God Does All Things Well

'Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.' ~ Jeremiah 32:17

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
John 2:1-10

I have struggled with many fundamental truths about God's nature, particularly having to do with God's specific, individual, love and care for me. It doesn't make any sense to me right now that I ever doubted that His intentions towards me were for good and not for evil (even after I knew the popular Bible verse recorded in Jeremiah 29:11-13), but because I didn't know Him much at all, it all boiled down to a lack of trust in Him. From this single deficit, almost every other aspect of my life has at some time been negatively influenced because of poor decisions I made while trying to figure out what was best for myself. And this was despite some prayers, and despite some knowledge of Scripture. Until I really came to believe that God was for me and not against me; that God wanted the best for me and cared about the details of my life; and that God really is a good God, I continued to say I trusted God with many things but never totally released them to Him or accepted His will.

The popular story of Jesus' first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee took on whole new meaning for me recently when the Holy Spirit illuminated a single simple truth as a reminder that God can be trusted to act on our behalf. So perfect are His works, and so high above our ways are His ways, that the wine He makes from only water makes man's best appear to be nothing more than inferior, cheap wine!

This marvelous truth reminded me of another Scripture verse which says that "The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:25).

Is it any wonder then that those who wait for God don't ever wind up ashamed (see Psalms 25:3; Isaiah 49:23; Psalm 37)?

What are you hoping in God for? What are you waiting on God for? Let God be the One who determines the path you should take and trust His timing. Just like Mary exhorted the servants, and just as they also did, only be diligent to do whatever the Lord says to you. His heart is for you, He does all things well, and His ways are perfect (Psalm 18:30; Deut. 32:4; 2 Samuel 22:31)!

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Romans 8:32

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A Harsh Word, Harshly Said

This little poem really resonates with me lately. I have been on the receiving end of harsh words from people that I held dear. I also know I have been unwise and hurtful in my own words at different times with various others. There really is no "undo" button for the words we speak and I think this little poem packs a punch rooted in Biblical wisdom. We would all do well to take it to heart.

One day a harsh word, harshly said,

Upon an evil journey sped.

And like a sharp and cruel dart,

It pierced a fond and loving heart.

It turned a friend into a foe,

And everywhere brought pain and woe.

A kind word followed it one day,

Sped swiftly on its blessed way.

It healed the wound and soothed the pain,

And friends of old were friends again.

It made the hate and anger cease,

And everywhere brought joy and peace.

And yet the harsh word left a trace,

The kind word could not efface.

And though the heart its love regained,

It left a scar that long remained.

Friends can forgive but not forget,

Nor lose the sense of keen regret.

Oh, if we would but learn to know,

How swift and sure our words can go.

How we would weigh with utmost care,

Each thought before it reached the air.

And only speak the words that move,

Like white-winged messengers of love.

Selected (no author noted) from How To Be An Up Person In A Down World by Honor Books Inc, 1998, p. 129

Excuses For Not Attending Church

Everybody has a good excuse for not attending church. If you take those excuses and apply them to other things we do (or don't do), like eating, they might look like this list:

1. I was forced to eat as a child.

2. People who eat all the time are hypocrites; they aren't really hungry.

3. There are so many different kinds of food, I can't decide what to eat.

4. I used to eat, but I got bored and stopped.

5. I only eat on special occasions, like Christmas and Easter.

6. None of my friends will eat with me.

7. I'll start eating when I get older.

8. I don't really have time to eat.

9. I don't believe that eating does anybody any good. It's just a crutch.

10. Restaurants and grocery stores are only after your money.

[Author Unknown]

When You Have To Start Over

Many who will read this are in the process of having to start over right now. Not the kind of fresh start where you step out toward dreams bright eyed and full of wonder, but you are starting over because life has taken an unexpected turn and you must start over. Things haven't turned out as you planned. The ending was wrong, or it was too soon. A life-changing diagnosis or disability, the death of a spouse or child, the loss of a career; the end of a friendship or relationship. The things that provoke "Why?" and "Why me?" questions, and almost never have answers. Starting over is necessary in these cases, but it is left up to each person how they will start over. Your responses, reactions, and your trust in God make all the difference at this point. You can become bitter and disillusioned, or you can decide to trust God one step at a time, grieving, healing, and hoping in Him.

Every Christian will encounter a lot of hardship and trials in this life. Your actions and attitudes must be deeply rooted upon the commands and promises of the word of God so as not to be overcome by the storms that will beat against you. Jesus said,

Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
Luke 6:47-49

The Christian who has experienced the sudden, the unthinkable, the crushing of hopes and plans and dreams, is in a position to grasp that there is nothing lasting outside of a relationship with God. The failure of our best plans can move us to radically surrender our lives with total abandon to whatever the will of God will decide next. It is for times like these that the promises of God are given to you as a life buoy:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?...No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35,37-39, NLT

The promises are given, and they are sure. But we must believe them if we are to start over well, and see God do what is impossible for us, bringing victory out of trial. Even in hardships permitted, there is an end intended by the Lord. He has a plan to turn that thing for His glory and your good. If you will trust Him and continue to obey, He will make the whole of your life bring praise to the glory of His grace. Job's excruciating trial detailed in 42 chapters let us know that God is not unfeeling towards the suffering of His servants. This trial was not the end of his story but brought a new start. It brought renown to God, a witness to others from Job's life more than ever before, and deepened Job's knowledge, fear, and love of God.

My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
James 5:10-11

The Scriptures record outlines of various lives that were thrust into a whirlwind of the unplanned and unexpected. Take courage from the word of God as you read these stories including that of Noah, Job, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, David, Esther, Daniel and others.

All these things happened to them as examples for others, and they were written down as a warning for us. For we live at a time when the end is about to come. If you think you are standing firm you had better be careful that you do not fall. Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.
1 Corinthians 10:11-13,GNT

God is not finished with you. Go to His word and get new strength and vision. Trust in Him who loves you.

Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me? 

Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him 

For the help of His countenance.

O my God, my soul is cast down within me;

Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, 

And from the heights of Hermon, 

From the Hill Mizar.

Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;

All Your waves and billows have gone over me.

The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,

And in the night His song shall be with me— 

A prayer to the God of my life.

Psalm 42:5-8

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Kids Say The Funniest Things!

A Sunday school teacher asked her class, "What was Jesus' mother's name?" One child answered, "Mary." The teacher then asked, "Who knows what Jesus' father's name was?" A little kid said, "Verge." Confused, the teacher asked, "Where did you get that?" The kid said, "Well, you know they are always talking about Verge n' Mary.''

3 -year-old, Reese: "Our Father, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His name. Amen."

A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, ! if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."

A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments. They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and quoted, "Thou shall not take the covers off the neighbor's wife."

After the christening of his baby brother in church, Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I wanted to stay with you guys."

I had been teaching my three-year old daughter, Caitlin, the Lord's Prayer for several evenings at bedtime, she would repeat after me the lines from the prayer. Finally, she decided to go solo. I listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word right up to the end of the prayer: "Lead us not into temptation," she prayed, "but deliver us some E-mail.

One particular four-year-old prayed, "And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets."

A Sunday school teacher asked her children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One bright little girl replied,"Because people are
sleeping."

Six-year-old Angie and her four-year-old brother Joel were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked.
Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers."

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5 and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus!"

A father was at the beach with his children when the four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore where a seagull lay dead in the sand. "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked. "He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied. The boy thought a moment and then said, "Did God throw him back down?"

A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"

Far Above Rubies

‎"Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the LORD...Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies." (Proverbs 19:4; 31:10)

Scripture is clear that a man cannot truly 'find' a virtuous or prudent wife on his own. When his paths cross with such a woman and he obtains her, he has 'found' her because God has done it - whether he was aware of God's working or not. She is a gift of God's favor to him, a helper so that he can accomplish all the plans that God has for his own life, and will do him good and not evil all the days of his life (Prov. 31:12).

Married Women:
Make knowing God and being conformed to Christ your highest priority.
You will bring great glory to God directly and through your husband. Your godly virtue continually sends the message that your entrance into your husband's life was no chance meeting, but a gift of God's favor to him.

Single Women:
Make knowing God and being conformed to Christ your highest priority.
Your worth is far above that of precious stones in a culture that promotes superficiality and cheap thrills. As you walk with God you will be a blessing to many. And according to the wisdom of God's will, and the desires of your heart, you will be a prepared helper and companion for a truly godly man, not given lightly by the Lord, at the appointed time.  Facebook
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Letters To The Pastor [A Bit-O-Humor]

Dear Pastor, I know God loves everybody but He never met my sister.
Yours sincerely, Arnold. Age 8, Nashville.

Dear Pastor, My father should be a minister. Every day he gives us a sermon about something.
Robert, Age 11, Anderson.

Dear Pastor, I'm sorry I can't leave more money in the plate, but my father didn't give me a raise in my allowance. Could you have a sermon about a raise in my allowance?
Love, Patty. Age 10, New Haven

Dear Pastor, My mother is very religious. She goes to play bingo at church every week even if she has a cold. Yours truly,
Annette. Age 9, Albany

Dear Pastor, I think a lot more people would come to your church if you moved it to Disneyland.
Loreen. Age 9. Tacoma

Dear Pastor, Please say a prayer for our Little League team. We need God's help or a new pitcher.
Thank you.
Alexander. Age 10, Raleigh

Dear Pastor, My father says I should learn the Ten Commandments. But I don't think I want to because we have enough rules already in my house.
Joshua. Age 10, South Pasadena

Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon on Sunday. Especially when it was finished.
Ralph, Age 11, Akron

Be Wary Of The Wicked

Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.

Isaiah 3:11

The Bible contains over 300 references to wicked people and the wicked one altogether. Jesus also told many parables in which he made reference to wicked people and the outcome of their actions. The Proverbs tell us that the sacrifices, ways, and thoughts of wicked people are an abomination to God (Proverbs 15:8,9,26), and 1 Peter 3:12 tells us that the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

It can be argued that every person apart from Christ is wicked, for this is the nature of unregenerate man. But in everyday life, we see clearly that among the unsaved, there are those whose lives stand out for the fact that they take a special delight in doing wicked things, particularly when it comes to blaspheming God, harming others, and standing against God's truth. I am referring to those whose hearts are hardened and whose tastes for evil are continually indulged without the pinpricks of conscience. They reject God's truth and serve only themselves, pursuing their selfish lusts and seeking to entice others.

The gospel must be preached to the wicked, because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to those who will believe (Romans 1:16), but believers are certainly not to fellowship with the wicked. Sometimes a believer deceives self into thinking that such fellowship will amount to an evangelistic or missionary effort. I have seen this happen in the real world and even online. Communicating the gospel, or teaching the truth is by no means the equivalent of communion and fellowship. The unsaved should find believers of Jesus Christ to be compassionate, humble, and patient - full of genuine goodness, but can never find a true Christian to be a "kindred spirit". If this were the case, something is very wrong about the Christian's walk with God and inner life - regardless of what is presented on the outside.

The Scriptures contain examples of various wicked people in both the Old and New Testaments. Here is a brief look at just three New Testament examples of people who enjoyed their wickedness and hated the truth:

Herodias (Matt. 14:3-11; Mark 6:17-28; Luke 3:19)
Herodias was the wife of Herod Philip I. She left her husband and entered an adulterous marriage with her husband's brother, Herod Antipas. When John the Baptist confronted Herod Antipas about this unlawful marriage, it was Herodias whose ire was greatly stoked and she wanted to have him killed. In fact, "Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly"(Mark 6:20). Finally, upon a hasty oath that was made by Herod to Herodias' daughter when she pleased him and his guests with a dance, Herodias found a way to get rid of John the Baptist. She instructed her daughter to ask Herod for the head of John the Baptist immediately as her reward. Although Herod was sorry, he had made an oath before many guests and had the murder of John the Baptist carried out immediately.

Elymas the sorcerer (or Bar-Jesus a false prophet) (Acts 13:6-12)
This Jewish false prophet had attached himself to the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, perhaps as a counselor. The proconsul called for the apostles Barnabas and Saul "and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith." Again, we see that this wicked man hated the truth. Not only would he reject it personally, but he also sought to stand in the way of others who might believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.
"Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?" (vs. 9-10)
God executed a divine judgment of blindness upon this sorcerer immediately which, despite all his wicked efforts to prevent the proconsul from turning to Christ, became the very means of persuading him of the truth of the gospel.

Jezebel (Revelation 2:20-23)
The Lord Jesus sent a message by the apostle John to the church at Thyatira (which seemed to be a model church in love, works, and faith), rebuking them for permitting a false prophetess to seduce many with her teachings into sexual immorality and idolatry.
"Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent"
This woman not only rejected truth and enjoyed her sin, but also taught and seduced others to do the same. God's mercy was available and she rejected it.

Believers in Christ are God's sheep and Christ is the great Shepherd (Heb. 11:20). The enemies of God who give themselves to do evil can be likened to goats (Matt. 25:31-46). These are the wicked who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ and are reserved for judgment and punishment. Sheep and goats can often be found in the same fold. David cried out in many of his Psalms for deliverance from wicked men. Christ exhorts us to be "wise as serpents but gentle as doves"(Matt. 10:16). Paul requested prayers "that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith"(2 Thess. 3:1-2) and in another letter he reported that Alexander the coppersmith had done him much evil (2 Tim. 4:14).

The purpose of this post is to remind you that there are wicked people who are real enemies to your faith, and who can do you and your cause great harm, spiritually and otherwise. I believe it is an error to assume that people are 'basically good'. Many of the unsaved persons we meet are deceived and mean well in various deeds they undertake. But there are many others who are violent enemies of the truth. These are aware and willing agents of satan to entice or seduce believers into sin, or to hinder the work of God. In sharing the gospel of Christ, remember to be wise and discerning about how you relate to the unsaved.

Jesus Is (Still) Willing

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.
Mark 1:40-42

In the times of the Bible being pronounced as a leper was a life changing event, for the worse. Apart from the physical affliction, degeneration, and handicap that could result, one would be cut off immediately from one's family and friends, from making a living in society, from attending public worship gatherings and any other vestige of a once-normal life [see here for a synopsis of this topic in the bible; see here for a few pictures - may be graphic]. One was even required to cry out, 'Unclean, unclean' when approached by anyone (Lev. 13:45). Many scholars now believe that biblical leprosy comprised a variety of contagious infections, but whatever the case, it is clear that at that time no cure could be provided by man. The lot of the leper was generally that of perpetual rejection, ostracism, and shame.

The plight of this leper recorded in the gospel of Mark was dire. He was afflicted with something that no man could cure. He had heard of a man who preached and taught with authority, commanded demons, and healed various diseases. And perhaps he had even heard of the disposition of this Man, that He was humble, compassionate, patient, upright, not reproaching the sinner or scornful. And the leper put his faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

The leper came with humility (imploring, kneeling, saying if You are willing) and faith (You can make me clean). Jesus was moved with compassion. How often in the gospels we see (and read) that Jesus was moved with compassion at the need and weakness of man. I imagine Christ's heart was broken by this man's plight. Jesus who perceived the heart and thoughts of the wicked Scribes and Pharisees, must have also perceived the record of rejection, abandonment, pain and loss in this leper's life, and the near hopelessness of being bound by an infirmity for which he could not obtain a cure.

Read that Scripture again and notice the order of events. Jesus met the leper's humility and faith with a heart of compassion. Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him. Then Jesus spoke a word of reassurance (I am willing), and a word of command (be cleansed). And "as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed" (vs. 42).

Jesus Christ, "the same yesterday, and today, and for ever", has not changed (Heb. 13:8). Jesus' heart is still filled with compassion towards the person who is suffering under the bondage of sin, or its effects. And He is not afraid to touch you whatever the disease or fallout looks like. He is still willing. And he will still heal those who come with humility and faith.

Many give up or stop short if their miracle is not immediate. We do not often consider how many prayers this leper must have prayed before today...The same can be said of the woman with the issue of blood for twelve long years, who only worsened. Or the man in the synagogue with the withered hand. Or the man born blind. Or the paralytic on the mat who had already been that way a long time. Or the daughter of Abraham who had been bound by a spirit by infirmity that caused her body to be doubled over for many years. Or the deaf and dumb mutes and the many demon-possessed...The disciples' gospels hint at their stories. These all suffered for various lengths of time. I am certain that prayer would have been offered to God on their behalf by family members, and some would have made supplications to God many times for themselves - long before Jesus of Nazareth appeared, teaching, preaching, and healing.

What is the lesson for us? If you are afflicted by a disease of the body, soul, or spirit; if you need transformation from the inside out; and if you still have a will to be free, a desire to be cleansed, Jesus is still willing. He is the only One who can cure your condition and make you free indeed (John 8:36). Do not cease to "cry out all the more" as blind Bartimaeus did, (although many rebuked him and warned him to be quiet [Mark 10:46-52]). Jesus Christ still has a heart of compassion for you. Remain humble, persistent, and nurture your faith in Him.

Recognize and Resist Stumbling Blocks

From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Matthew 16:21-23

As I was recently pondering the statement Jesus made in Verse 23 I saw just how much it applies to us today. The word used as 'satan' in verse 23 comes from the Hebrew word which means "opponent" or "adversary". The word that is translated "offence" describes a snare or trap. It literally comes from the word which describes the trap stick that would be used to ensnare an animal when hunting. In other words, an offence is something which causes us to fall or stumble into sin unsuspectingly, or under the guise of something else. And the word given as "mindful" has to do with setting the mind and affections on something, with regard to disposition, concern, or obedience.

Peter was attempting to persuade Jesus to take a course of action that was contrary to God's will for His life. He did so because he was seeking worldly things that pertain to man (perhaps earthly rule, kingdom and status) and this was opposed to the will of God for Jesus' life. Jesus' rebuke makes it clear that this was no slight matter. If we would look at the situation above with our human reasoning we may think that Jesus over-reacted. But we know that He didn't over-react and that this incident is in Scripture because it conveys something which is important for us to know and understand. Traps on our path may involve some very obvious people and things, as well as other more veiled and insidious plots, but all of them lead us into destruction - always leading us out of the will of God. We must be careful to separate ourselves from any thing or person leading, enticing, or counseling us contrary to the will of God.

There is danger in giving our ear and time to listening to counsel that is contrary to God's will, and perhaps more so when it comes through a friendly vessel, someone we trust or have a relationship with. The Scripture speaks of having "ears to hear what the Spirit says (Matt. 11:15, Rev. 2:29)" and warns against "giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Tim 4:1)". Yes, it matters greatly what our ears hear and give heed to. What we hear can have such an effect as to cause us to stray from the path of God's will, either by misleading us or enticing us to rebellion by doing things our own way.

In a time when everyone seems to have an opinion and wants to be heard, or wants to give their free advice, we are bound to have acquaintances who may well be the ones to set these stumbling blocks in our way. If this is the case, we should interrupt those who are giving their advice or opinions contrary to the will of God and not allow them to continue. We do not have to be mean, but we cannot afford to be politically correct and tolerant of something that is dangerous to our spirit and soul. Christ didn't. We must let Jesus be our example in recognizing and resisting such stumbling blocks because these are obstacles on the narrow path that leads to eternal life.

Valuing Time in this Final Countdown

To realize

The value of a sister/brother

Ask someone

Who doesn't have one.

To realize

The value of ten years:

Ask a newly

Divorced couple.

To realize

The value of four years:

Ask a graduate.

To realize

The value of one year:

Ask a student who

Has failed a final exam. 

To realize

The value of nine months:

Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize

The value of one month:

Ask a mother

Who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realize

The value of one week:

Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize

The value of one minute:

Ask a person

Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize

The value of one-second:

Ask a person

Who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.

I got this little poem in an email forwarded to me. This is something worth pondering, especially the parts about valuing time...Every day as I catch the world news I see the prophecies of God's word being played out. I have been thinking about all of this a lot. And this, knowing the season, that already it is time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed (Romans 13:11). Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door (Mark 13:29).

And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
Revelation 22:10-15

Apply Biblical Wisdom to Relationships

There is simple biblically inspired wisdom that can help us to nurture the close relationships that God has ordained for our life. As believers in Christ we probably all know that we'll enter our eternal home with full recognition of those we formed relationships with on earth who are also there with us. A few months back it became really, astoundingly, clear to me that our relationships are all that we'll take with us into eternity. Of course, even if we didn't know anyone on earth who is in heaven (I doubt that would be the case) we'll still be loved and welcomed into joyful fellowship, but wouldn't it be extra special if we had a lot of people to welcome us based on recognition, to catch up with, and to continue having fellowship with? We need other Christians here on earth. Christ has made us members of one body and without the other parts we will be dreadfully crippled. Furthermore our adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion seeking whoever he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), and he is going to be most able to get the weak, the wounded, and the isolated or lone stragglers.

Now, no matter how friendly we are, not every sincere believer we encounter and share interests with is going to become a tight friend that we keep in touch with and share our hearts with. Some of these kinds of God-connections are transparently one-sided where you are either the receiver or giver for God's working and with genuine Christian love - that's perfectly okay. But what I wanted to emphasize is that the Bible has a lot to say on how we are to conduct ourselves and treat one another as members of the Body of Christ and these are equally life-giving commands for personal friendships and relationships. No one should treat a stranger better than they treat the people in their home or in their inner circle. That should be obvious but most of us have been guilty of failing to show family members simple respect. Many later find themselves struggling with household issues that arose out of neglect, hurt, unforgiveness, or an emotional 'disconnect' and lack of empathy for one another.

There is a flip side to using biblical principles in relationships and it has to do with recognizing when and what to leave behind. The world is a very large place and as Christians, God has appointed times, seasons, and places for us. We may interact valuably with many people but we cannot maintain relationships with all of them. There are some others that are harmful and we should not seek to hold on no matter the transient comfort or benefit they seem to promise or provide. The right relationships will be found in the path God has for us, but the wrong ones will lead us to detour from God's will. Relationships literally change the course of our lives for better or for worse.

There are some people who will reject a relationship with us despite our willingness, or who mistreat us. In these cases we should step out of the circle rather than continue going round and round in it. These scenarios may sadly often involve persons within our own biological family. Wisdom from the Scriptures and prayerful trust in God would lead us to avoid investing unhealthily, in a host of unhealthy relationships. This is also a great factor for consideration in assessing potentially romantic relationships.

Recently I had to give some advice to an acquaintance concerning a relationship with a man whom she has invested everything into - though she now sees that he is unwilling to commit wholeheartedly to her in the future. Still, she struggles trying to get him to change. There is wisdom which is found in the Proverbs and woven throughout all the lessons of Scripture which will help her. It is wise to avoid the man who is inattentive, abusive, often angry or mean spirited, or who does not treat you with the common kindness (which he shows to other women or others in general). The man who has a wandering eye and unfaithful heart will not be able to love you as God commanded. The man who does not call you, invest mutually in you, or pursue you, is telling by his actions that his heart is not set towards you. The man whose heart is not set on God is not the person for you. Similarly, I would briefly advise Christian men that the woman who is flirtatious, or loud, or controlling and manipulative, is not the person for you. The woman who is beauty, charm and sweet words - without also having selflessness, godly virtue, discretion, and proven godly character is not the person for you. And to both men and women, the person who can 'talk the Christian talk', but who fails to 'walk the Christian walk', is not the person for you [***see note at end!]. Always believe a person's actions and behavior, far over and above words and appearances. Of course people can be changed if they yield themselves to God, but this is out of our hands. We can only work on ourselves. What we must consider is that what exists in the other person's character right now, is what is real at the same point in time, and that is what we must act on. We are all a work in progress. We can choose to walk in love towards all, but must carefully choose our inner circle of those permitted to know the deeper things of our hearts.

When we must choose who we allow into our life on an intimate basis we do not have to make our assessment blindly because the Scriptures contain what we need.  We need to just take the Word of God at face value and apply its truths to each situation in front of us. In addition, a multitude of godly counselors who stand on the word of God will also add invaluable wisdom to us towards making good decisions. Get counsel from those who esteem God's word and fear Him, who will be confidential, speak the truth and back it up with God's word. Ask God to show or send to you such people. In this way you will be sure to get reliable counsel and insight.

There are relationships in which we grow apart from someone else. Perhaps we got saved and Jesus became our life, but because the other person does not know Him a polite disconnect takes place. In other cases, we may have both once loved sharing the things of God but after some time passes, one relationship has continued to grow with the Lord, and the other person has been backsliding. Now we may still engage some small talk but that person no longer even mentions God, the Bible, or anything that was part of what fostered a connection in the first place. Communication forms the foundation of a relationship. Without sharing core values and interests, communication becomes shallow or infrequent and a separation begins. Prayerfully navigating this time we must ask God for His wisdom and trust Him to lead us in the right way. Sometimes these relationships will be mended and restored by God; sometimes it is best we let them go because these persons are on a different path from the one God has for us. It's worth repeating that relationships literally change the course of our life, and it is in our best interest to trust God with what is unknown of another person's heart. As far as intimate friendships and relationships go, the person who consistently hurts, mistreats, or puts us down us (contrary to the careful and loving behavior such as found in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13), or who draws us away from a relationship with God will be harmful to both our soul and spirit.

It should be easy to recognize how to cherish those God has blessed us with, and alternatively how to flee what is harmful. But we, as people, are complex and fragile. Only the wisdom of God's word when applied to each and every situation - no exceptions - will enable us to navigate safely. I began by making mention of the relationships we may take from this age into eternity. My epiphany about this has inspired me to be more deliberate about how I spend my time and how I engage others at church or wherever I may meet other sincere Believers. I also find a renewed desire to grow in God's love in such a way that no matter which path God leads me into, those I interact with will have experienced a pure, genuine concern and love for themselves from me. I am already grateful for the godly friendships that God has ordained for me in this life. Let me leave you with some inspiring wisdom from author and speaker, Lisa Bevere:

It is imperative, especially in these times, that we allow God to establish our friendships based on His truth and principles. First make God your best friend.

He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.
Proverbs 22:11

Then let the King choose your friends.
We must desire pure hearts over our needs for friendships...God will choose His friends for us, and thus He will want us to treat them the way He would treat them. Then God will entrust us with true friends because He knows we will be true to them.

***Note well: My comments regarding the tell tale signs of relationships which are not the best for a man or woman, do not pertain to those already married but to those who are single or unmarried. The term "not the person for you" is also used loosely, but it should not be mistakenly thought to point to making decisions based on worldly definitions of 'soul mates', or as involving a mystical or unrealistic process of finding 'the one'. It is my view that God alone can best choose a mate for His own children. Many agree that important decisions should not be entered into with God's specific leading and will to be made clear (where to live, career, finances and other life altering ventures). Similarly, but far above all those other reasons, the covenant entered into in marriage is of priority with earthly and eternal spiritual consequences. I do not believe that (with human inability to perfectly know the heart, the future, or even understand all present circumstances) God intends for us to use our limited understanding to choose our own mate without consulting Him and getting specific leading. In fact, I believe that for His own people God is, and should be, the only match maker - even though this specific leading is not to be thought to necessarily depend upon 'signs' or mystical occurrences. The key is to stay submitted to God, seeking His will from the heart, and nurturing relationship with Him so that one knows His leading. This leading will always be in agreement with His word, His ways, His Spirit, and His peace.

Ingredients of Effective Prayer (10)

This is the 14th post in a series on Praying Effectively. We talked about what effective prayers are and in the most recent post we learned that praying in agreement with the Spirit of God and with other believers makes our prayers powerful.
Today's post is about Abiding in Christ, the last ingredient of effective prayer that we will be looking at. In the next post in this series we will continue to explore other factors related to Praying Effectively.
If you are just joining me, please see the end for a special note before continuing!


(10). Abide in Christ.

The discipleship relationship is the most important thing. It is about knowing God and walking with Him in life - above and beyond instances of praise, petition, supplication and intercession.

John 15:4, MKJV
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

John 15:7, ESV
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

abide - menō [Greek]
men'-o
A primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): - abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for)

Abiding in Christ has a lot to do with carefully nurturing our relationship with Him by purposefully drawing near to Him and safeguarding time with Him. Abiding in Christ necessarily includes prayer, but this prayer is first devotional and personal. Without these times with God, endeavoring to pray effectively in other areas (for example, intercession for others) will doubtless become a duty without joy and increasingly difficult to sustain.

The favour of God the Father is guaranteed to those who establish their lives upon Christ His Son and are diligent to obey Him - proof of love for Him.




[This is the 14th post in a series on the subject of prayer. In the previous installment we looked at the importance of praying in unity with the Spirit of God and other believers.
These posts are interspersed among other blog topics so for the easy identification of related posts, look for the label 'praying effectively - series' in the sidebar. If you are just now joining in I recommend that you read the first post where I shared my reason for doing this series. I hope to share practical keys and insight into praying effectively, in bite-size blog posts which you can easily follow.]

Because It's Valentine's Day

Many people celebrate Valentine's Day as a day for showing appreciation and love for family, friends and significant others. Whether or not it's a big occasion on your agenda, no one can argue that true love is a wonderful thing - not often easy, but always wonderful!

In the contemporary culture of mixed messages, where whimsical emotion or lust is often mistaken for love, and where relationships are rife with superficiality, flattery, insincerity, or built on the shaky foundation of individual brokenness and misplaced neediness, it is important for Christians to be intimately acquainted with the true God-kind of love. Several months ago I did a series on Loving with God's Love by taking a look at God's definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13. I hope that you will be inspired to read this chapter of Scripture again, and I invite you to peruse the series by using the links below!

1st - Love is patient
2nd - Love is kind
3rd - Love does not envy
4th - Love does not boast; it is not arrogant or rude
5th - Love does not insist on its own way
6th - Love is not irritable
7th - Love is not resentful
8th - Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth
9th - Love bears, believes, hopes, and endures, all things

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love God! 

Love somebody with God's love!

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:7

Reflective and Thankful

I have had a lot of things on my mind lately as I have been studying Scriptures that pertain to End of Days events. Daily life has also brought its peculiar observations about the world, people, and myself. All of this has been stoking such gratitude in my heart that I get to belong to God that I wanted to blog some reflections, on a personal note.

I'm at a place in my life where in every major area I am facing the unknown. There are lots of loose ends as I wait for God to lead me in the way I should go. There are critical circumstances outside of my control. There are also many needs, and lots of desires that I've entrusted to Him. I'm telling you this so that you know I'm not speaking from a position of being full and comfortable. Yet my life is filled with good things. These good things happen to be mostly invisible spiritual blessings but I am so very aware of them.

For example, I remember when waiting on God caused me great distress. I didn't trust Him very much so anxiety about people and things consumed me. I recall when my life was filled with negative emotions, useless strivings to improve myself, constant pessimism and dissatisfaction. There was a time when the circumstances I'm surrounded with presently would have probably drowned me in a sense of hopelessness. Instead, today I have peace. My heart is quiet. I truly apprehend the necessity and the benefits of waiting on God. This, coming from a person who used to earnestly pray for a "blueprint" to follow (seriously)...who would have thought I would get to this place? But all of this is more evidence of how much change His Word will bring to our way of thinking and living if we let it.

I marvel at the 'then' and 'now' pictures of what God has already given and done, particularly in my inner life. Every smidgen of growth and refinement is the result, wholly and solely, of His grace - His mercy, compassion, patience and unrelenting love. Surprisingly (although it shouldn't be) these benefits were realized out of trials and other resistance which compelled me to turn to His word and prayer. By the grace of God I was saved. And now by that same grace, I've been launched into a life-sustaining journey of knowing Him more.

Today, on a personal note, I encourage you to take the time to weigh the spiritual blessings in your life. Where you are right now may really be hard but if you stay the course, clinging to God, you will see change where it matters most - in your own heart and in your relationship with Him. Knowing God more and more as He really is makes all the difference. Being known by God as His own makes it all worth it.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:1-10

Keep Listening

"Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge."

Proverbs 19:27

We live in an information age. There is Scripture and Bible commentary available locally in churches (for most in the Western world), on TV, on the Internet, on Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, in book stores, and of course, in our very own bibles. But it's very easy for knowledge and information accumulation to take the place of the real listening which the Scripture above refers to.

Several years ago when Christ had laid hold of me, I quickly fell in love with His word and fed on it voraciously. Then I entered a new phase whereby I looked forward to my Bible reading times with a pen and notebook in hand - but in a whole new way. It was so subtle I wouldn't have noticed on my own. That is to say, if the Holy Spirit hadn't brought it to my attention, I wouldn't have seen that I had made a shift towards merely enjoying the intellectual pursuit of my Bible studies. I loved seeing patterns, trends, understanding, referencing, note-taking...studying. It is not a bad thing in itself, but I had quickly shifted from being excited about getting to know God from His word, to just enjoying studying - taking very little conscious thought to the ultimate purpose of my studies. By the grace of God, I was able to repent, and make my Bible reading more intentional by asking myself what I had learned about God's ways and character. Coupled with obedience, I believe this is the beginning of sincere listening, and in straying from it we may eventually accumulate knowledge that will not profit us. After all, knowledge resides in the mind, but it does a hardened heart no good.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV

Listening and learning never ends. Now that I know that the Word of God is essential to every facet of my life, and although I have accumulated some knowledge of God's ways and His will, I must not cease from listening. Even now, if I were to choose to starve myself of the Word of God and forgo fellowship with Him, I would find deception, idolatry and other sin increasingly, and easily taking its place. The same would be true of you. That's what the Word of God says. "Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge." And many lives have illustrated its truth.

Life-sustaining, overcoming 'listening' must be rooted in an ever-increasing dependent and intimate relationship with God and His Word. Those who are listening prove it by their obedience. We must keep listening!

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;

The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold; 

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

And in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 19:7-11

Causing Oneself to Stumble

In my most recent posts, I have said a little about praying from a heart that is not willing to obey God whenever His answers are contrary to our own desires (here), as well as our need to move past merely praying good intentions, to taking obedient actions and making wise decisions (here). In this post, I want to share another important caveat about the condition of our hearts when we come before God with our requests.

The overthrow and destruction of the Israel and Judah, and subsequent 70 years of Babylonian captivity (526 BC - 455 BC) was God's last resort to chasten the Northern and Southern kingdoms. The chosen people of God refused to repent from their persistent unfaithfulness against Him, even after many, many prophets were sent to call them back to God. They had long strayed far from the days of Moses and Joshua, and from the various times of revival they experienced under a few godly kings. In fact they had surpassed some of the pagan nations around them in ungodly, abominable practices. During one phase of the Babylonian captivity while Ezekiel the prophet was in exile, some of the elders of Israel approached him to inquire of the Lord on their behalf. They came and sat before him and we are not told what was their specific request but read what God began to say to Jeremiah:

"Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?"
Ezekiel 14:3

In the scripture above, the LORD revealed that the elders who had come to the prophet had set up their idols in their hearts. That is to say, they had an affectionate bent towards their idols and did not truly want to let them go. They gave their idols a place to reign, knowing that it would lead them away from God into iniquity. But then they came to the LORD as if they valued His word.

There are things that we know are wrong. There are things that are not wrong in themselves, but we know that they lead us to a slippery slope and may eventually result in compromise and sin. There are things we know our consciences are not clear about but we excuse away the pinpricks rather than seek God in His word and prayer to settle the matter with finality. All of these scenarios have to do with a heart that does not love God as it should, and hence, does not hate sin as it should. Such a heart is willing to take risks with sin, or to sin outright.

The rest of the chapter is very telling. God made it clear that when they come to Him in this condition without a true willingness to repent and obey, He would let them hear what they wanted to hear, answering them 'according to their idols'. He would allow the false prophets to mislead them. And then both the prophet and the one who inquired would be punished for their unfaithfulness to God which led them to both desire, inquire, and speak falsely.

What is the lesson for us here? We must nurture a love for the truth of God. We must be willing to obey all of the time - not only when it seems easiest or most convenient to us. When the truth of God will point out compromise or sin in our lives, we must learn to accept the humbling of correction. We cannot tolerate things that cause us to stumble into iniquity and also expect to grow in relationship with God. Furthermore, God's help and counsel come to those who are sincere in seeking Him.

Walk In Step With Your Prayer Requests

God expects us to be very practical. There is no way to be authentic in our faith if we are not also practical. We are to read God's word and do it. God's will for our lives unfolds, and answers to prayer requests (in agreement with God's will) are granted, as we remain on a course of obedience and faith. In the previous post I talked about the danger of praying from a hypocritical heart that will not obey or accept God's leading. In this instance I want to point out something that even sincere believers may need to be reminded about, particularly when asking God for help with various issues in life: Move past merely praying good intentions, to making wise decisions and being obedient. I like to think of this as walking in step with the prayer requests we bring to God. A few illustrations are below.

If you are praying for God's help, deliverance, intervention etc. because:

• you are struggling with unnecessary shopping/overspending - THEN you must resist window/online shopping, shop with a list, ditch your credit cards for a while, purposefully give more to spreading the gospel or helping others
• you need a closer walk with Him - THEN you must also set aside time for earnest prayer and reading and meditating in Scripture (there is NO other way)
• you need to overcome struggles with making an idol out of the desire for a relationship, unhealthy emotional attachments, sinful fantasy/lust etc. - THEN you cannot spend time filling yourself with the content of romance novels, watching romance movies, listening to 'love songs'; you must diligently flee sexually explicit materials, participating in improper interactions or communication with others that will wear down your defenses
• you have prayed in faith and you are waiting on God to act in some issue - THEN wait patiently and do not try to 'help' Him; become preoccupied with God Himself and not your requests by spending more time nurturing your relationship with Him

Those were just a few examples of what I mean by walking in step with your prayer requests. This is not a formula, and success will only come as you receive God's enabling grace. And yes, you will receive grace to submit, grace to resist, grace to flee, grace to wait quietly - but you must be an obedient doer of what you know to do. Commit to cooperating with the Holy Spirit because God will supply you with the grace, for obedience and walking in wisdom, with regard to the matter you are earnestly bringing before Him.

Prayer From A Hypocrite's Heart

It's possible for people to make requests of God for direction, to even ask others to pray for them, and yet have no intention of obeying the Lord when His answers come. This is a frightening reality with one such example recorded in Jeremiah chapters 42-43. You really should read it! One would think that the dire straits that these captains and leaders found themselves in, as well the solemnity with which they approached the prophet to request he interceded for them, would indicate sincerity. In fact, read their great proclamation:

So they said to Jeremiah, “Let the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your God sends us by you. Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”
Jeremiah 42:5-6

Jeremiah interceded and God (who had known what Jeremiah did not know) answered their petition after ten days. You see, these men had just made an impressive show with no willingness to obey in their heart. In fact, if you have read the chapters indicated, you would have seen that they merely hoped that they would get God to approve their own plan. When Jeremiah responded with a contrary answer from the Lord they quickly became violent and accused him of plotting their downfall. God revealed their hearts to Jeremiah, and when he spoke of the disobedience of these leaders, notice that he used the past tense knowing full well that they would not accept the guidance of the Lord - despite the earnestness with which their request had been presented:

"For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, or anything which He has sent you by me.
Jeremiah 42:20-21

What is the lesson here for us? When seeking God for direction on any matter, we must be sure that we are willing to obey His leading. In this way, God will never have reason to say to us, "You were hypocrites in your hearts." It is best that we first ask Him to work in our hearts, so that our own will or natural reasoning loses it's strength over us. Ask the Lord to give us greater sight of how trustworthy He is, and a desire, and heart committed to doing His will. When we understand that God is a Good Shepherd who loves to lead us in the right way, with the wisdom and power to also keep us while we travel His path, we will more easily submit to His plan, and even long for it.

This is what the LORD says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look; 

ask for the ancient paths, 

ask where the good way is, and walk in it, 

and you will find rest for your souls..."

Jeremiah 6:16

Ingredients of Effective Prayer (9)

This is the 13th post in a series on Praying Effectively. We talked about what effective prayers are and in the most recent post we learned that being able to pray effectively requires that we be in right relationships with others before God. If you are just joining me, please see the end for a special note before continuing!


(9). Unity and Agreement.

This point is also related to the one that precedes it. Someone bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit and being conformed to the image of Christ should be in agreement with God, His word, and His people. Doing anything in agreement is powerful, even bad things. Praying in unity and agreement is definitely no exception. This does not merely refer to praying in the same physical location, or even just about praying about the same thing or saying the same words. It is agreeing together with a right underlying attitude of love, humility and esteem for others - just because you all belong to the body of Jesus Christ - as well as corporately agreeing together to pursue God’s will.

Ephesians 4:1-6, ESV
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Unified prayer has powerful results. The NT writers absolutely valued it, often requesting prayer and testifying of the deliverances they received because the saints had been praying.

Acts 12:5-11, ESV
So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, "Dress yourself and put on your sandals." And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me." And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting."

2 Corinthians 1:9-11, ESV
Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

In the times since then, all of the Church’s historic revivals that I am aware of can be traced back to praying saints who earnestly sought God. Just one example is the Azusa Street Revival at the turn of the 20th century that brought an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on our last day generation. It had its beginnings when a group of believers got together in agreement to pray, as in Acts chapter 1 when the Holy Spirit was first poured out.

Acts 1:14, ESV
All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

Even when we pray alone, we should also be praying in agreement with the word of God and His Spirit who helps us to pray. This is our confidence in prayer - things will work together for good when we love God and seek His will and purpose above all else.

Romans 8:26-28, ESV
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.


[All emphasis is mine]

[This is the 13th post in a series on the subject of prayer. In the previous installment we looked at the importance of being in right relationship with others before God, if prayers are to be effective.  
These posts are interspersed among other blog topics so for the easy identification of related posts, look for the label 'praying effectively - series' in the sidebar. If you are just now joining in I recommend that you read the first post where I shared my reason for doing this series. I hope to share practical keys and insight into praying effectively, in bite-size blog posts which you can easily follow.]

The Way He Looks At Me

I've been to a few weddings now, and an unforgettable one very recently. I think most people will agree that the highlight of the ceremony is the bride's entrance and walk down the aisle to meet the groom. But as in the last weddings I attended, I find myself anticipating almost as much, the groom's expression as his soon-to-be-wife approaches...Actually I miss much of the bride's march down the aisle because I find myself staying tuned to the groom's expression. It thrills my heart...the range of dumbfounded, overwhelmed, even teary-eyed or solemn-in-awe expressions as he sees his bride-to-be headed straight for a lifetime covenant with him, before God.

I have been listening to More Than Ashes sung by by Tim Reimherr of Merchant Band and it makes me think of this captivating scenario, especially when I get to the middle marker (you've got to listen if you don't already know it!)

I have yet to become someone's bride but I'm looking forward to that God-ordained moment, even as I grasp the significance of what that groom's look means to his bride. She puts her all into presenting herself to him, and for him, in that moment. Her reward begins at seeing the approval and pleasure in her groom's eyes. 

Jesus Christ is the Lamb and His blood-bought Saints are His chosen bride. His heart is full for us even now but there is going to be a wedding.  I guarantee you that no earthly wedding, no earthly love, no earthly groom will have ever looked at His bride with more pleasure and awe as He will look at us on that Day. Now that's something worth getting ready for and the Day is fast approaching!

"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”

Revelation 19:7