Traveling can be adventurous and educational besides getting you to your destination if roads are good and necessary directional signs are carefully placed to indicate any changes, curves or detours. All signs are meant to direct you and they are to be heeded!
A few years ago some of our missionary friends lived and ministered in a limited-access nation in the mid-east. On a very dark night while traveling home at midnight from a gospel meeting in a nearby city, the missionary family and national pastor with his son had just reached the top of a steep hill and started down the other side when suddenly they came upon a large truck stalled in the middle of the road before them, without lights. With no time to go around the truck successfully, their car immediately slammed into the truck. All three of their young daughters were thrown out of the car as well as the national pastor's son, and all four were killed. The missionary wife suffered with many broken bones. After several hours, they were found and everyone was taken to a nearby hospital. Fortunately the missionary and his national pastor were not injured seriously. The three daughters were later buried in that foreign land. A year later the wife learned to walk again. They now reside in the states. The accident might have been avoided if road flares or a detour sign of any kind had been on the road a short distance before approaching the hill, but there was nothing. The tragedy was caused by neglect!
In our walk with the Lord, there will be times when the Holy Spirit will warn us of problems ahead and we must heed the warning and perceive He provided a detour. The detour will cause us to avoid the thing that we could not see immediately. To ignore His warning is to neglect His prompting, His desire, His assignment from our heavenly Father to protect and warn us throughout our Christian journey. Warnings come to us through God's Word; but the decision to heed them is ours: whether we will listen and obey or regard His Word and prompting as not necessarily important at the moment.
The Holy Spirit wants you to remember: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for INSTRUCTION in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16.) There is instruction for you every time you read God's Word! The Word will speak to your inner man and direct you in specific day to day dealings and events. Reading your Bible daily and balancing it with prayer will enable the Holy Spirit to bring back to your rememberance the Word of God that will bring instruction and warning when you need it.
Among the commandments and instructions in scripture, one that gets our attention quickly and stands out as a warning concerns the word neglect.
The area where neglect can be noticed quickly is the road on which we travel most, every day. We can see if maintenance and upkeep were handled on a timely basis. A road that has not been properly serviced by the city can cause small or great accidents or delays.....all because of neglect. Likewise, those who are in the body of Christ, which includes you and me, who have not diligently kept all the Word (the commandments and instructions) can be responsible for lack of growth in the lives of younger believers God has placed in your path. Neglect can be the reason for the lack of vision for the purpose of God in your life, your home or your church. It can be the reason for weak faith: --faith that is not strong enough to produce healings or miracles and it can be the deciding factor for indifference to the preaching of the Word. It's a sobering fact but it's true! When neglect is evident, there are little or no results, and no readiness for the Second Coming of the Lord. Again, the reason is neglect! On your journey of life, detour away from neglect before it affects your relationship with the Lord.
"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip. How shall we escape IF WE NEGLECT so great a salvation." (Hebrews 2:1, 3.) Our salvation includes working toward full obedience and fighting the good fight of faith to be ready for the work and ministry that the Holy Spirit desires to do through us!
On several occasions, the Israelites asked God why He did not help them as He had promised since they did prepare and offer their offerings and sacrifices. God told them it was because they ignored his prophets and continued to serve other gods AND Him. He was no longer THE One and Only Lord of their lives! Their hearts were not in their sacrifices and offerings! It had become only a form to them without their hearts involved in true worship. Though believers do not offer sacrifices of sheep and goats as the Israelites did, God would speak to us today and in essence His Words would be, "You see what you want to see in my Word, and change its interpretation to fit the level of your present spiritual condition." Take a detour around the status quo traveling on the road with you if those people pretend to serve the Lord but He is not THE Lord of their lives! Let nothing cause you to neglect the Lord of your life being the Only God of Life to you!
Is it possible that the Lord would visit a church in the disguise or form of a crippled person, a homeless and/or a dysfunctional person, someone in a wheel chair, a blind person, one recently restored from prison, a weathly millionnaire, perhaps a football star or any other person of renown...to see our response or neglect to each one? And if He did, would you recognize Him? If so, how would you respond? Could or would you be God's hand extended? Would you take time to be His hand extended? Do you scale down the Word of God to someone when witnessing to him so he will not be offended? Have you ever asked the Lord to use you to touch the life of a hurting person, or to be His hand extended?
We will one day be judged according to the Light we received and how we passed it on. If the Word of Truth is powerful in your life and understanding, let it be powerful in your speech, action and example! Sometimes we are tempted to "strain at a nat and swallow a camel...." Do we talk about serving God according to rules we made but neglect the needs that are important to God? Neglect!
I think often of a time after the Rapture, when we will stand before the Lord at the Bema Judgment. To some He will say, "I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick and in prison, and ye visited me not." (Matt 25:42-43.) Then our Lord will answer: "Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not unto Me." (Matthew 25:44-46.) Why would He say this? Could it be that we might be selective in our work for the Lord, even in our friendships, those we help or things we do for them for God?
When a person has neglected his personal relationship with God, there will soon be signs of neglect in his obedience to certain instructions in the Word. The signs of disobedience will develop into carelessness, and carelessness will cause him to rearrange the commandments he once loved, to fit his strained life style. This is the way some churches and even pople move away from Truth and get into error. The gospel becomes diluted so that it has lost its power to change and transform lives. Neglect can bring change that will cause one to let down his standard of holiness and his love for God. Eventually he will look toward returning to the very things he was once delivered from.
The good news is, God is always merciful to hear our cry of repentance and for help to return to Him so we can be restored. His Word declares, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:7) Yes! He will abundantly pardon! What a comfort! Today is a good day to think on these things and examine them carefully in your life!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Traffic Signals on the way:"Warning - Presumption"
Presumption is a belief that a person can do whatever he desires to do contrary to previous instructions and restraints, without experiencing consequences for his behavior.
Your life is your journey on the specific path that God laid out uniquely just for you. By following the Map, God's Word, and detailed Guidelines carefully, scriptures that give you specific directions for your personal journey, you will be amazed how God will reward you with fulfillment of the desires of your heart which in essence are plans He Himself placed in your life. There will be no doubts or guess work how to reach your personal destiny. All you have to do is listen, obey and follow His leading, and watch for warning signals on the way that would cause you to detour from your Christian path. Obey them and keep your eyes on Jesus! Obeying and following God's direction will avoid confusion, chaos and the possibility of losing out with God in the end.
We read examples of men in the Bible who made wrong choices while they were in leadership and suffered bitter consequences. We can learn from their mistakes. When wrong choices are made, it often takes many months and sometimes years to find a place to turn around and return to the place where a person left God, in order to be restored. Sometimes he is able to turn around successully but sometimes he turns around only to carry the baggage of consequences the rest of his life.
While we were on the mission field, we met an impressive young couple full of talent and the possibility of high leadership skills. It did not take long to recognize the wife was living with the consequences of the years she lived in the drug scene when she lived in a commune. When she talked of the goodness of God, she radiated with gratefulness that those days were behind her, but at times in ordinary conversation her mind appeared to be blank and she struggled to complete sentences. I'm reminded of the scripture: "Be sure your sin will find you out." You cannot assume you will be the exception who will have no consequences.
Saul had been chosen by God to be the first King of Israel. When he faced his first national battle, Samuel gave him specific instructions to meet him in Gilgal; wait seven days with the people, and he (Samuel) would come and offer a sacrifice before going into battle. He would ask God for His blessing before Saul would face the would be invading army. Saul did gather the people as he was instructed, but after waiting in Gilgal only six days, he became impatient, restless and doubtful of his instructions. He began to think since he was king he should be able to offer the sacrifice as the priests did. Though God gave Saul a new heart when he became King, Saul's leadership included learning the importance of following directions, not his assumptions. And he offered the sacrifice! This was the first disobedience but more followed until Saul eventually lost his way, lost the kingdom, and lost out with God. His sin of presumption was assuming he did not have to follow the directive God gave through Samuel.
David is known in the scriptures as the sweet singer of Israel. Growing up, as the youngest son he kept the family's sheep. Alone on the hillsides for long periods of time, he probably learned to know the Great God of the universe as few of us could imagine. Worship, prayer, communion and fellowship with God were consistent in his daily life. We remember the stories how he killed a bear, killed the giant Goliath, and had many great victories to his credit. In God's time, he was anointed to be king, following Saul. Fast-forwarding his life as king, after God had used him mightily in winning many battles successfully with the surrounding nations, a time came when David was sorely tempted. He sucumbed to the temptation, committed adultey and then he tried to hide his sin. Though he was known as a man after God's own heart, he was still human and was subject to temptations as the rest of mankind. No one is exempt.
After yielding to the temptation, we see another side of David. It's not only a picture of results that follow temptation but also a revelation how Satan can win in a person's life when just a small crack in the door of his heart is allowed to be opened to fantasy and sympathetic thoughts toward compromise to sin.
We see deception, lying, and trying to hide the consequences of his sin. Disaster after disaster followed David after that. Did God forgive him? Yes, but David paid the consequences for sin. His sin of presumption was thinking as King, he could arrange more deceptions to be carried out by one of his military men and no one would ever know what really happened. The warning signal here is: "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Whose heart? Everyone's heart! David's sin of presumption was that he knew God would forgive him, but he did not count on the many consequences that followed because of his sin. From that time, David prayed, "Keep me from presumptous sins."
The lesson from his choice is to heed the signals on your journey of life everyday because they can be warnings in the busy and congested traffic on your road. Today as never before, the enemy of your soul, Satan, is after you. Your only safety is to stay close to God. Recognize and know that everyone is tempted at times and temptation is not sin. It is yielding to the temptation that is sin! If you have sinned or are in a difficult place of temptation, your only hope is to turn to the strong arm of God through His Word. The scripture says, "Submit yourselves unto God, .....THEN....resist the devil and he will flee from you." The next step is to CONFESS your problem to the Lord in prayer, not hide it. REPENT of your part in allowing yourself to be drawn into the problem this far. ASK FOR THE BLOOD OF JESUS to cleanse you from your involvement. Accept His forgiveness and cleansing and turn/run from the temptation. Then ASK FOR RESTORATION.
The scripture speaks of "Godly sorrow" with repentance. There are times when you need to spend more than a few minutes before God in repentance. You need to repent with Godly sorrow. This means to realize you grieved and wounded the Holy Spirit who attempted to restrain you from yielding to temptation. Your sin of presumption may have been that you thought you could always repent with a "sentence prayer," a quick and short one, and the presence of God would be restored quickly as before. The Holy Spirit will lead you to full repentance and Jesus will forgive you but you need to know your repentance must be with Godly sorrow. It is the Godly sorrow that will sharpen your will to resist a temptation the next time.
The good news is that the Holy Spirit places special kinds of signals on your your road of life from time to time, often to warn you. Be aware of them and obey them. It's because He wants you to remember always what a great sacrifice Jesus made for you. He desires you to live free from sin.
(This message us for a particular person who happened to find this on the internet today. I don't know who you are but I know Jesus loves you. He waits for you to go to Him and repent and be restored! I urge you to go today!)
Your life is your journey on the specific path that God laid out uniquely just for you. By following the Map, God's Word, and detailed Guidelines carefully, scriptures that give you specific directions for your personal journey, you will be amazed how God will reward you with fulfillment of the desires of your heart which in essence are plans He Himself placed in your life. There will be no doubts or guess work how to reach your personal destiny. All you have to do is listen, obey and follow His leading, and watch for warning signals on the way that would cause you to detour from your Christian path. Obey them and keep your eyes on Jesus! Obeying and following God's direction will avoid confusion, chaos and the possibility of losing out with God in the end.
We read examples of men in the Bible who made wrong choices while they were in leadership and suffered bitter consequences. We can learn from their mistakes. When wrong choices are made, it often takes many months and sometimes years to find a place to turn around and return to the place where a person left God, in order to be restored. Sometimes he is able to turn around successully but sometimes he turns around only to carry the baggage of consequences the rest of his life.
While we were on the mission field, we met an impressive young couple full of talent and the possibility of high leadership skills. It did not take long to recognize the wife was living with the consequences of the years she lived in the drug scene when she lived in a commune. When she talked of the goodness of God, she radiated with gratefulness that those days were behind her, but at times in ordinary conversation her mind appeared to be blank and she struggled to complete sentences. I'm reminded of the scripture: "Be sure your sin will find you out." You cannot assume you will be the exception who will have no consequences.
Saul had been chosen by God to be the first King of Israel. When he faced his first national battle, Samuel gave him specific instructions to meet him in Gilgal; wait seven days with the people, and he (Samuel) would come and offer a sacrifice before going into battle. He would ask God for His blessing before Saul would face the would be invading army. Saul did gather the people as he was instructed, but after waiting in Gilgal only six days, he became impatient, restless and doubtful of his instructions. He began to think since he was king he should be able to offer the sacrifice as the priests did. Though God gave Saul a new heart when he became King, Saul's leadership included learning the importance of following directions, not his assumptions. And he offered the sacrifice! This was the first disobedience but more followed until Saul eventually lost his way, lost the kingdom, and lost out with God. His sin of presumption was assuming he did not have to follow the directive God gave through Samuel.
David is known in the scriptures as the sweet singer of Israel. Growing up, as the youngest son he kept the family's sheep. Alone on the hillsides for long periods of time, he probably learned to know the Great God of the universe as few of us could imagine. Worship, prayer, communion and fellowship with God were consistent in his daily life. We remember the stories how he killed a bear, killed the giant Goliath, and had many great victories to his credit. In God's time, he was anointed to be king, following Saul. Fast-forwarding his life as king, after God had used him mightily in winning many battles successfully with the surrounding nations, a time came when David was sorely tempted. He sucumbed to the temptation, committed adultey and then he tried to hide his sin. Though he was known as a man after God's own heart, he was still human and was subject to temptations as the rest of mankind. No one is exempt.
After yielding to the temptation, we see another side of David. It's not only a picture of results that follow temptation but also a revelation how Satan can win in a person's life when just a small crack in the door of his heart is allowed to be opened to fantasy and sympathetic thoughts toward compromise to sin.
We see deception, lying, and trying to hide the consequences of his sin. Disaster after disaster followed David after that. Did God forgive him? Yes, but David paid the consequences for sin. His sin of presumption was thinking as King, he could arrange more deceptions to be carried out by one of his military men and no one would ever know what really happened. The warning signal here is: "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Whose heart? Everyone's heart! David's sin of presumption was that he knew God would forgive him, but he did not count on the many consequences that followed because of his sin. From that time, David prayed, "Keep me from presumptous sins."
The lesson from his choice is to heed the signals on your journey of life everyday because they can be warnings in the busy and congested traffic on your road. Today as never before, the enemy of your soul, Satan, is after you. Your only safety is to stay close to God. Recognize and know that everyone is tempted at times and temptation is not sin. It is yielding to the temptation that is sin! If you have sinned or are in a difficult place of temptation, your only hope is to turn to the strong arm of God through His Word. The scripture says, "Submit yourselves unto God, .....THEN....resist the devil and he will flee from you." The next step is to CONFESS your problem to the Lord in prayer, not hide it. REPENT of your part in allowing yourself to be drawn into the problem this far. ASK FOR THE BLOOD OF JESUS to cleanse you from your involvement. Accept His forgiveness and cleansing and turn/run from the temptation. Then ASK FOR RESTORATION.
The scripture speaks of "Godly sorrow" with repentance. There are times when you need to spend more than a few minutes before God in repentance. You need to repent with Godly sorrow. This means to realize you grieved and wounded the Holy Spirit who attempted to restrain you from yielding to temptation. Your sin of presumption may have been that you thought you could always repent with a "sentence prayer," a quick and short one, and the presence of God would be restored quickly as before. The Holy Spirit will lead you to full repentance and Jesus will forgive you but you need to know your repentance must be with Godly sorrow. It is the Godly sorrow that will sharpen your will to resist a temptation the next time.
The good news is that the Holy Spirit places special kinds of signals on your your road of life from time to time, often to warn you. Be aware of them and obey them. It's because He wants you to remember always what a great sacrifice Jesus made for you. He desires you to live free from sin.
(This message us for a particular person who happened to find this on the internet today. I don't know who you are but I know Jesus loves you. He waits for you to go to Him and repent and be restored! I urge you to go today!)
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Thanksgiving - Remembering with Gratefulness
People who influence people the most are those who always show thankfulness!
Thanksgiving time brings warm memories of family gatherings, of the aroma of turkey and its trimmings being prepared, of favorite foods and pies and the joy of spending a few special hours with family again! The rush and busyness of everyday living has robbed many people of their gratitude for blessings we have been privileged to enjoy in our great country of America! Let's remember with gratfulness!
If you counted your blessings and wrote them out, how many could you list on paper? At this time of the year, it is good to remember to thank God again for our beloved land of the free; --for God's protection, provision and guidance during the last ten months, --for our abundance of everything we have need of, for the comforts and conveniences of life such as our home, our telecommumications, medical facilities, and our military personnel serving overseas in order to protect our country, just to name a few.
On the other side of the coin, the Mission Fields of the world tell us that life is very different from our homes, and not without problems and yet they express gratefulness for what they do have. Nations rise and fall and other nations are changing focus in many directions all the time. Missionaries see these factors but they are working hard to bring in their harvest before the winds of change develop into storms that could change the face of missions. They are more concerned about the people God sent them to and they are grateful for the call of God to bring the gospel to them. One missionary wrote:
.....If you own a Bible, you are blessed. More than one-third of the world's population does not even have access to one. In some countries one page is all a national pastor has until he can exchange his page with another pastor.
.....If you awoke this morning with more health than illness, you are blessed. One million people will not survive this week.
.....If you have never experienced war, imprisonment, torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are more fortunate that 500 million people who live with these on a daily basis.
.....If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and money in your pocket, you are richer than 75 percent of the world.
We should daily ask ourselves some questions to measure our gratefulness:
1. Do we talk daily about our blessings or more about our disappointments?
2. Do we complain or grumble about our circumstances,or do we see God working through them?
3. Are we content with life or dissatisfied and always wanting more?
4. How often do we thank others for the little things they do for us, or do we take them for granted and seldom say "Thank you!"
5. Do others say I am a thankful person, or are they silent about that subject? We tell on ourselves by the things we say and the things we do.
As we share thanksgiving dinner with family and friends this Thanksgiving Day, let's take time to express our gratefulness to God who has "...blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3.) Let's pray for our missionaries serving far from home this year and those on assignment to raise more support to fulfill the vision God gave them, --for the families who are missing a family member because he/she is serving in Iraq, --for those in your church or next door who are not well and would appreciate a dinner plate from your home and perhaps those who have been alienated or estranged from their own family and long to return. This Thanksgiving time, let's recall our blessings again with gratefulness and express that gratefulness verbally to our heavenly Father, then to those who shared Thanksgiving dinner with us!
You can become a strong influence in the lives of other Christians when you express gratefulness to them often for their small or great contribution in your life! You can make a difference!
Thanksgiving time brings warm memories of family gatherings, of the aroma of turkey and its trimmings being prepared, of favorite foods and pies and the joy of spending a few special hours with family again! The rush and busyness of everyday living has robbed many people of their gratitude for blessings we have been privileged to enjoy in our great country of America! Let's remember with gratfulness!
If you counted your blessings and wrote them out, how many could you list on paper? At this time of the year, it is good to remember to thank God again for our beloved land of the free; --for God's protection, provision and guidance during the last ten months, --for our abundance of everything we have need of, for the comforts and conveniences of life such as our home, our telecommumications, medical facilities, and our military personnel serving overseas in order to protect our country, just to name a few.
On the other side of the coin, the Mission Fields of the world tell us that life is very different from our homes, and not without problems and yet they express gratefulness for what they do have. Nations rise and fall and other nations are changing focus in many directions all the time. Missionaries see these factors but they are working hard to bring in their harvest before the winds of change develop into storms that could change the face of missions. They are more concerned about the people God sent them to and they are grateful for the call of God to bring the gospel to them. One missionary wrote:
.....If you own a Bible, you are blessed. More than one-third of the world's population does not even have access to one. In some countries one page is all a national pastor has until he can exchange his page with another pastor.
.....If you awoke this morning with more health than illness, you are blessed. One million people will not survive this week.
.....If you have never experienced war, imprisonment, torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are more fortunate that 500 million people who live with these on a daily basis.
.....If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and money in your pocket, you are richer than 75 percent of the world.
We should daily ask ourselves some questions to measure our gratefulness:
1. Do we talk daily about our blessings or more about our disappointments?
2. Do we complain or grumble about our circumstances,or do we see God working through them?
3. Are we content with life or dissatisfied and always wanting more?
4. How often do we thank others for the little things they do for us, or do we take them for granted and seldom say "Thank you!"
5. Do others say I am a thankful person, or are they silent about that subject? We tell on ourselves by the things we say and the things we do.
As we share thanksgiving dinner with family and friends this Thanksgiving Day, let's take time to express our gratefulness to God who has "...blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3.) Let's pray for our missionaries serving far from home this year and those on assignment to raise more support to fulfill the vision God gave them, --for the families who are missing a family member because he/she is serving in Iraq, --for those in your church or next door who are not well and would appreciate a dinner plate from your home and perhaps those who have been alienated or estranged from their own family and long to return. This Thanksgiving time, let's recall our blessings again with gratefulness and express that gratefulness verbally to our heavenly Father, then to those who shared Thanksgiving dinner with us!
You can become a strong influence in the lives of other Christians when you express gratefulness to them often for their small or great contribution in your life! You can make a difference!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Healing is For Today
Do you believe you can be healed today? That question can be answered with two more questions: Has the Word of God changed? Is Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever?
Prepare your heart for healing through God's Word. First, consider the power of the Word of God as compared to the philosophies of those who would say that healing is not for us today. If "philosophers" never experienced a healing, how could they know if it is or is not for us today? If they came to declare this to me, I would have to tell them they came too late.....because I have already been healed many times. Apparently they do not know the scripture that declares "the Word of God standeth forever," which confirms that God's promises for healing stand forever too!
Socrates, an Athenian philosopher; Aristotle, a Greek philosopher and tutor of Alexander the Great, and Plato, another Greek philosopher,---all world renowned philosophers in their day taught and/or offered their views or theories on questions in ethics, metaphysics, logic, and other fields, with eloquent words. But after their death, their writings have faded from importance except as subjects to be studied in universities and colleges. Today, there appears to be no wide spread need for their philosophies for the average person.
On the other hand, the Word of God that was spoken through prophets and priests centuries ago as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit, has outlived philosophers, orators and humanists. Jesus lived on earth, died on a cross for all sinners and returned to His heavenly Father, yet His Word lives on and it has not only endured and withstood many tests through many storms and threats of extinction for many generations but it has brought change wherever it has been taught and received. Missionaries especially, confirm the Word of God has changed cannibalistic nations into civilization. It has brought peace and comfort in times of bereavement and sorrow. In remote areas where medical service was either 4-5 hours away or there was none available for many miles, when prayer was earnestly made to God, healings and miracles happened! When faced with fear and the unknown in the face of death, there is no record of someone asking for a dictionary or a book of philosophy to be read. He asked for the Word of God because its Words brought hope and peace. All of the Word of God has and is life for the reader.
The Bible also brought encouragement, direction for day to day living and answers in times of crisis. It led us to salvation, peace with God and eternal life. To every born again believer it has given life to God's great and precious promises for every circumstance. Why? Its Author is God Himself, the God Who created man in His image. And God knows all about him, .....even his physical needs, and how to restore or heal him.
Scripture confirms that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." He is the God of yesterday and the future but He is also the God of Today! God spoke through Isaiah, "My Word that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but IT SHALL ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PLEASE, AND IT SHALL PROSPER IN THE THING WHERETO I SENT IT." (ISAIAH 55:11.) Looking at a parade of evidences, we can conclude He is the same yesterday, today and forever in every circumstance! Yes! This means He is the God of healing, restoration and renewal for the future and for today!
Through His Word, God invites you to "Come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16.) Here are some factors to know that will help as you prepare for your healing:
1. Faith is needed.
"Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Preparation for healing requires that you first have faith to believe God is and that He is a "rewarder of those that diligently seek Him." Your faith grows as you spend quality time in prayer and in the Word of God, and especially when you place your name in the scriptures, for emphasis. Many Christians who do this confirm this has helped their faith.
2. Realize Jesus finished His Work at Calvary.
Healing is a finished work of Calvary as far as God is concerned, but you have to do more than hope or wish for it. To have the "finished work" or evidence of the healing, you must RECEIVE it. Peter declares, "By whose stripes ye were healed," (I Peter 2:24.) Healing was and is for you or your family members but if you have not received it, you need to continue to read the healing scriptures again and again until you have memorized them and they are a part of your confession every day.
3. "Everyone who asks, receives."
Jesus stated those words in Matthew 7:7-11. When you pray for healing, Jesus wants you to receive what you asked for because His Word declares, "By whose stripes ye WERE healed." Rewording it can help your faith by quoting "I believe it was through His stripes I WAS HEALED," and then stand firmly on your declaration without wavering.
4. Jesus healed them all.
Since Christ came to do the Father's will, the fact that He HEALED THEM ALL is proof that it is God's will that all be healed. (If it were not God's will for all to be healed, then how did they all get healed?)
5. Stand in your authority.
At all times, you need to stand in the authority Jesus shared with you in Luke 10:19. BELIEVE that you have the authority over ALL the power of the enemy, even Satan's attack of sickness he is trying to put on you. Speak to your sickness to go in Jesus' Name, commanding it to return to the one who sent it. When you speak boldly with authority, in faith, nothing wavering, the sickness will begin to die; your condition will begin to reverse and in time you will see the full manifestation of complete healing.
(NOTE; See previous blog titled, "The Prayer of Authority," September 7, 2007. To 9pen this blog, scroll to the end of this page. See the words "Older Posts" at the end of the page. Press or double click on the words "Older Posts." Wait, and the previous page with blogs will appear. Scroll down on that page to "The Prayer of Authority" and read the article with additional information on Authority.)
Only believe! This is God's Word. It will never change! He promised that His Word would NOT return to Him void, but it would accomplish what it was sent to do. Dare to believe healing is for you today and witness the power of His promise!
Prepare your heart for healing through God's Word. First, consider the power of the Word of God as compared to the philosophies of those who would say that healing is not for us today. If "philosophers" never experienced a healing, how could they know if it is or is not for us today? If they came to declare this to me, I would have to tell them they came too late.....because I have already been healed many times. Apparently they do not know the scripture that declares "the Word of God standeth forever," which confirms that God's promises for healing stand forever too!
Socrates, an Athenian philosopher; Aristotle, a Greek philosopher and tutor of Alexander the Great, and Plato, another Greek philosopher,---all world renowned philosophers in their day taught and/or offered their views or theories on questions in ethics, metaphysics, logic, and other fields, with eloquent words. But after their death, their writings have faded from importance except as subjects to be studied in universities and colleges. Today, there appears to be no wide spread need for their philosophies for the average person.
On the other hand, the Word of God that was spoken through prophets and priests centuries ago as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit, has outlived philosophers, orators and humanists. Jesus lived on earth, died on a cross for all sinners and returned to His heavenly Father, yet His Word lives on and it has not only endured and withstood many tests through many storms and threats of extinction for many generations but it has brought change wherever it has been taught and received. Missionaries especially, confirm the Word of God has changed cannibalistic nations into civilization. It has brought peace and comfort in times of bereavement and sorrow. In remote areas where medical service was either 4-5 hours away or there was none available for many miles, when prayer was earnestly made to God, healings and miracles happened! When faced with fear and the unknown in the face of death, there is no record of someone asking for a dictionary or a book of philosophy to be read. He asked for the Word of God because its Words brought hope and peace. All of the Word of God has and is life for the reader.
The Bible also brought encouragement, direction for day to day living and answers in times of crisis. It led us to salvation, peace with God and eternal life. To every born again believer it has given life to God's great and precious promises for every circumstance. Why? Its Author is God Himself, the God Who created man in His image. And God knows all about him, .....even his physical needs, and how to restore or heal him.
Scripture confirms that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." He is the God of yesterday and the future but He is also the God of Today! God spoke through Isaiah, "My Word that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but IT SHALL ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PLEASE, AND IT SHALL PROSPER IN THE THING WHERETO I SENT IT." (ISAIAH 55:11.) Looking at a parade of evidences, we can conclude He is the same yesterday, today and forever in every circumstance! Yes! This means He is the God of healing, restoration and renewal for the future and for today!
Through His Word, God invites you to "Come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16.) Here are some factors to know that will help as you prepare for your healing:
1. Faith is needed.
"Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Preparation for healing requires that you first have faith to believe God is and that He is a "rewarder of those that diligently seek Him." Your faith grows as you spend quality time in prayer and in the Word of God, and especially when you place your name in the scriptures, for emphasis. Many Christians who do this confirm this has helped their faith.
2. Realize Jesus finished His Work at Calvary.
Healing is a finished work of Calvary as far as God is concerned, but you have to do more than hope or wish for it. To have the "finished work" or evidence of the healing, you must RECEIVE it. Peter declares, "By whose stripes ye were healed," (I Peter 2:24.) Healing was and is for you or your family members but if you have not received it, you need to continue to read the healing scriptures again and again until you have memorized them and they are a part of your confession every day.
3. "Everyone who asks, receives."
Jesus stated those words in Matthew 7:7-11. When you pray for healing, Jesus wants you to receive what you asked for because His Word declares, "By whose stripes ye WERE healed." Rewording it can help your faith by quoting "I believe it was through His stripes I WAS HEALED," and then stand firmly on your declaration without wavering.
4. Jesus healed them all.
Since Christ came to do the Father's will, the fact that He HEALED THEM ALL is proof that it is God's will that all be healed. (If it were not God's will for all to be healed, then how did they all get healed?)
5. Stand in your authority.
At all times, you need to stand in the authority Jesus shared with you in Luke 10:19. BELIEVE that you have the authority over ALL the power of the enemy, even Satan's attack of sickness he is trying to put on you. Speak to your sickness to go in Jesus' Name, commanding it to return to the one who sent it. When you speak boldly with authority, in faith, nothing wavering, the sickness will begin to die; your condition will begin to reverse and in time you will see the full manifestation of complete healing.
(NOTE; See previous blog titled, "The Prayer of Authority," September 7, 2007. To 9pen this blog, scroll to the end of this page. See the words "Older Posts" at the end of the page. Press or double click on the words "Older Posts." Wait, and the previous page with blogs will appear. Scroll down on that page to "The Prayer of Authority" and read the article with additional information on Authority.)
Only believe! This is God's Word. It will never change! He promised that His Word would NOT return to Him void, but it would accomplish what it was sent to do. Dare to believe healing is for you today and witness the power of His promise!
Friday, November 9, 2007
Why Prayer is Not Answered - Part 1
God still answers prayer if our relationship is in good standing with Him. If our prayer is not being answered, we only need to ask the Holy Spirit why and then hear His answer well, and obey His word to us.
The following insights tell us why prayer is often not answered:
1. We have been overcome with the cares of life. Needs and pressures of life are with us everyday; yet some people have stepped up to the next level of depending on the Holy Spirit and His strength so that they live above the pressures, --and you can too. Jesus loves you so much that He said He would never leave you nor forsake you. That means you really don't need to be overcome with the cares of life. That means He desires to handle them for you. He knows your way and your struggles. What can you do to live above your cares? Here are some answers:
a. "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly!" (Colossians 3:16.)
Draw life and strength from the Word of God early in the morning when your mind is fresh and alert, and hold that Word in your heart all day, --one day at a time. Don't allow yourself to worry whether or not you will be able to keep the Word in your heart tomorrow, because tomorrow has not yet come.
b. "Gird up the loins of your mind." (I Peter 1:13.)
This means to take courage (YOU take courage given by the Holy Spirit) in the face of hardships and remember God said He would be with you always. You can choose to worry about your needs or choose to trust God for them. The choice is yours. When you need an answer, He will bring your answer on time, but it will be one day at a time.
c. Set a goal to be an overcomer of that which tries to overcome you.
Think: To be an overcomer, you have to have something to overcome. "They OVERCAME him by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony." (Revelation 12:11.) Start today to be an overcomer. Your effort will bring you closer to the Lord, and when you are close to Him, you will notice you have faith to believe for your answers.
d. Remember God will give you His peace.
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect PEACE whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." (Isaiah 26:3.) Count your blessings for one week and you will recognize His peace is greater than the cares of life.
e. Remember He will give you rest.
"In returning and REST shall ye be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. (Isaiah 30:15.) When you go to the Lord in prayer consistently in the morning or evening, your confidence in God's promises will grow and your prayer will begin to see answers.
f. Remember He will give you strength.
"But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their STRENGTH; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
(Isaiah 40:31.)
g. Remember God invites you to commit your way to Him and trust.
"COMMIT thy way unto the Lord; TRUST also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass." (Psalm37:5.) Living with the Word of God everyday gives life to everything you do and supernatural strength to stay above the cares of life so that you can believe God for the answers to every prayer.
2. Wrong attitudes. You may not be aware of this, but you change attitudes many times in one day. Sometimes the attitudes develop wrong opinions which in turn rob you of peace. They cloud your faith and when faith is not fed by the Word, it will become diluted with doubts and negative thoughts which will eventually blind you to the power of God's Word. It's good to examine your heart often. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23.) When wrong attitudes have been cleansed by the Blood of Jesus, faith will naturally rise again to believe God for the things you discussed with Him.
3. Prayerlessness. This is the greatest reason of all for no answers to prayer.
There's an imaginary channel from your heart to the Throne Room of God, and your prayers travel straight to your heavenly Father. There, God hears your worship and your requests and He desires to give you the desires of your heart. Some people cannot or will not take time to pray so there are many answers to prayer that have not been claimed. For others, their prayer life consists of short "sentence prayers" spoken in generalities with no specific details, yet they wonder why God does not rain down an abundance of specific and detailed blessings on them and their family.
These people usually have many needs and complain that they cannot receive answers. They often have little or no joy or direction in life for employment, promotions or ministry. They have no vision or goals or purpose in life. They have a difficult time making decisions that could lead them into a place of abundance --all because they just don't pray. Their example is taking a toll on their children who are watching the example before them. It is because of slothfulness and indifference to responsibility to care for their own spiritual needs first, then others. They have avoided the call of God to seek Him to know the destiny that God ordained for them. What will happen to them? Who can help them? Usually no one can help them until they see themselves as God sees them, people of prayerlessness.
If you have a tendency to lean toward this lifestyle at times, dare to take hold of your life and seek God again. He is waiting to turn your life around and answer your prayers. It may be that even now there are many answers on hold with your name
on them.
The following insights tell us why prayer is often not answered:
1. We have been overcome with the cares of life. Needs and pressures of life are with us everyday; yet some people have stepped up to the next level of depending on the Holy Spirit and His strength so that they live above the pressures, --and you can too. Jesus loves you so much that He said He would never leave you nor forsake you. That means you really don't need to be overcome with the cares of life. That means He desires to handle them for you. He knows your way and your struggles. What can you do to live above your cares? Here are some answers:
a. "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly!" (Colossians 3:16.)
Draw life and strength from the Word of God early in the morning when your mind is fresh and alert, and hold that Word in your heart all day, --one day at a time. Don't allow yourself to worry whether or not you will be able to keep the Word in your heart tomorrow, because tomorrow has not yet come.
b. "Gird up the loins of your mind." (I Peter 1:13.)
This means to take courage (YOU take courage given by the Holy Spirit) in the face of hardships and remember God said He would be with you always. You can choose to worry about your needs or choose to trust God for them. The choice is yours. When you need an answer, He will bring your answer on time, but it will be one day at a time.
c. Set a goal to be an overcomer of that which tries to overcome you.
Think: To be an overcomer, you have to have something to overcome. "They OVERCAME him by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony." (Revelation 12:11.) Start today to be an overcomer. Your effort will bring you closer to the Lord, and when you are close to Him, you will notice you have faith to believe for your answers.
d. Remember God will give you His peace.
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect PEACE whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." (Isaiah 26:3.) Count your blessings for one week and you will recognize His peace is greater than the cares of life.
e. Remember He will give you rest.
"In returning and REST shall ye be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. (Isaiah 30:15.) When you go to the Lord in prayer consistently in the morning or evening, your confidence in God's promises will grow and your prayer will begin to see answers.
f. Remember He will give you strength.
"But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their STRENGTH; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
(Isaiah 40:31.)
g. Remember God invites you to commit your way to Him and trust.
"COMMIT thy way unto the Lord; TRUST also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass." (Psalm37:5.) Living with the Word of God everyday gives life to everything you do and supernatural strength to stay above the cares of life so that you can believe God for the answers to every prayer.
2. Wrong attitudes. You may not be aware of this, but you change attitudes many times in one day. Sometimes the attitudes develop wrong opinions which in turn rob you of peace. They cloud your faith and when faith is not fed by the Word, it will become diluted with doubts and negative thoughts which will eventually blind you to the power of God's Word. It's good to examine your heart often. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23.) When wrong attitudes have been cleansed by the Blood of Jesus, faith will naturally rise again to believe God for the things you discussed with Him.
3. Prayerlessness. This is the greatest reason of all for no answers to prayer.
There's an imaginary channel from your heart to the Throne Room of God, and your prayers travel straight to your heavenly Father. There, God hears your worship and your requests and He desires to give you the desires of your heart. Some people cannot or will not take time to pray so there are many answers to prayer that have not been claimed. For others, their prayer life consists of short "sentence prayers" spoken in generalities with no specific details, yet they wonder why God does not rain down an abundance of specific and detailed blessings on them and their family.
These people usually have many needs and complain that they cannot receive answers. They often have little or no joy or direction in life for employment, promotions or ministry. They have no vision or goals or purpose in life. They have a difficult time making decisions that could lead them into a place of abundance --all because they just don't pray. Their example is taking a toll on their children who are watching the example before them. It is because of slothfulness and indifference to responsibility to care for their own spiritual needs first, then others. They have avoided the call of God to seek Him to know the destiny that God ordained for them. What will happen to them? Who can help them? Usually no one can help them until they see themselves as God sees them, people of prayerlessness.
If you have a tendency to lean toward this lifestyle at times, dare to take hold of your life and seek God again. He is waiting to turn your life around and answer your prayers. It may be that even now there are many answers on hold with your name
on them.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Why Prayer is Not Answered - Part 2
Have you ever prayed for an urgent need but did not receive an answer? If so, it's time to look at the possible reasons why earnest prayer was not enough.
The Word of God tells us, "If ye abide in Me and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." (John 15:7.) This seems to be a very clear answer. Every believer feels he is abiding in Christ, but there are nuggets of truth here to consider. To "abide" means to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship,to agree to remain steadfast or faithful and to continue without change. This is a picture of truly abiding in Christ! This scripture also tells us "and if MY WORDS abide in you" THEN ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."
When God's Word abides, stays and remains in us the Word becomes life! If you have been consistent in reading the Word, it is consistently revealing the power of God to your inner man and consistently building confidence in God's promises, provisions and leadership, and your faith is growing. When faith is growing, truth is becoming steadfast and the scriptures are coming alive. It is then that you feel you can believe God for anything...and God honors that faith with His answers to prayer!
Faith grows through abiding in the Word and meditating on the Word until the full impact of His Word becomes strong in the core of your being! That's the inside story of truly abiding in Christ. That is why some believers' prayers are answered more than others. God has no favorites but He does show favor to those who abide close enough to feel the impact of His Word such as John 15:7.
There are other reasons why prayer is not ansered:
1. SIN. Sin is disobedience to the known Word of God. The wages of sin is spiritual death or separation from our relationship with the Lord, therefore sin will prevent answers to prayer. We do not sin in general terms so we cannot ask, "Lord, just forgive me for anything and everything!" No, we sin in specific ways, so we must acknowledge and confess the specific sins we know we have committed, and then ask for forgiveness.
2. UNFORGIVENESS. People who have been wounded often find it difficult to forgive and allow healing to restore them. The Word of God is our Guide in all things. The scripture says, "If ye forgive, your heavenly father will forgive you, but if you forgive not, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you." (Matthew 6:14-15.)If a person has not forgiven others and has not been forgiven by God, he will not be able to enter heaven. Doctors are now discovering that sicknesses (even cancer) are often caused by a wounded heart. Unforgiveness invites infirmities and weakness in the physical body. Notice Jesus did not suggest you had to pretend nothing happened or that you were not hurt. He just said forgive and you will be forgiven. The deeper truth here is that when we truly forgive, we have given the issue to the Lord. When He has received it unconditionally from us, then He will begin to work on everyone else who was involved in the matter, and it will be solved.
A few months ago, a Christian couple had a big misunderstanding and their discussion became so heated that the husband stormed out of the home angrily, got in his car and while driving he was in a head-on collision and died. When he died, he appeared at the gates of heaven but Jesus would not let him enter. "Why?" he asked. "I've served you diligently all my life, Lord." But Jesus told him, "You had an argument with your wife and did not forgive her. You cannot enter here with unforgiveness. Go back! Make it right!" And life returned into the man's body. When he gained consciousness and saw his wife with tears, standing by his side, he immediately asked her to forgive him and they were reconciled. Later, this man wrote this true testimony for the world to read and added: "If you forgive, your heavenly father will forgive you, but if you forgive not, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you. (Matthew 6:14-15. The decision is yours." If you feel there is unforgiveness in your heart, obey the Word and forgive so that your heavenly Father will forgive you and your prayers can be answered!
3. IGNORING THE PROMPTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit was sent by the Jesus to lead us into all truth and to bring growth and development in our walk with God. Sometimes we pray "Lord, use me. Let me have an assignment to work for you." Some people forget their prayer quickly, but the Holy Spirit doesn't. He watches for an opportunity for you to be blessed by having a part in Kingdom work! When the Holy Spirit then begins to put a need before you and prompts you to do what He asks, but you ignore His prompting, you have grieved Him. The first one or two times you did not obey that prompting, you may have felt something like a "prick" in your heart, reminding you that you did not obey. The next time He would give you an assignment, you may not have felt the prick but you knew something was not right because your prayers were not being answered. Return to your altar! Repent! Ask the Father to forgive you for Jesus'sake and ask Him for another assignment; then be sure that you do not ignore the prompting of the Holy Spirit again but do what He put in you heart. When you obey again, you will notice your prayers will begin to be answered again.
4. UNBELIEF AND DOUBT. Unbelief is a sign that a person does not believe that God means what He says. Doubt is usually an honest question causing a person to desire more informaion or clarification. Doubts can always be resolved by consistent reading of the Word of God and prayer because the Holy Spirit came to teach us all things and He will teach you as you read the Word and pray. Remember: "If we ask anything according to His Will, He heareth us." We know He came to teach us, so we only need to ask and He will help/enable us to understand truth. As truth is revealed, we will have faith to believe for the answers to prayer.
5.BEING OUT OF GOD's WILL. The peace of God is always the predominent factor that let's a child of God know he is in the Will of God. When you feel troubled while pursing a specific plan, you will usually learn quickly that you did not inquire if it was God's will for you or not and usually everything that could go wrong will go wrong.
Getting ahead of God instead of waiting for His timing, unholy relationships that would take you away from your experience with God and/or being unequally yoked together with unbelievers (II Corinthians 6:14), or misplacing scriptures in order to find a way to fulfll ungodly plans, will only lead to darkness of soul and remove your peace. If you find yourself in one of these situations, return to the Lord. Repent! Ask for forgiveness and then do the will of God that your prayer be not hindered!
Many years ago, my Mother had a friend who had a very good marriage. But one day this friend met another man who swept her off her feet and she contemplated divorcing her husband and remarrying. My Mother show her from scripture exactly what God's Word taught: "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth...." (I Corinthians 7:39.) but she would not listen to counseling. In the meantime it had not rained in Miami for many months and the drought was severe. One day my Mother's friend said she prayed if it would rain on a Thursday, she would know she would have God's permission to divorce her husband and marry her new friend. Guess what! After many months of drought, it did rain on Thursday so the friend divorced her husband and married the new man. From that day, there was no peace in her heart but guilt. In the end she did repent but she lived in sadness until she went home to be with the Lord. Being out of God's will, will alwys hinder the faith needed to believe God for answers to prayer.
Watch for signs that might help you know why some of your prayers are not being answered. The Word of God has stood true through centuries, "Ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you!" Many answers are still waiting for God's people! Your answer is still coming!_________________________________________________
Said the Robin to the Sparrow,
"I should really like to know...why these anxious human beings rush around and worry so!"
Said the Sparrow to the Robin,
"Friend, I think that it must be...that they have no heavenly Father such as cares for you and me!" He careth for you! Dare to believe!
The Word of God tells us, "If ye abide in Me and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." (John 15:7.) This seems to be a very clear answer. Every believer feels he is abiding in Christ, but there are nuggets of truth here to consider. To "abide" means to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship,to agree to remain steadfast or faithful and to continue without change. This is a picture of truly abiding in Christ! This scripture also tells us "and if MY WORDS abide in you" THEN ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."
When God's Word abides, stays and remains in us the Word becomes life! If you have been consistent in reading the Word, it is consistently revealing the power of God to your inner man and consistently building confidence in God's promises, provisions and leadership, and your faith is growing. When faith is growing, truth is becoming steadfast and the scriptures are coming alive. It is then that you feel you can believe God for anything...and God honors that faith with His answers to prayer!
Faith grows through abiding in the Word and meditating on the Word until the full impact of His Word becomes strong in the core of your being! That's the inside story of truly abiding in Christ. That is why some believers' prayers are answered more than others. God has no favorites but He does show favor to those who abide close enough to feel the impact of His Word such as John 15:7.
There are other reasons why prayer is not ansered:
1. SIN. Sin is disobedience to the known Word of God. The wages of sin is spiritual death or separation from our relationship with the Lord, therefore sin will prevent answers to prayer. We do not sin in general terms so we cannot ask, "Lord, just forgive me for anything and everything!" No, we sin in specific ways, so we must acknowledge and confess the specific sins we know we have committed, and then ask for forgiveness.
2. UNFORGIVENESS. People who have been wounded often find it difficult to forgive and allow healing to restore them. The Word of God is our Guide in all things. The scripture says, "If ye forgive, your heavenly father will forgive you, but if you forgive not, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you." (Matthew 6:14-15.)If a person has not forgiven others and has not been forgiven by God, he will not be able to enter heaven. Doctors are now discovering that sicknesses (even cancer) are often caused by a wounded heart. Unforgiveness invites infirmities and weakness in the physical body. Notice Jesus did not suggest you had to pretend nothing happened or that you were not hurt. He just said forgive and you will be forgiven. The deeper truth here is that when we truly forgive, we have given the issue to the Lord. When He has received it unconditionally from us, then He will begin to work on everyone else who was involved in the matter, and it will be solved.
A few months ago, a Christian couple had a big misunderstanding and their discussion became so heated that the husband stormed out of the home angrily, got in his car and while driving he was in a head-on collision and died. When he died, he appeared at the gates of heaven but Jesus would not let him enter. "Why?" he asked. "I've served you diligently all my life, Lord." But Jesus told him, "You had an argument with your wife and did not forgive her. You cannot enter here with unforgiveness. Go back! Make it right!" And life returned into the man's body. When he gained consciousness and saw his wife with tears, standing by his side, he immediately asked her to forgive him and they were reconciled. Later, this man wrote this true testimony for the world to read and added: "If you forgive, your heavenly father will forgive you, but if you forgive not, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you. (Matthew 6:14-15. The decision is yours." If you feel there is unforgiveness in your heart, obey the Word and forgive so that your heavenly Father will forgive you and your prayers can be answered!
3. IGNORING THE PROMPTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit was sent by the Jesus to lead us into all truth and to bring growth and development in our walk with God. Sometimes we pray "Lord, use me. Let me have an assignment to work for you." Some people forget their prayer quickly, but the Holy Spirit doesn't. He watches for an opportunity for you to be blessed by having a part in Kingdom work! When the Holy Spirit then begins to put a need before you and prompts you to do what He asks, but you ignore His prompting, you have grieved Him. The first one or two times you did not obey that prompting, you may have felt something like a "prick" in your heart, reminding you that you did not obey. The next time He would give you an assignment, you may not have felt the prick but you knew something was not right because your prayers were not being answered. Return to your altar! Repent! Ask the Father to forgive you for Jesus'sake and ask Him for another assignment; then be sure that you do not ignore the prompting of the Holy Spirit again but do what He put in you heart. When you obey again, you will notice your prayers will begin to be answered again.
4. UNBELIEF AND DOUBT. Unbelief is a sign that a person does not believe that God means what He says. Doubt is usually an honest question causing a person to desire more informaion or clarification. Doubts can always be resolved by consistent reading of the Word of God and prayer because the Holy Spirit came to teach us all things and He will teach you as you read the Word and pray. Remember: "If we ask anything according to His Will, He heareth us." We know He came to teach us, so we only need to ask and He will help/enable us to understand truth. As truth is revealed, we will have faith to believe for the answers to prayer.
5.BEING OUT OF GOD's WILL. The peace of God is always the predominent factor that let's a child of God know he is in the Will of God. When you feel troubled while pursing a specific plan, you will usually learn quickly that you did not inquire if it was God's will for you or not and usually everything that could go wrong will go wrong.
Getting ahead of God instead of waiting for His timing, unholy relationships that would take you away from your experience with God and/or being unequally yoked together with unbelievers (II Corinthians 6:14), or misplacing scriptures in order to find a way to fulfll ungodly plans, will only lead to darkness of soul and remove your peace. If you find yourself in one of these situations, return to the Lord. Repent! Ask for forgiveness and then do the will of God that your prayer be not hindered!
Many years ago, my Mother had a friend who had a very good marriage. But one day this friend met another man who swept her off her feet and she contemplated divorcing her husband and remarrying. My Mother show her from scripture exactly what God's Word taught: "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth...." (I Corinthians 7:39.) but she would not listen to counseling. In the meantime it had not rained in Miami for many months and the drought was severe. One day my Mother's friend said she prayed if it would rain on a Thursday, she would know she would have God's permission to divorce her husband and marry her new friend. Guess what! After many months of drought, it did rain on Thursday so the friend divorced her husband and married the new man. From that day, there was no peace in her heart but guilt. In the end she did repent but she lived in sadness until she went home to be with the Lord. Being out of God's will, will alwys hinder the faith needed to believe God for answers to prayer.
Watch for signs that might help you know why some of your prayers are not being answered. The Word of God has stood true through centuries, "Ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you!" Many answers are still waiting for God's people! Your answer is still coming!_________________________________________________
Said the Robin to the Sparrow,
"I should really like to know...why these anxious human beings rush around and worry so!"
Said the Sparrow to the Robin,
"Friend, I think that it must be...that they have no heavenly Father such as cares for you and me!" He careth for you! Dare to believe!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Three Kinds of Faith?
Faith will bring change in your attitude and love for God and life! What kind of faith do you have?
Some people believe in predestination. Some have faith in faith itself, while others understand true faith is born in our hearts by the Holy Spirit and it grows as we read God's Word, develop a prayer life, and act on His Word.
PREDESTINATION. Some people believe in predestination. They believe "what will happen, will happen and it cannot be changed." They forgot the scripture, "Whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son." (Romans 8:29.) It is God's plan that HE has foreknown and predestinated us to receive salvation and His good gifts, but the individual himself has not been called to say the things that happen in his life were meant to be and and could never be changed. "All things are possible to him that believeth." (Mark 9.23) Situations can change in answer to fervent prayer.
Remember Hezekiah! Through Isaiah,the Lord said to Hezekiah, "Set thy house in order for thou shalt die." (2 Kings 20:1.) But Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to God for life. Before Isaiah left the palace grounds, the Lord told Isaiah to return to King Hezekiah and tell him ".....I have heard thy prayer. I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee." (2 Kings 20:5.) A powerful truth here is that God heard his servant Hezekiah's cry and prayer and He will hear the cries of all of His children when they are in need! Just ask, hold on, trust and and prove Him!
Hezekiah asked Isaiah how would he know he would live. Isaiah asked him to make a request and Hezekiah said if the sun dial would be turned back, (if time would be turned back) he would know he would be healed. Isaiah prayed and God turned back the dial on the sun! Amazing! Scientists today recognize something strange happened on the earth many years ago, relating to "time."
Fifteen years were added to Hezekiah's life and reign. This is an example of a definite prophecy being changed in answer to prayer! Hezekiah did not accept the words that he was destined to die. This tells us if negative things happen to us, we are not predestined to be defeated, for hope to be snatched, dreams and plans for our children to be buried or for us to sucumb to death! Maybe the reason some prayers are not answered is because some people do feel that "what will happen, will happen" and they are not able to change the situation. There is no scripture to support this. When you are in need, be encouraged. Pray! God works when we pray. Nothing happens when we don't pray.
Remember first that we are living in the New Covenant with Christ Who died that we might live victoriously and not in defeat! "All things are possible to him that believeth!" Then remember to "Come BOLDLY to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16.) "We have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him." (Ephesians 3:12.)
People may have thought Hezekiah was destined to die if the Lord sent a message to tell him he would die...but notice the faith in Hezekiah's heart. Though he did not have the scriptures you and I have today, he "reminded" God how he had served Him and His people with all his heart. Reminding God helped to strengthen his faith.
God will hear your desperate cry for yourself, a family member or for our nation, too. Remind Him of your walk and obedience before Him. Though you have prayed through for your needs and you know your answer to prayer is on the way, you can still "remind" God that you are standing in faith for your answer to be manifested. There was no predestination to death here!
How's your faith? If you have lived for God faithfully, don't accept negative reports. You can change the course of your life through prayer, too!
FAITH IN FAITH. Some people have no explanaion for this kind of faith but when you listen to them, you can discern that they just believe in the good changes that can come. Their response is, "I'm just believing God for this need." They just hold on to a belief that those things will happen but they have little or no prayer life nor are they faithful to attend church. There is little in their spiritual life that would give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to teach them with facts from scripture.
TRUE FAITH. True faith is in God and His Word. Faith comes by hearing the Word, meditating on it and rehearsing it in your heart until spiritual understanding develops in your spirit man. This believer will be able to discern twisted teachings circulating around him, but recognize the strong guidance of the Holy Spirit when questionable issues are proclaimed as permissible.
Every Bible believing Christian can and should have this kind of faith! It does not come quickly. When you practice believing and acting on the Word, and develop a deeper relaionship with the Lord even in times of trouble, disappointment or chaos, your faith will be nourished and you will grow during your Christian journey. Unfortunately we grow the most when we are in trouble or are being tested, --not when all is well! Feed faith with facts from the Word and grow because "Without faith it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11:6.) What kind of faith do you have?
Some people believe in predestination. Some have faith in faith itself, while others understand true faith is born in our hearts by the Holy Spirit and it grows as we read God's Word, develop a prayer life, and act on His Word.
PREDESTINATION. Some people believe in predestination. They believe "what will happen, will happen and it cannot be changed." They forgot the scripture, "Whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son." (Romans 8:29.) It is God's plan that HE has foreknown and predestinated us to receive salvation and His good gifts, but the individual himself has not been called to say the things that happen in his life were meant to be and and could never be changed. "All things are possible to him that believeth." (Mark 9.23) Situations can change in answer to fervent prayer.
Remember Hezekiah! Through Isaiah,the Lord said to Hezekiah, "Set thy house in order for thou shalt die." (2 Kings 20:1.) But Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to God for life. Before Isaiah left the palace grounds, the Lord told Isaiah to return to King Hezekiah and tell him ".....I have heard thy prayer. I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee." (2 Kings 20:5.) A powerful truth here is that God heard his servant Hezekiah's cry and prayer and He will hear the cries of all of His children when they are in need! Just ask, hold on, trust and and prove Him!
Hezekiah asked Isaiah how would he know he would live. Isaiah asked him to make a request and Hezekiah said if the sun dial would be turned back, (if time would be turned back) he would know he would be healed. Isaiah prayed and God turned back the dial on the sun! Amazing! Scientists today recognize something strange happened on the earth many years ago, relating to "time."
Fifteen years were added to Hezekiah's life and reign. This is an example of a definite prophecy being changed in answer to prayer! Hezekiah did not accept the words that he was destined to die. This tells us if negative things happen to us, we are not predestined to be defeated, for hope to be snatched, dreams and plans for our children to be buried or for us to sucumb to death! Maybe the reason some prayers are not answered is because some people do feel that "what will happen, will happen" and they are not able to change the situation. There is no scripture to support this. When you are in need, be encouraged. Pray! God works when we pray. Nothing happens when we don't pray.
Remember first that we are living in the New Covenant with Christ Who died that we might live victoriously and not in defeat! "All things are possible to him that believeth!" Then remember to "Come BOLDLY to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16.) "We have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him." (Ephesians 3:12.)
People may have thought Hezekiah was destined to die if the Lord sent a message to tell him he would die...but notice the faith in Hezekiah's heart. Though he did not have the scriptures you and I have today, he "reminded" God how he had served Him and His people with all his heart. Reminding God helped to strengthen his faith.
God will hear your desperate cry for yourself, a family member or for our nation, too. Remind Him of your walk and obedience before Him. Though you have prayed through for your needs and you know your answer to prayer is on the way, you can still "remind" God that you are standing in faith for your answer to be manifested. There was no predestination to death here!
How's your faith? If you have lived for God faithfully, don't accept negative reports. You can change the course of your life through prayer, too!
FAITH IN FAITH. Some people have no explanaion for this kind of faith but when you listen to them, you can discern that they just believe in the good changes that can come. Their response is, "I'm just believing God for this need." They just hold on to a belief that those things will happen but they have little or no prayer life nor are they faithful to attend church. There is little in their spiritual life that would give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to teach them with facts from scripture.
TRUE FAITH. True faith is in God and His Word. Faith comes by hearing the Word, meditating on it and rehearsing it in your heart until spiritual understanding develops in your spirit man. This believer will be able to discern twisted teachings circulating around him, but recognize the strong guidance of the Holy Spirit when questionable issues are proclaimed as permissible.
Every Bible believing Christian can and should have this kind of faith! It does not come quickly. When you practice believing and acting on the Word, and develop a deeper relaionship with the Lord even in times of trouble, disappointment or chaos, your faith will be nourished and you will grow during your Christian journey. Unfortunately we grow the most when we are in trouble or are being tested, --not when all is well! Feed faith with facts from the Word and grow because "Without faith it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11:6.) What kind of faith do you have?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)