Monthly Archives: January 2010

Give and Grow Rich

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Jesus Christ said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.“1

Giving from the heart is really an outward expression of gratitude. In life there are two types of people: grateful givers and selfish takers. When it comes to giving help, time, or money, takers are closed- fisted. They give little and live primarily for themselves and, “being wrapped up in themselves, make a very small package.” On the other hand, givers who give from the heart give of themselves as well as of their time, talents, help, love, support, and of their resources and money. They may or may not be financially secure, but regardless, they are rich in generosity and the things that matter most in life.

In his young struggling years, W. L. Douglass, the shoe manufacturer, “had been unemployed so long that he was down to his last dollar. Nevertheless, he put half of it—fifty cents—in the collection basket of his church. Next morning he heard of a job in a neighboring town. The railroad fare to that town was one dollar. To all appearances it would have been wiser if he had kept that fifty cents. However, with the half-dollar remaining he bought a ticket and rode halfway to the desired place. He stepped from the train and began to walk to the town.

“Before he had gone one block he heard of a factory right in that town where they were employing men. Within thirty minutes he had a job at a salary five dollars more a week [a good sum back then] than he would have received had he gone on to the other town.“2

It is a fact of life, the more we give—whether it is of ourselves, our help, our love, our support, and/or of our resources—the richer we become. And the richer we become, the more we have to give. And when it comes to giving to God, we simply cannot out-give him.

Question: Among your friends and contacts would you be considered a giver or a taker? Being a giver is a choice. You can start that today by being a friend and giving someone a kind word of encouragement and a warm smile. In addition, of course, there is the keeper. He doesn’t give nor does he take, he just keeps?

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, knowing that Jesus is the supreme example of a Giver, please help me to become more and more like him, and be a giver in every area of life—knowing that I will reap what I sow. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Luke 6:38 (NIV).
2. Arthur Tonne, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, p. 478.
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Overcoming Addictions Part III

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“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”1

First a word of warning to those of us who say, “I don’t have any addictions. That’s not my problem.”

We all need to realize that anything we habitually do or use to avoid facing our inner pain is an addiction—no matter how good what we are doing may appear to be. A codependent person, for example, is addicted to the addict in his or her life. Others of us hide behind our busyness, our intellectuality, our position, or whatever. Some people escape into religion and claim they are standing on the Word of God, when in fact they are hiding behind the Word of God. They use God’s Truth as a defense against facing the truth about themselves—a very subtle, self-deceiving, and self-destructive course to take.

Also, some people, as John Powell said, treat God as if he were a giant Bayer’s aspirin. “Take God three times a day and you won’t feel any pain!” It’s not that simple. What is realistic is that God will help us but he will not do for us anything we need to do for ourselves, but he will bend the heavens to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves—that’s why Jesus came to earth and died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins and mine.

So when we ask God to help us to overcome our addictions, how can we pray to get our prayers answered?

First, pray honestly. The beginning point to resolve any problem is to admit that I have a problem. Only those who say, “I have a problem. I need help,” can ever find help.

Second, pray sincerely. We need to want to overcome our problem with all our heart and be totally committed to do what we need to do about our recovery if we want God to help us. A wish won’t wash. It has to be a genuine want. As Jesus would say, “Do you want—not wish—to be made well?”

Third, pray for truth. If, for example, I am an alcoholic, I need to (1) not only admit to myself that I am an addict but also admit/confess to God and at least one other person that I am an alcoholic (or whatever my addiction is); (2) that my life is out of control; (3) that I need help: and (4) ask God to confront me with the truth about myself; to show me the cause/s behind my addiction no matter how much it may hurt. This can be painful. I know because there have been times when I have prayed for God to confront me with the truth about myself. The good news is, once I see the truth about myself and the cause/s behind my problems, I know what I need to do to overcome. As Jesus taught, it’s the truth that sets one free.

Remember the “LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” So the way to pray to get prayer answered is to pray for truth—the truth, the whole truth about yourself.

Fourth, ask for guidance. When we pray, we need to ask God to lead us to the help we need to overcome our problem—and never give up until we find that help.

Fifth. accept responsibility. Part of our recovery, after we ask God for help and guidance, is to actively seek the help we need to overcome our problem, and to do what we need to do in order to recover.

Sixth, commitment. It took many years to become who and what we are so we don’t overcome our struggles overnight. We need to be so committed that we never give up until we work through and resolve our problem so that we become more and more the person God envisioned for us to be—and that is to be made whole. God’s goal goes much deeper than seeing us delivered from our addictions. It is that we are made whole, for only to the degree that we are made whole will our lifestyle, actions, attitudes, behaviors and relationships become wholesome.

Jesus’ question to you and me is this: “Do you want to be made whole?” God will do his part. It’s up to you and me to do our part. We need to pray the right prayer, want deliverance with all our heart, and do our part in the recovery process.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you are waiting to help me when I pray the truth from my heart. Help me always to be honest with myself and with you knowing that when I am, you will always hear and answer my prayers. Help me, too, to always pray the right prayer. Thank you for hearing and answering me. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 145:18 (NIV).

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Overcoming Addictions Part II

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“You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”1

Yesterday we explained how addictive behavior patterns are the presenting problem—and are more often than not the fruit of a deeper root. We also noted that addictions are usually used to medicate the pain of an unresolved inner conflict. Today we ask the question, “How do we overcome addictive behaviors that are the fruit of a deeper root?”

First, face reality. Addicts are very adept at avoiding reality, are steeped in denial, and have all sorts of devious ways of denying their addiction. Like the man who says, “Sure I drink a lot but I’m not an alcoholic,” even though he has a dozen or so beers a day and often comes home either drunk or half-drunk. Or like the wife who is a closet drinker. She will do everything in her sneaky-power to avoid being caught and is in deep denial about her addiction.

Thus, the first step in overcoming any addiction is to face reality and admit, “I have a problem. I need help.” Even God limits himself from helping us until we admit we have a problem, acknowledge that our life is out of control, and that we need help.

Second, accept responsibility. The addict needs to get into an effective recovery program—such as a Twelve-Step or similar program—that will help him to stop acting out through his addiction, and to confront his inner reality and pain head on. This can be extremely difficult and very painful because for much of his life he has avoided facing his reality and feeling his pain. However until he stops medicating his pain and feels and faces it, chances are that he will never do anything about overcoming his problem.

Some time ago a friend who had tried without success for twenty years to stop smoking asked me for help. He admitted he had a problem but didn’t really want to confront the cause behind it. I asked him a simple question: “Why do you need to smoke?” He mumbled a few incoherent sentences and walked away. Sadly, he died a few years later from cancer. The reality is that if we don’t get the cause behind our symptoms, the symptoms will get us.

If you have an addiction, ask yourself, “Why do I need this ________ (name it) addiction?” We will fight tenaciously against even asking this question claiming vehemently that we don’t need it. But we do in that we need it to keep us from facing reality.

Also, if you happen to be living with an addict, it is tremendously important that you stop rescuing him (or her) from the natural consequences of his/her self-destructive behavior. If you continue to rescue him/her, you become a part of the sickness and may need to get into a recovery/support program for yourself. Tough love with consequences is an absolute must dealing with an addict.

Third, and most important of all, is to pray the right prayer. As James points out in today’s Scripture, many of our prayers aren’t answered because we pray amiss; that is, we pray the wrong prayer with wrong motives.

We pray, we plead, we beg, we cry: “Oh God, deliver me from my addiction!” And never get delivered. Why? Because we’re praying the wrong prayer. We’re addressing the symptom rather than the cause. God isn’t going to deliver me from my addictive behavior if I am unwilling to face the cause or causes behind it.

Furthermore, our mind can play tricks on us deceiving us into believing we have been cured when all we’ve done is exchange one symptom for another. I recall hearing one speaker claiming that when he accepted Jesus as his Savior, he was immediately delivered from alcoholism. Trouble is, he hadn’t confronted and resolved the root cause of his alcoholism and was now a rage-aholic! Denial is deadly. If we don’t admit, confront, and deal with our unresolved issues in a creative and healthy way, they will come out in some destructive, unhealthy way.

So how do we pray the right prayer? We will answer this question in tomorrow’s Daily Encounter.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me always to pray the right prayer focusing not so much on my symptoms but on the causes behind them so that I can receive your help, and any other help I need, to overcome my addiction/s and live victoriously. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 4:2-3 (NKJV).

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Overcoming Addictions Part I

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“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”1

A Daily Encounter reader writes: “I am a controlling person and a perfectionist and am being self-destructive as I don’t know how to give up my addictions. I keep trying and keep failing. I promise I will do better the next day and fail again … and again … and again. Please help me.”

It helps to realize that God is merciful in that, when we have unresolved personal issues, he allows us to have symptoms. To put it another way, symptoms are nature’s warning signal—a flashing red light—telling us that something within us is amiss and needs fixing. Symptoms can be emotional, physical, spiritual, an addiction, or a combination of any or all of the above.

Symptoms are also called the presenting problem; that is, the problem that we see. They are almost always the fruit of a deeper root.

For instance, a controlling person is one who is very insecure and needs to be in control of others and their circumstances to feel safe and secure. But this is a false sense of security as a secure person doesn’t have a need to be in control of everything. The more insecure the person, the more need they have to control. They can be very difficult to live with.

The perfectionist is also an insecure person. For them to feel secure everything has to be perfect. They can never quite please themselves in what they do no matter how good it is. Neither can you please them no matter how hard you try and how well you do. They will search for a fault, and if there isn’t one, they will make one up. They, too, can be very difficult to live with.

Regarding the addict, his or her addictions are usually a means of escape used to medicate or anesthetize the pain of their inner struggle. When they feel their pain—whether it is an overwhelming sense of emptiness, loneliness, anxiety, depression—they reach for the booze and another drink, another cigarette, more sex, become super-busy, go on a shopping spree, or whatever—a never-ending, self-defeating, downward spiral.

So how do we overcome? To be continued in Part II.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that your desire for me is that I lay aside every weight and overcome the sins that set me back. Help me to understand why I act the way I do and lead me to the help I need to overcome so that my life will glorify you in everything I do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV).

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According to Your Faith

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“As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith will it be done to you’; and their sight was restored.”1

Robert Schuller shares the wonderful story about Olympic champion, Charlie Paddock who loved to speak to young people in high schools. At East Tech High School in Cleveland, Ohio, he challenged those young people: “If you think you can, you can! If you believe something strongly enough, it will come to pass in your life.” Afterward he lifted his hand and said, “Who knows? Maybe there’s an Olympic champion in this auditorium this afternoon.”

Later a scrawny little black boy approached him and said, “Gee, Mr. Paddock, I’d give anything if I could be an Olympic champion just like you.”

It was that young boy’s moment of inspiration. From that moment on his life was changed! In 1936 he went to Berlin, Germany, and won four gold medals. His name is Jesse Owens. When he returned home he was driven through the streets of Cleveland and greeted by a cheering crowd. The car stopped for him to sign autographs. That day a skinny little boy pressed himself against the car and said, “Gee, Mr. Owens, I’d give anything to be an Olympic champion just like you.”

Jesse reached out to this little fellow (who was nicknamed “Bones”) and said, “You know that’s what I wanted when I was about your age. If you will work hard and train hard, and if you will believe, then you can become an Olympic champion.”

The little boy was so inspired that he ran all the way home where he told his grandmother, “I’m going to become an Olympic champion.” In Wembley Stadium in London, England, in 1948, six young men waited to hear the starting gun. The man in the outside lane burst out ahead; drove down to hit the tape, and won the race. His name was Harrison “Bones” Dillard. He tied Jesse Owens’s Olympic record that day and went on to break many more records.2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to see what you want me to achieve with my life, give me the faith to believe it is possible, and the courage and determination to pursue it with all my heart for the betterment of others and for your glory. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 9:27-30 (NIV).
2. This illustration is from Robert Schuller’s Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking, (New York: Jove Books, 1967).

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Mutagen Cells

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“And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”1

In his book, The Magic of Teamwork, Pat Williams shared how “Chad Sheron was an outstanding basketball player at Vanderbilt University. He came up with a great metaphor describing the interaction of individuals and teams—but his metaphor comes not from the world of sports but from his premed studies at Vanderbilt. He observed that the various cells of the human body—muscle cells, blood cells, organ cells, bone cells, and all the other cells—are designed to work together to enhance the health and life of the entire body. Each cell is a part of the body’s ‘team.’ But there is one kind of cell that can create enormous problems for the body—a cell called a mutagen. ‘A mutagen,’ Chad observes, ‘is a cell that has stopped acting like its peer cells and just grows for its own sake. Just as mutagens cause cancer in the human body, people who behave like mutagens can have a cancerous effect on a team.”2

Either rightly or wrongly I was taught years ago in a pastoral counseling class that every church has a church boss—and very often it isn’t the pastor. Almost always, wherever people are together, there is someone who wants to be in control. The church is no different because we are all fellow strugglers—sinners saved by grace—and, unfortunately, we won’t be free from conflict until we get to heaven.

I recall some years ago in the church where I was a member how I said to the pastor about a “control freak” that if he (the pastor) didn’t get rid of this man, he would do his utmost to get rid of him (the pastor). He almost did and caused great harm to the church. So what do we do with these “mutagens”? It’s tough I know, but there are times when tough love is called for, and we have to do what we have to do. For if we have a “cancer” and don’t get rid of it, the cancer will get rid of us.

It may be a bit crude, but when they threw troublemaker Jonah overboard, there was a great calm. At the very least, discipline is needed to reform “mutagens.” If this fails, then the Jonah principle may need to be applied to save the many from the damage by the least.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me never to be a ‘mutagen’ in any group—whether it is at my work place, on a sports team, at church, and especially in my home. And where there is a ‘mutagen’ in any one of these where I am a team player, please give me the wisdom to know how and the courage to lovingly deal with this person as you would do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Corinthians 12:26 (NKJV).
2. The Magic of Teamwork by Pat Williams, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1997, p. 10. Cited on http://www.sermons.com/.

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Armageddon

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“And they gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place called Armageddon in Hebrew. Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne of the Temple in heaven, saying, ‘It is finished!’”1

I have read how, “at the end of the 19th century, two French writers went to visit the well-known French scientist, Pierre Berthelot. Berthelot was a kind of scientific prophet. He forecast some of the weapons of mass destruction that would appear in the next century. He said to the writers, ‘We have only begun to list the alphabet of destruction.’ Silence fell over the meeting. Then the elder of the two writers said quietly, ‘I think before that time comes, God will come like a great gatekeeper with his keys dangling at his waist and say, “Gentlemen, it’s closing time.”‘”2

Armageddon, among other things, is a part of God’s closing time on mankind’s history. Books have been written and films produced about Armageddon, showing it as the world’s great closing time battle of all battles. It is depicted in the Bible as the raging war at the end of this world age when, at some point, God will step into man’s history to put down all evil forever, and to stop mankind before we totally destroy ourselves.

I don’t claim to be a student of biblical prophecy, especially relating to the specific details of the end of this world age. For me, the important thing is that we are ready because that time will also be marked by Jesus Christ’s coming again for all those who have accepted him as their Savior—and have had their sins forgiven—to take them to be with him forever in heaven. It is my understanding, however, that Christ’s return for his people will precede the Battle of Armageddon.

What a glorious day Christ’s return will be for all true Christians—not those in name only—but for those who are truly Christ-ones. And what a tragic day it will be for those who have never accepted God’s forgiveness. Also at the end of this world age, to the non-Christ-ones, according to Jesus, God will say, “‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire [hell] prepared for the devil and his angels.”3 Whatever and wherever hell is, it is a terrifying thought to be lost there without hope for all eternity—eternally separated from God, the author of all love and life.

The good news is that there is no need for you or me to miss out on God’s forgiveness and a home in heaven to be with him forever—where God himself will wipe away all tears … and where there will be no more sickness, sadness, sorrow, or dying. God’s gift of forgiveness and eternal life is ours for the asking.

As sure as the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Christ’s first coming have all come true, we can be just as certain that Jesus Christ will come again and that Armageddon will take place. To make sure you are prepared for Christ’s return be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have given us your Word to warn us of the ‘wrath to come,’ and to show us your plan of salvation so we can have our sins forgiven, accept Jesus as our Savior, and be prepared to meet you face to face—and be saved from a lost eternity in hell. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Revelation 16:16-17 (NLT).
2. Source unknown. Cited on eSermons.com.
3. Matthew 25:41 (NIV).

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Identifying False Prophets

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“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.”1

A Daily Encounter reader asks: “How do you know if you are being taught by a false prophet—a wolf in sheep’s clothing; and, if so, what should you do? I have a friend who is in a certain church, should I be concerned for her and what she shares with others?”

One of best ways to know if you are being taught false teaching by a false prophet is to have a sound knowledge and understanding of what God’s Word teaches. If you know God’s Truths, you won’t be deceived by the devil’s lies. If any teaching is out of harmony with God’s Word, you can know it is not of God. I even heard one radio preacher talking about a new movement claiming that it had to be a new work of God because it wasn’t in the Bible. Yeah, right! No, wrong! That was good evidence that it was not of God.

Remember too, that most, if not all, false prophets have an element of truth in their teaching. This makes what they say believable and more deceptive. Even the devil tried to tempt Jesus by quoting the Bible to him. And when he tempted the first man and woman, he deceived them by using a part-truth.

Furthermore, the more honest and real you are as a person, the easier it is for you to “smell” (sense, discern) the phoniness of false prophets.

Equally important, ask God to give you discernment and reveal to you the truth—first about yourself to make sure you are not overreacting—and then about the person you sense may be a false teacher, and what it is he/she is claiming is truth.

Regarding friends who are caught up in false teaching, as a general rule, most of them are convinced in their mind that they have the truth so there is little, if anything, you can say to them. It’s best to ask God to help you to be “as Christ” to these people and as opportunity arises, to give you the right words to say, and of course, to “speak the truth in love.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a love for and understanding of your Word; help me to be honest with myself; and give me a spirit of discernment so I will have a clear understanding of what is truth and what is error. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Peter 2:1 (NIV).

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A War Time Prayer

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”1

Ravi Zacharias shares how, “At the historic Amsterdam Conference for Itinerant Evangelists in 1986, a renowned Korean speaker, Billy Kim, told the story of an American soldier hiding in a bunker during the Korean War. When his commander ordered him to rescue some of his fallen mates on the front lines, the soldier nodded his head, took a covert glance at his watch, stalled till his commanding officer was out of sight, and simply made no move. Several minutes went by, and a colleague reminded him of his rescue assignment. Again he looked at his watch and delayed. Finally, he leaped out of the bunker and fearlessly began carrying his compatriots to safety.

“At the end of the day, a friend asked him to explain his actions. The soldier said, ‘I was afraid because I knew I was not ready to die. I waited until my fear would be overcome—remembering that at a certain time every hour my mother had said she would pray for me. Then I knew that no matter what awaited me, I could face it.’”2

Prayer does matter. Prayer does change things. Prayer is a powerful means of connecting to God of the eternal. How thankful I am for all who pray daily for me and the Daily Encounter ministry. How thankful I am that I can pray every day for my loved ones and commit and trust them to God and his care. And how thankful many a serviceman/woman is that every day loved ones and friends at home are also praying for them.

And as wars and acts of terrorism continue, and as Christians in various parts of the world are being persecuted and killed, let us pray faithfully for God’s care for all his children, and that the day of Christ’s return will hasten so that in God’s time all wars, suffering, sickness and starvation, will finally be ended forever. Pray, too, that everyone in the world will have the opportunity to hear the saving gospel of Jesus Christ and accept God’s forgiveness and eternal life.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that your Word encourages us to pray without ceasing. Help me to do this and also to pray according to your will so that I have the assurance that my prayers will always be answered. And I pray today for all who are suffering for your sake that you will protect them from the hands of evil people. And grant that we Christians will do all in our power to join with those who are taking the gospel to the ends of the earth so that your gospel is proclaimed in all the world so that your coming can take place. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV).

2. A Slice of Infinity, http://www.sliceofinfinity.org.

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Good News in a Bad News World

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“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”1

“For the first time in her life, Western Oregon University’s Sara Tucholsky not only hit a home run in a game against Central Washington University, but she hit it over the fence.

“She had passed first base and was on her way to second base when she collapsed. Something had happened to her knee and she couldn’t run. No one on her team could help her around the bases because if they touched her, she’d be out. That’s when her opponents from Central Washington picked her up and carried her around the bases and across the home plate. ‘My whole team was crying. It touched a lot of people,’ says Tucholsky.”2

I don’t know if any of these kids were Christians or not, but what an incredible example for all of us. In doing likewise we certainly would be helping to fulfill “the law of Christ.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me always to be available to bear another’s burden when his or her load is too heavy to bear alone. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Galatians 6:2 (NKJV).
2. Source, KneEmail, http://www.forthright.net/kneemail/

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