Several years ago I was on a personal journey for more of God. I was hungry for a fresh Word. While reading Psalm 139:23-24 one day, I discovered what I call "5 Dangerous Prayers" that have literally revolutionized my relationship with Jesus Christ. I have prayed these prayers every day for the last 20 years and it has been an incredible ride. However, let me warn you...these prayers are dangerous! They will mess you up! I say that in the "best" of ways. At the end of the day these prayers will produce a fully sanctified and surrendered life.
DANGEROUS PRAYER #1: Search Me
Picture yourself going to the doctor and getting on the examination table. You put yourself in a vulnerable position where the doctor can perform the examination. You give up control, privacy, etc. It can actually be an uncomfortable experience. Would you be willing to get on God's examination table and say, "I give you permission to search every area of my heart, mind and soul?"
DANGEROUS PRAYER #2: Break Me
I must confess when I first prayed these prayers my attitude was cavalier at best: "Go ahead God...search me...I think I'm doing pretty good. I've grown up in the Holiness Movement. I know how to do church the RIGHT way!" I had no idea what I was in store for. I started praying these prayers and God started breaking me of what I will call for lack of a better term, "spiritual pride." I began to realize new growth comes when old habits and attitudes are broken. To say it even stronger...there is room for repentance even in the saved and sanctified life.
DANGEROUS PRAYER #3: Stretch Me
When I first began praying these prayers God led me out of a very comfortable pastorate into a cutting edge multi-cultural church that forever changed my perspective of ministry. Hymn books were replaced by Hillsong, suits and ties were now shorts and tee shirts, and testimonies changed from "I've been saved and sanctified for 50 years," to one innocent but enthusiastic biker who shouted from the altar to a packed congregation, "this is the greatest day of my life...God just saved the Hell out of me this morning!" Was I ever being stretched out of my comfort zone! I had the privilege of baptizing 50 new converts one Sunday. Three women approached the baptistry in two piece bathing suits! I got all mixed up. I'm thinking to myself "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit," what am I going to hold on to! We got on the phone in the church office on Monday morning and ordered baptismal robes. That took care of that problem. Watch out when you pray these prayers.
They're dangerous!
DANGEROUS PRAYER #4: Lead Me
King David prayed "lead me in the way everlasting." For the past twenty years I have prayed that God would daily lead me out of my comfort and safety zones into a life of radical obedience. After serving the church as a pastor for many years, God called me into a fulltime itinerant ministry of evangelism. I tried to reason with God about this...it's not 1950, most churches do not have revival meetings anymore, we will starve to death! I ran the numbers on the calculator and they did not add up, but I kept praying these prayers. Lead me Lord...I'll follow. We took this huge step of faith and left the security of a great church that was taking wonderful care of me and my family and we found that when you trust and obey, God always provides. For the past 10 years I have averaged preaching 45 evangelistic meetings a year here in America and abroad. What I'm saying is that you can trust God with your life.
DANGEROUS PRAYER #5: Use Me
When all is said and done, has your life counted for the Kingdom's sake? The mantra of this world is "he who has the most toys at the end wins." My prayer for you today is that God would deliver us from the wisdom and ways of this world and that we would be willing to live fully surrendered lives that say "I am available today God...lead me to the person who needs you most and use me to be a winning witness."
Would you be courageous enough to pray these five prayers every day? Remember the disclaimer...the fine print...they are dangerous, but they have the potential to radically revolutionize your life. May God bless you as you start the adventure.
