The Way Matt Sees It

I’ve been doing the 40 Day Prayer Journey the past few weeks, and recently I had a thought. Sometimes, our prayers consist of empty words and half-hearted fluff to God.  Of course we want Him to move in those situations, but we don’t pray like we actually expect Him to.  And that’s why God may give us a “Faith Booster.” Showing Off For a few weeks, I have been stressing about my summer job.  I need to make more money and work more hours this summer.  I had no idea how it would fit in with my internship, going back to school early, etc.  But by Day 5 , God already made a provision!  Not only did He completely work out my summer job, but I also made extra money that week, and received a free $50 visa gift card!  It was like God was showing off! This happened for Rebecca too.  Her dad has been out of a job for months, and she had occasionally been praying half-heartedly about it.  After getting halfway thro...

There are some people in my life whose perspectives shift at the drop of a hat.  They are sold out on one set of beliefs, and can defend it intelligently and legitimately, but a few months later can be in a total opposite point of view, defending it with the same amount of passion!  While they might justify it by saying they are “ open-minded ,” there comes a point when it is simply “ wishy-washy-ness .” In our country, being “open-minded” and having a new perspective is the thing to do; being close-minded is backwards and offensive.  I agree wholeheartedly with this.  However, I think we can only experience a true “ perspective shift ” when we seek God . Reality Redefined Someone once said, “Every time we enter the presence of God, it redefines our reality.”  When sin entered the world, reality itself was distorted (Gen. 3:17).  But even though the world was stained with sin, we still have a longing to experience this “ pe...

Starting this Wednesday, February 13, 2013, I am going to start a 40-day prayer challenge.  Valley Forge Christian College is doing this, along with reading Mark Batterson’s sequel to The Circle Maker called “Draw The Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge.”  Mark Batterson’s church in Washington, DC will be participating, and probably other churches as well. It’s going to be really cool knowing that thousands of other people are doing it together, from Lent until Easter 2013.  Who knows what God will do?  I’m excited, but also nervous.  I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of anything this big before.  But I know that awesome things are about to go down. The beginning of 2013 for me was not fantastic in terms of me spending time with God.  I’ve only recently gotten myself back into a daily quiet time (and let me say, it feels great).  But the goal of this prayer challenge is that I will still be praying on Day 41.  I...

In college, I’ve heard a lot about resumes.  I had to make my own last semester.  You need a resume to get a job; without it, people will not know what you have done, your skillset or why they should hire you.  Resumes are key to moving up in the world! Now before we go on, I’d like to define two terms here. Human Doing vs. Human Being A Human Doing , as it implies, is simply doing , while a Human Being , as it implies, is simply being .  A Human Doing works, gets the job done, and appears to have specific qualities, but does not actually personify them.  A Human Being embodies the qualities that they are doing. Where am I taking this?  Humility .  I feel like God has recently put this on my heart.  Are you being humble, or just “ doing humility”?  There’s a huge difference. Resume of Humility A Human Doing , someone who just does the humble thing rather than actually being humble, serves just becau...

One time a few years ago I was praying for a Muslim named Ron I met on the streets of NYC.  It was really cool because he actually asked my friend and I to pray for him.  It was one of the amazing times when the Holy Spirit began to take hold of my prayer, and something was uttered that I will never forget: Jesus did not forget Ron’s name on the cross. “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us,” -Augustine I’m not sure if you might be struggling with God’s love for you, but know this: Jesus did not forget your name when He was on the cross.  YOU are the one He went to the cross for. Sometimes when we hear, “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16) “world” sounds kind of impersonal in a way.  But this is as personal as it gets!  Jesus thought of you when He died on the cross.  Your name.  You are what He thought of that kept Him going.  The thought of saving you is what kep...