20 Wednesday Feb 2013
Posted in Quotes
Tags
Abraham Lincoln, Alfred Lord Tennyson, attempt the impossible, Avery Miller, Christian quotes, conviction, delays, Dick Eastman, discernment, F B Meyer, God's willingness, hope, inspirational quotes, intangible, intercede, my time is not yet come, Oswald Chambers, pray for love, Richard Trench, Robert Foster, see the invisible, unoffered prayer, wrought by prayer
17 Tuesday Jul 2012
Posted in How to Receive an Answer from God
Tags
actual miracle, attitudes in prayer, delays, delays are not denials, disgrace and disappointment, exceptional parent material, God wants to do something greater, Luke 1:18, Luke 1:25, Luke 1:38, maturity, Meyer quote, Oswald Chambers quote, prophet, sign of maturity, Ted Turner, time, why prayer doesn't work, willing to let God answer in His own time, willing to wait, Zechariah and Elizabeth
A mother of five took one of her daughters, age 9, out for a mother-daughter breakfast. During their meal, she courageously asked her daughter, “How do you think I could be a better mom?” The young girl thought for a moment. Then she promptly related, “Well, you do yell a lot. I know you’ve been praying about that, but it isn’t really working yet.”
Touché! A quip like this had to hurt just a little. Why doesn’t prayer “really work” sometimes? Why do some of our most earnest and sincere prayers appear to go unanswered?
In this blog and following, I am going to focus on our attitudes in prayer. My focus is not about “the how to’s” of prayer, or the “whys” of prayer, but our attitudes. Maybe you’ve sincerely attempted prayer but are still not netting many results. If so, then follow along as I attempt to examine four attitudes which will help get results from heaven.
Time is one of the biggest issues most face when it comes to prayer. In order to receive from God we must be willing to let the Lord answer in His own time. If you are like me… I want what I want, when I want it. I want answers to my prayers right away. After all, I think that what I’m praying about is important and God should answer…quickly. But it’s not always in my best interest or God’s, for Him to answer immediately. During these moments it is imperative to maintain the belief that the Lord has our best interest at heart. If the Lord delays, it is the very best for all concerned.
God often delays answering our prayers because we are not mature or responsible enough to receive. The question becomes can we handle it?
A hundred years ago, who would have thought it would have been possible to send pictures through space? Who would have imagined that somebody standing in front of a camera in New York could be seen by people in Washington? Who could have imagined that instead of waiting for the news to arrive in a newspaper, you could see it happening for yourself, live? A hundred years ago they would have said it was impossible. This is not the case now.
Who would have thought a hundred years ago, it would be possible for people personally to send their own pictures and videos through space to be on the news which runs 24/7. Yet, this happens everyday.
Now, even children and teenagers have this capability. Many have learned the hard way that just because they can, doesn’t mean they should post every pic and video of themselves. Many of them have chosen to send naked pictures of themselves for the whole world to see. Just because we have been given this power doesn’t mean it has been the very best thing for us.
Being willing to wait for something you want or even need is a sign of maturity. Not being willing to wait is a sign of immaturity.
This wasn’t the reason Zechariah and Elizabeth’s answer was delayed in Luke 1. In verses 6 and 9 we see that they were upright, blameless, and kept faithfully serving God despite their disgrace and disappointment in not having a child.
This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men. Luke 1:25
Yes, this elderly couple was “disgraced” by God’s lack of movement in their lives. Ever been there? Do you think God is even concerned when He delays our prayers? Maybe He is in heaven laughing at our disgrace. People wrongly conclude we are “less spiritual” because God has delayed our prayer requests.
Real maturity is loving God despite it all. Mature people do not stop loving God when life doesn’t make sense. Zachariah and Elizabeth kept plugging away with their faith and love for God intact.
As strange as it may seem, God’s delays are not God’s denials! He needed someone He could trust to not deny Him when their prayers weren’t being answered right away. He wanted to answer Zechariah and Elizabeth’s prayers in a miraculous fashion. This meant that their answer would not arrive right away. This also meant they were the “exceptional parent material” God needed to raise a prophet… not just any prophet … the prophet that would usher in Messiah.
Cable television tycoon Ted Turner has often been quoted as being critical of Christianity. Turner made some very revealing remarks at a banquet in Orlando, Fla., in 1990. On this occasion he was given an award by the American Humanist Association for his work on behalf of the environment. Turner said he had a strict Christian upbringing and at one time considered becoming a missionary. “I was saved seven or eight times,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. But he said “he became disenchanted with Christianity after his sister died, despite his prayers.” (Spokesman-Review, May 1, 1990. http://www.christianglobe.com.)
Here is a man who didn’t pass the “prayers delayed test.” In fact, this test actually changed the course of his life. His personal prayers were not answered by the Lord, so he chucked his whole relationship with God.
I am sure we have all considered giving up on prayer at one time or another. We get discouraged and quit praying for a season because deep down we wonder if prayer really makes a difference. In Zechariah and Elizabeth’s case, God wanted to do something greater than they had originally requested. God trusted them because they would not give up on Him when their prayers seemed to be going unanswered.
Have you given up on God because He appeared to be deaf to your concerns? Or, are you still faithfully serving Him despite the delay in getting what you have been praying about? Can God trust you to not deny Him when the answers to your prayers are delayed?
Zechariah couldn’t believe the angel’s good news. He doubted what he was hearing.
Zachariah said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” Luke 1:18
Even good, sincere Christians have doubts at times! Why did he doubt the angel’s message? Because he knew he and his wife were “well along” in years. I am feeling a little advanced in years myself these days. They knew that it would take a full-blown miracle for them to have a child! We tend to doubt God when the answer to our prayers requires an actual miracle.
This is the difference between Mary (Jesus’ mother) and Zechariah. Mary did believe God could do a miracle. Zack, because of his age… couldn’t make the leap.
Different issues create certain problems for people. Some can’t believe God for a restored marriage. Some can’t believe God for restored health. Others can’t believe God for a financial miracle. Bottomline… You will hear words like, “That’s impossible!” In other words, “I can’t believe that will actually happen for me. God might be able to work a miracle in somebody else’s life, but not mine.”
The way to correct this is to speak and believe like Mary. “Be it done to me according to Your word.” Luke 1:38
Blessings,
Pastor
02 Wednesday May 2012
Posted in Abraham: Life of Faith
Tags
Abraham and Sarah, acting spiritual, delays, develop our spiritual wallk, faith, faith in God's promise, faith's availabilty, Father of many nations, fleshly error, floundering, Genesis 18:9-15, God wants to accomplish big things, grown into the impssible zone, heart issue, Is anything too difficult for the Lord, keeping God's promise, laughter, necessitate and nurture, rebuke, sarcasm, spiritual tipping point, the Spirit's assessment, weak believing person, what can God do through me?
When God’s ability is finally bonded with faith’s availabilty, it creates a spiritual tipping point. This passage doesn’t read like a spiritual tipping point, but it is, for both Abraham and Sarah.
Then they said to him, ‘Where is Sarah your wife?’ And he said, ‘Behold, in the tent.’ And he said, ‘I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh saying, “Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?” Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.’ Sarah denied it however, saying, ‘I did not laugh’; for she was afraid. And He said, ‘No, but you did laugh’ (Genesis 18:9-15)
It was customary in those days, as in some cultures today, for the women to neither be seen nor heard while male guests were entertained. Sarah thus prepared the bread out of the sight of the men (cf. verse 6), and she remained inside the tent as they ate. While she carefully kept out of sight, her curiosity got the best of her. She may have peeped through the folds of the tent or had her ear to the door, anxious to hear the conversation outside. I doubt that any of us could have avoided such a temptation either.
It was in this context the Lord assured Abraham that Sarah would have a son next year. It appeared Abraham either failed to mention what he heard from God previously in Genesis 17 about a son, or he failed to convince Sarah of its certainty. Whatever the case, the words of God were intended more for Sarah’s benefit than Abraham’s. It was vital that she, too, have faith in God’s promise.
Initially, Sarah’s response differed little from her husband’s response. He laughed too when God spoke to him the last time about a son. Now, Sarah was laughing as well. What was their laughter all about? Maybe it was a combination of surprise, shock, sheer joy, and unbelief. How could such a thing be? One wonders if Sarah’s laughter was not heard outside the tent.
Notice the rebuke is directed, at first, toward Abraham, not Sarah. “And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? ’” (Genesis 18:13). In essence, God is saying, “Hey husband, why is your wife laughing at such a wonderful promise? What have you been telling her?”
Somehow he had to give account to God for his wife’s response. I find it most interesting that Sarah’s response mirrored Abraham’s. He had provided the example for her. I personally have met people like this who could barely believe for themselves, much less pull along a “weak believing person”. In other words, their faith was so weak they were more easily pushed down than pulled up!
The words of our Lord speak as loudly to us today as they did to Abraham. “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14a).
Here was the bedrock issue. The only reason for such unbelief was a failure to comprehend God’s ability to work in and through us. This means there was a break down in our comprehension of what God can do through men. For most, the question has never been, “what can God do?” Everyone believes and knows God can do anything. We must personalize that question. “At my current faith level, what can God do through me? Do I personally believe God will powerfully move through me to others?”
This was the heart of the matter. Abraham and Sarah fully believed in their heart they were past the point of producing a miracle baby.
This is a sticking point for many who seek to believe the Lord for a promise. Most believe in God, but many believers have little or no faith in themselves. Fifty years earlier Abraham and Sarah could have easily believed for a child. Why? They were in the possible category. Now, while God was still in the possible category, they had grown into the impossible zone for God to do anything.
God was confronting them for thinking they were beyond living in the miracle zone. Understand, if the matter of having a son was not impossible, the glory for such a miracle would have not have been given to God. The birth would have simply been a product of love.
Now – The delay of Isaac’s birth was intended both to necessitate and to nurture the faith of Abraham and Sarah. God was not trying to torture and frustrate Abraham and Sarah. If God delays a miracle in any way, it only means He wants to develop our spiritual walk. God was not only providing a son, he was creating a “Father of many nations.” Creating a son was easy. Developing a Father of Nations was the difficult part.
Had Abraham and Sarah come to terms with their unbelief and sarcasm they would have grown more quickly in their relationship and faith towards God. It is high time we start getting honest with ourselves and honest with God. We spend so much time “acting spiritual”, we actually begin to believe we are someone spiritually deep.
Sarah lied to God when she said she didn’t laugh. I think she actually believed she didn’t laugh. Sarah did not deny her thoughts, only her actions. Sarah didn’t care what went on inside her mind and spirit. She only cared that others perceived her as having her spiritual act together. How do we know? She only tried to hide the fleshly error, not the heart issue. No one knew how sarcastic she had grown towards the promises of God.
Does anyone know what is really going on in you today? You could be floundering around “big time” spiritually. Your outward actions do not expose the truth. We all must learn to believe the Spirit’s assessment of our lives…not the fleshly hogwash we tell ourselves and others.
I believe God wants to accomplish some big things in our lives. These things can only be accomplished by the Lord working through people of faith so that He might receive all the glory. Have you arrived at the place where your faith is fully available for Him to use?
Blessings,
Pastor
24 Tuesday Jan 2012
Posted in Our Journey Into The Promised Land
Tags
boundaries, delays, Exodus 19, Exodus 32:1, God is quiet, idolatry, keeping spiritual composure, lack of faith, peer presire, transitional times, which way is up
Part of our spiritual process requires we maintain our spiritual composure in the transitional times of our walk with the Lord. These moments usually occur after significant spiritual battles. It is then that the Lord pulls us aside for rest and refocusing. The Children of Israel had seen God in action via the Ten Plagues and at the Red Sea. Who really could ask for more of God’s activity?
It is here at Mt. Sinai that God calls Moses to the mountain top for a transitional meeting on how He wants Israel to follow Him. (Exodus 19-31)
There will always be “transitioning times” in our lives where God speaks and God’s will becomes more clear. We can call them Mountain Top Experiences. We walk into the meeting believing God one way and exit believing God on a new level. It is God’s revelation of Himself that changes what we believe.
Moses Goes to the Mountain – Exodus 19
From Exodus 19 we find that Moses goes up into the mountain for a meeting with God. Thunder and lightning, thick clouds, and a voice that was as loud as a great trumpet. The ground trembled and shook. It was at this time God gave Moses the intricate details of the Law.
But Moses Doesn’t Come Down
“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount,… we don’t know what is become of him.” (Exodus 32:1)
Idolatry is not spiritual ignorance but a willful turning away from spiritual knowledge and worship of God. The people began to question all sorts of things about Moses, their spiritual leader.
These types of questions led to the people clamoring and that clamoring led to active idolatry. Men are often so impatient with the movement or lack of movement of God in their lives. This cry quickly rose to Aaron’s ears. The people demanded…Give us a god, now!
Aaron, that fearless man, who had…
The troubling issue here was that he led them in the way of destruction. Aaron could not stand up to this type of peer pressure and began to buckle under the demands of the people.
None of us can be just half-way committed to our purpose. We must be wholly committed to God. When we step out of our boundaries and ask our spiritual leaders to step out of their boundaries, we create nothing but golden calves. The golden calves produced will not only damage our generation but the subsequent one as well.
“A speedboat driver recently survived a racing accident. According to the driver, he had been at near top speeds when his boat veered slightly and hit a wave at a dangerous angle. The combined force of his speed and the size and angle of the wave sent the boat spinning rapidly into the air.
He was thrown from his seat and propelled deeply into the water—so deep, he had no idea which direction led to the surface. In order to survive he had to remain calm and wait for his life vest to begin pulling him up. Once he discovered which way was up, he could swim for the surface.”
Sometimes we find ourselves not knowing “which way is up.” When this happens, we are to remain calm, wait for God’s gentle tug to pull us in the proper direction.
Unfortunately, when the Israelites became confused about Moses they took actions into their own hands. They were unwilling to wait and allow God to gently nudge them in the right direction.
Yes, God was quiet longer than usual because He was giving Moses a big WORD. The word took over 12-13 chapters in the Bible. WOW! Waiting over 40 days is actually a short time.
Instead of turning to God for a life vest, they turned to Aaron, Moses’ brother and said, “Look, make us some gods who can lead us. This man Moses, who brought us here from Egypt, has disappeared. We don’t know what has happened to him” (Exodus 32:1b – New Living Translation).
If you have a tendency to fall apart when God delays…. You are going to be spiritually falling apart on most occasions. There may be known occasions when God seemingly delays and there may be unknown reasons for God’s absence. The point is many times God is quiet. He still is Lord!
Someone once said, “It is better to die believing God than to go on living in unbelief!” When we fall apart at the silence of God, it reveals our unbelief or lack of faith and belief in His plans. Our reactions always reveal our real beliefs about the Lord!
Blessings,
Pastor
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