hear the names of some children. It seems that parents today are so reckless in naming their children, naming them after buildings, products, places they visited, favorite celebrities, and a plethora of other things. Names mean something. When we lay our hands on our children and tell them who they are, destiny is being spoken into them. Without careful thought to what we name children we are causing our children to begin their lives with a handicap.

Think of Jacob and the impact of what he was named on his life. Jacob was the second of twins. His brother came out of the womb before him and because he was red and hairy his parents named him Esau, meaning hairy, or in other translations, Edom which means red. His brother came out of the womb second grasping his heel, and so he was named Jacob, meaning, literally, “he grasps the heel” or figuratively, “he deceives.” Imagine living your life knowing every time someone calls you they are announcing you as a deceiver, and a liar. If you know the story of Jacob you know that he was named well. He stole his brother’s birthright and tricked his father-in-law, but he came by his qualities well. His mother and uncle, who were brother and sister, were tricksters.

Thank God we do not have to be bound by an ill-gotten name. Jacob eventually had encounters with God or with and an angel of God. It was during one of those meetings, at a place called Peniel, that the angel of the Lord asked Jacob his name and changed it from Jacob, a liar and deceiver, to Israel, meaning he struggles with God or, more importantly, Prince of God. This name change was later confirmed during another encounter at a place called Bethel (35:10). What is your name? What are you called? Not just your given name, but your nick name, your street name. Be careful how you name children, and what you allow people to call you. You may very well be speaking into being a character you do not want to have or your children to have. If it has already happened, it is not too late. Today an encounter with God can change your name and in the process change your character.

Lord Jesus, You are so gracious and kind in Your dealings with us. You put up with our foolishness and continue to provide us relief from the mistakes of our past. Some of Your people are hampered with names that neither give You glory or do them any justice. Give Your people today wisdom to carefully name their children. Bring transformation and change to other’s character as they wrestle with You by changing their name. From this day forth may we all be known by who we are in You and not by what, where, or who we have been, in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), Ge 32:27–28.

Posted in Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

21 Days Praying for Family

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 4 – Exodus 20:4-6

4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. [1]

In the second commandment God warns His people against the practice of idolatry. God so serious about this warning that it takes three verses to explain. But our concern today is not so much with the waning about idolatry as the consequences of breaking this commandment. The consequences delineate God’s judgment against those who disobey Him. That judgment, “punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,” extends to family. God judges families that disobey Him.

If it is true that God cares for the families of those that honor Him, then the reverse must also be true. It may be hard to imagine and harder yet for many who may not want to accept it, but generations that have yet to be born will suffer the judgment of God because of the sin of their great-great grandfathers. Consider the condition of many families today. How did they become the way they are? How did they become so entrenched in their behavior? Why can they not seem to get it together? Do all struggle and suffer as a result of the sin of their fathers? Of course not, but it is a struggle for all to rise above their condition. Some make it, some do not, and the point is that they did not have to struggle at all if only their fathers had obeyed God.

The good news is contained in the sixth verse, God shows “love to a thousand generations of those who obey [Him] and keep [His] commands.” Our faithful obedience to God results in demonstrations of God’s love for a thousand generations. Imagine that, if a generation is thirty-five years, then 3,500 years after we have been long and gone our children’s children are still being shown love. Therefore, it is imperative that some of us consciously break the cycle of disobedience that we either repeat or that began in our generation. I want those who follow me to know that the reason they experience the awesome love of God is because I was obedient to God. What about you?

Lord, it is absolutely incredible that my family could experience Your judgment 280 years after I am gone. It is even more incredible that that same family could experience Your love 3,500 years after I am gone. I prefer the latter, so please show me where I am walking in disobedience so I can take corrective action. I don’t want my family to suffer, so I repent of anything that may be causing them to suffer Your judgment now. Forgive me of my sin and allow me a new beginning. May my life ever give You praise and glory beginning today, and then may my children see and know Your love for a thousand generations. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), Ex 20:4–6.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Day 3 – 21 Days Praying for Family

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 3 – Genesis 6:11-13, 17-18

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.

17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.[1]

Most of us are well familiar with the flood narrative. God decides to destroy his creation because of the corruption and violence that had become so pervasive. “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (vs. 5). Things had become so unimaginably bad that God was ready to take drastic measures to remedy the situation. Except there was a man by the name of Noah who walked with God, and whom God found to be righteous and “blameless among the people of his time” (vs. 9). It was this man and his family whom God determined He would preserve.

The great truth we should get from this account today is simply this: God cares for the families of those who honor him. The text tells us nothing of the character or faith of Noah’s wife, sons or their wives. Noah was the one who was said to walk with God. He was the one found to be blameless and righteous in his day. But because Noah was the man that he was, with the faith he possessed God included his family in his plan of preservation. The text does not even tell us if his sons assisted him in building the ark, only that “Noah did everything just as God commanded him” (vs. 22).

Many of us are concerned about our children. Though we trained them in the right way to go they chose their own paths and sometimes those choices were dangerous and destructive resulting in dire consequences. Some have beat themselves up trying to reconcile how their children could have made such choices forgetting they have a free will just as we do. This text gives us good news that we should embrace; God takes care of the families of those who honor him. So while we are praying for our wayward children, let us be careful to honor God and trust Him to take care of them until they can be brought to themselves.

Lord Jesus, we confess today that we have not always been good at honoring you. In praying and worrying about our children we have griped and nagged more than we have trusted You and Your Word. Today we repent of such unproductive actions and commit ourselves to drawing closer to You. Enable us to honor You with our whole being. Keep us from vain religion and cause us to embrace you even the more; and, as we do so please take care of our children and bring them back to You. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), Ge 6:17–18.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Day 2 – 21 Days Praying For Family

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 2 – Genesis 1:26-27

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. [1]

From where do families come? Such a question is not one of biology, but of origin. What is the origin of family? It is a relevant question given all the challenges to family today. Even many so-called Christians are beginning to accommodate the ungodly views of the greater society effectively thumbing their noses at the plans and intentions of God as it relates to family. God is the originator of family. He created it from the very beginning when He decided to make humanity in His own image and after His likeness. Some would argue that our definition of family is too narrow and that the Biblical description was far broader than that which we in the west describe as the nuclear family. Such an objection is true, but it still does not support the various configurations of family they espouse.

The key to understanding God’s design is in His Word. We were created in the image of God as males and females. That design was intentional and functional. One only has to read the next verse to discover their intended function: “be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (28). In the event that this description is not clear enough for some the writer of Genesis gets more specific in the next chapter when he describes the presentation of Eve to Adam (2:23-24).

How have we gotten so far away from God’s original design? How have we so perverted what He so clearly intended? The obvious answer is sin, but more than that it arises from a desire to be like other people when God decreed that we were to be different. It matters little whether we are referencing churches approval of same sex unions or challenges from our children to the established godly standards in the home; the root cause is the same. It stems from a desire to be like everyone else. Perhaps the greatest reason for the difficulty we experience with families that are supposed to be godly is that we have lost our original purpose. May we today return to our roots.

Dear Father, many of our families are in shambles. They are an embarrassment to you because they look nothing like what You have intended. We are guilty of embracing the ways of a godless world so as to blend in and be accepted. Our marriages, children, and society as a whole are suffering. We are so messed up in some places we wonder whether there is any hope. Forgive us for our willingness to go along in order to get along. Help us today to introspectively look at our families and begin making the changes, beginning with each one of us individually, that will restore our families to Your purposes and plans and bring You glory and praise. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), Ge 1:26–27.

Posted in Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Day 1 – 21 Days Praying for Families

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

Day 1 – 21 Days Praying for Families.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Day 1 – 21 Days Praying for Families

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

21 Days Praying for Family

Day 1 – Genesis 12:1-3

12  The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” [1]

Today begins another time of fasting and prayer. You are invited to join with many others and me as we seek God’s face for families, our families, the church family, families in the community, and families of the world. Over our time with the Lord we will read and reflect on various passages of scripture that relate to or reference families in some way. As we begin I have been drawn to the call of Abram (eventually know as Abraham) and what it must have taken to relocate his family without knowing exactly where he was going. Abram uprooted his family on a promise he had received from the Lord. His family included more than just his wife Sarai. He had servants and slaves, herds and flocks, and even his nephew Lot and his family in tow. This then was no small move, no small undertaking, but rather a massive relocation to parts unknown as the result of a promise from a God he presumably had not previously known.

If you are like me, managing a small group of people is difficult enough, let alone a large crowd of people. Abram managed it, though not without incident, and those of us who name the name of Jesus are proof that the promise made has indeed come to pass. He was able to do it through his personal obedience. We know about the Ishmael debacle, but that incident aside Abram obeyed God. It strikes me that despite the struggles endemic among families, obedience of the head, whether that is the father or the mother, or the grandmother, an aunt or uncle, is the key to receiving the promises of God. It is then our level of obedience that is determinative of where our families will ultimately land. It sounds simplistic, but over the next 20 days we will discover the joyous complexity and results of walking in obedience for our families. As we begin today, may we ever be like Abram.

Lord, you see my family just as you see all families. You see the example I set. I am not always the best for those who watch me to emulate. Forgive me for the times I have been rebellious and stubborn and have refused to walk in obedience to Your will for my life and that of my family. Make my faith like that of Abram who relocated an entire community just to obey You even though he did not yet know You. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), Ge 12:1–3.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Day 21 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

2 Thessalonians 3:6-18

6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” 11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. 14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. 15 Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. 16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 17 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. [1]

This lengthy section brings to a close the letters Paul wrote to the church meeting in Thessalonica. It also brings to a close our 21-day study. It has taken a certain amount of discipline to get up every morning, read, study, pray, and then write an inspired devotional based on the text. Doing so has given me another way of looking at these verses where Paul warns against being idle. It is far too easy to dismiss these verses as being irrelevant to us because we do not see ourselves as idle or lazy. We get up and go to work: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat!” Good there! We mind our business. We are not busybodies. Good there! So these verses do not really apply to us, right?

There are many ways to be idle. Paul writes that we should never tire of doing right. We should take note of sisters and brothers in the body that are disobedient and warn them as a brother or sister. Believe it or not, failure to do these things can be placed squarely in the camp of idleness. It takes effort, intentional effort to constantly do right. Our natural inclination is to sequester ourselves off from everyone else and do our own thing, but we are the body of Christ that needs one another in order to survive. The times in which we live are tough for all of us. We are all assaulted, persecuted, and tempted in every way. Let us resolve to pray for one another, encourage one another, admonish one another, and help one another even more as we see the day of the Lord approaching.

Dear Lord, we confess to being idle, to being lazy. We have not regularly prayed for one another. We have not sought to encourage one another. We have not admonished or even helped one another. We have been primarily concerned for our own personal needs and desires, but today strengthen our resolve to make the necessary changes in order to help one another survive and more than that, to thrive. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 2 Thessalonians 3:6–18.

Posted in Religion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Day 20 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

3 Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. 2 And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. [1]

As Paul approaches the end of his letter to the church in Thessalonica he now asks for prayer. His request is both personal and general. He has been suffering persecution just as the Thessalonians have been. Yet his desire is not to be hidden away but that there would be quick evident fruit from his labors. There is a great expectation for those who minister by those who are on the receiving end of the ministry. Whether we attend a regular worship service or an evangelistic event we have an expectation of receiving a prayerful and insightful message. But I wonder how many on the receiving end spend time praying for the messenger.

It is often been said that, “if there is prayer in the pew there will be power in the pulpit.” Paul is very transparent here in his request for prayer. He wants the Thessalonians to pray for the quick spread of the gospel, but also for deliverance from “wicked and evil men.” His reason may be shocking to some: “for not everyone has faith.” Remember Paul is writing to the church, so he is referring to people in the church; and, contrary to our ideas about the church and those who populate it, not everyone has faith. Hollywood has ruined many of us to the point that we doubt the real presence of wicked and evil people in the church. But we should not be surprised, the enemy of souls has a vested interest in blocking the spread and honoring of the gospel, so he asks them to pray.

Ever the consummate pastor, he then shifts gears and takes the focus off of himself and places it on the Thessalonians by reminding them of the faithfulness of the Lord and His intention to strengthen them and protect them from the devil. But also, he expresses the confidence that he has in them that they are and will continue to do the things he has not just taught them, but commanded them to do (Something most modern pastors could not get away with.). He concludes this section with a brief prayer for their perseverance. If we pray for those who minister to us, and their effectiveness in sharing the gospel, then we should certainly commit ourselves to following their lead.

Lord, thank You for our faithful pastors, ministers and leaders. Cover and protect them as they labor among us. Deliver them from agents of the devil who have infiltrated the camp to bring confusion and unbelief. Grant that they would ever hear from You a Word that would be ‘rhema’ to us each and every time they preach and teach. May the words from their lips be so anointed that we who hear will latch hold of them, commit our lives to you, and live in such a way as to honor You. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 2 Thessalonians 3:1–5.

Posted in Religion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Day 19 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. [1]

It is so easy to become discouraged, especially when suffering persecution. The best encouragement Paul has to offer is to remind the Thessalonians of how precious they are to the Lord. They were chosen from before the foundations of the world “to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth;” and one day, he tells them, they are going to share in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no greater news Paul can give. Such news should elicit shouts of joy because it means that God is not oblivious to their suffering. He has not been caught by surprise, but knew exactly what they would experience. The only logical response, then, to such news is simply to stand firm.

Make no mistake about it, we, like the Thessalonians, are living in turbulent times. The suffering we experience is nothing like that which our sisters and brothers in the first century had to endure but we suffer none-the-less. We need to be reminded of the same information Paul shared with the Thessalonians. God’s love for us is so great that He chose us to be saved, and just as Paul prayed that the Lord Jesus and our heavenly Father would encourage and strengthen them “in every good deed and word,” we need that same word. God is not distant from us or dispassionate about us. He knows our difficulties. He knows our weaknesses. He knows our struggles.

Let me encourage you today using the words of great congregational hymn. “There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus, no not one, no not one. None else can heal our soul’s diseases, no not one, no not one. Jesus knows all about our struggles. He will guide ‘til the day is done. There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus, no not one, no not one.” It is this kind of knowledge that enables the believer to stand, because attempting to do it on our own is not possible. But it is not just standing form that the Thessalonians are encouraged to do. The are also encouraged to hold on to the teachings they have received. It sounds like sound advice to me. Let us commit ourselves to doing the same.

Dear Father, thank you for the encouragement you continue to provide. You know full well how easily discouraged we often become.  Keep us from falling into the trap that accompanies discouragement. Help us to overcome the temptation to quit and give in, and enable us to have all and do all we need to stand. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 2 Thessalonians 2:13–17.

Posted in Religion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Day 18 – 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer in Thessalonians

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Dr. Logan's Blog

2 Thessalonians 2:6-12

6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. [1]

“For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work . . .” In the previous verses Paul addresses the question of the timing of the second coming of the Lord by saying that the “day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed.” Until that time God is holding him back, presumably from unleashing the entirety of his evil wrath. But “the secret power of lawlessness is already at work.” While we do not have access to all the knowledge about this teaching the Thessalonians must have had from Paul’s oral teaching, we can assume that they knew what Paul was writing about when he wrote, “And now you know what is holding him back.” Perhaps from our limited understanding we can presume a couple things.

First, while the man of lawlessness is yet to be revealed his power is already at work. It is a secret power in the sense that most do not know to whom to attribute it. This power can be seen in the darkness that is progressively overtaking our society. This darkness is dressed up in respectability accompanied by “counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,” but it is all a ‘shell game.’ These things do nothing but deceive those who are perishing because of their refusal “to love the truth and so be saved.”

Second, it puts us on alert to the truth that things will get progressively worse over time. No one can doubt the progressive growth of darkness all around us. Much of it today is manifested in language that has been redefined over time. The rationalization that has already deceived many in the church is that we are creating a more ‘just’ and ‘inclusive’ society. In the process, however, marriages are destroyed, families are broken apart, children are undisciplined, and all sorts of lifestyles that God calls abominations are accepted and celebrated. We do right to stand for the truth, but understand that this powerful delusion is not just allowed by God, it is sent by God to condemn those who do not believe “the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”

Lord, these verses are hard to accept. We have no delight in the condemnation of all the wicked. Some of them are our friends and relatives, people we love and care about. So help us today to be intentional in our prayer life, in our witnessing, and especially in the manner in which we live and walk before our lost loved ones. Help us to have a greater sense of urgency in proclaiming Your truth so that the lost may be saved. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 2 Thessalonians 2:6–12.

Posted in Religion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment