◆ “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.”—John 12:27 ◆   Every time I take inventory of Jesus’ final days, I can’t help but notice his desperate prayers. There’s even that moment when Jesus questions why God has left him: “My

◆ “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”—2 Corinthians 10:4 ◆   This week I’ve asked a good friend of mine Jonathan Pokluda (JP) to share a prayer guide on the wild world of spiritual warfare. I think you’ll enjoy his words . . .

◆ You do not have, because you do not ask.—James 4:2 ◆   Have you ever thought it strange that Jesus tells us not to waste words because our Father in heaven knows what we need before we ask (Matt. 6:7–8), but then a chapter later suggests we should ask, seek, and knock through prayer (Matt. 7:7)?  For this prayer

◆ You do not have, because you do not ask.—James 4:2 ◆   Have you ever thought it strange that Jesus tells us not to waste words because our Father in heaven knows what we need before we ask (Matt. 6:7–8), but then a chapter later suggests we should ask, seek, and knock through prayer (Matt. 7:7)?  For this prayer

◆ I have looked back to times of trial with a kind of longing, not to have them return, but to feel the strength of God as I have felt it then. —Charles Spurgeon ◆   I love hearing stories about how The Lord’s Prayer is becoming more real as we engage it as a framework to explore rather than

◆ “Obsession with self . . . is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God.“ — Romans 8 MSG ◆   I hope you are well. This week I want to pick up where we ended last time. A