Praying Effectively

"And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and [really] believing, you will receive."  Matthew 21:22

"Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting)...For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,"  James 1:6 and 7

The two verses above simply express the foundation of effective prayer.  How often would we hear the following spoken to us if the Lord were standing nearby as He was with His disciples:

"O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  Matthew 14:31

How easily the foundation of effective prayer is eroded by doubt or unbelief.

There are the times that we pray thinking that we are believing.  In the back of the mind, however, we are harboring thoughts of unbelief:  "Lord, deliver this person from the evil that has him/her trapped."  "You know, this person is in so deep for so long, there's just no way that they could ever get out of it now.  Hope they do, though."

We need to pray this most important prayer from the Gospel of Mark:

At once the father of the boy gave [an eager, piercing, inarticulate] cry with tears, and he said, Lord, I believe! [Constantly] help my weakness of faith!

Mark 9:24

Drive By Preaching

The Body of Christ preaches very well on right living, what godly living looks like and how to get our young people to be prepared for presenting Christ to others as they grow in Him. 

How about the many young people, too many middle aged and some elderly who are listening to the preaching, thinking that it's good but there is something that is not right about themselves?  They sometimes doubt that they are even born again.  They experience great difficulty battling their own sinful selves and believe this godly living is something they can't achieve because they know themselves to be especially bad.

These dear ones are not established.  Too many times, there is a lack of preaching on belief, full belief, in the Gospel of our salvation.  The book of Isaiah says, "If you will not believe, surely you will not be established..."

At the heart of this is real unspoken error, (yes - error).  It is the assumption that when you are first born again, you assume full confidence in Christ as your all sufficient One.  That is almost never true.  Certainly your head might tell you that but what does your heart say when the trials come, or when you come face to face with your own evil self.  Have you been able, through belief, to move from the doubt as expressed in Romans 7 to walking in the Spirit as expressed in Romans 8?  If not, you cannot be established.

"We need to pray...," is preached.  Praying is necessary, but how about praying with faith?  We drive right by that foundational need.  James says, "...let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.  Only it must be IN FAITH that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting).  For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind...[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything."

So much preaching drives right by this foundation of full belief and moves into right living as if we can skip Step One.  We leave behind the ones who are in deep need.  They are left to languish in what sounds like a necessity for them to fix themselves and live right. They are driven to look inward for deliverance and don't know that deliverance can't be accomplished through their own strength.

He is enough for this too, and will prove faithful, good, powerful and all-sufficient despite drive by preaching.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Despite your best efforts, are you still not really established in Christ and at peace with all of God's ways with you?  Are you not trusting Him in everything?

The answer is woven throughout God's Word:

"If ye believe not, surely ye shall not be established."  Isaiah 7:9

Position Yourself

"You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, Who is with you..." 2 Chron. 20:17

How many times would we escape great stress and ensuing health difficulty if we would realize that His yoke is easy and His burden is light by way of 2 Chronicles 20:17

Position yourselves:  In dependence on, and confidence in the Deliverer, Jesus Christ.  This comes from belief that He is all-sufficient to deliver you from everything, including your own treacherous self.

Stand still:  Let Him perform the little or big deliverance that you are in need of - not depending on your own self-effort.  Allow Him to show you clarity in a difficult situation rather than anxiously looking for it sooner than necessary.  Looking to your own strength for deliverance will bring disaster.

 

See His salvation:  It works every time.  He is not limited.

Cafeteria Bondage

While having a rare conversation with a former college instructor who is 25 years my senior, we compared notes on how God has proved Himself faithful in our lives.  After I told him about recent experience, (which has fueled many of the blog posts over the last year), this dear battle-hardened man told me of the difference between the time he was born again at age 8 and the time when he reached his teenage years when everything changed from parental management to making his own decisions.

He discovered the big world of what he called Cafeteria Bondage.  He said, "It's like the cafeteria where the lady asks you if you want a salad and you reply that you are not a salad person, but this over here sure is interesting." He went on to tell me of a conscious decision that he made to have Jesus Christ as his Lord and Deliverer, since his parents were no longer in a position to be his decision makers.

More of his story followed, along with the milestones of God's faithfulness in guiding him into the ways of His wisdom and the lessons learned through hardship that would not have been learned any other way.  Being 77 years old, there was no doubt in his mind that the temptation of the choices available in this cafeteria bondage environment that we live in not only don't fade but they actually become more difficult to fight against with our own power.  That's why His grace is sufficient and where sin abounds, His grace much more abounds. That's what keeps us reaching up to Him in increasing confidence as the years go by.

Cafeteria Bondage...
One of those simple labels that explains so much.

Being Rich Is Freedom

Famous rich man, Kevin O'Leary, speaks the truth when he says, "if you are rich you are free."  However, he is a slave to money.  How could he say the right thing, but be wrong? 

True riches, true freedom and all answers are in God's Word:

"For you are becoming progressively acquainted with and recognizing more strongly and clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (His kindness, His gracious generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing), [in] that though He was [so very] rich, yet for your sakes He became [so very] poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched (abundantly supplied)." 2 Cor. 8:9 Amp.

"So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free."  John 8:36

"In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off]."  Galatians 5:1 Amp

The Real Glory of God

May 23, 2014

 

Dear Bride and Groom,

 

Today puts the finishing touch on what would be an honor given in heaven itself.

 

Ten years ago, the Lord allowed your hearts to knit together with a strength that surpassed not only the oppression of all outside influences but the disruption of internal distress that would have spoiled a lesser bond.

 

Bride, speaking on behalf of my family, it has been our privilege to walk side by side with you over the last 10 years.  We have learned of the glories of the Lord in a way that would have otherwise been unachievable.  We have seen the sweet relief of His sure freedom and the refuge that He gives from complications that man tries to impose.  We are enjoying His many rich rewards with you as you and Groom believed that He is enough for absolutely everything.

 

The Groom's family has a lasting gift that will never fade.  We are beyond delighted in our longtime dear friend who is now our new family member.  Your uncommon strength, confidence, liberty, peace and simplicity are anchored in our Deliverer, Jesus Christ.  Groom, you have done exceptionally well.

 

If anyone wonders what triumph in Christ might be, they can look at the two of you today and see it written on you with His sure hand.

With love from the Father of the Groom

A Little Too Self Centered

The Lord Jesus Christ fights and wins the greatest battle of history and establishes Himself as the Center of Two Eternities.  As He completes His quest He actually rises from the dead; peacefully, as a man rises from a night's sleep, carefully folding the garments of His rest.

In contrast, a modern day athlete beats his chest, struts and displays himself for onlookers after he scores or make a positive play that may or may not win a game; as if he has done something no one else can do or has ever done.  Who should we imitate?

Character - The Exercise of Faith

Character of the Flesh:
Following accepted cultural rules,
Doing good deeds that others see, appreciate and respect,
Being what is considered normal,
Doing what is considered polite,
Pleasing "good" men,
Following all rules that are "good" men's ideas of what is acceptable.

Character of the Heart, (Spirit):
Loving others unconditionally,
Having a base of joy that does not fade, rooted in the knowledge of His sure deliverance,
Having peace that passes understanding in circumstances which are annoying or dire,
Having patience that flows from the possession of that peace,
Exhibiting gentleness and goodness that flows from His love and understanding of the needs of others,
Having humility that flows from our understanding of our own nothingness,
Possessing faith that has been given by God that makes possible the reality of the fruits of the Spirit and the character of Christ.

...

When you are at work, are you walking fast and looking worried or resting in His all-sufficiency?

When you are gathered with your brothers and sisters in Christ, are you looking and acting as they would expect, or are you enjoying the presence of the One Who is in the midst?

While scrutinizing someone's behavior are you focusing on the character of the flesh while unwittingly overlooking the character of the Spirit in them?

When you advise someone on right behavior, are you teaching them to prove that they are enough through right activity instead proving that He is enough though the exercise of their faith?


Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.  2 Cor. 4:18 Amp.

Not Living the Christian Life

Though born again, if our feet are not firmly planted in the Gospel of Our Salvation we falter.  With unsteady feet we instinctively reach for something to grasp:  Reaching backward to that very Law that gives sin its power over us.  We wonder why our Christian life is not what it should be. 

Under this condition liberty is nowhere to be found.  The Christian life is not being lived.

"...For without the Law sin is dead."  Romans 7:8

"...And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.  Eph. 6:15 Amp

"...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom)."
2 Cor. 3:17

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

 

- Charitie Bancroft, (Verse 2 of

"The Advocate" Hymn)

Coping Skill or Reality

Reminding yourself that you are supposed to be thankful and rejoicing in the Lord could just be a coping skill. 

A colleague used to walk around all day, telling himself, "Everything is going to be OK."  His psychiatrist had taught him that as a coping skill.  I think of us trying to talk ourselves into thankfulness and particularly joyfulness when it might not be there for us to speak into existence.

Have we really believed that His offering of Himself on the cross and subsequent resurrection is enough to completely remove all of our sin and it's guilt?  Have we abandoned the idea that we need to make a self generated effort to reform our bad selves?

Without belief and self-abandonment, we are trying to call something into existence that is not really there.

Consequence of The Perfect Storm

A wise lady, at peace with God, recently made an observation regarding a long time relationship that started in relative innocence, was quickly weathered by outside abuse, suffered internal abuse, deteriorated into tragedy and then burst back into heart-warming flame, to the Glory of God.

Her observation was this:  Sometimes God creates a Perfect Storm Relationship that "right-minded" people would normally do everything in their power to avoid.  Yet, it brings greater glory to Him and a life-lasting shot of joy to the ones at and near it's epicenter.

Consequences of sin are expected.  However, (unexpectedly), His power, glory and grace are unveiled to those who can see. 

His grace much more abounds.

(Thank you, Desert Flower and Ms. Ella B!)

The Wall - Losing Out on Something Dear

Certain things affect all aspects of our lives. They are supposed to. They drive us to reach up to Jesus Christ, our all-sufficient One, for deliverance. However, if we have learned compartmentalization as a coping skill, then we erect a barrier that disrupts the very process that would drive us to Him for complete salvation and freedom.

“…we shall find that all power to apprehend, enjoy, apply, and walk in all the rest of the truth, depends on the measure in which the truth of His personal glory is felt and owned by our souls.”  William Kelly

Do You Have Spiritual Power?

Even though it can easily be said that "He is working" in a situation of habitual sin, and it is understood that we are delivered from Hell by the work of Christ, we have that natural human need to do our own work to remove sin from ourselves. We proclaim the need to immerse ourselves in His Word and apply the various scriptural truths to our lives. Then, we unwittingly convince ourselves that through this self-effort we - or someone else we are exhorting - will be delivered.  Impossible, without power from Him.

Seven step programs, twelve step programs and other activities of the flesh have shown themselves to be ineffective or temporary at best. They might acknowledge a higher power but it’s in a context of disease, not sin.  Since it is not necessarily sin, the effectiveness of the finished work of Christ is essentially removed. Then, it becomes an effort of the flesh.

So, the real problem is that we have to abandon our desire to implement a self effort program and just believe. Simple power comes from believing. How can the Holy Spirit give you the power you need to release you from being a slave to sin, (habitual sin, addiction), unless you first believe.  You believed and the power of God delivered you from Hell. Why would that power not be available to you if you would just believe that He is enough?

If His Word says that you are powerless to overcome your sin nature on your own, (Romans 7), and says that if you are in Christ you are not a slave to sin, (Romans 6), then you MUST believe it. Otherwise, the power of God though the Holy Spirit is not available to deliver from habitual sin, just as Heaven is not available to those who have not believed that His death and resurrection saves us from Hell.

There should be no more debate about the cycle of habitual sinful behavior to repentance, back to habitual sin again. It's a cycle because of spiritual bondage. The Lord Jesus didn't die on the cross and rise again for us to be bound with sin and running through hopeless sin cycles. It's impossible! But, if we don't simply believe it, we become bound to sinful behavior by our unbelief.

Why would one who believes in the Lord Jesus keep cycling back into habitual sin?  Without saying it we, (and they), believe they are worse than others.  No.  We are all “worse.”  It is simply due to unbelief.  The Holy Spirit cannot work to empower one who does not believe. “O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death?  O thank God! [He will!] through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Don't be blind to the Power that delivers. Believe and be free.

"All my life, I have loved simplicity and liberty. Only in Christ were they found."