Book Review

The Jesus Inquest by Charles Foster

You may have heard people arguing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you have, you have probably heard some very interesting and intelligent statements. And, then again, you might have heard some really dumb ones. Charles Foster is a barrister, the British version of an American lawyer. From the way he has written this book, I would say that he must be an excellent barrister.

In the very beginning of the book, he tells you that he will give the arguments concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ from both sides. He calls them X and Y. Being the brilliant barrister that he is, he amasses every conceivable fact possible for both the prosecution as well as the defense. Being a former pastor, I thought that I had heard every argument. How wrong I was!

In each chapter, the prosecution against the resurrection would go first. He was so good at presenting facts and arguments, that I was not quite sure how good his defense was. However, when it came time for the defense to offer a rebuttal, he was equal to the task if not greater.

I like chapters seven and eight the best. Chapters one through six were evenly argued. But, in seven and eight, the defense absolutely destroyed the prosecution and laid out the believer’s case for the resurrection in no uncertain terms. Even this former pastor learned several things. This book will be on the front of my bookshelf. I will refer to those chapters again and again.

Booksneeze has supplied me with a copy of this book in return for my review.

AN ISSUE OF A GOD KIND--The START Treaty

Oh, yeah.  This is a good one.  The United States is entering into a treaty with a country that is known for it's strong-arm tactics, it's ability to change it's mind to fit it's own ends and for their human rights violations.  That's just like our police departments making a peace treaty with the local Mafia.  Really!?  Like they're going to keep their promises.  You know....cross their hearts and swear to.........whoever or whatever they serve and give each other a pinky shake just to make sure that we know they will keep their word.  Hey, how about this.  One of our own politicians said that even with the reduction of nuclear warheads from 2,200 to 1,550, we would still have enough warheads to blow somebody to kingdom come.  Oh, now that's a comfort isn't it.  But, wait a minute.  If we have 1,550 and they have 1,550......hm-m-m-m ya reckon they could blow us to kingdom come?  Uh-oh, I just had a thought.  (I know, that's an amazing stretch of the imagination.)  Does this country have ties to a couple of other countries who are developing nuclear power?  Ooops.  We don't have a treaty with them yet, do we?  Let's suppose we sign one with these other two somewhere down the road.  After all, we are an equal opportunity.....yada, yada, yada.  So, if we have a 1,550 treaty with three different countries that would like to have our wealth then we would have 1,550 to use against them and there would be 4,650 pointed at us.  Has there been a recall on America's brains, yet?
The recall doesn't need to be on their brains, ladies and gentlemen.  There needs to be a recall on their hearts. America has AN ISSUE OF A GOD KIND.  In God's Word, the book of 1 Kings, there is an instance of the kingdom of Judah making a treaty with a nation that did not serve God.  They did it in order to be safe from the kingdom of Israel.  What happened to living for God and prayer?  Leviticus 26:7-8, And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.  And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.  And, I've got a better one than that.  Paul, the greatest soul-winner besides Jesus Christ, wrote to the Ephesians in chapter six, verse twelve--For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  I've got a real shocker for you, saints.  It is not ONLY the sinner that has AN ISSUE OF A GOD KIND, it is those who call themselves by His name, 2 Chron 7:14.  (Hey!  Blow the dust off your Bible and look that one up for yourself.  It'll do you good no matter how long it takes you to find 2 Chronicles.  Hint:  It's in the Old Testament.)  Let me give you a news flash, Mr and Ms Christian, it doesn't matter who is in office.....IT ONLY MATTERS WHO IS ON THEIR KNEES OBEYING THE WORD OF GOD.  Two years ago, I set myself to pray and seek the face of God for our Congress.  It didn't take me but a couple of weeks before I sensed in my spirit that I had finally joined thousands of God-fearing, on fire people who knew the real value of 2 Chron 7:14 as well as James 5:16.  Prayer changed a congress!!!!!  Exodus 23 and 33 promise an angel will fight for God's people who are moved by God's purpose.  The treaty that needs to be made is the one between prayer warriors and the God that answers 2 Chron 7:14.  Congress and treaties have never shown themselves faithful and have never had the power to bring peace and protection.  But, Jehovah Tsaba, the Lord of hosts, stands ready, willing and able to enforce His Word through the power of the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.  I say, let's chase our enemies through the power of prayer and living a Godly life.  God's people should be so vibrant and forceful in their prayer lives, that the moment we wake up and begin calling on His name, the devil goes into spasms and starts throwing up in anticipation of what he knows that the child of God is going to start praying.
Pass this on and send me your comments.

AN ISSUE OF A GOD KIND--Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Now, you may think that this bill was about Christians.  The way most Christians live, they don't want anyone to ask them whether they are a Christian and they sure enough don't want to tell anyone that they serve the Lord.   And, by the way they live their lives, whether on the job, the market place, or the home you still couldn't tell if they were Christians or not.  The real shame about 'closet' Christians is that people who are hurting way down inside are the same way.  They try to hide it because some will tend to think they are weak.  The 'hurting' are the ones that need to be able to see the real Jesus coming out from our hearts.  Everyone of us who claim the name of Jesus need to pray every morning---God, be real in me today and bring me into contact with someone that I can show the real Jesus to.

The Congress voted to repeal the "Don't ask, don't tell" law.  Folks this is not an issue for our Congress to decide or not.  This is an "Issue of a God kind." Psalm 139:13-16 tells us that God knows who and what we are from the very moment of conception.  (Look out abortion folks, the Word of God stands against you, too.)  The book of Genesis talks about God making humans as 'male and female.'  He didn't make them 'male with a few hang-ups,' or 'females with an attitude.'  The issue is not with our government or with any part of society.  It is an issue between an individual and an Almighty God that that individual will have to resolve either on this side or on the other side of eternity.

Does God hate and abhor those with issues with Him?  Absolutely not.  And, Mr. or Ms. Christian if you look down upon others with disdain, you have issues with an Almighty God, too.  God loves that person(s) so much that He sent His Son to die in their place.  You need to display His agape love to them. 

In summary, I say that it is the Christians that should repeal their own personal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law and come out of their closet.  What do you say?

Mary, Did You Know

This past Sunday, my Pastor used the words of the song, "Mary, Did You Know?" to illustrate some things in his sermon.  She knew that He was the Son of God and that He would come into this world to do great things.  However, the angel never spelled out the things that He would do.  There are no scriptures in the Old Testament that told her that He would:  walk on water, heal the sick, calm storms, cast out demons, raise the dead, or in general, bring the great deliverance that He brought to the entire world.  What she did know, was that He was God's anointed child and God had a special purpose for Him.  That was first and foremost in her mind as she raised and taught her God-given Son.
Psalm 139:13--For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. Vs 16--Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them. The very moment any child is conceived, and as their DNA is being formed, God writes a complete description of him in His book.  AND THEN, He begins forming a plan for his life.  Just like He did for you, and just like He did for your children.  God has a plan for us, even when we blow it and go some other way.  He is constantly trying to get us to follow a path that He knows is best suited for us.  We all remember the scripture that reminds us that His ways and thoughts are higher than ours--Is 55:9.  The best example is Moses.  After he killed an Egyptian and ran away from his people, God met him on the backside of a desert and told him (in essence), "You're still my man and I still have a plan."
Now, let's get down to business.  If Psalm 139 is true, and I believe it is with all my heart, then every person on the face of this earth has a God-plan for their lives.  That includes your children, your step-children and the people you are angry at.  God's heart is to bring them into His perfect plan of blessing.  God has a job for them to do that He is trying to groom them for.  We, therefore, as parents and guardians, should seek to be vessels of God to help Him form His perfect will for their lives. 
The all-important question is, "Parent, do YOU know?"  How do you know what God's plan is for that child He has placed in your keeping.  Mary had no idea that Jesus would go on to do the mighty works that He was God-ordained to do.  We need to consider our actions.  Have I turned this child in the direction that God wants him to go?  Or, have I yelled, beat and abused His handiwork in such a manner that this child might not ever respond to God's prompting?  The next time your anger or jealousy prompts you to action, remember one more scripture--Mt 25:40--Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.  Let us be careful to mold and not to mar.  Let me ask it one more time, "Parent, do you know?"
Pass this on, please.

Keep Your Sanity

Matt 22:37-Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This was the answer Jesus gave to someone who asked Him what was the greatest commandment.  Indeed, if we could get this one down pat, all of the other commandments would be a snap.  Most of us have no problem loving God with our heart or soul (emotions).  But, we all tend to have the problem of loving Him with our mind.  Because of the frantic pace of life, our minds get filled with all sorts of junk.  After all, we have to think about how to start today---how to get the kids ready for school---how are we going to pay the bills---what are we going to say to you know who because they said you know what and did this, that and the other thing.  It's the last one that I really get hung up on.  I realize you probably don't have that problem, but it sure has bothered me a lot.  We all tend to let--he said, she said, he did, she did--monopolize our thoughts until we  virtually reach the point of exasperation.  Can I get an "AMEN?"

Paul said in 2 Cor. 10:5--Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.  If you will think about all that Paul went through, you would wonder, why he didn't lose all of his marbles.  Religious people were trying to mess him up all of the time.  He kept his sanity because he learned how to grab a hold of his thought processes and think only thoughts about his love relationship with Jesus Christ.  Psalm 19:14--Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.  King David, the greatest warrior king and the Apostle Paul, the greatest soul winner both learned how to control their thoughts in a negatively infested world.

Our thought process can either keep us on track or derail us.  Way back when you were dating the one you are married to (way, way, way, way back for some of you), all you could think about was how sweet and wonderful he or she was.  People and life were doing the same thing to you then that they are doing to you now.  The difference is, when people and life did those same things, you changed the channel in your mind.  You found it much, much easier to cope with things when you thought about your lover and the abundance of joy that overflowed in your life when the two of you were together. 

Now, the problem with that is, that after we get married, we no longer take the time to make those "special" moments that used to fill our minds.  Just like our relationship with Jesus.  Right after we got saved, we floated on cloud nine for a while.  Then we came back to earth.  Both with our marriage and with our love relationship with Jesus, we need to stop this busy life and make some "special love times" with our lovers.   Those thoughts will, again, fill our daily routine and help us keep our sanity in an insane world.

Happy loving folks, and pass this on to others whose sanity might be slipping away.

Give the More Earnest Heed

Heb 1:1-God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets,  2-Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.
Heb 2:1-Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

Before God created the heavens and the earth, it was all without form and void (see Genesis 1).  Then, God said something.  Stuff that wasn't there all of a sudden was.  Things that might have been floating around in the great never-never land all of a sudden changed their courses and merged with other things to become whatever it was that God said.  In other words, things that were not  there gave the more earnest heed to whatever God said.  Things that were already there gave the more earnest heed to whatever God said.  At the age of 91, Sarah's womb gave the more earnest heed to what God said and she brought Isaac into the world.  Moses gave the more earnest heed to what God said and held his rod over the Red Sea and it parted just like God said it would.  Water changed into wine, the dead came out of their graves and demons ran in fear because they had no choice but to give the more earnest heed to what God said.

However, it is you and I who have a choice.  We can either listen to what the Word of God says, or pay attention to what we see.  Too often, we choose to pay attention to the worry and problems that surround us on every side.  We pay more attention to the news on TV than we do the Bible.  Abraham and Sarah received strength to bring forth Isaac into the world because they gave the more earnest heed to what God said than to what they saw or felt in their own bodies.  They believed that faithfully for 25 years  before they got it but they got it.  The nation of Israel was saved from extincttion because Moses gave the more earnest heed and did the silliest thing anyone could ever imagine.  He held his rod over the Red Sea.  He did what God said and God did what He said.  The waters parted and they escaped the enemy. 

Here's something you might not have ever realised about that scripture.  God, himself, gives the more earnest heed  to His Word when His children choose to believe it instead of what they feel or see.  He didn't care how old Sarah got.  His Word was going to accomplish what pleased Him (Isa 55:11).  He didn't care how big, bad and mean the Egyptians were.  He didn't care how deep and treacherous the Red Sea was.  He had promised Abraham that He would bring his children out after 400 years of bondage.  I could give many more examples.  But the bottom line is when we give the more earnest heed to what God said, He will give the more earnest heed to what He said.  Circumstances and time don't matter to God.  What's happening right now, who believes it and who won't, doesn't bother Him one bit.  When the child that He loves gives the more earnest heed to what He says,  He does whatever He has to do to bring His Word to pass.

Let this word bring you great peace and joy.  Then, pass it on.

God is Still Working

Today, I cleared out a place in my back yard and planted some rose starts that I had propagated.  About a month and a half ago, I had cut these starts from a white rose bush that I have in the front yard.  I had looked on the internet and found some instructions on how to do it.  So, I followed the instructions and, boy-howdy, it worked.  Now, I am following those same instructions with some cuttings from a red rose bush in my front yard.  In a month or so, I'll be in the back yard again, clearing out a place for two more rose bushes.  All because I followed the instructions.
I know that I am not a rocket scientist.  Some of you have done the very same thing with the same results.  But, what makes those instructions work?  God's design makes it work that way.  Those same instructions work on many different plants.  And, they work over and over and over again.  God designed those particular plants to work that way.  We all know that it is an absolute mystery as to how and why it happens the way it does, but we accept the fact as the truth.
It's just like the Word of God.  Jesus called the Word of God a seed.  He said that if you planted it on good and fertile ground, that it would produce.  Anyone who has grown anything from seeds knows that there is a process that a seed goes through before it matures.  After I got through preparing the soil, digging the holes and planting the starts, I walked away with this thought in mind.  "I am just going to wait and let God's process work."  Can I make the plants hurry up?  Can I make the white roses grow red? 
In a garden spot in my back yard, I planted corn, pole beans, two type of tomatoes and squash.  Did I go out the next morning and harvest two bushels of vegetables?  Nope.  I HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE PROCESS THAT GOD DESIGNED TO DO EXACTLY WHAT GOD DESIGNED IT TO DO.  Guess what?  His Word works the same way, whether it's for salvation for a loved one, healing, financial help or whatever.  His Word is DESIGNED or EMPOWERED to prosper.  Look at Isaiah 55:11--So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.
Don't give up on God just because you don't see your prayers being answered right away.  God has a time for His Word to produce fruit.  I wish I could hurry it but I can't.  BUT, if I will be patient and cling to His promise......just like the seed..........NOTHING CAN STOP WHAT GOD HAS DESIGNED.
Be blessed in this day, my friends.

The Lord was with Joseph

Let me share something with you that is fresh out of the prayer room.

We all know that Joseph was a slave and then a prisoner in the land of Egypt.  We all know that God raised him up to be second in command.  But let's look at a couple of passages.  According to Genesis the 39th chapter, the Lord was with Joseph and he was a prosperous man (vs 2).  In verse 5, we know that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house because of Joseph.  In verses 21 and 22, we find that when Joseph was thrown in prison, the Lord was with him and gave Joseph favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.  The favor of the Lord was with Joseph in both of these adverse circumstances. 
Joseph's faith in God brought him all of the favor, even when things took a turn for the worst.  When we see things like that, we are tempted to think-----Well, Joseph was just blessed with a faith in God that we just don't have.  Or, God in His divine providence kept His special hand on Joseph.  No, folks, it is an individual's faith in God and His Word that not only brings a person out of adverse circumstances but that faith will also sustain him through those circumstances.  Faith will bring Godly favor into a person's life even when he is walking through the valley of the shadow of death and even when he is surrounded by his enemies.  (See previous blogs.)
Joseph got this sustaining faith in God and His Word by remembering the boneheaded things that his father, Jacob, and his great-grandfather, Abraham, did.  Both of them thought that they were smarter than God in a couple of situations.  They felt that God was either too stupid to work things out for them or too lazy to get the job done RIGHT NOW.  I am sure that none of us have ever felt that way, right? 
God had made a promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations.  One day, Sarah had a great idea how they could help God out by Abraham having children by her handmaid, Hagar.  Now, just why didn't God think of that?  You really want to know why?  God had ALREADY formed a plan for Abraham and Sarah that DID NOT include Hagar.  All they needed was faith and patience and the work would have been done.  But, they figured they were smarter than God and did some things that brought more heartache, confusion and hard feelings than the small amount of joy it brought.
His daddy, Jacob, did the same thing.  God had spoken that Jacob would get the blessing.  Esau had even sold the birthright blessing to Jacob.  However, IT LOOKED LIKE God was not going to keep His promise.  So-o-o-o-o-o, Rebekah and Jacob hatched a plan to HELP God out.  And, their imperfect plan created heartache, confusion and hard feelings, also.
Joseph looked at those two examples of impatience and made a Godly decision to wait God out.  He faced every adverse circumstance with a love for God that brought God's blessings in the most unlikely way.  Potiphar and the jailer were FORCED to admit that Joseph's God was greater than all of the gods of Egypt.  The cup bearer to the Pharaoh remembered that Joseph's God was greater when Pharaoh had his dream.  The cup bearer only spent a couple of days around Joseph, but it was enough to make him realize that Joseph's relationship with his God was real.
Here's the point.  Do people see God in our lives as all?  The greatest time for God to show up and be real in a sinner's life is when we as Christians show them a Godly spirit and outlook while going through tough times.  God, please teach us all to be patient and wait upon your Word.  Help us to be the mirror image of Your Son to the trouble filled lives of those that we deal with on a day-to-day basis.  In Jesus Name, Amen.  Be blessed today and show someone the love of God, not with just your mouth but with your actions.
Love, Henry

Thou Preparest a Table Before Me

Psalm 23:5--Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
In our previous studies, we have been talking about walking through the valley of the shadow of death.  If you are a committed Christian, and your are walking with Jesus just as close as you can, junk still comes your way, doesn't it.  Joseph wasn't doing anything wrong, yet his brothers sold him into slavery and then lied about it to their father.  Peter was just preaching away and following Jesus just as hard as he could, yet he got thrown into jail.  David was listening to God and being just as obedient as he could.  He was faithful and obedient to King Saul.  He was a good military commander.  He was anointed to sing and would sing for King Saul when the evil spirit troubled him,  Yet, King Saul tried to kill him and David had to run to a cave for fear of his life.
It's times like these when we ask ourselves the question, "What did  I do to deserve this?"  The answer is a little different than you have probably thought about before.  Are you ready for this?  The truth is, you didn't deserve the valley.  However, you do deserve the prepared table in the presence of your enemies.  If you will read 1 Cor. 10:13, you'll find out that God allows things to happen in the lives of His devoted followers.  If you will read Rom 8:28--And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.  Paul wrote both of these scriptures.  All Paul did was walk as close to Jesus as he possibly could and do everything that Jesus asked of him.  Yet, he was shipwrecked a couple of times, put in jail a lot, beaten and run out of town.  But, in all of these events, he was able to say, "I know that the God that I serve will work this for my good."
Even though Paul went through a lot, he won many, many people to Christ and established church after church after church.  The words that he wrote to several churches are still being read from pulpits today and the same convicting power is turning sin-hardened lives into loving Christians.  He stayed in Corinth for a year and a half until the religious rulers kicked him out.  Two great letters are in the New Testament today.  He was illegally beaten and put in jail in Phillipi, yet one of the greatest letters of the New Testament was written to them by Paul.
Sometimes when the valley hurts a lot, and it looks like nothing good will ever come, we have to pull ourselves together to remember the promise.  God is preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies.  I know by personal experience that it is hard to do.  BUT, if we could look over the pain of the moment and look more to Jesus and His unfailing love, we would be able to see Him working "all things" together for our good.  He brought us to this place, allowed this junk to come our way specifically to turn this junk into treasure.  
While Joseph was a slave and then a prisoner, God was busy working it for the good of his entire family.  When God finally promoted Joseph to second in command and he got married to Pharaoh's daughter, how do you think Potiphar's wife (his accuser) felt?  How do you think his brothers felt when he finally revealed himself to them?  As much as they worked against Joseph, his enemies saw God prepare a table before Joseph that they could not stop.  
Herod thought he had Peter stopped and was fixing to be dead in his tracks.  He had Peter put in jail and chained between two soldiers.  However, in this valley, God brought His people into a deeper realm of prayer than they had ever been before.  Herod, the army, the jail, nor the guards could stop God from preparing a table before Peter in their presence.  God made Peter's enemies look like kindergarten children instead of grown-ups.
David did everything to please King Saul that he could, yet was treated like a law breaker.  No matter what King Saul tried to do against David, God's hand would only allow him to go so far.  Even when Saul was trying to kill David, the news kept coming back to him that David was doing good deeds and that people were thronging to him.  The blessing of God on David's life haunted King Saul the rest of his life.  David was blessed while King Saul lived and died under the curse.
Keep holding on to the promises of God.  As I have said before, spend some  time falling more in love with Jesus than ever before.  He has every intention of preparing a table before you in the presence of your enemies.  He has every intention of turning your adverse circumstances into a blessing for YOU.  When it's all over and God shows up like He promised, you will be able to testify to your children, "Surely goodness and mercy has followed me all the days of my life.  It didn't start off that way, but by His grace and mercy, that's how it ended up."
Much love in Jesus.  Pass it on.

Where is God Taking Me? Part 6

I have prayed much about what to write next.  Many thoughts of encouragement have filled my heart.  I have taken many, many notes in my personal diary.  But, as I rose to prayer this morning, some final thoughts concerning the verse Psalm 23:4--Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. came to me.  Indeed there are many words of comfort and encouragement that have been written concerning this passage that have real relevance to our lives.  However, if you keep these following thoughts in the forefront of your walk with Him through this valley, you will find your walk more pleasant and your ability to endure a lot stronger.

1.  It's not as important to know where you are going as it to know Who the shepherd is.  If you find yourself in tough situations that are not of your own making then please understand that you are not the Shepherd.  He, obviously, brought you into this valley and He will bring you out.  That's why the verse says His staff will comfort me.  In the tough situations you have got to trust in a tougher Shepherd Who is carrying a tougher staff.  The children of Israel did not understand why they had to face things in the wilderness.  But, the ones that knew and trusted the Shepherd made it to the promised land.  After all, that's where He said He was going to take them.

2.  We have got to dig down within ourselves and learn how to love and trust our Shepherd more than we do anyone else.  I am going to say something that sounds harsh and demeaning but be patient and think about it for a moment and you'll see the wisdom.  You need to learn how to love and trust our Shepherd more than you love and trust your spouse and your pastor.  Again, I am not putting either of these down or asking you to love and trust them less.  But, neither one of them led you into this valley and chances are neither one of them know exactly  how to get out.  Our Shepherd does.  It was His love for us that brought us to this particular place on this particular day.  Even though things seem hard, His great love for us remains constant.  Everyone of us have heard that thousands of times.  Even though we have heard it over and over again, if we do not take time to fall deeper in love with our Shepherd, we will never develop the strength to walk with Him out of this valley.  Please, please, please try this ONE thing.  Take some very important time out of every day and make it a point to fall deeper in love with Him than you have ever been.  Take time to fall deeper into His love than you have ever been.  There can be joy in the valley of the shadow of death.  That joy can be found in His love that overrides all of the sorrow that the valley is bringing you right now.

3.  God hammered this home to me yesterday.  Our lives are filled with divine appointments.  Every one of us have experienced times when someone has crossed our paths and given us a word of encouragement that changed our direction.  Situations beyond our control and comprehension have "all of a sudden" appeared that have blessed us beyond belief.  Even in this valley, we will meet people that either encourage us or we can encourage them.  Right now, you might be needing some encouragement or you might be waiting on a move of God like I am.  But, has it ever dawned on you that, right here in this valley, and even today, you might come across someone that you could encourage with a word or action.  These are not coincidences.  These are divine appointments designed by our Shepherd.  He not only divinely appointed someone to help us, but He also divinely appointed us to encourage someone else.  When He hammered that home to me, my immediate prayer was, "God, help me to be the obedient sheep and not the aggravating goat today."  

In closing, I know that I need a "God thing" in this valley I am going through.  I need to also understand that He probably has an appointment for me in this valley to help someone else.  Instead of looking  and longing for the way out, my prayer now is "Lord, who can I help to come out with me."  Spend some time loving on Jesus today.  The strength and understanding that you receive from Him will probably help you in your next appointment.

If this blessed you.  Don't just keep it.  Pass it on.  There might be a divine appointment ahead from someone who doesn't even know that this blog exists.  This blog ONLY exists to bless others.  Much love in Jesus, Henry

Where is God Taking Me? Part 5

Let's recap what we have already discussed before we go on with today's lesson.  In the 23rd Psalm, we know that God is leading us on a pathway that He deems the right way for us to go.  I know it doesn't look like it.  We have to keep in mind that this right pathway is for His name's sake and not ours.  We know that this pathway LOOKS like it has taken us to a place of cursing and not blessing.  We learned last time that what we face can, often times, stir us to fear instead of faith. These times of "it doesn't look like" are the times that we have to confess, "I will fear no evil for Thou art with me." 
The question arises, why would God, if He is a righteous God at all, lead us into a place that looks like it is so very, very, wrong?  Why would He lead us into places where it FEELS like He is not answering prayer?  These are valid questions.  And, if these things are happening to you right now, or you have gone through them before, please understand this one important point.  God loves you and has so much faith in you that He has brought you to the place of "it doesn't look like."  Remember what Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22:31--
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat:
Vs 32--But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. He was telling Peter that God was leading him into a valley of the shadow of death.  But, He said that He was praying for Peter that HIS FAITH WOULD NOT FAIL.  There were some things in Peter that needed sifting through the process of trials and temptations. 
The next part of Psalm 23 says I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Yes, evil will come and look like it's going to whip me but it doesn't mean that God has left me.  David said that God's rod and His staff would comfort him.  The staff of God is that long stick with the curved end you always see the shepherds holding.  That staff is for pulling wayward sheep back onto the correct path when they begin to stray.  In essence, David was saying, "I am ONLY traveling through this valley because YOU have brought me here and YOUR divine will for me is going to bring me out."  God will never bring you to a place that He cannot show His mighty power and strength to deliver you.  You are in this valley because God is allowing the enemy to "sift" some things out of your life. 
Remember, the precious metals of gold and silver cannot reach their purest and most valuable potential until they go through the fire. This is why we go through these things.  It's not because God is mad at us.  On the contrary, it's because He loves us very dearly.  It's because of His great love that He brought us to this place.  He sees more in us than we, or anyone else sees.  There are precious virtues in us that God longs to bring out in us.  Not because He's a mean old God but because when those precious virtues are uncovered through the fiery trial, you and everybody else is going to see what God has seen in you all of the time.  The reason you are here in this valley is because God sees good stuff in you that He wants everybody else to see.
Let me challenge you to read 1 Samuel 16 in this light.  When God had rejected Saul from being king of Israel, He gave specific instructions to the prophet Samuel to go to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse and anoint a new king.  When Samuel got to Jesse's house, he said for Jesse to bring all of his sons so he could sanctify them.  He was going to anoint one of them to be the next king of Israel.  You know the story, but listen to this.  Jesse and his sons left David in the field tending to the sheep.  Why?  Because, they did not see in David ANY kingly attributes at all.  God had spoken to Samuel before he had ever left to go on his journey (verse 1) for I have provided me a king among his sons.  God had seen something in the youngest son of Jesse that He loved very dearly.  Nobody who looked on the outside could see what God ever saw on the inside.  It took the valley of the shadow of death for God to bring the precious metals out in David. 
He had the utmost faith in David that David was more than enough to go through the fiery trial.  Please understand that God loves you and knows what is lying dormant in you.  In this valley, He is trying to bring the precious metals in you to the surface.  Love on Him today and allow Him to work His will in you.  Walk without fear because you know that there is a good end in store for you.
If this has helped you in any way, please pass it on.  You'll never know who needs a word of encouragement.

Where is God Taking Me? Part 4

We have been dealing with the 23rd Psalm.  Today, let's look at a phrase in the 4th verse that says "I will fear no evil:"  Fear is something that everyone has to deal with.  Some people are absolutely captured by fear.  Some people aren't bothered by it.  If you don't have any fear right at this present moment, just turn on any of the news channels on TV and you'll get a good dose of it.
It has been used from the pulpit many times that the word fear is an an acronym for the phrase "False Evidence Appearing Real."  Satan always uses false evidence to stir feelings of doubt and fear in all of us.  A good strong dose of faith in the Word of God and a strong love walk with Jesus Christ will destroy any particle of fear we face. 
But, how does fear get such a strong hold on everyone, even Christians.  The answer is, we are trained to fear.  Let me tell you a very amusing story on myself.  Now, ladies and gentlemen, don't even start thinking that Bro. Henry sure is dumb.  I am going to share with you how I LEARNED to fear.  If you will think back on your life, you will be able to relate just how you LEARNED to fear.  It probably won't be the same way I did, the the process is the same. 
Back when I was about 10 or 11 years old, there was a program on TV called Shock Theater.  It came on every Friday night at 11:30 after the news.  I begged my parents to let me watch it.  They agreed under the following conditions.  I had to turn the volume low enough not to keep everyone else awake and I had to turn all of the other lights out to conserve electricity.  I agreed and every Friday night found me sitting on the couch in the dark except for the TV, watching scary movies until the test pattern came on.  All of us know that none of the junk on any horror movie is real.  Vampires do not go around at night sucking blood from people and turning them into vampires.  There are no 50' tall hairy-legged spiders destroying large cities.  Nobody starts growing hair on the full moon and is compelled to kill people and things at midnight.  We all know these things are FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL.  However, this false evidence not only came through my eyes into my brains, but the EMOTION of fear caused my thought processes to produce scenarios that were just as FALSE as what I saw on TV.  I saw on TV bad stuff happening to people on TV, but the EMOTION OF FEAR began to play havoc with my imagination.
Get ready to be amused and at the same time see a picture of yourself.
Well, when the test pattern came on after the movie was over, the EMOTION OF FEAR kicked into high gear.  Thoughts of "what if" began to take over my actions.  "What if" something "gets" me when I turn the lights off.  Here's the scenario that was played out EVERY time I watched those movies.  I knew I had to go to bed which was down the hall and the second door on the right.  Before I turned the TV off, I walked towards the kitchen to turn it's light on.  By the way, the switch was around the corner IN THE DARK.  I didn't want that hairy-legged spider which was always there to jump on my hand and bite me with it's poison, so I "swooshed" my hand quickly by the switch to turn it on.  Then, I would walk over to the TV and turn it off.  I would walk down the hall and turn the hall light on and walk back to the kitchen where I could bravely turn the light off because the hairy-legged spider was afraid of the light.  I would open my bedroom door so the light from the hall could come in and scare away all of the boogers from the light switch in my bedroom.  I would turn off the light in the hallway and take two steps to the light switch in my bedroom.  Since I slept on the top bunk, I would put one foot on the end railing and grab the top railing with my right hand.  With my left hand, I would turn out the light.  Then it was over the end of the bunk and under the covers before the light faded because everyone knows that boogers can't get you when you are under the covers.
Now, that's funny.  It is to me, at least.  I had NO concrete evidence that any of that would happen.  It was all in my head.  It was my thoughts running amok about something my eyes had seen and deposited into my brain.  If you think long enough, you will be able to come up with some by-gone experiences that caused you to allow fear to run rampant in your own mind.  That's the job of the enemy.  He presents us with FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL.  That's all he has to do.  And, believe me, we--even us Christians--do the rest.  We imagine ourselves right out of the love and providence of the Almighty Redeemer.
Did you notice that the hairy-legged spider was afraid of the light?  Our enemy is the same way.  If the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ gets turned on in our lives, satan does not stand a chance at defeating us.  The Apostle Paul said it this way 2 Cor 10:5-Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;  Paul faced more "fearful" situations than any of us will ever face.  But, he had learned the secret of successful soul-winning.  It was "casting down imaginations."  Casting down---that sounds somewhat violent, doesn't it?  That's exactly what a successful soul-winner will do.  VIOLENTLY take that ungodly fear and contradiction of the Word of Almighty God and CAST it down and stomp it until it has no more rule over your thought processes.  Then replace it with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and begin a new meditation process.  One that is based on truth and love.
I'll deal more with these thoughts on the next blog.  In the meantime, if you have enjoyed this one, please pass it on.  You have no idea who needs it next.

Where is God Taking Me? Part 3

A subtitle to today's blog could be--Who's Responsibility Is It Anyway?  If we have heard the voice of our Shepherd, if we are following hard after Him, if we acknowledge the fact the He is leading us in a path that HE deems the right path for us to be on, then we must fully trust in the fact that it is HIS responsibility to bring us out.  How many times do we fret, cry, get angry and throw down our cross because WE can't figure someway out of what God has lead us into.  The times that frustrate us the most are the times we should be "snuggling" with the Shepherd and not worrying our small, finite brains into fritters. 
1 John 4:16--And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love;  Do you know who wrote this passage of scripture?  The guy the Romans tried to boil in oil.  He couldn't die so they sent him to a place where he wrote the book of Revelation.  John the Beloved, knew and believed the love that God had for him when they were pouring the oil into the cauldron he was about to be put in.  As he watched them build the fire under it, he still knew and believed that God loved him more than he could imagine.  Loving God got him to that point in his life and loving God took him THROUGH it.  Let me repeat the phrase I used in my last blog.  God, who loves me more than I can understand, has a plan for me greater than I can imagine, that will bring more glory to HIS name than I could ever do myself.  The highest form of praise that I could give to God, is to, gracefully, walk with Him through this valley until He works out His purpose in me.
It wasn't the dreams from God that Joseph had that got him into trouble.  It wasn't because he told his family that got him into trouble.  It was his jealous, backslidden brothers and their anger.  God had a greater purpose in getting Joseph to Egypt.  You don't think Joseph would go there by himself, do you?  What if God said to Joseph, "Joseph, my son, my son.  Leave your family and go down to Egypt.  There you must sell yourself to be a slave  to one named Potiphar.  Yea, verily, his wife shall lie about you and you shall be cast into prison for several years., from whence I shall raise you up."  God worked the jealousy of the brothers until HIS will was accomplished.
Let's take a step deeper into faith and God's sovereignty.m m Now, trust me, this is going to be a stretch for you.  When did God give the dream to Pharoah that brought Joseph out of prison and into God's promotion?  When did God open the Red Sea and destroy the entire Egyptian army?  Natural reasoning might say that these two incidents were several hundred years apart.  What do I believe?  Well, I'm glad you asked because I was going to tell you anyway.  In Luke 14, Jesus talks about counting the cost before you go about your business.  We all know those words to be wise whether you are a saint or a sinner.  But, don't you think that God practices what He preaches?  I do.  OK.  Get ready for the stretch.  But, before you dismiss it as junk, meditate on it first.  I believe that Pharoah's dream, and the drama at the Red Sea were originated the very day that Abraham believed God's Word in Gen 15:13--And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;  Verse 14--And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. God, accurately foretold the valley and He also, accurately foretold the abundance that He had planned.  It was NOT the Hebrew's responsibility to bring them out.  It was God's because it was God's plan for them.  It was their responsibility to believe and praise Him for His answer even when they did not know what the answer would be.
As a side note, parents and grandparents--I, also believe, that our faith or the lack thereof will have a direct impact on our descendants.  I choose to have my faith impact them and not my backslidden doubt.
God has a plan for me in this valley.  I renounce my citizenship in the country of doubt and fear and I seek to join the heroes of faith to boldly declare---God is still God and His Word is still true. 
If you have enjoyed this, please pass it on.  You'll never know who might be struggling in their valley right now.

Where is God Taking Me? Part 2

Psalm 23:4--Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

On my last blog, I talked about the 'path of righteousness' that God leads us on. As we listen to the voice of the Shepherd, sometimes some crazy stuff can happen.  I head Dr. Charles Stanley teach it this way.  The things that look unreasonable to man are VERY reasonable to God.  While praying about the blog this morning, this is the way God placed it into my spirit. 

God, who loves me more than I can understand, has a plan for me greater than I can imagine, that will bring more glory to His name than I could ever do myself.  The highest form of praise that we could give to God is to, gracefully, walk with HIM through this valley until HE works out his purpose in us.

Look at Joseph.  It seemed totally unreasonable for a righteous God to allow his jealous older brothers to sell him to the Midianites and tell his father that he had been killed.  Yet, when Joseph became a slave to Potiphar, he worked with the grace of God in his life and was promoted.  It seemed totally unreasonable for God to let Potiphar's wife lie about him and have him thrown in jail.  But, Joseph worked with the grace of God in his life and people took notice.  You know the story.  In one day, Joseph was promoted, by God's divine providence, to the second most powerful (and richest) man in all of Egypt.  Joseph could have NEVER brown-nosed his way into a promotion like that.  In Gen 50:20, he explained it to his brothers like this--But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive. All through those unreasonable years, God had a higher plan.  Even though Joseph could not see it, he went through that valley of the shadow of death, hand in hand with the Jehovah Jireh, the Great Provider.  God worked the unreasonable things he went through into a great blessing to his family.  God's plan was the reasonable thing to do after all.

Look at Lazarus.  It seemed unreasonable for Jesus to stay where He was for a couple of days while his best friend was dying.  Mary and Martha were going through an extremely rough time and it SEEMED like Jesus didn't care as much as He said that He did.  However, when He did show up, He got right down to business and showed to the doubting, jeering crowd that He was the Resurrection and the Life.  Tears turned into shouts of joy and praise.  Doubts were replaced by faith.  Because of a plan greater than he could imagine, Lazarus was able to reach a lot of his friends that he would have never been able to reach had he remained alive and well.  As a matter of fact, he turned so many Jews to Jesus, that the religious idiots, oh, excuse me, 'rulers' of the day looked for ways to kill him, too.  I say, come on, Jesus, come on.  Whatever plan you have for me, let's get on with it.  An unbridled outpouring of His salvation presence is worth the wait.

I don't have room, but think about what Jesus and the apostle Paul went through.  It seems unreasonable that good and Godly men who went about doing good should have to be put through what they went through.  However, God, who is smarter than we are, knew that the best way to reach millions of people was to bring them THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death.  They knew to 'fear no evil.'  Why, because they knew that God had something greater than their circumstances on His mind.  That was the 'comfort' they walked in.  God was still on His throne.  When it looked like everything was getting out of hand,  God showed that everything was working out the way He planned it.

God is always taking his faithful people somewhere.  We're not just wandering around in the valley of the shadow of death.  There IS a plan and a purpose for what we are going through..  It is greater that anything we can imagine.  And, it will take us to places in God that we could never get to ourselves.  Again, the highest form of praise that we could give to God is to, gracefully, walk with HIM through this valley until HE works out HIS purpose in us.  Most important of all.  There are souls at stake.  Please, let's don't quit in the middle of the valley.  Keep praising on, my friend.  If you enjoyed this.  Pass it on.

Where is God Taking Me? Part 1

Psalm 23:1-The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.  Oh, yeah, then where is my Shepherd taking me?  Why does the path that I am on not seem to be headed in the right direction?  These are good and valid questions.  However, to get an answer to those, you have first got to answer this question.  Is God my Shepherd?  Most of us are quick to say 'Yes.'  Jesus said in John 10:27--My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  If we are His sheep, then His sheep know His voice.  Have you heard God say something to you today, or even lately?  Now don't go rattling off all of the things that you do in church or the fancy-schmancy position you might have.  Take a moment to read Phil 3:3-8.  Paul rattles off all of the things that USED to be important to him when he was a CHURCH MEMBER.  But verse eight says--Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:   In verses three thru seven, Paul relates all the THINGS that made him feel important in the church.  And, we do the same thing.  We put positions ahead of an up to date relationship with Jesus Christ.  Listen carefully.  IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO HEAR THE SHEPHERD'S VOICE THAN IT IS TO HAVE ANY POSITION IN ANY CHURCH. 

Oh, yeah?  Well, the path I am on right now doesn't make any sense.  Further down it talks about walking through the valley of the shadow of death.  I will deal with that on my next blog.  Right now, let's look at verse three--He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  Let's also look at Jer.29:11--For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Isaiah 55:9--For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. The Hebrew word "thoughts" also means "plans."  So, Jer 29:11 tells us that God has plans to do us good.  Isa 55:9 says that His plans are greater than ours. 

Let's notice Psalm 23:3 again but with a different emphasis.  He leads me in paths of RIGHTEOUSNESS.  The Hebrew word righteous means --that which is right.  Even though we do not understand why we go through some things, we need to trust our Shepherd that this is the "right" place to be at the "right" time.  Also notice the next portion of verse three--for HIS name's sake.  If you are His sheep and you are following hard after Him, you have to trust that He has you right where you are right now for His purpose and not necessarily yours.  Listen, His faith in you is why you are "right here, right now."  Look around.  Someone walking with you needs help.  Someone around you needs an answer that maybe only you can give.  Someone watching you needs an example to follow.  Are you going to accept God's will and march through the situation bravely until He brings you out?  Or, are you going to wimp out by griping and complaining?  Does that soul that was searching for an answer and looking to you as an example of a Christian give up on Jesus or give in to Him?  Have we acted like His sheep or like one of Satan's goats?  We're all going to stand before Jesus one day.  After He opens the book of Life to find our name, He's going to open up the book of works.  Enough said.

Let's look at the lives of some of our heroes of faith.  Joseph. the favorite son of Jacob did not deserve to be sold as a slave and taken away from his family.  When he served Potiphar as a Godly man should, he did not deserve to be lied about and thrown into prison.  In everything that happened to Joseph, he firmly believed what he told his brothers in Gen 50:20--But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive. Here again, the words "thought" and "meant" are the Hebrew word for "plan."  Sometimes, people PLAN junk against us and we wonder why God let bad stuff happen to good people.  That's because He has the ULTIMATE plan in mind for us.  If we can just stay close enough to hear his voice to know that we are on the right track, God will take what's happening to us and "work" it out for our good, Rom 8:28. 

Now, who said that?  Paul did.  In 2 Cor 23-30, he lists all the things that God brought him through for the cause of the gospel.  He never, never, never deserved the things that he went through.  But he had an up to date experience with Jesus Christ and knew that he was right where God wanted him and doing exactly what God wanted him to do.  Remember, no one outside of Jesus Christ has done more to spread the gospel and reach the lost than the apostle Paul.  Through the letters God had him write, people are still getting saved and churches are being built.  He heard from the Shepherd and that's what it is all about.  If this has helped you, pass it on.  Someone else you know needs it, too.

What is God Doing?

Yes, it's been a couple of months since I last posted.  If you have followed many of the previous posts, you might remember that I have been praying for an unbridled revival.  As a matter of fact, I have been praying for an all out move of God's Holy Spirit for close to eight years.  God began getting me up at 4:30 a.m. and a couple of times at 3:30 a.m. just to pray and seek Him for revival.  So, where is this revival and where is this mighty move of God?  That's a good question.  The only answer I can come up with is----it's coming.

I have had two of the hardest, darkest months I could ever remember.  God seems so far away at times.  There is no outward evidence of answered prayer.  Have you ever wondered like I do---What is God doing? 

Did you know that between the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, and the first book of the New Testament, Matthew was a long dry period of about four hundred years?  No prophets prophesied, there were no open visions.  There was no mighty move of God or even a small move of God.  What was God doing? 

Around 334 B.C., Alexander the Great began to conquer that part of the world.  He took slaves of the cities and nations he conquered and made them soldiers.  Since almost every place he conquered spoke a different language, he made all the countries learn to speak Greek.  That way, he and his troops could easily communicate with the conquered nations.  Around 264 B.C., the Romans began their conquest of the Mediterranean World.  To better facilitate their ability to conquer and control these areas, they built roads.  The original intent was to make their own progress to the conquered areas easier.  They not only built them, but they maintained and guarded them.  Keep in mind that the Roman rule did not end until around 450 A.D.  That's a long time.  I'll get back to that.

So, here's the picture of the land of Israel.  They were conquered by two armies.  Some of them were made slaves.  They all had to pay taxes.  They were no longer free.  So, where was God all of this time?  I am sure that Godly people prayed.  I am sure that they were hurting and needed deliverance.  Yet, for four hundred years, it seemed that heaven was shut up and God had gone on an extended vacation.  Have you ever felt like that?

Here's the rest of the story.  Just before He ascended, Jesus gave this command in Acts 1:8-But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Because of Alexander the Great, His disciples could easily spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Everybody spoke Greek.  Communication was no problem.  Because of the Romans, they had easy access to travel.  Remember, the Romans not only built them, but maintained and guarded them, also.  The early Christians enjoyed four hundred years of safe travel to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.  And the Romans thought that God's people were their slaves.  No, No, No, No, No!  On the contrary, the Romans did just what God wanted them to do.  They thought they were conquerors but they were actually slaves to a Sovereign God.  The Romans didn't have a plan.  It was God's plan all along.

What was God doing during the silent years from Malachi to Matthew?  He was busy getting the area ready for HIS PLAN.  What was God doing when He let Joseph be taken as a slave to Egypt?  He was busy getting Joseph and Egypt ready for HIS PLAN.  What was God doing while the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt for four hundred years.  He was busy making Canaan land fertile and prosperous for HIS PLAN that He had spoken to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

What is God doing when it's all quiet on the Heaven front?  He's busy doing exactly what He said He would do.  He hasn't forgotten any one.  He hasn't forgotten His Word.  Instead of looking at how bad it is now, let's set our hopes and dreams on His Word.  Let's give Him praise in advance for what we KNOW He is working on for us right now.  He's got a plan and it's a doozey. Pass this word along, will you?

Prayer-Shake the Nations Part 4

Eph 6:12-For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

The definition of the Greek word that is translated "wrestle" means a contest in which the winner is the one who is able hold his opponent down with just his hand on the opponent's neck.  Now that's a lot of whippin', folks.  If you are so mean that you tear up your opponent so bad that he is so weak that you can hold him down with one of your hands on his neck..........THAT'S A LOT OF WHIPPIN' FOLKS. 

As a whole, the church gives up to the devil without a fight.  We see our kids going astray and we just shake our heads and say "What a shame."  We see drugs, prostitution, alcohol taking over our streets and we just shake our heads and  say "What a shame."  We see Congress and the President passing laws and turning our nation upside down, we fuss and cuss but then we shake our heads and say "What a shame."  We hear rulers of other nations and terrorist groups make and carry out threats to our nation, we fuss and cuss and shake our heads and say "What a shame."  Jesus said this in Luke 10:19-Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.   Jesus gave us power over ALL the power of the enemy.  He said that nothing shall by any means hurt us.  But the Christians of the world just sit idly by, watch all the hell going on and shake their heads and say, "What a shame."

Yes, it is a shame.  I am ashamed that I did not realize what Jesus expected of us for so long.  Jesus gave us the shining example of a successful child of God.  The apostles told us a lot of prayer secrets that are dynamic........but we never use them.

Let's see what James said in James 4:7-Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  First, he says to submit yourself to God.  If we did that, we would be walking around looking for the works of the devil to destroy like Jesus did.  (1 John 3:8)  The next thing that James said was to resist the devil.  The Greek word for resist in his statement means to "set one's self against--oppose."  Have we missed this?  Sure we have.  We have to ask ourselves the question, "Have I really set myself against the works of the devil in my family.......in my church.........in my nation.........in this world?"  The majority of Christians haven't.  The fact that sin runs rampant in the world today and our lives are in danger is evidence that we ACCEPT what the devil brings along.  We tend to just sigh and say, "Oh, well.  That's just the way it is.  It's awful, but that's just the way it is."  It might be the way it is, but that's not the way it has to stay.

What do we need to do?  First, take James' advice and set yourself in opposition against the horrible things that are attacking your family and people all over the globe.  Next, take Paul's advice in Ephesians and begin to wrestle the devil until you whip him.  Jesus told us we had the power over all of his power.  We learned in Part 3 that the nations and those who set themselves to hurt others are controlled by demonic forces......which you have the power over. 

Meditate over the fact that the devil is actually powerless when you pray.  Quit meditating on how powerless you are against him. Remember, YOUR creator and  HIS creator said that YOU had power over HIM.  Spend time in God's presence.  The presence of God is not a wimp.  The heart of God is to destroy all the works of the devil.  The heart of God is to bring "whosoever will" into a victorious relationship with Him.  Come before the Lord and ask Him to teach you how to stand against the devil.  He will show you.  You'd better believe He knows how to do it and will begin moulding you into a prayer warrior that knows how to take care of business.

Find the scriptures in the Word of God that talk about victorious Christianity.  Meditate on HIS WORD and not what the devil is doing right now.  The Word of God is always the key to victory in any situation.  Heb 4:14 tells us-Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession.  Profession of what?  Whatever the Word of God says about us.  God's opinion of us is the one that counts.  If He said we are successful, we're successful.  If He said we had power of all the power of the enemy, then we have power over the enemy.  Heb 10:23-Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;)   The writer of Hebrews tells us to hold fast to our profession of faith.  Hold fast to God's statement of who you are and what you can do.  God's the boss, not the devil or the bad circumstances you are in.

The word 'profession' in those verses is the same Greek word that is translated confession in 1 Timothy 6:13-I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and [before] Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;  As I have said in previous blogs, Jesus stood before Pontias Pilate battered, beaten and bloodied.  He did not look like a king.  He did not feel like a king.  The angry mob did not tell Pilate that He was a king.  The mob accused him of being a sinner worthy of death.  BUT, when Pilate asked Him if He was a king, Jesus said in John 18:37, that He was born a king.  He held fast the profession of His faith.  If I was to ask you where did He get that stupid idea from, you'd get all huffy and tell me that He got that crazy idea from what the Word of God said about Him.  You'd whip out your Strong's concordance and proceed to give me the lecture of a life time about all the prophecies that the death, burial and resurrection found in the Bible that Jesus fulfilled.  Then you'd look at me with that wild-eyed 'Dear God you're so stupid for a preacher look' and slam the concordance down on the coffee table and say "There.  Dispute that." 

We need to use that same dogged vehemence about what the Word of God says about us being powerful over the enemy and begin resisting the devil like James said to do.  We need to wrestle with him over our loved ones, our armed forces, the Congress and our enemies just like Paul said to do.  We need to get down into our hearts the desire to destroy the works of the devil like Jesus had.   Let's be determined to set the captive free. (Is 61)  Let's be determined to bind up the broken hearted.  Let's be determined to fight until the bands of wickedness are broken. (Is 58:6)  Take the gumption to call on the name of Jesus over our Congress and President.  Have the audacity to cry out in prayer against the drugs, prostitution and alcohol in our cities.    In other words, SHAKE YOUR FAMILY, SHAKE YOUR CITY AND SHAKE THE NATIONS IN PRAYER.

Prayer-Shake the Nations Part 3

Eph 6:12-For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

This is an interesting statement from the Apostle Paul.  Could it be that we as Christians are supposed to fight something.........or someone?  The meaning of the original Greek word that is interpreted 'wrestle' in this sentence is:
pale-1) wrestling (a contest between two in which each endeavours to throw the other, and which is decided when the victor is able to hold his opponent down with his hand upon his neck)


Outiside of Jesus Christ, who is the best soul winner that is ever known?  Why, it's the Apostle Paul.  After his conversion, he spent all of his energy winning souls to Christ everywhere that Jesus would send him.  Since I am not as good as he is at soul winning, then I need to check out his writings a little bit closer to see if he can give me some tips on winning souls. 

Notice he did not say to wrestle with the deacons, pastors, worship leaders or church members that don't want to do the way you tell them to do.  Paul says that one of the keys to his success in soul winning is not to wrestle people---flesh and blood.  But he does say to wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places.  If this successful church builder doesn't wrestle against the people in the church, then why do we bother with them?  Why do we fight among ourselves?  Because when our only enemy, satan, the greatest ruler of darkness, can get us to fight one another, (read the meaning of the word wrestle again) he has thrown us and is the decided victor because satan is holding us down with is hand upon our necks.  When you hold somebody by the neck, you control the direction they look.  When satan gets you to look at your fellow christian in a demeaning way and fuss at him, HE HAS CONQUERED YOU.  When he gets people in the church to speak against one another HE HAS CONQUERED THEM.  No wonder our churches are powerless and are no longer reaching the lost. 

2 Cor 10:3-For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2 Cor 10:4-(For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Pretty plain, huh?  Paul tells the Corinthians that our fight is not against each other.  That's why the churches are losing souls.  We are not fighting the right opponent.  Our war is not necessarily with the leaders of nations or terrorists.  Our fght is not against the Congress and our elected officials---but with spiritual powers that rule over them.

Luke 10:19 declares-Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Jesus GAVE us power and authority over ALL the power of the enemy.  But, how much do we use that power.  Now, keep in mind, that Jesus never built up the massive following that He had by bashing the High Priest and berating the church leaders or the people who attended the synagogues.  People thronged around Him because He destroyed the power of the devil that had been destroying their lives.

John the beloved declares in 1 John 3:8- For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

John walked and talked with Jesus for three years.  Surely he picked up this valuable information by what he saw Jesus doing.  Everywhere Jesus went, He was bent on destroying the works of the devil, not people who were oppressed by the devil.  Jesus never picked a fight with anybody.  Our only enemy, satan, has conquered us.  He is holding our neck and forcing us to fight each other while he gets some of his slaves to sell dope to our children.   HEY!  WAKE UP CHURCH.  IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE THE DOPES.  As long as we argue with each other, we are conquered.

The enemy is not the ruler of Iran or Columbia or the President of the United States.  Our fight should not just be with the terrorists or with Congress.  Paul says that a successful soul winner will fight against the evil powers that are behind all of these that oppress us.  We should not seek to apprehend and bind with chains these people.  We should seek to apprehend and bind the "powers" that govern these people.  That's what Paul did.  He wrestled against the evil powers that ruled the darkness of the region that he was in.  Jesus said that we could bind the devil and loose his grasp from people (Matt 18:18). 

How do we do that?  We do that by prayer of course.  That's the same way Jesus and Paul did it.  That's the way that any revival ever got started.  It started by getting in tune with the Liberator of souls, Jesus Christ.  It began to grow and grow inside saints that would daily spend time in His presence.  To be honest, the more you spend time with Jesus, the more you become aware of His awesome Presence.  You also begin to realize how physically powerless we are against the power of sin.  The more you are in His Presence, the more you realize your total dependence on Him.

Let's take a look at two of the pieces of the armour of God mentioned in Ephesians 6.  The first one is the shield of faith in verse 16.  Faith becomes a shield to you when you begin believing that what God says is true and what man says contradictory to the Word of God is false.  In verse 17, Paul declares that our weapon of choice is the 'Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."  The Word of God is the weapon that we use against the principalities, the powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world.  Instead of using our tongue to cut people down to the quick, we can stop the evil rulers by attackin the spiritual force that is causing them to oppress others.

How many times  have you gotten angry at these overbearing rulers and politicians for their ungodly ways?  Have you ever wished you could get them alone in some back alley and pop the stew out of them a time or two?  We all have, but we all know that we could never get the chance.  BUT, every day that we are alive, we have the chance to war against the powers behind them.  I will never get the chance to go to Iran, or Columbia or to the Congress.  However, everywhere that I am, I can call on the name of Jesus over them and use the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.  Every day and all day, I can bind the powers that are pushing the rulers of Iran into their wickedness.  I can't be with the soldiers as they look for and fight the terrorists.  But, I can declare confusion into the camp of the enemy (see Part 1 of this series).  I can't walk around Savannah and try to break up the drug deals I see going on.  But, I can bind the ugly spirit that drives men to buy and sell drugs.  I can't be everywhere to do all the things that need to be done in our nation.  But, I can plead the blood of Jesus over this nation while I am praying at home, driving my car or walking about the town. 

Folks, it doesn't depend on how much of our weight we throw around.  Our petty fusses in church have never brought the lost thronging to the alter.  However, prevailing before the throne of Grace in prayer day and night has always brought revival.  Let's get acquainted with the Word of God and begin standing on it in prayer.  If nothing else, let's plead the blood of Jesus over our particular area and cry out for lost souls to be saved. 

Prayer-Shake the Nations Part 2

We need to understand that our God is a sovereign God.  Even though He allows man to rule his own life, God is still the final say in any matter.  You can find God's final say.  It is called the Holy Bible.  Whenever mankind makes their stand against God's Word, God shows up and interrupts man's plans any way He wants to.  He is still the Lord of lords and the King of kings. 

As praying Christians, we should never be hindered in our prayers by what we see mankind doing.  Too often, we never bring our prayers to the throne of grace simply because some ruler of some country makes bigoted remarks and threats.  We see this man has power.  This man has an army.  This man is in the newspaper and on TV.  This man has a history of doing dastardly things to people who stand against him.  We don't see anyone else standing against him or even say that they are praying for him.  We act like we are helpless to stop this maniac.

God's Word is our basis for prayer.  God's Word portrays His will for mankind.  Most folks do not know how or what to pray about in these situations because they don't know what the Word says about it.  In Part 1, I shared with you some of the scriptures that I use when I pray for the leaders of the nations.  I not only pray for the leaders of the nation, I pray for the nations themselves.  God sent His only begotton Son so that "whosoever" believeth in Him should not perish.  2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God's will is that "all" come to repentence.  If it's God's will that they be saved, then I have a right and a demand from the throne of Grace to pray for them.

Let me give you a Fox News Alert about God and His will.  As much as some of the leaders and terrorist groups brag and blow, God never has to ask any of them for their permission to answer prayer.  God never has to ask for their permission to confound  and confuse their plans against innocent people (See Part 1).  God DOES, however, pay attention to believers who will hold fast to His promises and pray in the manner He prescribed.  (1 John 5:14)  He never asks if it is OK or would they mind.  If a believer stands on God's Word and prays and believes-------God sovereignly answers.  He will honor His Word no matter who doesn't like it.

God promised Abraham that his children would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years.  He promised that He would bring them out with great substance and judge the nation.  God spoke to his great-grandson, Joseph in dreams that his famil would all bow down to him one day.  That excited his brothers to no end.  They plotted to fake his death and sell him into slavery to the Ishmaelites.  It was all part of God's plan.  The Ishmaelites sold him to Potiphar as a slave.  It was all part of God's plan.  Later on, he was put in jail.  God's plan, again.  Pharaoh's cup bearer got thrown in jail and had a dream.  Joseph interpreted it.  God's plan, again.  A few years later, Pharaoh had a weird dream that nobody could interpret.  He was upset with his soothsayers until his cup bearer told him of Joseph.  Wow.  What a coincidence.  Nope.  It was God's plan.  God orchestrated the whole thing from the beginning.  Joseph knew God would honor His Word to Abraham and honor what He told him in his dreams.  That is why Joseph was so successful in Potiphar's house and the jail.  They all saw that God blessed Joseph in adverse circumstances.  Why?  Joseph's faith in God's Word gave him a great attitude even when he was surrounded by evil and harsh circumstances. 

Now, did God ask Pharaoh if He could operate that way?  After all it was his country.  He was the supreme ruler, wasn't he?  He might have been supreme ruler over Egypt at that time, but he was not the supreme ruler over God's promises.  God never gave a promise He could not keep.  Pharaoh, who thought he was the supreme ruler over Egypt, actually became a pawn in God's hand so that God could keep His promise to Abraham and to Joseph.  God did not need Pharoah's approval to do anything.  God stood by the believer who held on to His Word.

Four hundred years later, there was 2 million Hebrews in the land of Egypt and it was time to come out.  In Exodus 2:23, we find that the children of Israel finally began to cry out to God.  Most of them could count and knew that it was about the 400 year mark.  God tapped Moses on the shoulder, talked to him from the burning bush and told him it was time for His children to inherit the promised land.  I don't know about your Bible, but I have never read where God pleaded and bribed Pharaoh to let His people go.  I don't find where God even ASKED Pharaoh.  He TOLD Pharaoh to let His people go.  In the middle of unbelief, God showed up in power and majesty.  He toyed with Pharaoh just enough to make him mad.  After he let God's people go, Pharaoh changed his mind and ran after them with his mighty army.  That really scared God, didn't it?  God put a cloud between His children and Pharaoh's army so they could not attack.  Then, when Pharaoh and his army tried to chase the children through the sea, he destroyed the entire army.  Did God ask them for their permission?  No.  Did He warn them?  No.  Pharaoh had many, many chances to honor God's people but, instead, made their lives harder and more miserable.  God sovereignly moved in a way that brought Pharaoh to his destruction.  All because His people stood on His Word and cried out for His deliverance.

The ruler of the nations, the nations themselves, and the individual terrorist groups have had ample opportunity to bless people.  Instead, they have chosen to oppress and destroy innocent lives.  When God's people begin to humble themselves and pray, God moves sovereignly.  When we cry out in line with what the Word of God says, God will honor that Word at the expense of any of the mighty men.  God's love is towards all men.  His favor is towards the righteous.  If men chose not to receive God's offer of love, they also chose not to be in His favor.  There are elected officials here in he United States that have turned a deaf ear to the cries of the poor.  They, too, have had choices to make.

As God's people of prayer, we have the command from God's Word in Ezekiel 22:30-And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. We have been called to stand in the gap for those who are oppressed and burdened so that they will not be destroyed by the rulers and the hardships of this world.  As an individual with limited resources, I can't do much to help, but I CAN stand in the gap and pray.  Joseph and Moses experienced a "God thing" as I call it.  A time when the Almighty God of all creation comes down and moves anybody and everybody any way He wants to because a believer is praying.  That's what I am praying for.  A "God thing."  Our Christian history has seen several revivals that swept through areas and closed up hell holes.  Entire towns came to Jesus.  And it all started out with 2 Chronicles 7:14.  God's people humbling, repenting, turning to God  and praying instead of expecting politics to bring us the answer.  Next, God promises a "God thing."  We get to hear from heaven.  Let's join together in seeking Him.  Now, pass this along.

Prayer-Shake the Nations Part 1

One of the leaders of the Scottish Reformation in the mid-1500's was an ex-Catholic priest named John Knox.  He was a man of strong prayer.  The ruler of Scotland for a time, Mary Queen of Scots, was quoted as saying, "I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe."  That speaks highly of a man of God.  The prophet Elijah prayed and it stopped raining for over three years.  Then, he prayed and fire came down from heaven.  He prayed again and it began raining.  He prayed two other times and fire came down and consumed a couple of bands of soldiers sent to kill him.

The prayers of mighty men have shaken nations.  I firmly believe that we as Christians can turn the tide of current events by the way we pray.  This is for certain, if we DON'T pray, things will NEVER change.  Jesus said this in Mat 21:22-And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.   John the Beloved wrote in 1 John 5:14-And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

1Jo 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
I know that you are going to say, Bro. Henry, God will only answer if it is according to His will.  Boy!  You catch on quick, don't you? 

Let's look at the following scriptures.
Psalm 37:7-fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
David, the great king and psalmist, said not to worry about the man who brings wicked things to pass.  Do you know any world rulers who bring wicked things to pass to make us afraid?  Do you know any religions that do it?  How about rulers in this nation?  How about local, state and federal legislators? 
 
Let's group several scriptures and then talk about prayer for a minute.
Psalm 10:2-The wicked in [his] pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
Psalm 9:16-The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
Psalm 35:4-Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
These are prayers of King David that became songs that the Israelites sang during worship.  The Holy Spirit breathed these words into existence though him.  Here we find the will of God for wicked people.  It specifically talks about the wicked people who persecute the poor, seek after our souls and devise or plan things that hurt us.  Does this describe people on planet earth today?  How about some of the rulers of the nations?  Yes, you have several groups of individuals that would love to inflict harm on the United States.  You have several nations that would love to wipe out Israel.  And, these groups have been planning to hurt us right now.
Let's touch another subject.  How about the local, state, and federal branches of our government. Have they persecuted the poor?  Do they seek after our soul and devise laws to our hurt?  Some of the things they have done, not all, have wound up hurting more people than they have helped.  We have seen over the past several months that some people in our government are not carrying out their duties in an honorable fashion.  But, how do we know their hearts and their intentions?  How do we know which ones are good and which ones only want to make dishonest gain? 
 
Take a look at this scripture-  Ecc 12:14-For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.
 
For over a year, I have been praying for our Congress, state and local officials, our armed forces an our police and fire departments.  I have prayed for the rulers and those who have authority over us. (1 Tim 2)  In the past several months, I have seen God answering those prayers.  God is bringing the wicked down.  I know that it was not just my prayers but prayers of thousands of Godly men and women all over the world praying for the same thing.
 
Here's how I pray.  I keep these scriptures handy to help me pray them until they are committed to memory.  I do not claim to be an expert in the political realm and don't want to be.  I want to be an expert in the Word of God and an expert in prayer.  I firmly believe that we can shake the nations through appropriate praying.  First, since I am not a political expert, I ask God to bring every work into judgment.  Bring the good ones into judgement and bless them and bring the bad ones into judgement and stop them.  (Keep referring to the verses in Psalms.)  I ask God to confuse the counsel of those that are seeking ways to hurt His people.  I speak confusion into their committee meetings. I speak confusion into their battle plans.  I declare that their weapons formed against us would not prosper, Is 54:17.  For the Congress as well as the armies that stand against us, I pray that they be snared in the work of their own hands.  
 
There is no telling what can be done in this earth if God's people begin praying strong prayers.  If we truly believe that God is a prayer answering God, then let's get down to the business of doing it.  Don't pray in a haphazard manner.  Find scriptures that deal with the particular need that you have.  Listen for the unction of the Holy Ghost.  If you are sincere in building a strong prayer life, God is more that willing to help you.  It is His desire that we live in peace.  Peace doesn't come through politics.  It comes through peace.  If you feel that this blog has been helpful to you, pass it on to friends.

 In the next part, I will share some more about praying for the nations, expecially ours.