“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).

One day Jesus was praying…

This wasn’t an one-off occasion. Jesus regularly prayed. So much so that the disciples noticed a major difference in Jesus before and after Jesus spent time in prayer. The disciples wanted to know how to pray like Jesus.

Today’s reflection is short. I’ll get right to the point.

IF JESUS NEEDED TO PRAY, DON’T YOU THINK YOU NEED TO PRAY?

So, do it right now. Talk to God. Seek God’s will.

Pray.

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21).

What is the context in which Job said this?

“One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, ‘The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!’

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, ‘The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!’

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, ‘The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!’

While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, ‘Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!'”

That’s a bad, bad day.

Job had been a very wealthy man. In one day, Job lost everything.

What do you do when you’ve lost everything?

You pray.

That’s the context in which Job declared, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”

Wow!

Job teaches us something very important about prayer: prayer is not about our circumstances or about us. Prayer is all about who God is.

When Job had everything, Job prayed. When Job had nothing, Job prayed.

We pray because of who God is. Prayer’s focus is not our circumstances, but who God is. And once we “see” God we are able to begin seeing everything as they really are.

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist” (1 John 4:1-3).

Don’t just take my word for it. Test what you hear from the pulpit against the truth of God’s word.

Don’t just take what the church teaches. Test the teaching of any particular church against the word of God.

Not all teaching is true. Not all teaching is from God.

How can you tell? Test it against the word of God.

The standard is the word of God. That’s the standard by which we regard everything else. There are false prophets. There have always been false prophets.

How can you tell? It has everything to do with Jesus. Every spirit, prophet, preacher, or church that does not acknowledge Jesus is from God is a false teacher. Why is this so important? Because if Jesus is from God then Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. And if Jesus is God, creatures obey.

When we read the Bible, there will be sections that will offend modern sensibilities. And if Jesus is God, then what needs to change is not God’s truth, but our sensibilities. When we are offended by the teachings of the Bible, we do not adjust the Bible to fit our modern sensibilities, it’s our modern sensibilities that need to adjust to the truth of God’s word.

That’s why “acknowledge Jesus is from God” absolutely matters

Toby Mac said it like this: “Satan’s target is your mind and his weapons are his lies. So fill your mind with God’s word.”

That’s pretty good advice. Not all teachings are valid. Not all churches proclaim Jesus as Lord. Test the teachings against the word of God.