Ken Lovelace Ministries


TAKING GOD'S NAME IN VAIN by Lygia Lovelace Sometimes when I am seeking to correct my preschoolers, they won't look at me. Have you ever had that experience? I may be standing right in front of them, kneeling down to their eye level, but they are looking elsewhere. They are distracted, not focusing on my authority! They don't care about gaining wisdom from my words, they just want to move on to the next activity! It's disrespectful! And so, I insist that they look me in the eye, and even at times repeat what I have said. I have been pondering the fact that when I become distracted before God in my prayer time, I am not focusing on Him, and I am not respectful of His authority! In fact, I am not as interested in gaining wisdom as I am in focusing on my own thoughts. When I am distracted before a Holy God -- calling on Him in prayer, and then allowing my thoughts to wander -- I feel I am actually taking God's name, in vain. Over the past few weeks, Ken and I have been on a journey of prayer. Confessing the sin of prayerlessness, we have begun devoting large chunks of time in conversation before the Heavenly Father. I don't tell you this pridefully -- on the contrary, Ken will agree with me when I say that this is something we should have done long ago. We are ashamed that it has taken us so long...and yet, perhaps this growth spurt has come about as a result of the long year we've had of completely having nothing, and totally depending on God for our every need. Oh, we prayed before now. In fact, it was several years ago that God specifically called me to become more serious about prayer. And little by little God has been teaching me the importance of prayer and the power of purity before Him. But now, we have decided that significant early morning hours are meant to be spent, not in the bed, but in prayer before Him, and we've become quite serious about it. I've learned that I'd rather be sleepy than prayerless. Sleep-deprivation is definitely better than God-deprivation! Though we often pray together throughout the day, these hours of time we've set aside each morning to pray is not a time that Ken and I kneel together. We each go to our separate places. Weekly, we provide each other with a prayer request sheet that we have written -- showing each other what is truly on our hearts. It's early. Many times I am sleepy and have to force myself awake. So, until I am awake and it's "safe to sit", I walk around, Bible in hand. That's how I stay focused. I don't want to become distracted. I don't want to pray to God in Jesus' name...vainly! The problem is...when I begin seeking God more deeply -- when I begin approaching His throne more boldly, then I have picked a fight with the enemy. Satan does not want me to pray. He knows that when we become powerful in prayer through Jesus Christ, then he becomes powerless. At the present time, these past few weeks, I have been reading straight through the New Testament. Reading about Jesus' life in each of the Gospels while I pray has given me reason to praise God! I bow in confession as I read the convicting words of the Messiah! I thank Him as I realize that He never leaves me nor forsakes me. And my requests before Him are more God-centered when I am praying through His Word. Yet there are still times when Satan seeks to distract me. Why is this so hard? After all, I was able to focus on Algebra when I was a student -- even though I didn't like it! And I LOVE praying and spending time with God... Why is this so different? Why is this so hard? Because Satan doesn't care about algebra. He hates God. He wants to destroy our relationship with Him, so... ...as I'm reading and praying, thoughts will enter my mind, like... "Let's see...what is my schedule for today...oh! I have to run that errand..." "I should go and remind Ken. I'll bet he forgot to call..." "Hmmm...the dryer needs to be re-started, I remember the clothes were damp when I went to bed..." During these times of temptation, I have learned to keep a sheet of paper and a pen next to me. When I think of these distractions, I write them down, to be read later. Then, I can forget about them and stay focused, so that I won't be praying in vain. When will this prayer journey end? After feasting in His presence, though it's very early in the morning, we will never go back. In fact, we will seek to increase our time... Though we can speak to God all day long, in the midst of our activities, I never want to lose this focus of prayer -- in the quiet early morning hours. Pray about praying. Oh, how He longs to spend more time with you.

TAKING GOD'S NAME IN VAIN
by Lygia Lovelace

Sometimes when I am seeking to correct my preschoolers, they won't look at me.

Have you ever had that experience?

I may be standing right in front of them, kneeling down to their eye level, but they are looking elsewhere. They are distracted, not focusing on my authority! They don't care about gaining wisdom from my words, they just want to move on to the next activity!

It's disrespectful! And so, I insist that they look me in the eye, and even at times repeat what I have said.

I have been pondering the fact that when I become distracted before God in my prayer time, I am not focusing on Him, and I am not respectful of His authority! In fact, I am not as interested in gaining wisdom as I am in focusing on my own thoughts. When I am distracted before a Holy God -- calling on Him in prayer, and then allowing my thoughts to wander -- I feel I am actually taking God's name, in vain.

Over the past few weeks, Ken and I have been on a journey of prayer. Confessing the sin of prayerlessness, we have begun devoting large chunks of time in conversation before the Heavenly Father. I don't tell you this pridefully -- on the contrary, Ken will agree with me when I say that this is something we should have done long ago. We are ashamed that it has taken us so long...and yet, perhaps this growth spurt has come about as a result of the long year we've had of completely having nothing, and totally depending on God for our every need.

Oh, we prayed before now. In fact, it was several years ago that God specifically called me to become more serious about prayer. And little by little God has been teaching me the importance of prayer and the power of purity before Him. But now, we have decided that significant early morning hours are meant to be spent, not in the bed, but in prayer before Him, and we've become quite serious about it. I've learned that I'd rather be sleepy than prayerless. Sleep-deprivation is definitely better than God-deprivation!

Though we often pray together throughout the day, these hours of time we've set aside each morning to pray is not a time that Ken and I kneel together. We each go to our separate places. Weekly, we provide each other with a prayer request sheet that we have written -- showing each other what is truly on our hearts. It's early. Many times I am sleepy and have to force myself awake. So, until I am awake and it's "safe to sit", I walk around, Bible in hand.

That's how I stay focused. I don't want to become distracted. I don't want to pray to God in Jesus' name...vainly!

The problem is...when I begin seeking God more deeply -- when I begin approaching His throne more boldly, then I have picked a fight with the enemy. Satan does not want me to pray. He knows that when we become powerful in prayer through Jesus Christ, then he becomes powerless.

At the present time, these past few weeks, I have been reading straight through the New Testament. Reading about Jesus' life in each of the Gospels while I pray has given me reason to praise God! I bow in confession as I read the convicting words of the Messiah!

I thank Him as I realize that He never leaves me nor forsakes me.

And my requests before Him are more God-centered when I am praying through His Word.

Yet there are still times when Satan seeks to distract me. Why is this so hard? After all, I was able to focus on Algebra when I was a student -- even though I didn't like it! And I LOVE praying and spending time with God...

Why is this so different? Why is this so hard?

Because Satan doesn't care about algebra. He hates God. He wants to destroy our relationship with Him, so...

...as I'm reading and praying, thoughts will enter my mind, like...

"Let's see...what is my schedule for today...oh! I have to run that errand..."

"I should go and remind Ken. I'll bet he forgot to call..."

"Hmmm...the dryer needs to be re-started, I remember the clothes were damp when I went to bed..."

During these times of temptation, I have learned to keep a sheet of paper and a pen next to me. When I think of these distractions, I write them down, to be read later. Then, I can forget about them and stay focused, so that I won't be praying in vain.

When will this prayer journey end? After feasting in His presence, though it's very early in the morning, we will never go back. In fact, we will seek to increase our time...

Though we can speak to God all day long, in the midst of our activities, I never want to lose this focus of prayer -- in the quiet early morning hours.

Pray about praying. Oh, how He longs to spend more time with you.