Living Without Compromise #2 Be Ready to be Tested

02 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by eisakouo in Daniel - No Compromise

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character, convictions get tested, courage, Daniel, Daniel 3:8-18, is my faith for sale?, Meshach and Abed-nego, Nebuchadnezzar, no blame, prevent them from changing me, prophet, Shadrach, sold out, what you do when no one is looking

Yesterday, I blogged about how Daniel took a stand on not defiling himself with the food off the King’s table. It is a good thing when believers develop convictions and standards. What most don’t realize is those same principled convictions will get tested and tried. Listen to what eventually happened to Daniel’s buddies.

12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

…. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Daniel 3:8-18

As I said, every principled conviction we possess will eventually get tested. These men purposed not to bow down and worship idols… even the King. The punishment in this case was to be thrown into an instant crematorium. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed nego were not even phased by this threat. They didn’t blame God and they didn’t blame others. They stood on their principles and left the results to the Lord.

Here is the point… We are only able to withstand the tests and temptations of life when we internally value our relationship to God more than what we potentially have to lose in the flesh. Effective service in God’s Kingdom means we are willing to surrender everything in order to faithfully promote the Lord’s work. Even though it appeared that Nebuchadnezzar and his officials were in charge, the Lord was actually calling all the shots… He was in control of everything. Someone once said:

He’s all the direction we ever needed: He is THE WAY.
He’s all the revelation we ever needed: He is THE TRUTH.
He’s all the fulfillment we ever needed: He is THE LIFE.

Character has been defined as “what you do when no one is looking.” When no one was looking these young men made a conviction not to defile themselves. When no one was looking these young boys made a principled conviction to follow God’s command not to worship any other gods except Jehovah.

So what would you have done when the test and temptation came to abandon your convictions in order to save your life? Surely God would have understood because your life was at stake. No, God doesn’t understand. He knows your character will grow as you take a stand on your convictions. The reality is you make these types of character decisions everyday in big and small ways. Every day you make choices that show whether you are courageous or cowardly. You choose between the right thing and the convenient thing. You stick to your convictions or you cave in for the sake of comfort, greed, or approval.

The big question we all need to ask and answer is… Is my faith for sale? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego proved they couldn’t be bought for any price. Most believers will stop having a quiet time for a few extra moments of “sleep”, much less a king ordering them to do so. It takes over 200 gallons of water to baptize a believer and just a few drops of water to keep that same believer from attending church on any given Sunday. What will cause you to forfeit your allegiance?

Somewhere in the “Believer’s Dictionary” is the definition for the phrase “sold out“. Being sold out means that no price in this world will buy or steal your affections from God. It takes real courage to be a Christian. You hear some people say that being a Christian is for weak people, cowards, old ladies, and sissy’s. The truth is it takes courage to own up and confess to your sins. It’s not easy to repent and be honest before a Holy God. In reality, cowards are weeded out in the beginning. Our faith continues to be forged day-in and day-out when we stand on our convictions and principles.

A prophet once came to a city to convert its inhabitants. At first the people listened to his sermons, but they gradually drifted away until there was not a single soul to hear the prophet when he spoke. One day a traveler said to him, “Why do you go on preaching?” The prophet said, “In the beginning I hoped to change these people. If I still shout, it is only to prevent them from changing me.”

This is the question we all have to ask and answer… Is my faith changing my environment or is my environment changing my faith and altering my beliefs?

Blessings,

Pastor

How God Creates a Man or Woman He Can Use (Part 1) Called Before Birth

01 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by eisakouo in How God Creates a Man or Woman He Can Use

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C.S. Lewis, called before birth, change and capture a new generation, corrupted by their own generation, do business, forfeit the reason God placed you here, irrevocable, leader, man or woman of destiny, megaphone, prophet, Romans 11:29, Romans 12:1-2, secularized, shakes things up, shouts in our pain, talents, the gifts and calling of God, the greatest tragedy of life, tree of knowledge of good and evil, tree of life, uncorking

The greatest tragedy of life is not that it ends. The greater tragedy is a life which fails to live up to its God-given gifts, talents, call, and purpose. Life is a one-way street. Once we pass certain points, we cannot return. The question becomes what have we done with the life and opportunities the Lord has provided? Jesus warned us about this very issue in the parable of the talents. We are called to “do business” with the resources God provides until He returns.

C.S. Lewis reminds us: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” By nature, most of us waste our lives. It is only when we are shaken and troubled that we take the time to reevaluate. There is nothing like cold hospital sheets, the smell of alcohol, and a bad report to wake you up! It is better to be awakened with God’s megaphone than forfeit the reason God placed you here.

Knowing all this… When God creates a prophet, leader, man or woman of destiny, He shakes things up in their life before they are born so that they know their purpose, even at birth. In the previous blogs (How to Receive an Answer from God), we saw how the Lord took numerous steps to ready John the Baptist’s home so he would be nurtured properly and know his calling and purpose.

In order for the Lord to change/capture a new generation, He has to get His hands on someone before they are touched, influenced, and corrupted by the filth of their own generation. We are corrupted automatically unless we purposefully choose differently. God knows our tendencies and how easily our hearts and minds become secularized. The Bible calls it eating from the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” There are a lot of things the Lord doesn’t want us to involve ourselves in or even know. Unless we purposely choose to eat of the “tree of life”, we will automatically eat from the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

Some were called by God before birth like Samson, Samuel, David, John the Baptist, and of course Jesus. Now the Lord doesn’t always call His servants before birth. Most of the time the call to serve comes later in life. When this happens, the Lord has to spend some time “uncorking” us from our generation and the effects of “tree of knowledge of good and evil” upon our life. We all should be uncorked from the world as Romans 12:1-2 suggests. But, when God calls out a man or woman… this uncorking MUST happen.

Whether you feel a strong call from the Lord or simply want to be the best child of God you can be … the road we all should travel is toward the tree of life and away from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Blessings,

Pastor

How to Receive an Answer from God (Part 1)

17 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by eisakouo in How to Receive an Answer from God

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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