Monthly Archives: February 2014

The Power of Stickability

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“Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world.”1

According to a television documentary, the cheetah survives by outrunning its prey. It can sprint up to seventy miles per hour, but only in short bursts. While it has a very lithe body that is built for speed, it has a tiny heart which gives it no staying power. Unless it catches its prey in its first burst of energy, it has to give up the chase.

When it comes to serving God and doing his work there are many “cheetahs.” They start well with great enthusiasm and great vigor but finish poorly. As soon as the way gets rough and life tough, they tire and abandon the cause and drop out of the race. What is needed is not more speed but more staying power.

We all need bigger hearts for the greater abilities of stick-ability and dependability.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me not to be a ‘cheetah,’ but rather to have staying power to be what You want me to be and do what You want me to do. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. 2 Timothy 4:10.

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Angels Unawares

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“Continue to love each other with true brotherly love. Don’t forget to be kind to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!”1

Someone has wisely said, “The great thing in life is not so much what we are doing at the moment, but the direction in which we are headed.”

This was certainly true for a couple in Germany that I read about who, many years ago, were preparing their evening meal when they heard a knock at their door. When they opened the door, standing there in the deep winter cold, was an ill-clad youth asking for food. The couple took him in to give him food and shelter for the night.

Being Christians, they prayed for this rather destitute young man. Somehow they both felt that they should take him into their home and, in time, adopt him as their own son. Little did they know who this stranger was and what he would accomplish with his life. His name? Martin Luther.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I’m available again today. Please make me usable and use me to be as Jesus to whomever You bring into my life today. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Hebrews 13:1-2 (TLB) (NLT).

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Just Suppose

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“My son [and/or daughter] give me your heart … for out of it are the issues of life.”1

Zig Ziglar tells the story about an elderly man playing an organ in a cathedral in Europe. He was playing sad and melancholy music. It was sad because this was his last day as organist of the cathedral. He was being replaced by a younger musician.

At dusk, somebody stepped into the cathedral. Seeing the younger man, the organist stopped playing, locked the organ and slipped the key into his pocket. He was approached by the young man, who simply said, “Please, the key.”

On receiving the key, the young organist went to the organ and began to play.

While the old man had played beautifully and skillfully, the young man played with sheer genius. Incredible music came rolling out of that beautiful old organ.

This was the world’s introduction to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The old man, with tears in his eyes, said, “Suppose—just suppose—I had not given the master the key!”

Have you given the Master of Life the key—the key to your heart and to your life?

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I surrender the key to my heart and life to You. Please make me the man/woman of God You want me to be. Do with my life as You will. Please use me to be a part of what You are doing in the world today. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 23:26 with 4:23 (NIV & KJV).

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Never Alone

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“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you [God/Jesus] are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me…. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”1

Dr. David Sylvester tells how, “During World War II, a young Jewish man known as Solomon, his wife, and sons Jacob and David were subjected to the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp. Prisoners were forced to work torturous hours in the fields, or were burned to death in the ovens if found to be of little or no value as a worker. Little David had an injured leg, which required a brace rendering him unable to work in the fields. Upon his arrival from work, Solomon inquired of Jacob as to the whereabouts of his younger son, David, and the boys’ mother.

“Jacob whimpered, ‘The soldiers came to take David to the ovens, and Mother went with him so that he would not have to go alone.’”2

We have the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ that wherever we go or whatever we may experience—including the valley of death, he will go with us. The Psalmist said, ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you [God] are with me.’ And Jesus himself promised that he would never ever leave or forsake us.3

And so we are graphically reminded again how Jesus, the eternal Son of God, came as a babe so that we would never have to face death alone. He loved us so much that he went alone in our place to die on that excruciatingly painful Roman cross to pay the penalty for all of our sins so that we could be freely forgiven by God, receive his gift of eternal life, and never ever have to face eternal death which is eternal separation from God, the author of all love and life.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank You enough for your great love in giving Your Son, Jesus, to die in my place to pay the penalty for all my sins so that I can be freely forgiven and receive Your gift of eternal life? Help me to so live that my life will be a living sacrifice for You in gratitude for all that You have done for me. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

Note: If you have never accepted God’s gift of forgiveness and eternal life, for a prayer to help you to do this click on “God’s Invitation” at http://tinyurl.com/6k49w.

1. Psalm 23:4, 6 (NIV).

2. Dr. David Sylvester, Denton, Texas.

3. Hebrews 13:5.

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When Prayer Falls on Deaf Ears

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“If we ask anything according to God’s will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the request which we have asked from him.”1

A Daily Encounter subscriber writes, “Being the doubting Thomas that I am, I feel that my prayers fall on deaf ears and my wife and I even argue about the effect of prayer today. If the power of prayer were effective today, I feel there would be less death, sickness, and turmoil. I struggle with it all.”

Certainly at times it can be difficult to understand why some prayers seem to get answered while others seem to never get answered. However, we also need to realize that sometimes God answers, “Yes” … sometimes “no” … sometimes, “wait a while.” So, what makes the difference?

First, pray in harmony with God’s will. To get a “yes” answer to prayer, as today’s Scripture points out, it is essential that all of our prayers are in harmony with God’s will. When we pray accordingly, we have the assurance that God both hears and answers our prayers. To know how to pray in harmony with God’s will, we need to know what God’s Word, the Bible, teaches. Of this we can be certain, God will never answer a prayer that is opposed to his Word.

Second, pray the right prayer. Realize that some prayers don’t get answered because we aren’t praying the right prayer; that is, we may be praying with wrong motives. As God’s Word also points out: “You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”2

Third, pray about causes. Another wrong prayer is when we want and ask God to deliver us from the symptoms of problems while we are in denial about or are avoiding facing and praying about the cause/s of the problem. For example, if we have stomach ulcers, there is no point asking God to heal this problem if we don’t face and deal with the cause of the ulcers. In most cases it’s not what we eat that cause stomach ulcers, but rather what is “eating” us, which could be stress, guilt caused by unconfessed sin, an impaired relationship, or any of a hundred other causes—especially including super-charged repressed negative emotions. As John Powell has said, “When I repress my emotions, my stomach keeps score.”

Fourth, Pray believing. Faith, too, is essential for effective prayer. As Jesus said, “All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive,”3 and “according to your faith will it be done to you.”4

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a love for learning what Your Word, the Bible, teaches so that I will always know how to pray in harmony with Your will. Also help me to see anything that I may be contributing to the problems I am experiencing, and help me always to pray believing and with the right motives. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

For additional help, see the article, “How to Get Prayer Answered,” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/articles/article.php?i=114&d=1&c=10&p=1.

1. 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV).

2. James 4:2-3 (NIV).

3. Matthew 21:22 (NIV).

4. Matthew 9:29 (NIV).

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The Power of One

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“I [God] sought for a man [person] among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”1

Have you ever felt helpless in light of the seemingly overwhelming problems we face in today’s world—either at home or abroad? The truth of the matter, however, is that one person can make a world of difference to at least one other person and, more often than not, to a host of other persons.

Some time ago a friend sent the following anonymous poem to me. I’d like to share it with you today.

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.
One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.
One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam can light a room.
One candle can wipe out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.
One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.
One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true.
One life can make the difference,
You see it’s up to YOU!

As another has said, “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of one small candle.” And as Edward Everett Hale so eloquently said, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”Don’t ever forget how very important you are in your world and remember too, that “One person is very important to God, too.” Most of his work on earth has been started by one person. God is always looking for people who will do his work on earth. Will you be the one he is looking for today?

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I’m available. I want to say yes to You today and be one You are looking for. Please use me to be a part of Your plans in what You are doing in the world in which I live. Please show me where I can begin. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV).

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Hornet Persuasion

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“I [God] will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.”1

In much younger days I used to play a guitar (long before they became as popular as they are today) and sing. One of my favorite songs was the “Hornet Song” that went something like the following:

When the Canaanites hardened their hearts against God,

And grieved Him because of their sin,

God sent along hornets to bring them to terms,

And to help His own people to win.

Now the hornets persuaded them that it was best

To go quickly and not to go slow,

They didn’t compel them to go ‘gainst their will.

But they just made them willing to go.

If a nest of live hornets were brought to this room,

And the creatures allowed to go free,

You would not need urging to make yourself scarce,

You‘d want to get out, don’t you see!

When Jonah was sent to the work of the Lord,

The outlook was not very bright,

Why he never had done such a hard thing before,

So he backed out and ran off from the fight.

Now, the Lord sent a big fish to swallow him up,

The story I am sure you all know,

God didn‘t compel him to go ‘gainst his will,

But He just made him willing to go.

Chorus:

God doesn’t compel us to go, oh, no!

He never compels us to go,

God does not compel us to go ‘gainst our will,

But He just makes us willing to go.

So here I am today—many years hence—doing with my life what I believe God wants me to do—and finding it incredibly fulfilling. “God’s hornets” for me involved an accident on a construction site that put me in the hospital for a few days and out of work for a few weeks while recuperating. God had to put me flat on my back so I would stop and hear what he had been trying to get me to hear for about three years. While in the hospital I “heard” God’s call—loud and clear—and “knew that I knew that I knew” what I needed to do. That was to go back to school and train for a lifetime of Christian ministry. How thankful I am today for the “hornets” God has sent into my life on several other occasions as well.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You that your call to each one of us is persistent, so please give me hearing ears and a listening heart to hear you call that I will know without a doubt that I am fulfilling my God-given life purpose to the very best of my ability. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Exodus 23: 28 (NIV).

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Trapped in a Pile of Mud

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“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”1

A Daily Encounter subscriber shares his struggle saying, “My life is trapped in a pile of mud … down under the ocean.”

“Dear Friend,” I replied, “I am saddened to hear that you feel so downcast. You are certainly not alone in your struggle. For many, life is a struggle, a disappointment; or depressing. Speaking personally, I came from a very dysfunctional family background, felt rejected by my father, was extremely insecure in younger days, plus, because of my unresolved personal issues (damaged emotions), my first marriage was a disaster. Furthermore, because of my family background where love for me in my subconscious mind meant feeling rejected and being hurt, I was afraid to love and knew that if I didn’t get the help I needed, I would be running from love for the rest of my life.

“However, with the support of good friends, in-depth professional counseling, and by the grace God, I have survived, and life for me these days has never been more fulfilling. My recovery, however, didn’t happen overnight. It took determination, a steadfast commitment to “being made well,” and lots of help. Note that Jesus didn’t say to the crippled man, “Do you wish to be made well? It was, “Do you want to be made well?” To be made well, we need to want it badly enough to take full responsibility and do everything we need to do in order to be made well. The half-hearted never make it.

“Once you work through and resolve your pain, one of the most important things you can do is to ‘invest your pain‘ as it were; by learning how to overcome, and then by becoming a wounded healer to support others in their recovery. I am quick to admit that if there is any quality and depth in the ministry that has been entrusted to me today, most of it has come out of my years of personal struggle and learning how to overcome.

“I encourage you to pray that God will reveal to you the pathway for your healing and recovery; that He will lead you to find the help you need to fully recover, and that He will then use you to become a fellow wounded healer. To find a highly qualified Christian professional counselor, if you live in the U.S. or Canada, I suggest that you call the office of the Narramore Christian Foundation at 1-800-477-5893, and press ’1′ for Dianne, and she should be able to give you the contact information for a counselor or two in your area.

“True, counseling can be expensive, but in many ways some of us can’t afford not to receive it. For many months I worked two jobs at once—one in the daytime and the other at night—to pay for the counseling I needed.

“For today’s suggested prayer I encourage you pray the following simple prayer at the beginning of every day for the rest of your life: ‘Dear God, again today I commit and trust my life and way to You. Please help me to become the person you want me to be, and please use me to be ‘as Jesus’ in some way to every life I have contact with today. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.’

“I have prayed this prayer every day since my youth and plan to keep praying it every day for the rest of my life. I hope that you will too. Given time and asking God to help you find the help you need to ‘get out of the mud,’ you will find that it will help you tremendously as long as you pray it consistently and sincerely.

“Furthermore, for a starting point, if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior knowing that your sins are forgiven by God, be sure to read the article, ‘How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian’ at: www.actsweb.org/christian. I’m sure, too, that some of the articles online at: www.actsweb.org/articles/Solutions.php will be a help. And I suggest that you read the book, You Can’t Fly With a Broken Wing. This book was written out of my overcoming life’s struggles, and can be purchased on sale at: http://actscom.com/store.”

1. John 5:6 (NKJV).

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Preach the Word

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“I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”1

In August of last year, California Governor Brown signed the Transgender Student Bill which makes the state of California the first state to allow students from grade school through high school access whichever restroom and locker room they want—regardless of their birth gender. And what, pray tell me, does this do for the privacy of straight boys and girls? And imagine how this will be open to abuse by non-discretionary teenage boys with raging hormones? And how are parents going to protect their children from this absurdity? It is a further step in the ever-increasing moral decay of our ever- sickening political correct society. See http://tinyurl.com/k6xbdvn for more details.

What amazes me in our society today is that liberal groups such as the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender), the PC (politically correct) people, the ACLU (American Civil Liberty Union), anti-Christian and other like-minded liberal groups push and push and push until their personal desires, their perceived rights, and activities are not only accepted but given full approval regardless of their agenda so that to speak out against them one can be sued for a so-called hate crime.

But where is the voice of the Church? Have we allowed Political Correctness (which more often than not is anything but correct) to silence us? Leaders are called to “preach the Word;” that is, the Word of God.

To be genuine Christians and believers in God, we need to love that which God loves and hate that which God hates. God loves all people. He loves that which is righteous, that which is just, that which is true, and that which is wholesome. At the same time God hates all sin and all evil because it destroys those whom he loves; that is you, me, and all people.

We are called to take a stand for our Christian faith. As God’s Word says, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You for Your Word, the Bible, that gives instructions for life so that all who live according to Your Word—and in harmony with your will—will learn how to fully live and fully love. Help me always to so live. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. 2 Timothy 4:1-4 (NLT).

2. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NIV).

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I Respectfully Disagree With You

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“Has God said?”1

I was recently discussing the subject of homosexuality with a person who claims to believe in God, but when I shared with her what God’s Word has to say about this subject, she said, “I respectfully disagree with you.”

The fact is, however, she wasn’t disagreeing with me, she was disagreeing with God’s Word, the Bible, and to disagree with the Bible, is to disagree with God. Quite a superior stand to take! Putting one’s self above God is an insidious and ultimately self-destructive stand to take.

Doing this is precisely the essence of sin and is how sin entered the human race through Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. God had given both total freedom to eat of every fruit in the Garden of Eden except for just one fruit. This was a test and an opportunity for them to choose to follow God or to oppose him. When Satan, the devil, disguised as a serpent, came to tempt Adam and Eve, in referring to the forbidden fruit, he said to Eve, “Has God said?”

And then extended to Eve a part truth in order to deceive her. He said to her, “If you eat of the forbidden fruit, you will be as the gods knowing the difference between good and evil.” This was the part truth, but what Satan didn’t say was that if she ate of the forbidden fruit, she would be forever confirmed in a state of sin/evil which would cause her to be separated from God. Sadly, Eve bought into the lie, took of the forbidden fruit, ate it and shared it with Adam, and he ignored God’s directive too.

So Eve set herself up as the judge between God and Satan. In doing this, she fell for the trap, ate of the forbidden fruit as did Adam, and in doing so they brought sin into the human race. In essence Adam and Eve were, through their actions, saying to God, “I respectfully disagree with you.”

So when it comes to issues such as homosexuality, gay marriage, and many other moral issues, has God said? Indeed he has—very clearly in his Word. Whether it be by an individual, a church, a denomination, or a country—we oppose God’s Word and God’s instructions to our peril! The reality is that while God loves all sinners, He hates sin because it is so totally destructive of those whom he loves, and that is you and me. It is also destructive of families and entire nations.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a genuine love for, and an appreciation of, Your Word as found in the Bible, knowing that Your Word is always truth and Your directions for all of life—for this life and preparing us for life beyond the grave in eternity. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Genesis 3:1 (KJV).

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