Whenever I am about to lose hope in the power of prayer, I am reminded of a testimony I heard in college. My friend Pam told me of her mother’s journey from Mormonism to faith in Christ. When her children became teenagers, a spirit of rebellion entered a sibling leading him into the occult. What came next can only be described as illuminating prayer.
Pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
As a parent, there comes a time when children no longer listen. Perhaps tired of being nagged, young people tend to tune out adults at some point in life. When the no longer listening phase begins, its easy for a dad or mom to over-react. This natural reaction makes the communication gap worse, expanding the wedge between parent and child.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours, Mark 11:24.
While Pam’s mom likely possessed an urge to confront her son, the Holy Spirit had a different plan. As if following the advice of a friend, Pam’s mother began to prayer over her son’s room each day after he left for school. This pattern occurred for a week or so, bathing her son’s room in prayer. Without any communication, dark posters were taken down and thrown away. By the end of the month, Pam’s mother led her son to faith in Christ. Although, there is more to the story, this is a glimpse of illuminating prayer.
Israel spent 400 years in Egypt as slaves, enduring harsher conditions the longer they stayed. When the timing was right, God chose Moses, a man with a severe speech impediment to represent Israel before Pharaoh. Initially, Moses rejected God’s calling, as the Lord sends along his brother Aaron to address Egypt’s leader. Although its not mentioned, Moses slowly takes control of these daily meetings with Pharaoh. The absence of stammering suggests God healed Moses of his stuttering.
He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you,” Exodus 15:26.
Through Moses’ personal experience, set from from stuttering, the term Jehovah Rapha was coined. This name for God means the Lord who heals. After being eyewitnesses of the Passover, Israel saw the hand of God at work, passing over their doors to kill first born Egyptians. The passage above serves as a reminder to work just happened as well as a call to action to carefully follow God’s commands while waiting to receive God’s promised land.
God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds, Psalm 147:3.
Today, healing is one of those prayers and wants the sick desperately seek. Yet, for those who have prayed for healing and sit helplessly waiting around to watch loved ones die, its hard to keep the faith. While Jehovah Rapha is still actively at work, some never see the fruit of time on their knees. Despite a lack of results, believers can not forget the words of Moses in Exodus 15:26. Healing doesn’t always come instantaneously. Rather, wounds take time to close. When you back is against the door, cry out to Jehovah Rapha to mend your heart and soul.
In the Old Testament, God’s presence is limited to a few select individuals. After Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden at the end of Genesis 3, intimacy with God was severed. Thus, God revealed himself to the forefathers of Israel, prophets and some leaders to guide and direct their paths. However, due to continued disobedience throughout several centuries, God decides go silent for 400 years serving as a transition for the New Testament.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded, James 4:8.
Before Jesus arrived on to the scene, priests were used as a mediator between God and mankind. To atone for sin, priests performed animals sacrifices with the shedding of blood to cleanse individuals, families and cities from their transgressions. Without practicing this biblical principle, forgiveness is not obtained. Therefore, drawing near to God can not occur unless repentance and contrition has been completed.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, Hebrews 10:22.
The new covenant introduced to his disciples during the Last Supper, Jesus eliminated the need for the Old Testament practice mentioned above. Described as the Lamb of God, a perfect sacrifice without blemish, Jesus laid down his own life so that in Him, we too might have life. While worshiping God at a building, home or a temple is still a vital aspect of faith, you can draw near to God anywhere and anytime. As you draw near, God’s grace is a free gift available to all approach the Lord with a sincere heart, eager to forgive sinners as far as the East is from the West.
When you are young, health is something that can be taken for granted. This blessing is often forgotten until storms, trials or unexpected events arrive. Thus, when my eye doctor recently told me I was losing vision in my right eye, I wasn’t sure what to think. After a week of contemplation, prayer and reflection, my future lies in confession, faith and healing.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective, James 5:16.
The first 4 books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, also known as the Gospels detail close to 40 specific miracles performed by Jesus. Although the audience and context of each author differs, there is a similar theme found before Jesus’ healing is complete. Several cases involve an affliction, condition or disease that is related to some type of curse which requires confession. Other individuals came to a point in life they began to accept their physical state, giving up hope of ever finding a cure. These people were questioned by Jesus, seeing if desire and faith within would be reborn.
One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” – John 5:5-6
When you find yourself in need of healing, there are 2 questions you must dwell upon. First, have you sinned against God, someone else or your own body? Second, is there any area of your life where you’ve resigned, lost hope or believe you won’t succeed. Depending upon the conviction you receive from the Holy Spirit, you may need to publicly confess your transgressions, ask God for the faith of Elisha or do both. In the end, you will find that after confession and faith, healing will follow. It might not always be the outcome you desire but as Job once said, ” the Lord gives and the Lord takes away,”
In a contest, the best players and teams have a tendency to coast at points during the regular season. Falling into this trap often leads to disappointing loses and major upsets. At some point you have to respond, by raising your level of competition. If you are dedicated, gifted and talented, when you turn it up success usually follows.
For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay, Habakkuk 2:3.
According to one of the Old Testament prophets, vision requires patience, resolve and timing. If you are impatient, you may quit before seeing and tasting the fruits of your labor. Therefore, when others are on the verge of giving up on a shared dream, remain steadfast by turning up the intensity.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up, Galatians 6:9.
Perhaps the apostle Paul is referencing Habakkuk in the verse above. The notion of delayed gratification is a foreign to this generation. In life you can’t just put a prayer request on a credit card, then wait for it the mail to be delivered. Although some prayers do get answered instantaneously and or quickly, this is not the norm. Rather, in times of doubt, turn up your faith, waiting for a spiritual harvest to arrive.
As a child, my parents chose Thompson Lake, Maine as the spot for our family vacation. Every August for a decade, my father took any where from one to three weeks off to reconnect with family. Before this trip, my mom or dad picked up a large jigsaw puzzle, usually between 5000 and 10000 pieces. These puzzles became a family tradition to complete on cold and rainy days or uneventful evenings. Without a television to distract us, corners were completed first, then the hard part began. Filling in grass, mountains, the sky or water was an endless pursuit of trial and error, trying to see if nearly identical pieces would fit. When this tough stretch was completed, anticipation grew as pieces were put in place fast and furious. Unfortunately, there were a couple of puzzles that any came with 4999 and 9999, missing the final piece to the puzzle. Despite a fervent search of the floor, nothing was uncovered, leaving a bitter taste of disappointment.
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” – Luke 15:8
The idea that puzzles intertwines with life has some traction. Sometimes individuals find themselves faced with a difficult decision, a dilemma or struggling to grasp why something they want has not been granted. The reason behind earthly trials isn’t usually known at the time you go through it, yet time has a way of revealing answers to unsolved mysteries. During these periods of uncertainty, I often feel like a missing piece to a puzzle. The only problem is every time I think I’ve found exactly where I think I fit in life, I discover that my gifts, skill set or talents don’t match, unable to complete the puzzle. At this point, there is a temptation to betray your true identity by asking others, “who do you want me to become?”
All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines, 1 Corinthians 12:11.
The apostle Paul refers to a church as a body with many parts. Similar to a jigsaw puzzle, it takes time to figure who you should connect with and what role best suits your personality. If you take 1 Corinthians 12 literally, local churches are like unfinished jigsaw puzzles waiting for the right individual to come and serve. Unfortunately, a growing mindset of what’s in it for me is preventing couples or families from taking a leap of faith. Anyone burned by past negative experiences are gun shy, afraid of reliving the pain of broken relationships. In the end, each person possesses unique gifts or talents no one else can offer. Yet, free will is designed to allow you to get involved when your ready. Therefore, if this blog finds you struggling to fit in, may the Holy Spirit lead you to complete another church, puzzle or soul.
In the ESPN 30 for 30 entitled, the Gospel According to Mac, former University of Colorado football coach Bill McCarthy recounts his quest to bring the Buffalo’s a national championship. One of the overriding themes involves learning how to motivate each player who respond differently to criticism, failure and mistakes. During the second hour of this 2 hour documentary, the founding of Promise Keepers is covered through a series of clips from old speeches. One excerpt includes a quote on attitudes, claiming a person’s attitude is four times more important as their overall talent.
Do all things without grumbling or questioning, Philippians 2:14.
Attitude is one of those qualities which usually remains hidden until adversity arrives. However, in the heat of the moment, pose is tested. Attitudes are directly proportional to feelings expressed through body language and words. Depending upon the individual, stored up emotion can explode, unleashed in the form of complaints, gossip or pessimism. According to the apostle Paul, this is nothing new as attitudes can impact a group, family or an entire neighborhood. Like a vulnerable forest in seasons of extreme drought, any spark can trigger devastating fires.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, Philippians 2:5.
To overcome this potential threat, the apostle Paul believes the cure to this condition lies in the obtaining a specific mindset. Despite being the son of God, Jesus became humble taking the nature of a servant. Jesus set the model for what attitude should resemble. However, this isn’t something you can do on your own. Rather, transformation begins with faith by grace. When you place your trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit serves as a counselor to fashion and mold your attitude. The end goal is to acquire a Christ like mindset. This may take a life time to achieve, but an attitude’s impact can alter lives for eternity.
If you have ever tried to climb a tree, it doesn’t take make to lose your grip. Any type of misstep, re-positioning or weak branch can start an unexpected descent. During a recent adventure of trying to dislodge an arrant Frisbee from a tree, I found myself in a free fall reaching out for anything that would break my fall.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing,” John 15:5.
In the spiritual realm, I’ve faced myself in similar downward spirals where in moments of weakness I have tried to cling to the Vine. According to one of his disciples, Jesus is compared to a vine, the life source to which branches are attached. However, once broken or cut off, these limbs are worthless, unable to protect you from spiritual harm.
If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned, John 15:6.
Subtle signs, also known as acts of the flesh, Galatians 5:19-21 often rear their ugly heads when individuals try to live apart from the Vine. Acts, behavior and character gradually declines, transforming decent human being into completely different people. Before this sinister force takes roots, its essential to become reconnected to Jesus. Bible Study, prayer and worship are daily avenues to reunite you with the Lord. If you feel like your faith is wavering, don’t let it continue. Rather, cling to the Vine and connect with like minded followers who seek to fulfill the great commission, Mark 16:15.
Since public education began to remove biblical principles from curriculum in the 1960’s, understanding the why’s in life is much foggier now. Instead of searching for real answers, there is a growing tendency to blame others, becoming a victim of circumstance. Unfortunately, the concept of taking personal responsibility for your actions is becoming rare, lost in the ebbs and flow of life.
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity, Proverbs 11:3.
According to Solomon, the virtue of integrity is a guiding light when things don’t go your way. Whether the trial you are currently facing is self induced or a mystery, adopting a Christ like attitude will provide a big picture view of your situation. While many overreact by losing control or their temper, giving into these raw emotions can lead to destruction. Perhaps, this may explain the apostle Paul’s words below.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 8:38-39.
If anyone had the right to complain to God, it was the apostle Paul who was regularly arrested, beaten and accused for sharing his faith in Christ. I’m not sure how Paul handled every trying moment, but somewhere along the way he learned to consider each trial as an opportunity for growth. Thus, these experiences inspired the words above that remind anyone undergoing the ebbs and flow of life that nothing separate us from the love of God.
At some point over the last 25 years, exaggerating and lying have become a part of American politics. The value of honesty and integrity have been replaced by a “do whatever it takes to win” attitude. If this current trend continues, society will experience the side effects of bearing false witness.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, Exodus 20:16.
When individuals begin to hold worldviews that believe absolutes are not realistic to obtain, a vacuum is created for falsehood to reside. Meanwhile, the media understands if you repeat a lie over and over again, the public will likely begin to believe this as truth. Until corruption, deceit and untruths are daily exposed, politicians will continue to lie.
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another, Ephesians 4:25.
A growing number of churches are encouraging their members to fast and pray in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election. The more who join this movement can shift the spiritual momentum in this country. Yet, without faith in action from godly leaders, this climate will not change. May the power of the Holy Spirit move you to speak the truth in love to make this world a better place.
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