A Three Legged Stool

Written  by  Brenda Hale

God has been drawing me into a lifestyle that I have never walked before, the key component to which is prayer. He sat me on a three legged stool and this is my new foundation.  The lowest load-bearing part of any building is its foundation, everything else rests upon it.  With this lifestyle of prayer as our foundation we can carry the load of burdens each of us encounter in daily life.

The first leg is to understand our identity in Christ through His word and use our authority to call upon the name of the Lord and He will hear us.  Jesus gave everyone on earth who puts their faith and trust in Him the authority to use His name in prayer to act on our behalf in any matter.  It’s not easy to make time each day to sit quietly to read God’s word, pray and listen to Him, but things that stretch us make us grow and mature.   It will be life changing.  

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20 esv

The second leg is that He is growing within us a faith to believe that when we ask the Lord for something in prayer He hears and He answers, not necessarily the way we think or want Him to answer, but He answers.  My faith has grown by spending more time in prayer over the last few years.  When you see a prayer answered it fills your heart and gives you the desire to keep praying.  Set aside a special place and time daily and whenever you are idle fill this time with prayer as well for others, for our country and especially for the lost. 

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.   Matthew 6:30-33 esv

The third leg is knowing what to pray.  Call upon the Lord and hear His voice and He will show you what to pray.  Because if we ask of the Lord what to pray and we pray what He tells us to pray that is the most effective prayer of all.  Praying and wanting what the Lord has planned according to His will instead of praying for what I think is best.  Believing that His timing and love for us is perfect, this all comes from filling our minds with the word of God and yes In order to hear the Holy Spirit in us we must quiet our own thoughts and just listen. I call it “melting in my chair” and try to be very still emptying my mind. 

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15 esv

There is a top to this stool that holds the legs together and that’s worship. To come before the Lord in worship knowing that He has called you.  Worship was a piece of cake for me, because I love to sing and can identify with so many of today’s worship songs. Turn on Christian radio in the car to get you started.

I Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the  works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful.   Psalm 111:1-4 esv

One example is the story of Lydia where Timothy joins Paul and Silas at Philippi to preach the gospel. They witnessed the conversion of Lydia and many others were strengthened in the faith which added to their numbers.

And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.   Acts 16:13-15

Authority through identity in Christ, faith to believe He hears us and asking Him what to pray held together with worship.  Sit with the Lord and listen for the Holy Spirit’s direction for your life.

—Additional reading—

Identity and freedom in Christ, Infusion Ministries Knoxville, https://www.infusionnow.org/

Steps to Freedom in Christ:  https://ficm.org/about-us/

Freedom in Christ blog   https://blog.ficm.org/

I welcome your comments and cherish your prayers.  I will also be using blogs from guest writers and sharing the gospel with the hope that all people would find and embrace the love, joy, and peace that Jesus Christ so freely gives through a relationship with Him.

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About me
Brenda Hale lives in Kingston, TN and is a single mom of an awesome young man. Growing up my family was blessed to own a house with seven kids in two bedrooms and lots of bunk beds. We had not heard of Minimalism, but we were living it.
At my day job I use computer drafting to design/draw and then operate a CNC milling machine to modify and make things for our customers. The Lord helps me every day with the challenges and I love my job!
It was a wonderful surprise when I felt a calling to start a nonprofit ministry with two wings: to build small duplexes for the elderly to call home and provide vehicles to allow people to start their own business or to have a ride to work.
I am praying that this blog will encourage you to listen every day so you won’t miss your calling and then to walk with Jesus down the path to your purpose in this life.