Tag Archives: Reading the Bible

Disconnected

For a 5 day stretch from February 11th through February 15th, my cell phone became disconnected.  After applying for 5 jobs over 2 days, anyone who tried to contact my number was placed into a cyber black hole.  According to a telecommunications agent, when you switch from one cell phone carrier to another, your number goes into a virtual portal for usually 24 hours.  As soon as a previous carrier releases your old number, you can begin your new service contract.  Unfortunately, my number remained locked for nearly a week, crippling any hopes of receiving one of these new positions.

Cell phones, emails, Facebook and texting have become popular avenues to maintain daily contact with key individuals.  When these optional aren’t available, people like me panic, especially when one phone call or email is the difference between a new job and unemployment.  Yet, it could be worse.  You can also become disconnected from God.  Prayer becomes a few moments of talking to yourself, reading the Bible like trying to decipher a confusing new language and going to church develops into a meaningless ritual, hallow of any true intimacy with God.

The Bible is filled with examples of people and nations who were unplugged from God.  Moses once worked 18 hour days in Exodus 18:13, Achan’s sin hid God’s blessing from Israel in Joshua 7 and God became tired of Israel’s evil deeds in Isaiah 1:15-17.  Despite these temporary outages, God is only a confession away from reconnecting your service.  Therefore, follow the directions in James 5:13-16 and you can get back online today.  Faith is just a phone call away!

by Jay Mankus

Supersize Your Faith

In the 2004 documentary film Supersize Me, Morgan Spurlock wanted to know how eating 3 meals a day at McDonald’s for 30 consecutive days would impact his body.  Thus, from February 1st thru March 2nd, Morgan ate every item on the menu at least once.  The 32 year old gained nearly 25 pounds in one month, consuming 5,000 calories on average per day.  As a result, McDonald’s no longer has a Supersize Value Meal and state governments are creating legislation to eliminate soft drinks larger than 16 ounces.  While local officials are trying to attack my 7Eleven Big Gulp, I would rather supersize my faith than my body.

In the Greek, there are 2 words used to describe time: kronis and kairos.  Kronis refers to when someone asks or wants to know the exact time.  Kairos means a specific place; a special moment in time.  Mark 1:15-16 contains a quote from Jesus, “The time has come, he said.  The kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe the good news!”  The context of the term repent is like making a u-turn away from sin, back toward God.  Jesus wants people to change their diets so you make reach the future God has for you, Jeremiah 29:11.  In view of this, I want to propose the Supersize Your Faith Challenge.

Beginning March 1st, 2013 thru March 30th, 2013, I invite you to take a leap of faith.  I am urging all who are interested to try 3 spiritual disciplines for 30 days.  The first is reading 3 chapters of the Bible per day, 90 total.  To remember what you read, keep a notebook of any Insight you receive, Question you have and Actions you can take daily.  I will post any question you may have and try to answer it or seek another scholar to satisfy your request.

Second, I want everyone who participates to create a separate prayer journal for the month of March.  I am asking everyone to spend 30 minutes per day total, writing down prayers and praying.  To stay on task, start with any Petition you want to ask God for, then move on to Repenting any sin of action or inaction, followed by words of Adoration, thanking God for completely forgiving you and end with Your own concerns.  This usually consists of personal, family, school, work, neighborhood and church requests.  Feel free to add whatever the Holy Spirit puts on your heart.

Finally, the last piece of this challenge involves getting plugged into a local church.  Depending upon the size and scope of a church, you may want to join a weekly Accountability, Bible Study, Prayer or Sunday School Group.  Besides the obvious, attending church, reach out to people who look lost, aren’t connected or appear to be having a bad day.  Like Philip in Acts 8, ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes during the 30 days of March to become the hands, feet and body of Christ!  The time is now, kairos, to consider accepting the Supersize Challenge!

by Jay Mankus

Please notify me if you are willing to embrace this adventure.

Let It Flow

As I was attempting to have my morning quiet time with God, I felt rushed.  Instead of naturally engaging God in prayer, listening to words of the Bible and seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit, my intentions became skewed.  Unfortunately, treating God like a daily check list has become the norm in recent weeks.  The emotional connection I long for has been hijacked by a selfish soul desperately wanting to get in the way, Galatians 5:16-18.

This struggle is nothing new as I wrestled with a similar issue during my 10 years as a teacher.  If I am expected to stay on task and fulfill the requirements of my Bible curriculum, when do I make room for God?  What do I cut out, shorten or eliminate if I want to entertain the presence of the Holy Spirit in my classroom?  While my superior’s goals and objectives were met, the connection with God’s power and the spiritual realm gradually lost reception, Galatians 1:10.

Like public schools in America seeking better results, if leaders truly want to see change, you must make room for Jesus.  Political correctness is not the answer nor are years of trying to appease everyone’s feelings.  Rather, if believers want to see a genuine example of Joel 2:28-30 fulfilled today, a switch in priorities is a must.  Americans need to learn to take a back seat to Jesus, allow the Lord to take the wheel and set your GPS to the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:25.  Once God is fully in control, let it flow!

by Jay Mankus

Divine Revelation; Not Human Intuition

On Saturday morning, I had about a 30 minute conversation with a parent who read an online article.  Obviously, I was out of the loop since I had not heard about any of the details he mentioned.  Later on in the evening, I talked to a woman who had a daughter at the school referenced in this piece.  When I followed the 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 principle to get to the truth of this matter, I realized I should rely on divine revelation; not human intuition.

Unfortunately, too many people believe what they see on the news or hear from people they trust.  The busyness of life, hectic pace of society and local distractions have led most people to become lazy, not testing the information they encounter.  Therefore, half truths and opinions have replaced facts as reality, like an oasis of lies in the desert.

According to Romans 10:17, faith comes from hearing the message, which is Christ, the word of God.  The more people can set time aside to withdraw to a secluded place like Jesus in Luke 4:42, they can develop an intimate relationship with God.  When you add worship to your weekly schedule, Romans 12:1, divine revelation can break through in the form of a message, sense of peace or a rhema, a word from the Lord in your heart.  Slow down today, find a quiet place and listen to the word of the Lord so that you will know God’s will for your life, Romans 12:2.

by Jay Mankus