Thoughts on Prayer

I know it may sound strange to see a post on prayer, but it is burning in me, so here we go.  Yesterday I was on a field trip with a bunch of kids on a school bus to a destination that was 4 hours by school bus and we had to be there at 9:00 in the morning, which meant we had to leave by 5:00, which also meant we had to be up earlier than that.  I had gotten to bed late the night before and up early.  Not a good combination. Now you might be thinking “What does this have to do with prayer?”  Bear with me.

The bus was loud as you can imagine kids would be when excited about where they are going and being on the bus.  I was exhausted to say the least and I could see I would need the rest to make it but did not see it coming anytime soon.  I placed my pillow next to the window, put my head on it and I remember saying a short prayer “Jesus, can I sleep?”  That was it.  Nothing spectacular, no thee’s and thou’s, and I wasn’t even sure how consciously I thought of it, it was just the cry of my being.  The next thing I knew, we were pulling into a rest area about half way to our destination.  The sun was up and I had just woke up from a very sound sleep and felt fully rested. It was not until later that I remembered that prayer.  When I did remember, I was excited.  God heard me.  He granted my request and did it quickly.

A couple days ago I was having drama practice after school and one of my students little sisters came to me at a break and told me she had a sore throat and a cough that was annoying her.  I think she was just telling me because that is what she does, not to ask me for anything.  As she was telling me, I heard a still small voice tell me to pray for her.  I almost dismissed it, but decided to do it (all in a matter of half a second).  I prayed for her and although she didn’t say anything, I did not hear her cough the rest of practice.

So why is prayer burning in my heart?  I will tell you.  We often think of prayer as asking God to forgive our sins or telling Him about our bad day.  Our requests are usually things we consider big:  cancer or other major sickness, finances, relationships gone sour, natural disasters, and the list goes on.  The two stories above were both considered small things.  We often think that the small things are too small or insignificant to even ask God to do anything about.  I am not sure why we do that, but we do.  Do we think God is too busy with the ‘big things’?  Do we think God only cares about the big things?  I am sure we come up with all kinds of reasons why we don’t. 

God tells us to “Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 6:18).  Also we are told “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand” (Philippians 4:6, 7).  No were in these passages does it say to pray only about the big things.  They tell us to pray about everything, the big and the small.  Don’t let the size of your request embarrass or intimidate you not to pray.  Just do it.  Just pray.  Our God cares enough about you to care about the small things too.  He wants; He longs to answer our cry no matter the size.  Let your prayers ascend to His throne.

When you think about you and your size in comparison to our world, and then compare our world to the size of our solar system, then to our galaxy, we look very small.  Minuscule or microscopic might be better words, but our God made us.  He cares so much for us.  Even though he holds the entire universe in the palm of his hand like we might hold a small dish, He cares for you.  So in comparison to all that, even those things we consider big things to pray about, they are still small in comparison.  Is our need for sleep any smaller than a broken heart or a major illness?  No, they are not.  Is someone’s sore throat and cough any more of a challenge than needing food or money to pay a major debt.  Again the answer is no.  God asks us to pray about everything and on every occasion.  He even asks us to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Don’t let the size of your request (whether big or small) intimidate you from praying.   Just do it.  You just might be surprised at what God will do for you today.

Intimacy, Love, and Power

We often hear about operating in the Power of God, and the Power of the Holy Spirit, and the Power gifts.  These are all great, but one must be able to have intimacy with God in order to be able to have the greatest power flow though our words and hands.  What is intimacy?  It is the state of knowing someone or something.  It does not mean getting physical, it only means to get to know someone or something well.  For example, a math teacher is intimate with math, he or she knows math well and as a result loves math.  It is from that love and intimacy that the math teacher gains the power to teach others about math and use it correctly. 

In the same way, when we are intimae with God, we get to know Him.  We learn to love Him for who He is and what He did for us.  It is out of that knowing that the true power comes.  It doesn’t come by forcing it, it doesn’t come by wishing it or studying it.  It comes from knowing.  Moses went to the mountain and spent 40 days with God.  He did not go up the mountain to get the power of God in his life, he went to the mountain to gain intimacy with God and out of that intimacy flowed love and out of that love flowed power. 

It is the same with us.  Intimacy is power, it is knowing, it is being able to hear and understand.  There is a reason that Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  Love cannot be obtained without intimacy and faith for power cannot be obtained without love.  They are all connected.  It is the reason why Paul first says in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 that “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”   

To put it in a more clear way, no one cares how much power you have and will not want your power (or the power that comes from God) unless you have love.  We cannot truly love others until we Love God and know him intimately.  It is out of that relationship that we learn to love Him and to love others and even ourselves.  It is out of that love that the Power of God flowing through us is most effective and has the capacity to change the world and others lives.  If we do not have that love and intimacy for God, we are just a loud brassy person that comes across as uncaring and arrogant.  But with that relationship built out of love and not fear, we can affectively change hearts and see the power of God flow into others' lives and see the healing they so desire.   

Jesus healed others out of compassion and out of the intimate relationship he had with his Father.  If he had to have that intimate relationship with the Father to be able to see the power for healing and power to change lives and the power to preach the truth, then how much more do we need it. 

Here is the hard part.  All of us have at least a small bit of fear, some have nothing but fear.  That fear is going to block the true love and intimacy that God desires and our spirit desires to have with God.  But how do we get past the fear?  We open up our heart to others (not everyone of course) that we feel at least a little trust.  We have to be willing to be hurt.  It will surprise you how much love and intimacy flows out of you once you open your heart and allow that fear out.  Intimacy brings strength and confidence in ourselves as well as the other person, not to mention God Almighty.  What God desires most from us is our love and intimacy with Him.  Start being honest about your fear and other shortcomings.  God the Father knows how to take all of that and make it something powerful.  Trust Him to take you from fear to Intimacy and then to Love and Power.  All that garbage from your past is just garbage.  But it holds you back from having true love and power flowing in your life.  Be willing to turn it all over to God and just see what He will do.  I guarantee it will be much more than you could ever ask or thing or even imagine.  Just trust Him to do in you what He promised He would do and see how much freedom you can gain by trusting, and becoming intimate with the one who made you.

Lessons in Leadership from Joshua

Joshua watched and learned under Moses for 40 years before he became leader of Israel.  He watched the mistakes, the victories, the attitudes, as well as his relationship with God.  Not many people get a 40 year internship for anything, but as it turns out, Joshua needed it and he was a fast learner. 

 Twice Joshua made a crucial mistake:

 

1) Joshua 7 - When it came time to attack Ai, Joshua became over confident after the miracle at the Jordan River and after the victory at Jericho.  The result was not consulting with God before attacking Ai.  After the defeat, he went directly to God and asked what happened and why.  God was very gracious in letting him know why and how to remedy the situation (i.e. get the sin out of the camp).  After he consulted with God he was able to make a devastating blow on the city of Ai and destroyed the city.

2) Joshua 9 - Even though God had said not to make a treaty with anyone, Joshua was confronted with a group of people who claimed to be from a distant land that had heard about Jehovah and how He had fought for His people.  They claimed they wanted to make a treaty and then return to their home far away.  The truth was they were from an area only about 15 miles away from where Israel was camped.  Joshua, again not consulting with God, chose to make the treaty and to offer them protection.  Soon afterward it was found out that the people the treaty was made with were nearby.  Even though Joshua became angry, he kept his word and made the people servants of Israel.

 If you read carefully the rest of Joshua, he never again made the mistake of not consulting God before doing anything.  He was a fast learner and remained humble though out his time as leader.  He also kept his word even when it went against what he knew to be right.  He could have destroyed the people in Joshua 9, but he made a promise to protect them and that is what he did.

 The lessons in leadership we can learn from Joshua are easy to discern from these two passages.  The first is to always go to God and consult with him before we do anything.  I am not saying we need to consult God in what to eat or what to wear or what couch to buy; I am saying that anything that could have lasting consequences must be brought before God.  Examples of this is: Should I date his person or that one, should I take this or that job, should I make such and such a promise, How do I proceed from here?  These are just a few of the many things we as leaders in any capacity, even in our own personal lives, MUST consult God over.  It would be better to over consult than not consult at all.

 The second lesson is that once you make a promise, keep it no matter what the cost (unless of course you have clear direction from God to do otherwise).  Joshua could have cancelled the treaty with the nearby people and destroyed them, but instead he protected them and kept his word.  As a result of keeping his promise to them, God worked miracles and might acts that only God could have done.  It was right after this treaty that these people came under attack and God told Joshua to go protect them.  This is where the famous story of the sun standing still comes from.  Joshua, with God’s help, was able to fulfill his promise and not only protected the people he swore to, but also won a major victory in conquering the Promised Land.

 Again, the two lessons a Godly leader must learn are 1) Consult God in everything, and 2) When you make a promise, keep it.  If you do these two things, God will raise you up, as he did Joshua,  as a mighty leader and will bless you. 

Does My Sin Affect Others or Does It Just Affect Me and My Relationship With God?

This question is one that many would like to say that sin affects no one.  But if you look through the Bible, stories abound about how sin affects others.  One In particular is found in Joshua 7.  Israel had just beaten Jericho with God’s help and was told all the plunder belonged to God.  One man by the name of Achan decided that he wanted a fine robe from Babylon, along with some silver coins and a gold bar.  He then snuck them out of Jericho and hid them in his tent by burying it.  As I read this story, I have to ask: Did any of Achan’s family know what he had done?  If so, did they try and stop him?  If they knew, why didn’t they try and stop them?  But the story continues.  Israel went on to Ai to destroy it as God told them to.  Now we know that God knew about Achan’s sin but yet he decided to allow the Israelites to attempt a battle with sin in the camp.  He knew what the results were going to be.  He knew that what seemed to be a small indiscretion or sin would stop the Israelites from gaining victory over the town of Ai.  It was a relatively small town so only a few troops would have been needed to win.  But because of the sin in the camp, that was not the case.  Ai defeated Israel and even killed 36 men as they were retreating in fear.

What happens next is profound.  Joshua goes to God and asks why they had been defeated?  He was afraid because he asked why God had brought them there to be defeated (and this was after the sound defeat of much larger Jericho and after defeating the Edomites and King Og and his allies).  Fear had seized Joshua.  But he did what anyone should do; he fell on his knees and asked God “Why?”  Then God spoke and told him that someone had sinned.  He didn’t tell him who or even what tribe.  So Joshua did as God told him to do and brought the Tribes forward one at a time till one was chosen.  Then from that tribe, they came forward one clan at a time.  Then when the one clan was chosen, each family was brought forward one at a time, and then, when the right family was chosen, each individual was brought forth until Achan was chosen.  Joshua then asked him to be honest and tell what he had done.  He knew then that he was in trouble and so he spilled his guts.  What I find interesting, is that Achan was given 5 chances to confess (all of Israel was brought to God, then the tribes, then the clans, then the families then the individuals) but he did not.  He was hoping that it was someone else or was too afraid to come forward and confess.  As a result of his sin and ultimate confession (and not willingly either), he and his entire family was stoned along with all his possessions including the animals.  All of Israel stoned them, and then they went to Ai again and this time was victorious.

I wonder what would have happened if Achan would have confessed right away when Joshua initially talked to the people.  Would his life been spared?  Would his family been affected as well?  We will never know because he did not even though he was given many chances to confess his sin.  But that one little sin affected the entire nation of Israel and even the town of Ai.  Millions were affected and then the family of Achan died because of his sin and his pride and arrogance that he would not get caught.  He not only went against God and took he items and then lied about it, he was arrogant enough to think he could get away from it and that God did not see what he had done.  But God did see and therefore many people suffered.

Now back to the original question.  Does our sin affect others or just us?  As this story illustrates, it affects many people.  Just think of that little lie you told.  Now you have to make up more lies to cover it up and hope you don’t get caught and hope you can remember them all.  Now many people are affected by what you call an innocent white lie.  Wasn’t as innocent as you first thought was it?  Also we have to remember that everything we do is seen by God.  He knows.  He even promises our sin will find us out (Numbers 32:23).  Maybe not in as public or dramatic a way as Achan’s sin was found out but it will be found out because God knows.  And it affects many people. 

This brings me to this. So what if we do sin (which we all will)?  You can’t say you don’t (1 John 1:10).  What do we do?  We go to God and confess it and turn from our sin.  Don’t let your pride and arrogance or even fear stop you from confessing that sin to God and if need be to the ones that your sin affected.  In order to be a Holy people as God has called us to be we must purge the sin from our life.  Allowing your pride or fear to stop you from turning back to God will only compound the situation and the sin.  Just like Achan compounded his sin by ignoring it, so our sin does the same.  So I say to all of us, REPENT!  Do not let your sin keep you from God’s presence or allow your sin to affect many people.  1 John 1:8-9 says: “If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”

FOLLOW ME AS I FOLLOW JESUS

In my work as an elementary music teacher among other things I do, I was talking to one of the classes about the importance of watching me as I directed them in the songs we are learning for our next program.  I told them that no matter how well I know the songs, I read the music so that I am still doing what the music asks us to do.  I also told them that no matter how well they thought they knew the songs; they needed to watch me as I watch and read the music.  If I was reading it and directing them correctly and the made a mistake, the mistake was on them because they were not watching as closely as they should or they were distracted and watching something else or thought they knew it well enough to give their full attention.  But If I was watching the music and made a mistake, and they followed that, then the mistake was on me.  I needed to watch the music better and not be distracted.

As I was telling them this, I was reminded by the Holy Spirit of the verse from 1 Corinthians 11:1: “And you should follow my example, just as I follow Christ's.”  Just as my music students should follow me as I follow the written music, we as followers of Jesus MUST find a Godly example and be disciple by them so that we can follow their example as they follow Jesus.  Also, in the same way, we need to follow the Word of God since it is written by God Himself.  In so doing, it will keep us from doing something stupid or keep us from falling into sin.  It is when we think we know God’s word too well to read it or listen to it when it is taught or preached that we make mistakes.  It was a big word of encouragement to me that I must follow Jesus no matter how well I think I know Him or His word.  I need to do this so that as others follow me, they will see how they are to follow Jesus.

Listen folks, it doesn’t matter how well you think you know stories from the Bible or how well you think you know scripture, keep your attention focused on it.  You will discover that as you read and study that you do not know as much as you think you do.  So, do not give up the reading of scripture.  Read it.  Study it.  It will keep you from making mistakes or from falling into sin or bondages that will destroy you.  In the same way, find someone that you know is following after Jesus as close as they know how, follow their example.  Become their disciple.  If you fall, it will because you allowed yourself to be distracted or because of their example.  But if you do fail, pick yourself up and get your attention back where it needs to be, focused on Jesus. 

Now I am not saying to follow a man, I am saying that the person that is following after God should be your example.  Your discipler is not perfect, only your Heavenly Father is perfect.  But at the same time your discipler has wisdom that you can learn from if they are following Jesus and studying the word of God. 

When Paul told the Corinthians to follow him as he followed Jesus, He was not saying he was perfect and sinless or arrogant.  He was saying that he was someone they could trust to follow Jesus the best he knew how. 

How do you know if a person is a good person to follow the example they are giving?  Well, what is the fruit in their life?  Is it the fruit of the Spirit? Is it in line with what you know is from God’s word?  Is it someone that others have followed and have shown good fruit as a result?  Do they point you to Jesus and His Word?  If the discipler is recognized by others as a man or woman that follows after God, then they are safe, but if other followers of Jesus have questions or doubts about him or her and you do not see the fruit of the Spirit in their life, then stay away, their example is a bad one and can lead you down the wrong path.  

Follow Jesus.  Follow the example of the men and women of God that are in your life.  Do not follow after someone that makes you feel good and does not help you break things off your life that are not pleasing to God.  Also do not be distracted by others or things that keep you from following Jesus.  If you are following a Godly example, they will teach you to follow after Jesus just like they do.  I will leave you by saying this again:  FOLLOW JESUS!  FOLLOW HIS WORD!  DO NOT ALLOW DISTRACTION TO ENTER YOUR LIFE! IF YOU FIND YOURSELF DISTACTED, GET RID OF IT AND GET YOUR EYES BACK ON JESUS!

When the People Return...

Ezekiel 11:18-21 “When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols. And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those who long for vile images and detestable idols, I will repay them fully for their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

This passage carries 2 kinds of promises, one good one not so good.  It is not only for Ezekiel's time but for us  as well.  I feel that God was showing me that those that return or turn to Him, He will remove every trace of sin and impurity.  And as the passage states, He will also make us one in purpose, and will make us new from the inside out (Extreme Makeover, God style).

I know many people who profess to know God but persist in looking at and going after vile things.  Their heart is stony and they are truly stubborn.  God's wish is for them to turn to Him.  Not just in action, but with their whole being.  He promises that he will replace the stubbornness and hard heartedness with a new heart, a heart that yearns for the presence of God.  They will have a great reverence for the Word of God and will obey it with utter joy.  Psalm 119:9 tells us that in order to stay pure we must follow the instructions God has given us.  Some translations say that He will cleanse their way.

God desperately wants to cleanse hearts and minds and put in them a new spirit and a new heart.  Only then can we truly be the people of God.  If ANY vile thing remains, we cannot be His people.  The passage in Ezekiel preceding this tells about people that are going after other things and either forgetting about God or saying to themselves that God does not know what they are doing.  Just because it is done in secret does not mean that God does not see.  He says over and over in His word that He sees everything, and the vile things in our lives breaks His heart (Ezekiel 6:9 "Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols.")  God grieves for those that are unfaithful in their hearts, not just in their actions.  But He promises He will change all that if only we will come to Him.  If not, His anger (born out of hurt) will burn against them.

Father, I ask that you  would draw people's hearts back to you!  Stir up a mighty revival in those that are unfaithful.  I do not wish to see them destroyed out of your anger.  You have even said that you wish that none should perish but that all would come to repentance.  Create a hunger in people's hearts.  I do not wish to see you hurt, but rather rejoice with those that repent and come near You.

Love vs. Lust

We often hear a lot about love, but not much about lust.  Some would say there isn't much difference, but there is.  From what I have seen and experienced, they are exact opposites.  "What?" you may be saying, "I thought Love and Hate were opposites."  Let me tell you the difference.  A lustful person thinks in his or her heart "What can I gain from this for me?  What's in this for me?  Will this make me look good?  Will this be pleasurable for me?"  A person in this frame of mind does not care if their actions or attractions hurt someone else.  It is all about "ME!"   It may feel good for the moment, but later it is not only hurtful to others, but to yourself.

Now on the other hand we have love.  Love thinks about others.  It is not self-centered.  A loving person thinks "What will make this person's life better?  Will it make them look good or better?  I know it might not be enjoyable for me, but the other person will be better because of my actions."

Do you see the difference?  Lust focuses on "Me" and love focuses on others.

"So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.   Love never gives up.   Love cares more for others than for self.  Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.   Love doesn't strut,   doesn't have a swelled head,   doesn't force itself on others,   isn't always "me first,"   doesn't fly off the handle,  doesn't keep score of the sins of others,  doesn't revel when others grovel,  takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,   puts up with anything,  trusts God always,   always looks for the best,  never looks back,  but keeps going to the end" (1 Corinthians 13:3-7 from The Message ).

There is a Wave Coming

A few months ago, God showed me a picture of a very dry ditch. I was standing in the bottom of it. The dirt was cracked, and any vegetation was dry and dead. Then I look down the ditch, and coming hard and fast was a torrent of rushing water. Then this last Saturday, I was in the same ditch, but this time, the water was lapping around my feet. The huge torrent was still coming. It will make the dryness of the ditch look like an ocean before it is done.

I was confused at first. Usually when God shows me pictures like this I have a sense of what it means or what it is referring to. I began asking God what it means. I felt like God was saying "Wait and See." So I have waited. And now I am beginning to see and experience what His wave is. It seems to be a massive outpouring of His love and His Spirit. This will be different than anything I have experienced before. In the past, when God moved, it was not long before people (myself included) started seeking an experience over a close relationship with Him. Over last school year, that started to become the case. I watched as not only myself, but others as well, became enamored with riding the wave of God's power just because it was awesome and felt good. Then it left suddenly. And even though God was still moving, the result was the feel of a desert. I asked God why it left. The answer was twofold. First, many were seeking the experience not God Himself and so it didn't last. Second, the last wave was just a precursor of what God is wanting to do. When the next wave hits, it will make any other wave or move of God seem like a desert. This seems to accompany the picture of a spiritual storm that is gathering that I have also seen. It can only be described as the Perfect Storm. It is not dissipating, but only gathering in strength.

Get Ready! What you think about God and Revival is about to change. You will either jump in and be a part of it and experience God in a very powerful way, or you will stand off to the side and wish you were a part or make fun of it. Or you will run away and say that this cannot be God because it doesn't fit your mold. I have news for you "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." (Isaiah 55:8, NLT).

Are you ready for His ways? Are you ready to jump in and learn who God is and go with Him? He wants you to and I truly hope you do as well.

Thoughts on Galations 1:10

I was captured by this verse as I was reading yesterday. “Obviously, I'm not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ's servant” (Galatians 1:10).  This verse made me think of the times I have heard people say things like “I can’t do what God asked me to do, I might lose my job” or “What will people think if I /go to the altar/dance during worship/fall on my face before God?”  These statements make one think that people matter more than the God who created them.  There are times that pleasing people is not the best policy.  Our first priority is to please God, not people.  If that makes us look like fools or is uncomfortable, then so be it.

In Acts 4, Peter and John found themselves in a quandary.  They had been preaching and teaching the crowds at the temple and was arrested by the Temple police and taken before the Sanhedrin.  This was the result: “So they called the apostles back in and told them never again to speak or teach about Jesus.   But Peter and John replied, "Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?”(18-19). Again in Acts 5 the apostles were teaching, and performing signs and wonders.  This made the Sanhedrin angry and jealous so they had the apostles arrested. But God intervened and sent an angel to release them from prison.  They immediately went back to teaching at the temple again.  So yet again the Temple police arrested them again but this time immediately took them before the council and they were told again to stop, but their reply was “But Peter and the apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than human authority’” (Acts 5:29).  Obviously the apostles were not out to make friends.  They knew what God wanted and so they did it without regard to their own personal safety.

A true follower of Jesus is more concerned with following the commands of Jesus than worrying about what others have to say or what they might think.  It takes courage to be able to overcome our natural desire to weigh everything we do against what others might think about us.  It is courage that enables us to be world changers.  It takes courage to obey without thought of self-reputation or thinking about personal safety.

There is coming a day very soon that this kind of boldness will be required to follow Jesus.  Going against the civil authorities or against societal norms will not make us popular.  We must put our own welfare and reputation in the hands of Jesus.  Jesus told His followers “"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.  And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?  For I, the Son of Man, will come in the glory of my Father with his angels and will judge all people according to their deeds” (Matthew 16:24-27).

This kind of lifestyle will make us many enemies.  It will not make us popular.  It will not create great rewards here on earth.  But I would rather obey Jesus than anyone else.  Now I am not saying to reject civil authority, for God placed them in power.  So if God instituted them over us, we ought to obey them.  What I am saying is if God asks you to do something and it is not a popular thing, such as preaching the truth, praying for the sick, repenting in front of your close friends, then forget your pride and obey.  Someday soon the law of the land may require us to reject it in order to obey God (and already is in some parts of our world) and just like the Apostles in Acts we will need to stand up to them and say as they did “We must obey God rather than human authority.” 

I want to leave you with this final thought from Joshua 1:7-9: “Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do.  Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.  I command you-- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

What Does True Worship Look Like?

In Mark 14 we find the story of the woman (John’s gospel names her as Mary) that broke an expensive bottle of perfume and poured it on Jesus feet and then wiped it off with her hair.  Mark reports some of the disciples (John [12:4-5] tells us it was Judas who was also the treasures for the disciples) complained that the perfume could have been sold and given to the poor instead of “wasted” on Jesus. It was said that the perfume cost a year's wages.  In our modern currency, that equates to about $42,000 (the average income for a person living in the USA). Now that is expensive perfume in anyone’s thinking.   Mark then says in verses 6-8: “But Jesus replied, "Leave her alone. Why berate her for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But I will not be here with you much longer. She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time.” 

Jesus remarks same callous towards the poor if you look at it at face value.  But let’s look deeper.  Jesus allowed her to do this act.  Also for a woman to show her hair in public was a disgrace.  Yet she didn’t care.  It was customary to think of the poor at Passover time, yet Mary was thinking of Jesus.  She heard the conversation around her, but yet her attention and focus was on Jesus.  Jesus commented that she was doing a good thing for Jesus.  What was the good thing?  Jesus states that she was anointing Him for burial.  But I also think her motivation was much more than that.  I don’t think she knew what the next few days would hold for Jesus and His followers.  Her actions were out of utter abandonment of self and what others thought to worship Jesus.  She risked disgrace, humiliation, and being an outcast among the ‘elite’ followers of Jesus just so she could worship Him from the depths of her heart.  Jesus didn’t stop her, He allowed her to continue and praised her actions as good.

Mary is an example to all of us.  She gave her worship to Jesus just because of who He was and what He had done for her, not because of what the culture or society dictated she do.  She didn’t listen when those seated around ridiculed her and scoffed.  I am sure some even turned up their nose or turned their heads at the sight of a woman ‘wasting’ that expensive perfume.  $42,000 would go a long way in providing for the needs of the local homeless shelter or helping a family get back on their feet.  But it wasn’t the money amount.  It wasn’t the fact that she showed her hair in public, it wasn’t the fact that she broke every societal norm to do this; it was all about worshipping the one that freed her from her life of sin.  It was all about showing love to the one that gave her back her life.

Most of us think that worship is just singing a few songs or hymns and maybe raising our hands.  If we see a person that dances or utterly throws off all restraint and doesn’t seem to care about what others think or are saying, we scoff and mock and even laugh like the disciples and others present at the meal where Mary ‘wasted’ that perfume. 

Worship is not about us or never will be. Worship doesn’t even have to include any songs or instruments. It is all about the one that saved us from our sin, all about the one that died for us and set us free from the bondage's that weighed us down.  The reason that Jesus allowed Mary to do what she did was because she was worshipping extravagantly, no restraints.  She poured herself out to Jesus.  This is what Jesus meant when He spoke to the Samaritan woman in John 4:23 “But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way.”  So here is the lesson:  Always worship Jesus, worship God the Father in utter abandonment.  If you want to dance, dance, if you want to jump, jump.  If you want to fall on your face, do that.  Just worship Him with everything that you are.  Don’t worry about who is watching or what they might think or say.  That is not truly worshipping the one that died for our sins in order that we might have eternal life.  Don’t listen to the scoffers or mockers or those that laugh.  Don’t listen to what society says to do in worship.  Listen to your heart.  How is it telling you to worship?  However you worship, do it with all you’ve got, and your worship will be excepted by the One you are directing it to.  And just like the woman who offered Jesus her most valuable possessions, offer Him what is most valuable to you, your life.

Baptism of Fire; Should We Seek It or Run From It?

John the Baptist is quoted as saying “16 John answered their questions by saying, "I baptize with water those who turn from their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am-- so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Matthew 3:11, also found in Luke 3:16).  For the last few months I have ponder the meaning of this verse, especially the baptism with fire. 

I have talked with other respected teachers and pastors about this and have researched various Bible commentators regarding fire baptism.  Some have said the fire is something we don’t want.  It is God’s anger and it is the opposite of Holy Spirit baptism.  That did not sit well in my spirit.  I understood what they are trying to say.  If you look all through the Bible, you will see God pouring out His wrath and anger on a person in the form of fire (“Then the LORD rained down fire and burning sulfur from the heavens on Sodom and Gomorrah” Gen. 19:24, “They [Aaron’s sons] disobeyed the LORD by burning before him a different kind of fire than he had commanded. So fire blazed forth from the LORD's presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD” Leviticus 10:1, 2; are just two of many examples).  But there are also many examples of what I call good fire.  (“The cloud of the LORD rested on the Tabernacle during the day, and at night there was fire in the cloud so all the people of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys” Exodus 40:38; “I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like whitest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, and a river of fire flowed from his presence” Daniel 7:9, 10; "For everyone will be purified with fire” Mark 9:49.  These are just a few of the good fire examples. 

The Bible also talks over and over again about God being a consuming fire.  I have been asking God what this all means.  Here are a few thoughts.  In the Matthew and Luke passages above, the connecting word is “and”, not or.  In the Greek the connector is the word kai meaning both and.  If the baptism of fire was meant to be a judgment or a bad thing from God, the connector would be “or”.  So it seems plain that the baptism of fire is meant as a good thing.  Fire purifies, fire has power, fire devours and consumes, and the bigger the fire, the harder it is to extinguish.   

With the characteristics of fire just mentioned, If God baptizes us with fire, it means he is purifying us (making us holy), giving us power to do His work, if fire represents God the Father then that fire devours and consumes us, makes desire Him more than our fleshly and worldly things, and we are not wishy-washy, or unstable in our faith, not easily persuaded to fall away. 

Another thought I had recently was that we ask Jesus into our hearts to reign there, we ask the Holy Spirit to baptize us to empower us to do His works.  But that is only 2/3 of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).  If we want the Whole person of God dwelling in us, then why would we not want the baptism of Fire?  Saying this, with Jesus living in us and with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire, we have the whole person of God dwelling in our spirit. That to me is exciting.  I know I for one will encourage the baptism of fire so that I might have fullness of life and power that comes from God.  For you readers, I encourage you to ask and seek the baptism of fire.  You may be surprised at what happens in your heart, mind, and spirit when that baptism takes place.

Protect the Anointing

I recent heard a story regarding an evangelist that excused himself from a group of pastors after they started gossiping about others and when asked why he left, his response was "I have to protect the anointing on my life and cannot be tainted by what I hear about others before I minister to them. I read another one about Smith Wigglesworth, a Pentecostal Revivalist/Evangelist from the early to Mid -1900's that spoke of him telling a visitor to leave the newspaper outside of his home because he would not allow the lies found in the paper to be brought in so as not to taint the anointing that God had placed on him.

This got me thinking. I know God has placed an anointing on my life. But are there things that I do, things that I see on T.V., things I read or listen to that taint that anointing? Sadly I have to say yes. These 2 stories in quick succession was like a voice from God telling me to be careful with the anointing, not to take it lightly. It is very easy to take the things of God lightly or not as serious as they should be taken unfortunately. It is too easy to watch the political news, knowing the lies that are there or the propaganda, or read articles about different groups saying how great this life style is or that point of view is, or even in college class rooms where anti-biblical rhetoric is poured out every single day. Sometimes this inappropriate and harmful talk comes from well-meaning people. I have even heard it on Christian radio from the DJ's. The anointing is far more important, far more valuable than any of the things, or language this world speaks around us in various forms and ways.

It would seem that from what I have heard, and what God seems to be speaking to me that His anointing is fragile and incapable of handling the filth and garbage that come against us every day. That is not the truth. It is us that are fragile and incapable of holding on to the things of the world and the things of God at the same time. Just like Light can dispel the darkness, if we allow it to the darkness can dispel the light (although it is harder for this to happen) but in our heart and lives, if we allow the unrighteous things of the world to crowd out the anointing, we lose and those we are to minister to loses. 1 John 2:15 states "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you." And again in James 4:4 - "Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God." And again Romans 12:2 -- “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." These verses make it clear that the things of the world are an enemy of God. Why would I put the anointing that God has placed on me in jeopardy by being friends with the world, allowing it to taint my perspective? I am not saying that I want to be so heavenly minded that I am no earthly good, I am saying that I need to be careful with the anointing God has placed in me. And this is not only true of me, Smith Wigglesworth, and traveling evangelists, it is true of every believer. God has given each one of us a measure of His anointing, some more some less, depending on the calling He has placed over us. I am saying be careful with the Fire (anointing) God has placed in your heart, for it is far too easy to allow the things of this world to put out that Fire. I know I for one plan on keeping a Pure Fire in my heart and not a tainted one or strange fire as Aaron's sons did in Leviticus 10 so that I can offer a pleasing sacrifice to God.

I want to challenge all who read this to think about this carefully and to place your own heart and mind before God and ask if there is any strange fire or impurity there that might water down or render null the anointing God has placed in your heart. It is precious, more precious than silver or gold. It is the greatest treasure known in the universe.

The Purpose of Sacrifice in the Old Testament and How it Relates to Us Today

Many sacrifices are described in the Old Testament that seems bloody and gory, just down right disgusting. Just imagine that it is time to offer a sacrifice because of a festival or because of some sinful act. You would have to go to your herds, pick an animal (all of which you know well and care for very much), take it to the temple, follow the prescribed way of offering the sacrifice laid out in the law and offer the animal to God. Was this all done without thought and cold heartedness? More than likely no. The goal was to prepare one's self for worship while the sacrifice was being chosen and prepared before the sacrifice actually happened. You would be thinking the entire time about what is going to happen and what is about to happen and why you are doing this. You would have to prepare your heart for worship while the ritual preceding it took place. You would also be thinking about why you are doing what you are thereby making the act of worship and the preceding ritual very personal to you.


The same is true today, or at least should be. Worship is not an afterthought or just a meaningless set of rituals we go through. Before heading to church, you are thinking about what is going to happen while you are there, what is expected of you, and what you expect of God (or at least I hope that is what is happening in your thoughts). You are just as much preparing yourself and your heart for worship as the Old Testament rituals required. Not only that, in Psalm 51:17 it states: “The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise." But even before that David writes in verse 16 "You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it." Why would the animal sacrifice not be accepted? Because the worshippers heart is not in the right place, their heart is not prepared to enter God's presence. But once your heart is broken before God and repentant for sins committed, then the sacrifice of the ritual act would be acceptable to God. "Then you will be pleased with worthy sacrifices and with our whole burnt offerings; and bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar" (verse 19).

So how does Old Testament sacrifice relate to today? Simple. God does not want our ritual of raising hands or singing songs, He wants our hearts. He wants us to break our hearts before Him so that we will be acceptable to Him. It means that we call out to Him and grab on to Him and prepare ourselves to worship Him by looking at our hearts. Over and over God tells us to be Holy as He is Holy. Many times we attempt to worship Him without taking the proper steps to become Holy. But, I can hear you thinking, I can’t do anything to make myself Holy. EXACTLY! God also says over and over that He is the one that makes us Holy. It is in recognizing our broken state before God that we put ourselves in a posture of receiving Him and the Sacrifice He provided for us. It is not about ritual, although that helps us get in the right heart mode to worship Him correctly and as he deserves to be worshipped. God knew it would be a process for us to prepare ourselves to enter His presence, which is why we are created to want and desire ritual. But here is where the problem lies. We can take the ritual and do it out of habit and no thought and therefore not have a correct heart attitude and posture to be acceptable to a Holy God.

So the next time you head off to church or a prayer meeting or a revival service, check yourself. Are you preparing your heart to be acceptable to Him? Are you allowing yourself to be broken before Him? If you are, your worship will be acceptable. After all, if He is the one that makes us Holy and if He is the one that offered the sacrifice for us to be able to enter God's Holy presence, then shouldn't part of that heart preparation be adoration and praise to the one that did the work for us? Shouldn’t that make us even more humble before God since there is nothing we can do other than come to him broken to be accepted?

The Old Testament can offer many awesome insights into why things were done and why, because God never changes, things are the same with our hearts even though the ritual may change. My prayer for everyone is that they come broken and fully prepared to worship the God that makes us Holy, if we allow Him to.