Tag Archives: Prayers

Beware of the New Age of Pharisees

Posted on August 14, 2017 by expressyourself4him

At the beginning of the first century, two types of religious leaders emerged.  The lesser known Sadducees were members of the ruling class of Jewish priests.  Meanwhile, the Pharisees were a strict sect of law abiding individuals who stringently observed rites and ceremonies of the Torah.  This group’s legalistic mentality added rules and regulations not mentioned in the Bible.  Thus, it wasn’t uncommon for these elite members to play a gotcha style religion.

“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation,” Luke 20:46-47.

Two thousand years later, a new type of Pharisee have arrived on to the scene.  Fueled by the gospel of political correctness, new talking points are introduced daily.  Controlling the airways, anyone who attempts to challenge, deviate or question progressive views are reprimanded.  Anyone who does not apologize by retracting previous statements are attacked, defamed and smeared by the media.  Those who cave to these threats become enslaved by this manmade religion.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction, 2 Peter 2:1.

One of Jesus’ disciples receives a vision about the end of days.  According to Peter, false prophets will introduce various heresies.  A heresy is defined as any belief or opinion which is contrary to biblical doctrine.  Unfortunately. if the media controls and defines the narrative, absolute truth is suppressed.  This is the danger of these times as the influence of this new age of Pharisee intensifies.  In view of this cultural climate, follow the advice of 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 by testing everything you hear with the Word of God; then cling to that which is good.  May you endure these trying times as a New Age of Pharisees emerges.

by Jay Mankus

 

 

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Is There Anybody Out There?

Posted on June 30, 2017 by expressyourself4him

I heard a depressing conversation this week.  A woman called into a talk show to discuss her nightmare experience with healthcare.  This woman talked about a company who promised her full coverage if she was willing to move to the west coast.  After believing every spoken word and following through with this relocation, promises began to be broken.  Formerly a religious woman, she cried out to God hoping to be saved from further disappointment.  Day after day these prayers went unanswered, wondering “what’s the point if there’s nobody out there?”

In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly, Psalm 5:3.

At the end of this phone call, this woman revealed that she stopped praying, giving up hope that God could change her situation,  Unfortunately, too many people know the pain of unfulfilled prayer requests.  When heaven is silent or signs of help do not arise, it’s hard to press on.  Talking to an invisible God requires faith, persistence and a strong will to carry on.  Yet, there will always be those who give up before a miracle is delivered.

Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer, Psalm 4:1.

The Psalmist had his own struggles with waiting on God to intervene.  Based upon the words chosen. it appears Solomon throw his hands up in frustration wondering, “is there anyone out there?”  While technology continues to advance, waiting on God remains the same, a long and trying road.  Therefore, the next time you begin to panic when a prayer goes unanswered, let go and trust the Holy Spirit to lead you where God wants you to go.

by Jay Mankus

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When the Spirit Left the Church

Posted on June 26, 2017 by expressyourself4him

Most seminaries and theological institutions make a distinction between the Holy Spirit poured out on the day of Pentecost from that which exists today.  Based upon the amount of healings, miracles and spiritual revivals that takes place in the book of Acts, scholars refer to this time period as a special anointing.  Sometime after A.D. 300, the Holy Spirit experienced by apostles and disciples left the church.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them, Acts 2:4.

The answer for why the Holy Spirit vanished from the face of the earth can be attributed to the influence and reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great.  Prior to his conversion early in the third century, the Christian church was led by apostles, elders and laymen.  Despite increasing Roman persecution, faith flourished until some of Constantine’s edicts went into law.  One decree banned home churches from meeting.  Instead congregations could only meet in worship centers built by Constantine.

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness, 2 Peter 1:3.

In an attempt to Christianize the world, Constantine tied pagan holidays and symbols to Christian celebrations.  While his motives likely had good intentions, this decision perverted and tainted sound theological doctrine.  Subsequently, ungodly beliefs that developed and those formed stunted the power of the Holy Spirit.  The presence of healings, miracles and radical transformation slowly faded from existence in the years following A.D. 300.  Despite these facts, the Bible talks about a pouring out of the Holy Spirit in the last days.  Although the Holy Spirit left the church initially, it doesn’t mean a spirit of revival can’t return.  May the Lord hear the prayers of the saints by bringing back the Spirit of Pentecost.

by Jay Mankus

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Prepared for the Anointing?

Posted on May 18, 2017 by expressyourself4him

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=you+tube+of+facing+the+giatns+scene+with+farmer+parable+which+one+are+you&view=detail&mid=BDD10370C75E7EB9700EBDD10370C75E7EB9700E&FORM=VIRE

In the film Facing the Giants, the head football coach at Shiloh High accidently walks by a private meeting to oust him as coach.  Devastated by this revelation, a conversation with the janitor the next day changes his perspective.  This wise man recalls a parable of farmers waiting for rain to plant crops.  Only one man plowed his fields in expectation of God’s answer to prayers for water.  The janitor asked this coach at the end of his story, which one are you?

But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him, 1 John 2:27.

Author Gary Smalley wrote a book entitled the Blessing when I was in college.  A friend suggested that I should read this before getting married.  During a marriage encounter seminar that Leanne and I attended while engaged, this resource was confirmed as a must read.  The book examines the Old Testament practice of Jewish fathers passing on a blessing to their oldest son.  However, in the case of Isaac and Jacob, the youngest deceives his brother to receive this special anointing.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,” Luke 4:18.

Due to a breakdown in the American family, absentee fathers aren’t around to bless, develop and raise their own children.  Meanwhile, the passing of the torch from one generation to the next is being dropped.  Subsequently, young men are being robbed of this blessing.  These circumstances have created a mood where doubt reigns.  Until this atmosphere changes, no one is preparing for the anointing of God due to a lack of hope and faith.  May divine intervention reverse this trend.

by Jay Mankus

 

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A Cure to the Second Glance

Posted on May 12, 2017 by expressyourself4him

Every month I receive a hundred or so comments on posted blogs.  The one which has received the most feed back is the Second Glance.  Inspired by the Casting Crowns’ song Slow Fade, this devotion eludes to the temptation to go beyond appreciating beauty toward lust.  While reading the book of Job today, I believe I have stumbled upon a cure to the Second Glance.

“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman,” Job 31:1.

In the midst of struggling to comprehend God’s hand in the death of his children and a deteriorating body, Job changes his attention toward devotion to his wife.  As part of a wedding vow or personal commitment to his spouse, Job promises to avoid taking a second glance at other women.  Although this may seem old fashion, I’m sure this decision prevented another woman from interfering with his marriage.

If my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has been led by my eyes, or if my hands have been defiled, then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted, Job 31:7-8.

Depending upon your personality, spheres of influence and upbringing, everyone has a different way of dealing with situations.  Free spirits are vulnerable to becoming loose canons, expressing whatever comes to their minds.  Meanwhile the disciplined are often rigid, strict and practice teetotalism, zealous in the enforcement of rules.  Most people fall somewhere in between, a hybrid of sorts.  Yet, in the end, it comes down to a will to love.  The passage above details the passion necessary to fight the urge to take another peek.  If you are truly set on overcoming lust, add accountability, Bible Study and a will to love to your daily prayers and routine.

by Jay Mankus

 

 

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What About Me Moments in Life

Posted on May 9, 2017 by expressyourself4him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncijxEPQ5UM

I was channel surfing today when I stumbled across a documentary on Jimmy the Greek.  ESPN’s 30 for 30 entitled The Legend of Jimmy the Greek reveals events which lead this man to become an analyst on the NFL Today on CBS.  Known for his advanced knowledge on setting the betting line for sporting events, Jimmy had a tough life.  His mother and aunt were both killed by a disgruntled uncle who then took his own life when Jimmy was ten.  Years later, three of Jimmy’s children all died of the same disease.  These events caused Jimmy to become mad at God for several years, a what about me moment in life.

“I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me, ” Job 30:20.

Thousands of years earlier another man had his own series of disappointments.  Job endured a few disasters resulting in the loss of his animals, possessions and children.  Like Jimmy the Greek, Job begins to doubt God’s existence, unable to comprehend why his prayers weren’t answered.  Job is confused as his understanding of God’s nature does what match what is actually happening.  Thus, Job cries out for help, “what about me God?”

Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness, Job 30:26.

These two men aren’t the only ones who have suffered heartache in life.  Many people can relate to the passage above as you hope for good only to find disappointment.  If you ever have your own what about me moment, don’t blame God for your problems.  Rather, seek counsel to ascertain what the Lord is trying to teach you through these trials.  Time has a way of sorting things out.  For now, may the Holy Spirit direct and guide you until answers for the questions you still have arrive.

by Jay Mankus

 

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Opening Your Eyes to the Suffering of Friends

Posted on February 17, 2017 by expressyourself4him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_IKCkISaBk

When I was younger, I was naive.  This immaturity lead me to become blind, oblivious to the needs of my friends.  Carl who eventually became my best friend in high school often punched me in the shoulder, shouting out “punch buggy” yellow or blue.  Behind this aggression was a boy crying out for help as he silently watched cancer take his mother’s life.  I could have been there for him, providing a shoulder to lean on.  Yet, I was consumed by my own life.

When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him, Job 2:11.

News of the tragedy that struck Job spread to his friends and neighbors.  Since no funerals are referenced, these three men dropped what they were doing to comfort Job.  However, as they approached, the sight of Job’s condition was overwhelming.  This brought out raw emotions, crying with their friend.  Based upon the words used by Job, none of these friends could come to terms with what happened, remaining silent for a week.  Sometimes a hug is more powerful than words.

When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads.  Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was, Job 2:12-13.

In this day and age, its easy to connect or reach out to friends using social media.  Since my emergency eye surgery last November, I posted on Facebook a need for prayers a couple of times.  I’ve been amazed and touched by the outpouring of support that I have received.  In the moments immediately following requests for prayers, I have felt the healing power of your prayers.  This experience has inspired me to open my eyes to the suffering of friends.  May this blog inspire you to reach a helping hand like the friends of Job in chapter 2.

by Jay Mankus

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Hoping to See Another Sun Set

Posted on November 5, 2016 by expressyourself4him

The image at the top of Express Yourself for Him was taken during a family vacation back in 2012.  The sun was setting upon Seal Beach, just south of Los Angeles when I began taking pictures with my ipad.  This is one of the few times in my life I actually slowed down to enjoy God’s creation in its infinite beauty as the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.

The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises, Ecclesiastes 1:5.

Five years later, doctors are wondering if my right eye will overcome glaucoma to see another sun set.  Tomorrow’s surgery is science’s logical answers to my disease.  Yet, in the heavenly realm, there are angels agreeing with prayers lifted by the saints.  Perhaps a combination of the two may be what I need for a miracle to arrive.

God set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved, Psalm 104:5.

Either way, the future is a mystery, waiting to be unpeeled one day at a time.  I wish I could say that I am confident of my eye condition, but I can only take things one day at a time.  Therefore, I will press on with the Lord’s help savoring each sunset I get to see.

by Jay Mankus

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The Will to Move On

Posted on November 1, 2016 by expressyourself4him

When I was sixteen, a doctor told me I would never run again.  After tearing all the tendons in my left ankle, the bone twisted 90 degrees in the wrong direction.  The best case scenario given to me prior to my operation was that I would walk with a limp after placing a screw to hold this bone in place.  Despite the obstacles I faced, the prayers of the saints gave me the faith to move on.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; Mark 16:17.

By the time I reached my 21st birthday, stuttering was the next trial standing in my way of expressing myself verbally.  Attacks would come out of no where, causing me to lose my breath and confidence to speak.  One evening, a college roommate named Mike had a vision as I walked into our apartment.  Hanging out with a few believers from church, a circle engulfed me as these men began to lay hands on me.  The prayers proclaimed pleaded with God to free me permanently from stuttering.  Subsequently, God gave me the will to persevere.

“While you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus,” Acts 4:30.

My latest dilemma may be my greatest to date, a bout with glaucoma.  Once again, the odds are not on my side nor is science in my favor.  Yet, I serve a God who has raised the dead, cured the sick and given sight to the blind.  The mystery of the unknown will be tough to handle.  Nonetheless, I trust in a living God who has performed miracles in the past.  Therefore, I stand in awe, leaning on God’s grace who provides the will to move on.

by Jay Mankus

 

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Jehovah Rapha

Posted on October 24, 2016 by expressyourself4him

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.

by Jay Mankus

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