Book Review: “Primal” by Mark Batterson
I was recently given the priviledge of reading the book “Primal” by Mark Batterson and I was asked to post review of it here on my blog:
“Primal” helps to remind the body of Christ of what a relationship with Christ is supposed to be about. There are many voices, concepts, and belief systems clamoring to be accepted in this “information age” we live in. However, Mark Batterson reminds of some deep truths.
In the following quote, Mark Batterson reminds us that our faith is to be put to action:
“As we grow in our love relationship with God, we begin to empathize with God. We feel what He feels. Then we begin to sympathize with others. We experience sympathy breakthroughs as we see the image of God in others. And when those empathetic feelings turn into compassionate actions, they set off chain reactions with eternal ramifications”
If our heart is truly breaking with the things that breaks the heart of God, there will be action. Regarding the source of our action, Mark said the following:
“…one act of Spirit-prompted compassion can change the course of history.”
That’s one of the things that I felt made this book so fresh and relevant to what God wants to do with our generation. He’s not impressed with our intellect. He wants to be able to speak and direct His will to our generation and have us actually align with His plan.
I’ve read in the book of Hebrews that we “surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses” (aka “those that have gone before us”). However, the opening of “Primal” helped make that concept more real to me. Mark Batterson describes what it was like to enter the catacombs under the Church of San Clemente in Rome, Italy where second-century Christians secretly worshiped God.
“As we navigated those claustrophobic catacombs, I was overcome by the fact that I was standing in a place where my spiritual ancestors risked everything, even their lives, to worship God. And I felt a profound mixture of gratitude and conviction. I live in a first-world country in the twenty-first century. And I’m grateful for the freedoms and blessings I enjoy because of where and when I live. But when you’re standing in an ancient catacomb, the comforts you enjoy make you uncomfortable. The things you complain about are convicting. And some of the sacrifices you’ve made for the cause of Christ might not even quality under a second-century definition.”
Regarding the author, what impresses me the most is how often Mark Batterson alludes to himself taking personal action in response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is that reality that makes me more willing to let down my “filter” and take in the words that Mark writes about. It’s very easy to find people who are willing to minister and write from their intellect. It’s not always easy to find someone willing to minister and write based on things heard from the Spirit of God.
In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this book. “Primal” is just the right size to devour without it feeling like overkill. The style/tone helps make this book a very easy read, but you also close the book feeling like substance was conveyed to you. Enjoy!
Quote for 10/20/2009
First generation Quakers at balby, York , late 17th century:
“We do not want you to copy or imitate us. We want to be like a ship that has crossed the ocean, leaving a wake of foam, which soon fades away. We want you to follow the Spirit, which we have sought to follow, but which must be sought anew in every generation. “
Only One Life by C.T. Studd
Only One Life
By Charles Thomas Studd, Missionary to China, India, and Africa
Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ’twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Quote by Paris Reidhead
Paris Reidhead:
“Why should a person come to the cross? Why should a person embrace death with Christ? Why should a person be willing to go in identification down to the cross and into the tomb and up again? I’ll tell you why! Because it’s the only way that God can get glory out of a human being!”
Book Review: From Peanuts to the Pressbox by Eli Gold
From Peanuts to the Pressbox by Eli Gold
“From Peanuts to the Pressbox” is a story about how a little boy from Brooklyn pursued his dream to be a broadcaster. This book takes you through the life of Eli Gold from his first game at Yankee Stadium, to having non-paid jobs at radio stations to get in the door, to a peanut boy at Madison Square Garden, to, eventually, Eli Gold becoming the “voice of the Crimson Tide”.
The book “From Peanuts to the Pressbox” allows us, as readers, a fresh perspective on the “rags to riches” storyline. In typical rags to riches storyline, there is more of a focus on events as opposed to thought process and relationships along the way. This books highlights on the latter. What went through Eli Gold’s mind as he pursued his dream of broadcasting? Who did he meet along the way? What relationships were formed? These questions and more are answered in detail and they help add a depth to the story of Eli Gold.
What struck me was Eli Gold’s dad’s involvement in his life. Read the following quote:
“I remember vividly my first trip to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. I was about for years old, and my dad took me to a game between the Yankees and the Cleveland Indians on a Wednesday afternoon. The funny thing was, my dad wasn’t a big sports fan. If it was up to him, he wouldn’t be at a Yankees game on a Wednesday afternoon or even on a Saturday, but he knew that I wanted to go. So we went.”
Having strong involvement from both of his parents helped to provide Eli Gold with a strong foundation of which he could pull encouragement from.
Another aspect of this book that I found interesting was Eli Gold’s passion to be better at broadcasting. Even as a small child, he would sit in his seat at various arenas and stadiums with a tape recorder and practice his play-by-play. In addition, as he grew up, he gave his tapes of these play-by-plays to respected people in his field; Eli Gold then leveraged this feedback to help further perfect his timing, voice inflection, vocabulary, etc.
Having put this book down, I am encouraged and challenged by the life of Eli Gold. As a father, I hope that I can help steer my children in the right direction as Eli’s parents did. In addition, it gave me a renewed passion to work hard at being who I’m destined to be.
Matt Legere
Book Review: “Fearless” by Max Lucado
I had the priviledge of reading the book “Fearless” by Max Lucado in advance of the book’s publication date of September 8th, courtesy of Thomas Nelson Publishing. Wow! What a great book. See below for the book review:
The book “Fearless” by Max Lucado dares to pose a stirring thought to a culture saturated by fear: “Imagine your life without fear”. The very idea that we could live our lives, as the title of the book suggests, fearless may seem rather bold, even unrealistic at first; however, it’s Biblical. Max Lucado seems to reach into the atmosphere where fears are swirling around and, after picking out the ones that hold us hostage; he then proceeds to explain Godly solutions to these fears in way that inspires faith and rekindles hope.
One of the chapters of this book that was most impacting was Chapter 2 where Max Lucado confronts the “fear of not mattering”. God used this chapter to bring previously undefined emotions and reactions to the surface of my heart. As I read about the “fear of not mattering”, something clicked in me and I saw why it bothers me so much when I’m left out or when someone doesn’t return my phone call. I fear not mattering. And if we buy into this fear, “the fear of insignificance creates the result that it dreads”, as Max Lucado says.
Another appealing concept about this book is that it wasn’t written based on proof-texting (i.e. I have a cool book title so let’s find a Scripture that works). Instead, it presents the simple and profound truths of the Bible that show us we don’t need to be fearful, no matter what the economy or job market is doing around us. We can trust in the Lord and we have hope!
I encourage you to get this book and I pray that you are as impacted as I was.
Book Review: Love and Respect
Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
The book called “Love and Respect” by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs has a different approach than any other marriage book I have ever read. In reading about how this book was birthed, I then understood what makes this book so impacting and fresh: it was developed in response to illumination from Scripture! You may think that that’s how it should be (and you’re right); however, for those of us who have read a lot of books, too often we find books that contain people’s opinions wrapped tightly around handpicked Scriptures that prove their point.
In 1998, Dr. Eggerichs was studying the Bible and he saw the “love and respect” principle in Ephesians 5:33 where it says, “Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband”. Dr Eggerichs says it like this “Without love, she (the wife) reacts without respect. Without respects, he (the husband) reacts without love. While we previously were told that love was the answers for all issues (both male and female), the inclusion of respect will help marriages to be solid and Biblical.
My wife and I have been watching the DVD series on Love and Respect and it has been just about one of the best teaching we’ve heard on marriage. We’ve begin to apply these principles in our marriage and it’s helped us “decode” how each other thinks and reacts to situations.
If you are looking for ways for your marriage to be more Biblical, I would highly recommend this resource.
Blogging break
For those of you who follow this blog, you know that the last few months have been a blast!
Highlights
- I’ve just recently moved this blog from http://mattlegere.wordpress.com to my very own domain at http://mattlegere.com
- I just broke 1,700 unique hits on the blog
- I just wrapped up a series called “Influenced to influence”
So what are my next steps? More writing? Another series? Nope. A break!
I’m enjoying the season that God has me in right now and I want to spend more time investing in my family. Blogs are great and sharing thoughts from the Lord with others is awesome, but not at the expense of my family. It may be a month or two, but don’t worry.
I’ll be back.
Note: The picture to the right surprisingly is not me. It’s Arnold. Just wanted to make sure that nobody got confused.
Influenced to Influence – Part 5
This was taken from my sermon notes that I used in preaching at Haven of Hope on Sunday, July 12th, 2009:
It’s time that you and I got our rightful place of authority back!
Satan’s seat
In Revelations 2:13, John told the Church of Pergamum that he knew that they were living in the city in which Satan’s throne was, but that they were loyal to Him.
In Ephesians 4:27, we also read that when we allow ourselves to be angry and not deal with it quickly within 24 hours and offence sets in, that Satan then gets a stronghold.
Through these and other examples, we actually allow Satan to get a foothold in our lives. Throughout history, enough of us have not lived up to God’s plan so Satan and his minions now are sitting in footholds/seats of influence over cities that they have no right to sit over.
Let me ask you this, have you ever been driving and someone cut you off? How did that make you feel? If you are like me, it gets me pretty fired up! I had a lane that I was driving in and, because you didn’t want to wait, you felt the need to cut in front of me as if you are better than me?!? (Wow, getting in my head on a morning commute can be “enlightening”, huh?) 
Here’s the sad truth. You and I are getting more upset about a 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme cutting us off as we drive, than we are seeing an enemy arrogantly sit in a seat of influence in our city while thumbing their nose at us and at God. There needs to be a righteous anger that rises in us that says, “Give me my seat back!”
In Genesis 21:22-34, Abraham had dug a well and one of Abimelech (King of the Philistines) had seized the wells. Upon agreeing this was wrong, the King of the Philistines made Abraham a covenant that this wouldn’t happen again. Therefore, the well was called Beersheba (the oath). Historically, when someone dug a well, they were claiming the land surrounding the well. When Abraham had dug the well of Beersheba, he was saying “this is my land my descendants land”
In Genesis 26:15, the Philistines had stopped up the wells that Abraham dug. What they were trying to do is hide any evidence that the land belonged to anyone else. Not only did they fill up the wells with dirt, but also dead animals. While Israel was sowing the land, he discovered His father’s well. In verse 18, he gave them back their names. Isaac came into the land, found what was his, and took ownership again. Isaac went on to dig 5 more wells in that region. He reclaimed the land.
There are wells of ownership in New England, in our state, in our city, and in the lives of those around us. Those wells were originally destined to be dug so that they could be influence by heaven and be possessed by God. The enemy has filled up those wells with death and covered them up so that we don’t even know that those wells ever existed.
I challenge you today to redig those wells. Redig the wells of influence that the enemy wishes we never realized were there in the first place. As we do that, we will be stamping on relationships, people, cities, and nations that God’s people are again in possession of the land. AND, we not only want to redig the wells that were forgotten, but we are going to move forward. Israel not only redig the wells that his (Father) had dug, but he also dug 5 more. We are going for the jugular!
I not only want to see the well redug that breaks depression’s hold on the land, but I want to see new wells dug out of protest. Enemy, you tried to hide the well of ownership over depression so now we want the well of ownership over cancer!
Gates in the Bible were places of influence. If you could get the gate open to a city, then you would have access to be able to step inside the city. Likewise, there are gates that need to be opened to us. Literally doors of influence that are currently shut but will be opening. While we want to be careful of the influence of things from our past on us, don’t be surprised when you end up having influence in areas you thought were shut off to you (i.e. He makes all things new)
We need to be able to move spirits and demons from things that they are sitting on – this will influence our region and the people in it drastically.
Isaiah 26:2 speaks of a declaration: “Open ye the gates (entrance, marketplace, palace, place of influence) that the righteous nation which keepeth (to have charge of, as a watchman, preserve, protect, retain, treasure up) truth may enter in.
Life Application
I hope that you have enjoyed this series on influence. To wrap things up here, I want to ask you to please seek God and ask Him to influence your life in a greater way. Open up the doors to places in your heart that you have held back and give Him control of your destiny. Next, begin to speak to the doors of influence in you, in relationships, in the culture around you, etc. and declare that they are now open to the influence of God! Speak to the walls that are holding you and others back from experiencing the influence of heaven! Rise up and throw down the things that are arrogantly sitting in your seat and cutting into your spiritual driving lane!
Be influenced by God so that you can influence others for the glory of God. Be influenced to influence.
Influenced to influence – Part 3
This was taken from my sermon notes that I used in preaching at Haven of Hope on Sunday, July 12th, 2009:
There are two things that I believe are very important in being influenced by God in a greater way:
1) The secret place with God
2) Trusting His ways and His thoughts
1. Secret place
Matt Legere: “The depth of our secret place determines the measure of your influence.”
You’re right. I did it. I shamelessly quoted myself above. Get over it.
Psalms 91:1 “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”
David wrote these words in Psalms 91 and, incidentally, it was because of what He did in secret that allowed him to be qualified to be in places of influence over the nation.
David spent a lot of time with just himself, the sheep, and God. From reading the Psalms, we find that we meditated on God, talked with Him, looked for His handiwork on the earth, sang to Him, sang songs of God’s greatness, etc.
In Psalms 78:70-72, we read that God chose David and took him from the sheepfolds. God alone gave David influence and pulled him from sheepfolds into a place of authority at the palace. David’s performance in handling small things (pregnant sheep/praising God with his harp in the field) when no one else was watching determined how and how quickly God could use him. David’s first experience with the palace was when Saul asked him to come and play the harp for him. However, Saul’s servant recommended David because that servant had heard of David playing the harp) This eventually opened up the door to David being King and reigning in the palace.
In the secret place with God, there is no striving and no earning or wrestling for your place. It’s communion with God. It’s peace, rest, and refreshing. You may feel tucked away or even forgotten. After all, no one sees you in the secret place with God to know how much you are praying. But David, who thought he was alone playing the harp, caught the attention of others.
Andrew Murray: “To be alone in secret with the Father should be your highest joy because to the man who withdraws himself from all the visible world and man and waits for God alone, the Father will reveal Himself”
God delights in using our encounters from the secret place with God to be what impacts people and nations.
When the demon couldn’t be cast out by the disciples, this kind comes not out but by prayer and fasting. I always thought it was because they didn’t do enough to earn it. However, prayer and fasting are things typically done in secret. Jesus, when he prayed and fasted, he would pull away from the crowd and pray. His fasting wasn’t on twitter/facebook.
There are things/demons we need to overthrow and, if we don’t build the wells and develop a secret place, we would have enough influence from Him and be influenced enough by Him to, in turn, influence what He wants us to influence.
2. His ways and His thoughts
Isaiah 55 (NLT)
If you get the chance, read the ENTIRE chapter! Isaiah 55 absolutely rocks! In these verses, The Lord is saying, “Why are you spending money and energy on things that aren’t going to satisfy you? Come to me with ears wide open and listen!
Just like David who I covenanted with, (in verse 5) “you also will command the nations, and they will come running to obey, because I, the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious.”
Verse 8 - ”My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
Verse 9 -For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
He goes on to speak to the fact that his word is always productive and brings for fruit. The Lord says in verse 11-12: “It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. You will live in joy and peace”
Verse 13 is amazing!
13.Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the LORD’s name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.
Instead of thorns, the cypress tree will come up. In Scripture, the cypress tree always refers to something noble and it was used in building the Temple.
Instead of briers, the myrtle tree will come up. If the myrtle grows on the bare hillsides it is a low bush, but, under favorable conditions of moisture, it attains a considerable height (compare Zec 1:8,10). It is mentioned as one of the choice plants of the land (Isa 41:19).
As you link up with God and follow His ways and thoughts, He begins to speak in your ear – words. Words that are powerful and will never return to Him void but fall as rain to the earth. You will go from being common and anonymous (thorn bushes, briers), to being noble (royal, joint-heirs), used in the process of experiencing and carrying the presence of God and something that is designed to flourish to new heights when moisture is present (aka “the Holy Spirit”)
Check back soon for Part 4 where we will talk about what to do with the doors of influence that God will be opening.
Influenced to influence – Part 2
This was taken from my sermon notes that I used in preaching at Haven of Hope on Sunday, July 12th, 2009:
God wants to be our PRIMARY source of influence. He wants to be our primary source of spiritual food, direction, affirmation..our SOURCE and our PORTION! Take a look at all of the things that the Bible says that He is our source of:
- Source of joy (Psalms 43:4 “…God, the source of all my joy”)
- Source of Israel’s life (Psalms 68:26)
- Source of refuge/shelter (Psalms 119:114)
- Source of hope (Psalms 119:114)
- Source of righteousness and strength (Isaiah 45:24)
- Source of peace (Micah 5:5)
- Source of every mercy (2 Corinthians 1:3)
- Source of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:9)
- Source of Spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12:4)
What impacted me is that, if you look at this list, you will find that the items on this list are EXACTLY what is lacking in many aspects of our world and even in many churches (i.e. joy, life, peace, and Spiritual Gifts). Could it be that we have ANOTHER source? A source that is not satisfying us like He would?
John 7:37-38: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink…From his innermost being (womb) will flow rivers of living water”.
What I feel very strongly about is that we are trying to minister to people (“rivers flowing from us”) without having first taken a drink from our Source – Jesus Christ! However, both history and the Bible have awesome examples of how Christ’s influence is supposed to work.
1. May the dust of your Rabbi be upon you
In the time of Jesus, education was HUGE! Rabbi’s (teachers of the law) would train children as young as 5 years old in the ways of the law. At the age of 14, the best of the best took yet another step and approached a Rabbi about becoming His disciple. If after the Rabbi quizzed you and he felt you were good enough, He would say “Come, take my yoke upon you”. At that time, the boy would leave everything (home, mother, father, synogague, community, etc.) and devote His entire life to be like the Rabbi.
One of the quotes that was said of this arrangement in support of it was “May you be covered in the dust of your Rabbi”. You see, Rabbi’s were passionate and animated. They would travel all over with their disciples and the posse would kick up a cloud of dust. Because the disciples were following the Rabbi, at the end of the day, they would actually be covered in the dust of their Rabbi.
That’s what God wants for us – that we would be covered with the dust of our Rabbi – Jesus Christ. To be so close to HIM and being taught and influenced by Him so much that we would be covered with “dust” from His feet.
2. Spirit of Christ dwelling in you / Roman Colonization
Another very telling example we find is in Romans 8:9. When God decided to communicate through Paul the way that He desires to dwell in us, He used an example of Roman colonization.
Romans 8:9 – But you are in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you…”
The word “dwell” in the Greek means ““to occupy a house”. Going deeper, the root of that Greek word refers to ““land, the subjects of the Roman Empire“. When the Spirit of God dwells in us, it’s for a far better purpose than to give us goosebumps. He wants possession of us. The Holy Ghost desires to dwell in us just like the Romans would occupy a land and have control of it’s inhabitants.
When the Romans would conquer a land, they would begin to colonize it. They permeated the culture, the language, the art, the traditions, everthing! – and made it Roman. Likewise, the Lord Jesus Christ desires to dwell in us and colonize our minds, our hearts, our motives until everything in us looks like, smells like, acts like, prays like, heals like, He did!
When the Holy Ghost dwells in us, it’s 
something that won’t just change us, it will change those around us and the generations to come! Britain was invaded by the Romans in 55 B.C. The city of London, England started as a Roman colony called Londinium. What was once a city colonized by the greatest empire the world has seen (Roman Empire) became the capital of the British empire. The British empire went on to be the largest empire in history and was heavily impacted by the Roman empire. The British Empire eventually was responsible for the colonization of what would eventually become the United States of America.
Through the simple colonization of one city by the Romans (Londinium), there is now a very strong country known as the United States of America. If you will allow God to colonize your heart, what spiritual things could be accomplished as a result of YOUR colonization?
If we allow the Holy Spirit to colonize our hearts and minds – we can be instrumental in continuing the e xpansion of His kingdom with His influence and culture being spread into new areas.
Check back soon for Part 3 of this series where we talk about 2 ways that I believe are key to being influenced by God in a greater way.
Influenced to influence – Part I
This was taken from my sermon notes that I used in preaching at Haven of Hope on Sunday, July 12th, 2009:
I believe that God is challenging us to allow Him to influence our lives in a greater way. Then, it’s His plan for us to use that influence from Heaven to influence other people, nations, and the enemy for the glory of God and His Kingdom.
What is influence? One definition I was able to find said:
Influence occurs when an individual’s thoughts or actions are affected by other people. Social influence takes many forms and can be seen in conformity, peer pressure, obedience, leadership, persuasion, sales, and marketing.
For example, have you ever been walking through the grocery store or the mall and by the time you walk out, you are humming or singing a song? At first you think, where did I hear this from? Then you realize that the song must have been playing in the store.
When I was typing this message together, I tried to think of one of the most annoying songs I had ever heard and “Umm Bop” by the Hanson brothers immediately came to my mind. I searching online for a Youtube clip to use during my sermon as an illustration. I decided against it (but still think it would have been hilarious). However, about 10 minutes later, while I was continuing to type out my notes, to my horror I caught myself singing “Umm bop..bop..bop..umm bop”!!!! I was mortified and thankful that the house was empty. I laughed, but it illustrated my point beautifully.
As another example, have you ever hung around someone and start to pick up their catch phrases or accents?
Andy Stanley once said it this way:
Who or what you listen to will ultimately determine what you do.
Whether we intend to or not, we are influenced by the people that we spend time with, the music that we listen to, how we steward our time, etc.
Check back soon for Part 2 of this series where we will talk about how God wants to be our primary source of influence.
Can’t hide your motives
In Matthew Chapter 22 and verses 15 through 22, we find that the Pharisees are up to their old tricks. They want to try to trap Jesus into saying something that will get him arrested by the Roman authorities. So they asked Him:
Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
In the New Living Translation (which is becoming my new favorite), it says that Jesus knew their evil motives. If you read Matthew 22:16, you will find that just prior to their question, they were trying to be MAJOR “teacher’s pets”. They said to Him:
Teacher, we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites.
But Jesus was able to look straight through all the “smoke & mirrors” and look right into their heart at their motives.
My challenge to you today is to be real. Be real to yourself, others, and your God. God is able to see straight through it all. By “be real”, I don’t mean that you know have license to be a pain in the butt just because you happen to be one. What I mean is to be AUTHENTIC. When you talk to God, throw out the King James speak (unless you really talk like that), and speak what is REALLY on your heart – He sees it anyways. When you talk to others, be transparent and be real. Check your motives.
It is impossible to paint God into a corner. When we pray something, He can look right down to the core root of why we are praying that way.
For example, if I were to hear you pray something like “God, I am asking for a sovereign move of your Spirit on the hearts of men and women.”, I might think “Wow, that sounds pretty cool”. But God could look into your heart and see that, what you are really saying is, “God, I am way to afraid to talk to anyone else about you. I just don’t see the point in sharing my faith with others. Please just step in and pour out your Spirit on everyone so that I don’t have to talk to them. That would make me feel better”. Ouch.
God is not nearly impressed with your words as He is impressed with what words are truly flowing from your heart (whether you are speaking them out loud or not).
Check your motives at the door and be real. Authenticity is one of the next levels God is taking His church.
Quote for 7/10/2009
Leonard Ravenhill:
No man is greater than his prayer life.
