Guest Blog Post: Conquering Disposable Prayers

Guest Blog Post by Charlene Holsendorff

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. ~Psalm 103:11 (NIV)

That God desires a relationship with me is sometimes beyond me.

Because of that, every now and then I allow my sense of unworthiness interfere with intimate fellowship with Him. After all, how could the Creator of the universe pursue – even consider – a relationship with the likes of me? Regrettably, I allow that broken thinking to get in the way of an intimate prayer life.

And so God, always the Pursuer, brought me to a place of confronting why I, as his beloved child, bristle at the call to intimate prayer and fellowship with Him and respond instead with superficial and truncated interaction. Further, how many of us born-again Christians are sometimes thwarted by the idea that personal interaction with our covenant-keeping Jehovah works for others but won’t really ‘work’ for me?

I recall sitting in mental conflict one day struggling with the guilt of my weak prayer life. I’m so unworthy, I lamented to myself. And the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit spoke ever so poignantly within the recesses of my heart, “Yes, you are.” That we are not worthy is an under-statement. If that’s your lament as well, you’ve got that right. I say this without the intent of being condemning. God’s Word establishes that There is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10); for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). That’s the story of humanity in a nutshell.

Could we ever praise the Holy One enough that the story doesn’t end there? You and I are one of the loved by God and called to be saints (Romans 1:7); adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will (Ephesians 1:5) [underlines added]. God wants to fellowship with us! Can’t wrap your brain around that idea? Listen, don’t try. Again, don’t even try! Simply accept it. That’s the lesson the Holy Spirit had to teach me. It’s beyond our finite reasoning to ever understand God’s love for mankind that He would provide a way out of our fallen condition with the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. That He also relishes having fellowship with us as his redeemed sons and daughters is the icing on the cake, to put it mildly!

Many of us lack the experience of unconditional love within the human relationships that shaped our lives, or at best we had very fractured examples of unconditional love that now impede our acceptance of it. To embrace the idea of being loved without earning it is beyond our natural understanding. Yet Romans 5:8 tells us God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Consider also that thinking too lowly of oneself is the flip side of the coin of thinking too highly of oneself. Both perspectives attest to one’s self-importance, or pride. In either scenario “I” am the focus of my world to the elimination of God’s influence. That was a bitter pill of enlightenment that the Holy Spirit had me swallow.

So how do we dislodge from the bog of unworthiness? How do we accept the unconditional love that God freely offers that leads to vibrant fellowship and spontaneous prayer? Immerse yourself in God’s Word with a focus on verses that speak to God’s unfailing love for you. Read the verses without judgment – that’s crucial. As the Holy Spirit prompted me to read God’s love verses, I reminded myself that God would not have said them if He didn’t mean them…and to not believe them meant that God is a fraud.

Ask God to make the verses come alive in your soul. When thoughts of unworthiness try to infiltrate my mind, I’ve learned to mimic Christ’s example when Satan tempted him. I quote those very love verses out loud and nullify the lie that Satan is trying to plant in my mind! My prayer life has become a resulting outgrowth of intimacy with my Heavenly Papa (Galatians 4:6). I delight in spending time with Him.

Following are a selection of the many verses in the Bible on God’s unfailing love for those who belong to Him:

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. (Psalm 86:15)

But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him… (Psalm 103:17)

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (I John 3:1)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (I Peter 5:6-7)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38)

Lord: Thank you for the working of the Holy Spirit Who will always bring enlightenment to your Word in order that I might be made righteous. I accept that your love for me is based on who You are and not who I am or what I do, therefore, I can do nothing to increase or diminish your love. I can simply rest in the assurance of your love as You work in my life to make me what you want me to be. I praise you, Father, for your unfailing love for me. In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, amen.”

Charlene Holsendorff is an impassioned training and development professional with a focus in career management. She transitioned from the pharmaceutical industry to become an independent career management consultant, professional speaker and author. She currently manages a career center for 1000+ displaced pharmaceutical professionals.

Charlene has a reputation for providing insightful instruction in a stimulating environment. Her informal delivery style and positive energy quickly engages and holds the attention of audiences. Her areas of expertise include job search strategies; resumé development; interview coaching; interview skills for hiring managers; workshop facilitation and career-focused curriculum design.

As a born-again Christ follower, Charlene has a heart for helping God’s people to distinguish themselves in today’s competitive job market. She presents her career workshops to faith-based community institutions, and is particularly responsive to requests for personal coaching, consulting, speaking and writing within the Christian community.

Charlene can be reached at:

484.944.4071

chrleneh@verizon.net

Blog: http://SlicingBananas.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/charleneholsendorff