THE LONG-LASTING EFFECTS OF DISOBEDIENCE

Reading:  1 Kings 20:1-34

I do not remember this but my Mom told me that when I was a toddler I reached up and grabbed the handle of a pan on the stove, pulling the hot water in the pan down upon myself.  It was fortunate that I did not receive any scarring from the burns but it must have hurt tremendously.  Mom said she had told me not to touch the stove or any thing on it.  She always said it was “hot” but I still grabbed that handle.  Did I need to experience it for myself?  Was it just willful disobedience?  I do not know.  All I do know is that there was a long-lasting effect to my disobedience.  I must have been miserable for days until the burned skin healed and my Mom would have shared in that misery with me as she cared for me.

We surely do not always know when or how far our disobedience can affect those around us.  Take for instance King Ahab, one of the most wicked and evil kings of Israel.  In 1 Kings 20 we see that, when faced by an enemy with forces greater than his own he did not seek out God’s counsel but rather the counsel of men (vs. 7).  When God then sent him a prophet to tell him that He would deliver the full multitude of King Ben-hadad’s forces to him King Ahab even questioned how (vs. 14).  One of the things that amazed me about this whole story is that when King Ahab stood victorious over King Ben-hadad he did not kill him, after all Ben-hadad had taunted him and taken his treasures, women, and children!  No King Ahab made a deal with Ben-hadad and sent him on his way.  King Ahab’s greed, to gain cities and land in Syria, had a long-lasting effect on his own life and we see what God has to say about it in 1 Kings 20:35-43.

“A certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor, At the command of the Lord, strike me, I pray you.  And the man refused to strike him.  Then he said to him, Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as you have left me a lion will slay you.  And as soon as he departed from him, a lion found him and killed him.”  -1 Kings 20:35-36

If your neighbor came to you and told you that God says you should hit and wound him how would you react?  I know I would be aghast and refuse too.  Yet this man’s neighbor was a prophet and prefaced his request “At the command of the Lord…”  This neighbor knew that he lived next to a prophet.  In his day and age prophets said and did odd things to gain Israel’s attention towards God.  Here came this prophet to him asking him to strike him but making it clear that it was not just a whim request but a “command of the Lord”.  This neighbor’s disobedience brought a long-lasting result, his own death.  The prophet found another man and this one obeyed, striking and wounding him.  The prophet then threw ashes upon himself (usually a sign of mourning in Israel but in this case a disguise) and waited at a place he knew the king would pass by.  Sure enough, King Ahab passed by and the prophet told him an allegorical story about letting a man go who he was supposed to keep charge of at the cost of his life if he did not.  When the king told him he got what he deserved then the prophet then removed the ashes from his face and the king recognized him as one of the prophets.  The prophet then told him that because he let Ben-hadad go instead of killing him that his own life and that of his people would be forfeit.  King Ahab’s disobedience had a long-lasting effect on not only himself but also on Israel as well.

1 Kings 20 gives us a clear picture about just what disobedience can do.  It is not just something that displeases the one who tells us what to do, it can affect us, and those around us, for the rest of our lives.  What if I had received scarring 3^rd degree burns from that hot stove water?  How about the teen drivers who drive drunk and kill themselves and others on the road?  Just how far are we going to go before we start walking in obedience?  Impossible, you say?  I agree.  By our very nature we are disobedient, but I believe that God would not tell us to obey if He did not already provide the ways and means to do so.  Are you ready to walk in obedience?  It has an ever-lasting affect too.  If you struggle with disobedience ask Him to help you.  He will, you know.

IN THE SPIRIT

“God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).” – John 4:24 AMP

What does it mean to be “in spirit”?  The dictionary tells us that “spirit” means:

The vital force that characterizes a human being as being alive;, enthusiasm and energy; personality or temperament; attitude or state of mind; being divine, inspiring, or animating influence; a dead person’s soul, a supernatural being that does not have a physical body; an alcoholic drink or any liquid produced by distillation.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary states it this way:

(Hebrew: ruah; Greek: pneuma), properly wind or breath. In 2 Thess. 2:8 it means "breath," and in Eccl. 8:8 the vital principle in man. It also denotes the rational, immortal soul by which man is distinguished (Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 5:5; 6:20; 7:34), and the soul in its separate state (Heb. 12:23), and hence also an apparition (Job 4:15; Luke 24:37, 39), an angel (Heb. 1:14), and a demon (Luke 4:36; 10:20). This word is used also metaphorically as denoting a tendency (Zech. 12:10; Luke 13:11).  In Rom. 1:4, 1 Tim. 3:16, 2 Cor. 3:17, 1 Pet. 3:18, it designates the divine nature.

What does it mean being “in spirit”?  To get a fuller grasp of this, let us look at what it does not mean:

Being “in the spirit” is not something you can work up or do yourself (Ezekiel 13:2-3; Proverbs 21:2 AMP)

Being “in spirit” does not mean you are a ghost of a dead person for John was very much alive when he wrote the book of Revelation:  “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,” – Revelation 1:10 KJV

I love how the Amplified Bible expresses this verse:  “I was in the Spirit [rapt in His power] on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a great voice like the calling of a war trumpet”, - Revelation 1:10 AMP  Being “rapt” means to be caught up.  John was so caught up in the power of God, focusing on Jesus, in worship and awe of Him that he was able to listen and hear the directions of the Lord.

How could a sinful man hear the will of a most Holy God?  We, like John, can be “in the spirit” as we realize that we do not live to meet our own fleshly desires, but to seek out the desires and will of God (Romans 8:1; John 3:18).  We, again like John, have the hope of glory in us (Colossians 1:27), the fulfillment of the Promise Jesus gave (John 7:38-39, Ephesians 1:12-14), and the means to be renewed (Titus 3:5).  Why is it that we then still try to depend and put our confidence on outward privileges, circumstances, and advantages?  Why is it we still tend to depend on the flesh?  Why do we strive to always do the right thing so as if by our own sheer effort be able to resist sin and our old way of lives?

“Are you so foolish and so senseless and so silly? Having begun [your new life spiritually] with the [Holy] Spirit, are you now reaching perfection [by dependence] on the flesh? “– Galatians 3:3 AMP

So, being “in the spirit” is not something we can work up, strive for, or reach in any kind of determination or self-effort.  What is the key or catalyst that releases us from this tendency of dependence on the flesh?

“For we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit and by the Spirit of God and exult and glory and pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence or dependence [on what we are] in the flesh and on outward privileges and physical advantages and external appearances—“– Philippians 3:3 AMP

“For we…by the Spirit of God…put no confidence or dependence in the flesh…”  God, Himself, is our catalyst.  Just as it was God Who did the saving work in our lives to redeem us from sin and its eternal consequences, it is He Who enables us to “worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24) by His own Spirit.

“But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).” – Galatians 5:16 AMP

“But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God].” – Romans 8:29; 8:9 AMP

“If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]” – Galatians 5:25 AMP

So, quit striving to be perfect.  Stop trying to be holy.  A pastor once told me to look at a fruit tree we could see outside a window.  He asked me, “Does that tree grunt and groan trying with all its might to grow and produce fruit?  No, it just soaks up the sun, water, and nutrients from the earth.  What is the result?  Our Heavenly Father’s will and purpose for it is fulfilled as we see an increase in height, width, and fruit appear.”  In the same way I expect to see my Heavenly Father’s will and purpose fulfilled in my life as I soak up His Word and His Spirit’s directions for they are my spiritual sun, water and nutrients.

“It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing:  the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” – John 6:63 KJV

So now what are YOU going to do?

“Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.” – Romans 12:11 AMP

ENACT YOUR FAITH

“And Jesus, replying, said to them, ‘Have faith in God constantly.  Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea? And does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.  For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will get it.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop-leave it, let it go, in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your own failings and shortcomings and let them drop.”  (Mark 11:22-25 AMP)

Belief = trust

Faith = loyalty, belief in God

When you believe, you trust that something will happen.  This does not sound absolute does it?  Even the demons “believe” in God (James 2:19).  There has to be something more than just belief, something more that will “move mountains”.  Faith is that thing that takes the next step.  Mankind can believe in God (and even demons believe in God) but when we have faith that He loves us and will act on our behalf our belief becomes something solid.  Faith is not belief but rather the catalyst of belief.  Faith puts moving feet to belief.  Faith is the wing that lifts belief into actuality. 

“Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].”  -Hebrews 11:1 AMP

Many Christians believe but they do not have faith.  The go to church, sing the songs, pay their tithes, listen to and thank the preacher for the sermon but they never grow past that point.  A man who taught Sunday School when I was a teenager would walk out the door of the church right at 12 noon even if the preacher was not finished with his sermon.  He taught exactly what was in the Sunday School curriculum but it tended to be boring because what he was teaching was not real to him.  He never grew beyond the point of going to church and trying to be good.  When I was in Jamaica I would see the same people come forward week after week at the altar call in church and I asked our mission director why this was.  He explained that these people would be moved emotionally to come to Christ but then go out and spend their money and time at the rum bars all week.  When they came to church they would feel guilty for what they did for the week and they would come forward again to get rid of the feelings of guilt and regret.  They were stuck in a rut:  no growth.    A dear friend, who has since gone home to be with the Lord, was heard to say of people like this, “They’re getting in heaven by the skin of their teeth!”

Are you stuck in a rut?  Do you want more out of life than what you have now?  The only way to get on with true living is to enact your faith.  Jesus told his disciples to, “Have faith in God CONSTANTLY” (Mark 11:22).  Stop and review what you do every week, every day, every hour and be honest with yourself.  Do you have faith in God constantly?  Impossible!  Really?  God would not have told us to do it if He did not provide a way and means to accomplish it.

“Therefore let us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity…show the same diligence and sincerity [all the way through] in realizing and enjoying the full assurance and development of [your] hope until the end, in order that you may not grow disinterested and become [spiritual] sluggards, but imitators, behaving as do those who through faith (by their leaning of the entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) and by practice of patient endurance and waiting are [now] inheriting the promises.” –Hebrews 6:1a, 11-12 AMP

Be imitators.  Imitate those who lean their entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence.  Practice what those people do.  The one thing that I realized as I read about such great men of God as Hudson Taylor and William Booth of old, and Leonard Ravenhill and Billy Graham of later years, is that they were all men who spent frequent and regular time reading God’s word and communicating with Him in prayer.  I do not want to be like one of the members of the Laodicean church – lukewarm.  I want to be on fire for God!  I want to be a mountain mover, a fire starter, and an empire builder for God.  When people come across my path I do not want them to have met an eloquent witness.  If an eloquent witness had met Paul on the road to Damascus then he might never of been heard of again.  Paul met Christ the living God!  Paul went on to be one of the greatest empire builders for God of all ages.  When people cross my path may they meet the One Who changed and continues to change my life, Jesus!  May their lives be added to the Kingdom as well!

Get out of your rut.  It really is easy, just take one step out:  read your Bible every day this week for at least 15 minutes, listen to only Christian music for one whole month, ask everyone you see or speak to today to give you at least one thing to pray about for them and then pray every day for the next seven days for that request, or…well you get the idea.  You’ve heard the old adage, “How does one eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.”   The same goes for leaving “lukewarm” behind.  Get out of your rut, one step at a time.

“Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; and be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], and put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.”  -Ephesians 4:22-24 AMP

I NEED THEE

Like a deer drinking from a stream,
    I reach out to you, my God.
My soul thirsts for the living God.
    When can I go to meet with him?  Psalm 42:1-2 ERV

Have you ever been there?  Have you ever been so thirsty for God that no one and no thing except His very Presence would satisfy you?  I have.  There is a song by The 2nd Chapter of Acts with lyrics that cry out this very feeling:

Goin' Home
I'm always goin' home inside
There's an ache in my heart,
That I can't bear…
I’m not saying you don't give me joy
I just need more of you
How I love you
And I want to be changed
Just like you
So take me home

God created us for fellowship with Himself as is evidence in the fact that He made Adam (and Eve) in His own image (Gen. 1:26), breathed His very breath into Adam (Gen. 2:7), the two worked together there in the garden (Gen.2:19-20), and God literally walked through the garden in search of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8-9).  Ephesians 4:24 also shows us that we were created to worship and know Him in true righteousness and holiness.  When Adam and Eve sinned that relationship was ripped apart as evidenced by their trying to cover themselves with fig leaves showing they now knew shame, guilt, and that they fled from God’s Presence as He walked in the garden calling for them (Gen. 3:8).

Ever since Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden we (mankind) continue to know shame and guilt and like them try to cover it up.  We do not use fig leaves but instead voice justifications.  (i.e. “He hit me first!”  “It’s not really stealing, because they have plenty of them.”)  We try to fill the void left by the absence of God with riches, drugs, sex, and any other thing that makes us “feel” good.  I remember a pastor once sharing that it is like the toy where children put different shaped pieces in matching holes.  No matter how hard you try you cannot put the square peg into the round hole.  With us, no matter how hard we try we just cannot put something in that gaping hole in our lives that only God can fill.  So we continue to struggle with this emptiness in our lives.  We are neither fully alive nor fully dead.

So we need and were made for fellowship with God, yet we cannot put God in that empty place in our lives either.  No matter how great our effort we cannot work up a relationship with Him.  Why?  There is still the issue of sin.  Sin brought death to the relationship between man and God.  It seems hopeless does it not?  I find myself crying out like Paul, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24 KJV).  I am so glad that God did not leave us in that state!  He gives us the answer in Romans 7:25-Romans 8:3, “O thank God!  He will! Through Jesus Christ, (the anointed One) our Lord!  So then indeed I, of myself with the mind and heart, serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin…For God has done what the Law could not do, [its power] being weakened by the flesh [the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit].  Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin.  God condemned sin in the flesh [subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice.”  God has restored the relationship.  Who will deliver me?  Thank God, He already has!  So I no longer strive to put Him in that empty part of me.  I just open up and let Him in; and let me tell you, He fills up every nook and cranny.  Every time I open His Word and read I feel so full I think I just might burst, yet I crave even more of Him!

A white-tailed deer drinks
    from the creek;
I want to drink God,
    deep draughts of God.
I’m thirsty for God-alive.  Psalm 42:1-2 MSG

I dig into His Word, learning more and more about Him but this is only one part of the relationship.  I also spend time in prayer but this is also only one part of the relationship.  When you spend time with your best friend do you do all the talking?  No, you also listen to what he or she has to say.  When I read the Bible and pray I also take time to sit quietly and listen.  Often the Lord will remind me about another scripture verse that applies to what I am reading and I will look it up and read it and the verses around it for context.  Sometimes I will sense that I need to pray for someone right at that moment.  Sometimes He will just make me aware of His Presence.  This is relationship.  The more I spend time with Him, the more I want.  Fellowship with God is being completely satisfied – but knowing you want more.

“My beloved speaks and says to me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.”  Song of Solomon 2:10 AMP 

Out of my shameful failure and loss,

Jesus I come, Jesus, I come;

Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,

Jesus I come to Thee…

Out of unrest and arrogant pride,

Jesus I come, Jesus, I come;

Into Thy blessed will to abide,

Jesus I come to Thee…

Out of my sickness into Thy health,

Out of my want and into Thy wealth,

Out of my sin and into Thyself,

Jesus I come to Thee

LABOR DAY

Man has found hundreds of things to commemorate from “Towel Day” in May to “National Ice Cream Day” in July.  In fact there is even a “National Ice Cream Sandwich Day” in August.  Does that sound frivolous to you?  Not all commemorated days are so lighthearted.  For instance take “Memorial Day” where we take time to honor the fallen soldiers who fought for our freedom on foreign and domestic soil.  Today I would like to ponder the upcoming day commemorated to give us rest from our labors, “Labor Day”.

Labor Day is a holiday that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. It was first nationally recognized in 1894 to placate unionists following the Pullman Strike.  Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, the United States Congress unanimously voted to approve rush legislation that made Labor Day a national holiday and it was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland just six days after the end of the strike.  The legislation set the celebration activities as follows:  A street parade was given to exhibit the strength and spirit of the people in the labor organizations followed by a festival for the workers and their families including speeches by prominent men and women.  Today the holiday is generally viewed as time to celebrate a break (rest) from labor, for barbeques, end of summer vacations, and the starting of the school year.

The importance of resting and commemorating rest from labor is not originally man’s idea.  It was first recognized by God in that He rested after creating the earth and universe (Genesis 2:2).  He then set apart one day a week to commemorate the completion of creation and established it as a day of rest (Genesis 2:3).  He also promised His rest to us (Hebrews 4) when we believe and rely on Him, unlike the Israelites who harden their hearts and did not enter into the rest He prepared for them (Hebrews 3:11).

“Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest of God, to know and experience it for ourselves, that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and disobedience into which those in the wilderness fell.” – Hebrews 4:11 AMP

As we celebrate this extended weekend with our families, let us remember to thank God for the rest He provides even in the midst of the turmoil this world exhibits.

STEP WHERE I STEP

“Righteousness shall go before Him and shall make His footsteps a way in which to walk.”  (Psalm 85:13)  (All scripture quotes in this article are from the AMP Bible.)

I recently watched a movie where four men were trekking through a snowy wilderness.  The snow they were going through was about 1-2 feet deep and one of the men had injured his knee.  He struggled to walk let alone negotiate moving through snow.  What made it possible for him to keep up with the others is that he was last in line.  The first man made a bit of a trough with his body as he pushed forward snow as well as making dents in the snow with each footstep.  The second man made the trough and the footstep dents a little wider and deeper, as did the third man, so that when the fourth injured man came he was not hindered by the snow, but only by his injury.  Of the four, the first man is the one who had the hardest job but his hard work made the way for the rest.  This got me to thinking about Psalm 85:13 and I began to see Jesus as the “lead Man” making the way of righteousness for us in this cold and stormy world of sin.

How often we strive to be righteous; how often we try our very best to witness to those around us who do not know Jesus.  We try and try as we struggle through this world which is full of people who spurn us and even hate us.  We become frustrated with how they do not respond to the very things we find wonderful about our Lord.  We see them walk away unchanged and we feel as if we have failed God.  When you really think about it (with your spirit instead of your reasoning mind) you realize that we have failed Him!  He never asked us to go out on our own.  Think about it, did he ever ask us to do anything out of self-effort?  What he DID say is “follow Me”.

“…follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!”  -Matthew 4:19

“…Jesus said to him, Follow Me…” -Matthew 8:22

“…come, be My disciple …and follow Me” –Matthew 19:21

“…follow Me…” –Mark 2:4; Luke 9:23; Luke 18:22; John 1:43; John 21:19 and many other verses!  Check it out in your concordance.

Not only did Jesus say to follow Him, Paul said to the Corinthian Church to follow him as he followed Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) and the same to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:13).  I think that we read His words, “follow Me”, we hear it as a call to accept Him as our Savior, we come to know redemption, we become giddy in the joy it is to know we are free, and then we TRY to get others around us to know this freedom too.  We go door-to-door witnessing, tell everyone around us that Jesus saves, and try to get people to come to church with us.  These are all good things to do – that is – if God directs us to do them and we are not doing them out of our own efforts.  Think of it in the analogy of our four men in the snow:  what if the second man set off on his own, thinking he sees a shorter way to their destination.  The remaining two follow the first for a while when the man between the leader and the injured man sets off on his own thinking he sees an easier way to their destination.  The injured man then had a decision to make.  Would he follow the original leader, the second man, or the third?  Logic dictates he would follow the original leader, but if anything, what man does is not always logical.  In the movie I watched the leader move on as each of the men went off alone and eventually died.  If only they had stayed with the leader, they might have all made it out of that snowy wilderness alive.

If only we would stay with our Leader.  If only we would quit trying to do His work our own way, in our own efforts, and in the way we think is best.  If only…!  Our relationship to Him is the key.  Consider these words by Oswald Chambers, “The main thing about Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the atmosphere produced by that relationship.”  Our effectiveness is not in the great and many works we do for our Lord, but is instead in the outpouring that bursts forth from our continual daily relationship we share with Him.  As we spend more and more time with Him, we begin to see His footsteps clearly and start stepping in them.  As we step in them we find our way made easier and grow to KNOW that what He promised is a sure thing.  As we step in His steps failure is taken off the table and victory is assured.  Are you ready to step in His steps?  I am!

“If anyone serves Me, he must continue to follow Me [to cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying] and wherever I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” – John 12:26

WHAT WE LACK: Prayer - Part I

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God:  that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”  -1 John 5:14 NIV

OK, let us be frank with one another.  What is one of the most difficult things for Christians to do regularly?  We can read the Bible every day, go to church every week, listen to Christian radio, watch Christian television, and spend time fellow shipping with each other, but the one thing we tend to leave behind or until last is prayer.  If you are like me (and I cannot imagine I am a rarity among believers) you do pray:  “God, help me get through this today…I need Your direction…please heal so-and-so…bless her today Lord…etc.”  Do not get me wrong, these are important things to pray, but I am talking about something more, something deeper.  Have you seen any mountains move lately?  When was the last revival you heard about?  Where are the Ravenhill’s, the Graham’s, and the C.H. Spurgeon’s of this age?  These men (and many more) did marvelous things in their ministries, bringing thousands to the Lord.  Why were they so successful?  They prayed.  They did not do token five to ten minute prayers before they preached.  They spent hours, even days in prayer.

Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon was a British Baptist preacher in the late 19^th Century who, in 1854, at the age of 20 became the pastor of New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, London and saw it grow from dwindling numbers at that time to thousands and finally outgrowing their building.  He was a strong man of prayer, publishing over 130 sermons on that subject alone.  He was known for preaching up to 10 sermons a week and often spoke to at least 10,000 people in a time when there was no form of artificial amplification.  Where did he gain all the energy to do all this?  You guessed it:  prayer!  How important was prayer to him?  In his sermon, “The Master Key-Opening the Gate of Heaven”, he said:  “One cries, ‘I have been anxiously doing my best.’ Perhaps you have, dear brother! Perhaps you have, dear sister! I am very far from censuring you for doing your best; but sometimes, if you would let God do his best it would pay you much better. You see Jacob did his best when he divided his company and prepared a present for his brother. But it did not amount to much. It was a very poor little best, was it not? It would have come to nothing if he had not spread the matter before the Lord in prayer.”

Before each crusade Dr. Billy Graham  not only spent significant time in prayer he had teams that would go into each city one week before the crusade in order to pray that entire week to bring souls that did not know Jesus and that they would be receptive to the gospel.  Thousands were saved at each crusade.  Why?  Was it eloquent preaching from this son of a farmer?  No, it was through prayer that the soil of people’s hearts were tilled and prepared for the gospel so that when it was spoken it took root and grew (Mt. 13).  Dr. Graham shared in his book, “The Journey”, about how he was greatly influenced not by his father-in-law, Dr. L. Nelson Bell’s, great accomplishments as a missionary surgeon in China for 25 years but rather Dr. Bell’s commitment to prayer.  He shares, “Most mornings he would be up by four thirty or five o’clock, alone in his study reading his well-worn Bible and spending extended time in prayer.  If anyone had an excuse to by pass this, it was Dr. Bell -- but he saw his time alone with God as the most important event of the day…prayer for Dr. Bell wasn’t a hurried sentence or two at the end of the day or a hasty afterthought when facing a crisis.  Prayer for him was a constant, moment-by-moment practice that penetrated his whole life.  Prayer for him was also a joyful experience, and opportunity to come daily into God’s Presence.”

Dr. Leonard Ravenhill, often spoken of as the voice of revival in the 20^th Century, often referred to prayer as what was lacking in the Church.  I challenge you to listen to his sermons or read his writings (some are available online).  You will find again and again him stressing the need of prayer.  In chapter two of “Why Revival Tarries” he said:  “Poverty-stricken as the Church is today in many things, she is most stricken here, in the place of prayer.  We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.”  Here in the 21^st Century who calls us to such fanatical and focused spiritual action?  Where is the Ravenhill for our generation?  Where is the man who will stand firm and tell believers that “No man is greater than his prayer life.  The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying.”

So, in light of what these men did as a result of being mighty in prayer would you agree that the Church is lacking “pray-ers”?  Let me leave you with another quote from the sermon of another great man of prayer.  Let it stir your spirit to go hard after God in prayer:

“Our praying, however, needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage which never fails.”  -E. M. Bounds

THE EXPECTATION OF FREEDOM

Over the ages of mankind there have been fights, battles and wars.  Each side in every skirmish had its reasons to go against the other side.  Each felt its own reasons were the more valiant and righteous ones and quite often one of the reasons was the concept of “freedom”.  I am sure each had its military leaders giving rally cries to their troupes to encourage and inflame them to give all they had to obtain the victory.  I think the best address I ever read was the order to implement “Operation Overlord” given by General Dwight D Eisenhower to start the Normandy invasion.  This invasion, coined as “D Day”, was a major force in turning the tide of World War II but when General Eisenhower gave the order no one knew that outcome.  General Eisenhower did.  You can hear the confidence in his words and he ended his the order with an appeal to the One Who could make the difference:

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS

ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

 

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

SIGNED: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Order of the Day

June 6, 1944

Fellow believers in Jesus, soldiers of the Cross:  today we face a vast force.  Our task is not an easy one.  Our enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle hardened.  He fights savagely.  It is the time of wars and rumors of wars; the time of earthquakes, famines, and great pestilences in diverse places; the time where believers are falling and being led away from the Truth.  Lawlessness and iniquity have increased.  Yet we have an encouraging word from our Supreme Commander.  We know His word is Truth and always comes to pass.  He has said that in the culmination of these days His sign will appear in the sky and He will send his angels to gather us from one end of the earth to the other.  Until that day He calls for us to give strict attention, be cautious and actively expect Him (Matthew 24).

The forces that stormed the beaches of Normandy did not know the final outcome of the war, but we know our final outcome.  It is ordained and in the hands of our Heavenly Father who loves us so dearly He would do anything to gain and keep us.  And He did, by allowing His ONLY Son to die in our place so that we could live forever with Him.

I do not know about you but this Independence Day I will be celebrating two kinds of independence:  the freedom gained by the spent lives of many American soldiers, and the freedom gained by the cost of my God pouring out His own life for me.  How about you?

DO YOU WANT TO SEE GOD?

HEAVENLY FATHER, OPEN OUR EYES!  OPEN OUR EARS!  GIVE US EYES TO SEE AND EARS TO HEAR RIGHT NOW!  WE ASK THIS IN JESUS’ NAME AND ALL THAT NAME REPRESENTS, AMEN (SO BE IT).

1. Why do you come to church every Sunday?
2. How important is God to you?
3. Are you serious about being a believer?
4. If you are not really serious about this whole “Christianity thing” then you are not going to like what I share with you today.

 DO YOU WANT TO SEE GOD?

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 KJV

Could it be that simple?  Yes!  It breaks down to this:

1. The pure in heart will see God.
2. Those with impure hearts will not.

 What does it mean to be pure?

The Greek word in this verse for “pure” is katharos and it signifies that which is clean, or free from contaminating substance.  So it follows that a “pure” heart is one free of wrong or polluted “motives”

The Pharisees pushed outward purity.  They focused on what it meant to be righteous in front of others but inside they were full of impurities.  They had impure hearts; they looked good on the outside but were full of sin on the inside.

“Everyone who commits sin breaks God’s law, for that is what sin is, by definition—a breaking of God’s law. You know, moreover, that Christ became man for the purpose of removing sin, and he himself was quite free from sin. The man who lives “in Christ” does not habitually sin. The regular sinner has never seen or known him.   You, my children, are younger than I am, and I don’t want you to be taken in by any clever talk just here. The man who lives a consistently good life is a good man, as surely as God is good. But the man whose life is habitually sinful is spiritually a son of the devil, for the devil is behind all sin, as he always has been. Now the Son of God came to earth with the express purpose of liquidating the devil’s activities. The man who is really God’s son does not practice sin, for God’s nature is in him, for good, and such a heredity is incapable of sin.  Here we have a clear indication as to who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil. The man who does not lead a good life is no son of God…” 1 John 3:4-10 JB Phillips Translation

1. Like the Pharisees we are infected with sin.
2. We do not have the ability to make ourselves clean so no one, I REPEAT NO ONE, can free themselves from the bonds of sin.
3. Only Christ can free us from our bondage.
4. We are made clean by His sacrifice enabling our impure hearts to be made pure.  (Col. 1:19-22; 1 John 2:1-2)

However, staying pure is not so easy.  Sin is ready to tempt you away from God’s righteousness.  But God has given you the ability and strength to abstain from sin.  (1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 10:5)

Also James 4:8-10 in the Amplified Bible tells us:

“Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].   [As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins].  Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].”

This purity God gives is so powerful and once your heart has tasted it than you will desire more.  You will want to fill your life, words, and heart with this purity!

 “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.  Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.” – 1 John 3:1-3 New Living Translation

“Happy are the utterly sincere, for they will see God!” – Matthew 5:8 JB Phillips Translation

What does it mean to see God?

We know that every man, woman and child will see God on the Judgment Day (Eccl. 11:9; Rom. 14:10-12) so what does it really mean when Jesus said that the pure in heart will “see” God?

The Greek word for “see” in this verse is horao and can be taken literally and figuratively.  We shall all literally “see” God at the Judgment, but only the pure in heart will “see” God figuratively (perceive, recognize, and experience Him) in their daily lives.

Have you perceived him?

When you got up this morning did you recognize His touch?

During worship this week at church did You experience His glory with all parts of your being?

Do you know Him like that?

He longs to place His purity in your heart right now.

Reach out and take it and know the exquisite hunger for God it creates in your life.

"Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as your vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you"  -Jeremiah 13-14a AMP