Monthly Archives: May 2008

Look Out for Quacks

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“‘Come, let us meet together on one of the villages on the plain of Ono.’ But they were scheming to harm me.”1

When Nehemiah and the Israelites had almost completed rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem several centuries BC, enemies were strongly opposed to their progress and sought through trickery to deceive Nehemiah and get rid of him. They tried to lure him away from his work and invited him to meet with them in the Plain of Ono.

But Nehemiah’s reply was, “O no!” He knew their stories were fabricated and that they were lying. Just as well he did, otherwise he would have been destroyed and God’s work frustrated. Nehemiah stuck to the job God commissioned him to do until the work was finished and the walls rebuilt. He didn’t allow himself to be sidetracked.Whenever we get involved in God’s work, there is always opposition. The enemy attacks at every opportunity and usually at our most vulnerable places. He is a master of deceit and we, like Nehemiah, need to be aware of his devices.

More often than not, he comes as an angel of light—seemingly as a teacher and promoter of truth. But many a sincere Christian has been deceived and led astray by these often authoritative-sounding, silver-tongued orators, and deceptive leaders who claim to be coming in the name of the Lord.”Be careful,” Jesus said to them [his disciples]. “Be on your guard against the yeast [false teaching] of the Pharisees and Sadducees [the religious leaders of Jesus' day].”2

At the risk of being over-repetitious, when in doubt, always pray for God to reveal to you the truth. And the more connected we are with our own inner truth—that is, the more honest we are with our own self—the easier and quicker we will “smell” (sense and discern) the false teachings of those who are not for real.

So, be on your guard and watch out for phony people with phony solutions.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a man or woman of truth so I will always have the insight to discern all false teaching and never be led astray from the true teachings of your Word no matter how eloquent or persuasive the teachers may be. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Nehemiah 6:2 (NIV).
2. Matthew 16:6 (NIV).

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Don’t Forget to Pray

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“The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.”1

After the days of Moses when the armies of Israel, led by Joshua, were conquering the Promised Land marked out for them by God, the surrounding kings and nations were understandably terrified. This was because God was with the Israelites giving them great victories wherever they went.

However, the men of Gibeon, a nearby country, resorted to trickery and outsmarted Joshua. They sent a delegation to Joshua with the appearance of having come from a distant land so they could deceive Joshua into making a treaty with them. Their donkeys carried worn-out sacks and old wineskins that were cracked and had been mended. They wore old clothes, and worn and patched sandals, and the bread they carried with them was dry and moldy.

Their ruse worked. Joshua signed a treaty with them and only afterwards discovered they were a neighboring people among those countries God had told Joshua to destroy because of their wickedness. They had to live with the consequences as a result.

Joshua’s mistake was that he made this treaty without praying and inquiring of the Lord! An extremely valuable lesson for all of us to learn!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for including this story in your Word, the Bible, as a graphic reminder for me to seek your guidance and direction for every aspect of my life, so that I will continuously live in harmony with your perfect will. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Joshua 9:14 (NIV).

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The Day That Changed the World

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“I [Jesus] am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades [hell].”1

I recall reading about a father who was caught with his two young daughters in a snow storm and lost his way. When night fell he wrapped his jacket around his two girls and lay on top of them to stop them from freezing to death. The next day they were found by a search party. The two girls were alive and safe, but the father had frozen to death. He gave his life to save the ones he loved.

That is what Jesus did for you and me. He gave his life on the Roman cross some 2,000 years ago to pay for the consequences of our sin—death; that is, spiritual and eternal death which is not the cessation of life but eternal separation from God, the author and creator of all love and life. But when Jesus rose from the grave he forever overcame the power of death and sin. In so doing, he guaranteed resurrection and eternal life for all who accept him as their personal Lord and Savior.

Rivi Zacharias expresses Christ’s death and resurrection simply yet profoundly in the following words: “The disciples were the ones marked out for death. Those who survived Jesus were really the dead. And he, Jesus, the dead one, was really the living one.”

And because Jesus is the Living One—the day he rose from the grave was the day that changed the world forever. And the day that you and I commit our life to him and receive his free pardon is the day that will change our life—for all eternity. Forever!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for your great sacrifice in giving your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in my place to pay the ransom price for all my sin! And dear Jesus, because you died for me, help me to love you as I ought and to live all the days of my life for you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Revelation 1:18 (NIV).

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The Critical Path

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“Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.”1

In his book, Peak Performers, Dr. Charles Garfield describes how the astronauts keep their spacecraft on course.

“On their flights between earth and the moon, it was said, the Apollo ships were off course much of the time. In each instance, the spacecraft would wander off its path and the crew would correct—wander off and correct, again and again. And do you now what? It didn’t matter. What mattered were the results. They got to the moon. They got home. They did it by having the discipline and knowledge to get themselves back on course. They followed not a perfect path, but a critical path.”

Whether we’re shooting for the moon, seeking to achieve a better personal or family life, or seeking to obey and serve God, whatever our goals, the principle is the same. There are always unpredictable and unexpected events that call for change and adjustment. Although the astronauts had to be precise in their calculations, they still allowed for mistakes and corrections. The person who doesn’t allow for such adjustments will probably not reach his or her goals. As Garfield said, the critical path is the way to reach any target.

For the Christian, our goal is to obey and serve God and to go on to maturity. We will stumble at times, make mistakes, fail, and hit many a bump in the road. When we fall, however, the important thing is to get up, correct our course and go on. This is the critical path for us.

And as one author reminds us, The bumps are what we climb on!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, every day I commit and trust my life and way to you and commit my life to serving you. Thank you that you are always with me to guide and direct my life and correct any wrong or harmful turns that I might make—to keep me on target with the goals and purpose you have for my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 24:16 (NIV).

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Rules Vs. Relationships

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“He [Jesus] looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.”1

God is not into rules. He’s into relationships. For example, when Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Jewish Sabbath, the religious leaders began to plot how they might kill him. Jesus was angry with these Pharisees because, among other things, they loved their rigid rules more than they loved people. They may have had religion, but they certainly didn’t have Christ, Christianity, or God!

What is even more absurd is that these same religious leaders who murdered Jesus insisted that he be taken off the cross before sundown (the beginning of their religious Sabbath day) on the day they killed him because it wasn’t “lawful” for him to be hanging dead on the cross on their Sabbath. To leave him there would have broken one of their laws and they would have felt ceremoniously unclean! Imagine that!

As strange as it may seem to many, religion may send more people to hell than anything else! That is, religion that depends on one’s own “good works” or man-made laws, rules or traditions. These will never get anyone to heaven. God’s Word, the Bible, makes it very clear that: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”2

Again, God isn’t into religion or rules. He’s into relationships. Jesus died so that we could be reconnected to God and have a right relationship with him. He also wants to make us whole so we can have wholesome relationships with others and live in harmony with God’s laws—not to get us into God’s heaven, but so we can live wholesome lives.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you gave your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins so that I could have a right relationship with you, others and myself. Help me to live by your laws that give life and not be bound by man-made religion, legalistic rules, or traditions that are not based on your Word, the Bible. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 3:5 (NIV).
2. Ephesians 2:8–9 (NKJV).

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Successful Living

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“God’s laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us joy and light.”1

Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Nature never breaks her own laws.” Fortunately for us it doesn’t. If it weren’t for the law of gravity, for example, the earth wouldn’t stay in its orbit and we’d all fly off into outer space. If we try to break nature’s laws—such as the law of gravity, we can’t. It will break or even kill us!

There are universal moral laws, too, without which our society would fall apart. If we defy these laws, they will also break us, or rather; we will break ourselves against them. Most man-made laws are important too. They make living together possible. Imagine driving on today’s highways without any traffic laws!

There are also laws that govern human development. For example, every child needs considerable nurture, unconditional love, acceptance and approval throughout his developmental years. When this law is violated, so are our children—many of whom are left with broken lives. There are also laws that apply to adult health, happiness, and well-being. Defy, ignore or break these laws and we break ourselves.

God has also given us spiritual laws … not to take away our joy or freedom, but to give us the fullness of life as well as eternal life. We defy these laws to our eternal destruction.

We heed these laws not because we are legalists and have to obey them, but because we want and choose to obey them because we know we need to for our own well-being and that of our loved ones. As the Psalmist wrote, “God’s laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us joy and light. God’s laws are pure, eternal, just. They are more desirable than gold. They are sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. For they warn us away from harm and give success to those who obey them.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to understand that all of your laws are for my total well-being—both for this life and for the life to come. Give me the good sense and courage to always live in harmony with your laws so that I will live in harmony with myself, others and you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 19:7 (TLB).
2. Psalm 19:7–11 (TLB).

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The Church’s Impact on the Family

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“Let us not give up meeting together [in church], as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another….”1

A study conducted some time ago by sociologist Steven Nock of the University of Virginia showed that couples who regularly attend church are 42% more likely to be married for the first time. And those in the church who were committed to its beliefs had a 23% better chance of having a “very happy” marriage than those who don’t attend church.

Furthermore, according to a report by Warren Mueller, where both parents attend church regularly, 72% of their children continue in the faith. Where only the father attends, that percentage drops to 55%, but where only the mother attends, just 15% of the children remain involved in the church.

Need I say more?

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be an active participant in a healthy church and have positive fellowship (relationships) with fellow Christians both for my own growth and to be an encourager to others. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. Hebrews 10:25 (NIV).

NOTE: See article, “What a Good Church Can Do for You” at: http://tinyurl.com/bs9jf

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Relational Living

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“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”1

It is good to remind ourselves that God created mankind primarily for relationships from which come eighty percent of life’s satisfaction. To live meaningfully we need to be in meaningful relationships, without which life can be very empty and lonely.

If we don’t know how to relate in healthy ways, we don’t know how to live fully, and we can impair both our mental and physical health as a result. Or another way to put it: to fully live we need to fully love!

It helps us to remember that God himself is in relationship through the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). Also, Jesus started the Christian movement with relationships: “He [Jesus] appointed twelve…that they might be with him.”2 Furthermore, practically all of Christ’s ministry was done in relationship with his twelve disciples.

As a Christian, our first need is to keep in a right relationship with God, which begins by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. Trying to live the Christian life without this is like trying to go east by traveling west.

We then need close, healthy relationships with people. Only then can we realize some of the deepest longings of the human heart. This doesn’t mean that we are to be overdependent on others, codependent with them, or independent from them, but interdependent with them.

The reality is that we need people. Barbra Streisand expressed it well in the song: “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.”

Furthermore, the degree of our mental health, emotional maturity, and spiritual well-being will be reflected in the health or otherwise of our close relationships. God’s command to “love one another” is not a sentimental suggestion. It’s an imperative.

Suggested prayer, “Dear God, please help me first of all to have a right relationship with you and then to resolve any character issues in my life that may hinder my having healthy relationships with others. Help me to love you and others more fully and myself in a healthy way. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. Genesis 2:18 (NIV).
2. Mark 3:14 (NIV).

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The Fruit of a Deeper Root

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“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.”1

Problems. Nobody is immune from committing sins. However, often the problems we see are not the problems that are! For instance, a problem, whether it is emotional, spiritual or physical, is often the symptom of a deeper problem; that is, “the fruit of a deeper root.” The root cause may be an unresolved emotional, spiritual or moral problem which can express itself in any one of a number of ways such as the following: relational conflicts, worry, stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, addictions, spiritual dryness, physical sickness, abuse, etc., etc.

Many physical symptoms can be symbolic. For example, ulcers may be caused not so much by what we eat but by what is eating us. Tension headaches can be caused by “jamming up” anger in our head. Aching shoulders may be caused by our feeling that we are burdened by a heavy load. And if I have a pain in the neck, I may….

Confession opens the door for recovery: not only from the symptoms but also from the causes.

After David confessed his sin, he said, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.”2

A good example to follow.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, here’s the symptom/s (be specific_____________name it/them) in my life. I acknowledge these to you. Please give me the courage to face the cause/s of these and lead me to the help I need to resolve them. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 28:13 (NLT).
2. Psalm 32:1-5 (NLT).

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How You Can Be an Effective Witness? Part V

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“It was he [Jesus] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”1

First, to be an effective witness for Christ we need to be real. On one occasion when I was still living and working in my homeland and returned from being overseas, I met a new member, Lynne G., who had been added to our Australian staff while I was away. When Lynne was offered a job with ACTS, her husband, Terry, told her that it would be OK but not to get involved with a bunch of religious nuts! That’s what he thought about us Christians.

Soon after, Lynne overheard me telling a pushy salesperson where to get off. I had no idea she could hear me, but when she got home that night, she said to Terry, “You’ll never believe my new boss. He said, ‘such-and-such.’ He’s real.” And that was the turning point of their life and began their journey to a committed Christian life. That was over three decades ago. Today, Lynne and Terry are both on the ACTS staff. Terry is the Australian director and Lynne is in charge of all the print publications for the Australian office.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you tell people where to get off as a way of witnessing, but what I am saying is that to be an effective witness for Christ it is important that people see us as real persons and not just as phony saccharine-sweet-do-gooders!

Second, be available. When I told God I was quitting witnessing because I was too afraid, but was available for him to use to share the gospel, little did I know what lay ahead. I prayed that prayer at least 25 years ago. My work in ACTS has never grown to the point that we have a large organization. We are still only very small (in fact, Joy, my wife, and I are now the only full-time workers in our U.S. office). But God has used our work to share the gospel with millions of people around the world.

We have seen over 40 million pieces of our printed gospel literature distributed, reached multiplied thousands with our radio spots that we ran throughout Australia for a number of years, shared with many more thousands through our Australian monthly magazine, and now are reaching many thousands more every day around the world via email and the Internet. In fact, this Daily Encounter will go to 162,000 worldwide subscribers today. Thousands more will be reached today via Weekend Encounter and our many Internet pages.

If you tell God that you are available for him to use and genuinely make a commitment to do this, he will use you too.

Third, use the gifts God has given you. For instance, it is important to realize that out of the twelve disciples personally handpicked by Jesus to launch the taking of the gospel to the world, only one clearly had the gift of personal evangelism. No it wasn’t Peter. He had the gift of mass evangelism. It was Andrew who, whenever we read about him, in his own quiet way was bringing someone to Jesus: Peter; the boy with the loaves and fishes; and the Greek enquirers.

God wants to use your gifting, too. Know what your gifts are, develop them, and offer them back to God for his use in his work here on earth. And every day remember to pray the following prayer:

“Dear God, I am available again today. Please make me usable and use me … with the gifts you have given me … for the furtherance of your work on earth. And please use me today to be as Christ to whomever you bring into my life and in some way to every life I touch. Make me a channel through whom your love can flow, and grant that people will see Jesus in me. Always in all ways. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 4:11–12 (NIV).

NOTE: To make it extremely easy to witness for Christ, we have printed very attractive and appealing Good News business witness cards. See samples online at http://actscom.com/witness_cards.php.

Try them. You’ll like them. I gave one to my barber, he looked at it, read it, and said, “My grown daughter really needs this,” and thanked me for it. I’ve given scores away and have never had anyone not accept it.

Today’s message is also adapted from the book, I Hate Witnessing (A Handbook for Effective Christian Communications) by yours truly. See http://tinyurl.com/33kfbk to obtain a copy.

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