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Utmost For His Highest…  December 13 Intercessory Prayer

The prior blog briefly mentioned  intercessory prayer. I’m thinking perhaps some clarifications are now in order for all of us.

Utmost today, December 13, titled “Intercessory prayer” cites Luke 18:1 “men always ought to pray and not loose heart”, or quit, or faint, etc. Not surprising, Chambers states “you cannot truly intercede through prayer if you do not truly believe in the reality of redemption. If so, you are only turning intercession into useless sympathy for others, which only increases their contentment for remaining out of fellowship and spiritually floundering.

Interesting how Chambers says true intercession involves bringing either the person or the circumstance, that seems to be crashing in on you in Real Time, before God until you are changed by His attitude toward that very person or circumstance. People describe intercession by saying “It is putting yourself in someone else’s place. That is not true. Intercession is better described as putting yourself in God’s place; and ultimately, having or identifying with His mind and His perspective toward the individual or situation in question.

Chambers warns us as an intercessors, we are not to seek too much information from God about the situations we are praying about, simply because we may become overwhelmed, hindering our prayers because the circumstances of those we’re praying for become so overpowering, that we can no longer see God’s vision to be accomplished because we are unable to get to the underlying truth. God wants our work to be in such close contact with Him that we have His mind about everything we do. If we operate without His mind, we then tend to substitute “doing” for “interceding.” Or could it be said we become merely “human doings” aligning ourselves perhaps with the social justice agenda rather than seeking God’s mind as fulfilled “human beings.” Trust me, those thoughts were not the original Utmost wording.

However, I think Chambers foreseen the emerging social justice shortcut when he said such substituted “doings”  does lead to praying for someone to be merely “patched up” rather than praying the person completely through into contact with very life of God. Pause for a few minutes and reflect on the number of people God has brought across our paths and even in our doors, only to see us drop them! We’re back again to Craig’s message Sunday encouraging us to “pull” others in, rather than to “push” them out. And that’s exactly what happens when we pray on the basis of redemption, for God will create something He can create in no other way than through effectual intercessory prayer.

I am reminded of a story used by Dutch Sheets on the last page (285) of his 25 year old book simply titled “Intercessory Prayer,” now virtually a classic during these last days as we enjoy his “spiritual preppie kingdom.”

Are We Ready?

We need to be like Sam and Jed. Hearing that a $5000 bounty had been offered for the capture or killing of wolves, they became bounty hunters. (Sorry, in typical Dutch fashion, he sometimes omits pressing details that allow our minds closure) Waking up one night, Sam saw that were surrounded by at least 50 pairs of gleaming eyes – ravenous wolves licking hungry chops. “Jed, wake up,” he whispered to his sleeping partner. “We’re rich.” (See, Jed & Sam had all the details (we don’t yet) and KNEW they were going to be rich. Much like God only knows all the details of our heavenly riches!)

Premier Point Here! WE need to see the present multitude of unbelievers (ravenous wolves) around us not as threats, but as limitless opportunities. Our task would be overwhelming were it not for the fact that we are relying on God’s strength and ability, not ours. Though a host should encamp against us, we can still be confident (see Ps. 27:23). Gideon’s 300 were more than enough to defeat 135,000 with God on their side. If He is for us, who can successfully be against us? (see my favorite verses, Rom. 8:31-39)

Let’s demonstrate the awesomeness of our God.

He is ready. Are we?

Are we ready to walk in our calling as an intercessor?

To re – present Jesus as the reconciler and the warrior?

To distribute His benefits and victory?

Are we ready to birth, liberate, to strike the mark?

To fill some bowls, to make some declarations, to watch and pray?

Are we all ready?

I challenge you to also add this book to next year’s reading list. Stop procrastinating! Sometimes available used on thrift books for only $4.69! Exercise your spiritual leadership training. Skip your fancy indulgence just once and really nourish your soul. GO FORTH TODAY GREATLY ENCOURAGED>>>>> mle

My Feeble Response to Archbishop Vigano

Actually, before we leave the Archbishop’s comments, he did state the vaccine campaign of  these injections, although they lack the necessary scientific validity, they serve first, as the apparent legitimization to implement global tracking and controls….. And then secondly, inoculating people with an experimental genetic serum provokes a weakening of our natural immune system assuredly representing a very grave crime against humanity because it turns ordinary healthy people into chronically ill people, and consequently into customers of big pharma and their associates inflating profits for the globalist elites and a general impoverishment of the ever dwindling surviving populations….

Actually, this Vigano insert was well placed following Robison’s spiritual birth in Part One in that this insert depicts a rudimentary or cursory introduction to Christianity’s State of the Union today, only two weeks before Christmas 2021! I read the entire “eye of the needle” Q & A as presented by Sacchetti several times, even though my Latin lacks in contrast to his expressive English and I also largely ignored his free mason rhetoric and references/predictions to future Catholic and Italian leadership.

My primary interest here is how does the church practically prepare now and in the immediate future for this take down and destruction of our society? And especially so, if there is little or no verbal community or church communication and the threat of a grid and internet lock down is imminent and the supply chain shut down (SCSD) is perhaps already past the tipping point?

At several points throughout the article, he took on the role of an OT prophet when he said “Once we have acknowledged Him again as King, Our Lord will not allow His children to perish in battle, and He will reward them with a great victory.” He wisely immediately adds though that “However, until we understand the error that lies at the base of the present horrors, we cannot hope in the intervention of God!”

And that is precisely where I find myself today.

No, I do not think we understand at all the error that lies at the base of our present horrors! But I still hope and pray for the divine intervention of God. I believe too few of the now quite diverse anabaptist community whose forefathers suffered martyrdom widely throughout history and were chased back and forth across Europe during WW I & II from the same forces creating our havoc now, have little for the ideology and vision that founded this country and protected them and their Christian values in relative peace thus far. Yes, the republic certainly wasn’t perfect but the mechanics of the system worked, and if given time, short-comings usually self – corrected. And it worked well provided the  majority of its citizens simply followed the Biblical moral code lessening the need for government intervention.

Notice in the two paragraphs before the question about the formation and location of an “anti-globalist Alliance”, he speaks of a renewal first within the church, that will in time renew His reign in civil society. In the next paragraph, Your Excellency’s eternal optimism appears when he said “This is why I hope and pray that Providence would grant the world a time of peace and conversion, in order to lead back the Pastors and the Flock to fidelity to the Gospel, so that they will be able to face with dignity the final persecution before the Universal Judgement.” I do hear a few Christians today mention that reasoning; God please grant us more time to prepare…. Thereafter he mentions Russia’s potential but nowhere in this article do I recall he mentioning China, the CCP, as a threat. Perhaps that is for another day.

The above words are certainly not the gospel but indeed, fodder for your discernment; defined here as “separating the profound from the profane.” Talk to me. Any ideas? Suggestions? Are we dealing with “dead silence” here, or perhaps we prefer to quip as empty-nesters do, our “silence is golden.” Goes with “Being the quiet in the land” I guess. Yeah, right! See now why I enjoyed the provocation by Archbishop Vigano?

Ever notice how conversation on the trivial stuff of life really flows so easily? Consider the profound –  profane balance again as we typically exit worship. I venture 98% of the verbal conversations heard walking out after a 60 minute worship experience never mentions the sermon or the service even remotely. Seriously, and we just worshiped the Almighty God who created the universe! What are we thinking? You reckon God notices? Just how would you feel, if you were God?

May I offer you yet a different perspective. Several weeks ago I witnessed closing a worship service differently than I ever witnessed prior. Pastor Ken Hawkins of Really Recovered closed his sermon without the traditional closing prayer, hymn and benediction. Instead, the entire audience broke into reverent extemporaneous prayer, whether singularly, as a family, or in clusters of 2-3 persons for perhaps 10-12 minutes before quietly exiting the sanctuary. I experienced it, after the initial shock of being thrust into a “profound expression” rather than being merely on autopilot, as a  very worshipful concluding transition!

Now, be it known, I am avid people watcher where ever! I have stood at the railing in the east balcony and honed in on persons leaving the sanctuary. I do admit less than holy thoughts (not profane but while in the sanctuary, perhaps so?) while critiquing trivial observations such as  their predictable weekly seating locations, who engages conversationally with whom, their  appearances, their hair, their posture (mine is not so hot);“they look so tired,”;  “same outfit as last Sunday?(my memory isn’t that good!)”; “their kids look so bored!”  And to think at times I am guilty of such thoughts immediately after worship! Now that is profane! And He has invited me, actually expects me, to be an intercessor for those I was just “watching”!! May God forgive me and lead me immediately into His paths of righteousness.

I am continually require retooling/renewal. Utmost For His Highest today (Dec 8) says it well from I Cor 1:30 Once we realize we possess all this, including wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption; the limitless joy begins in us. However, WHENEVER THE JOY OF GOD IS NOT PRESENT, THE DEATH SENTENCE IS STILL IN EFFECT. Ouch! It would have been really nice if Chambers would have at least added “perhaps” before “the death sentence” line. Virtually anyone can smile, but when joy pervades your face and beyond, it supercharges your demeanor, even brightening your glow! Advice: Either find and stay close to those with the glow of Joy OR do figure out how God specially gifted you to spiritually jump start (revitalize) the joyless.

Blessings as you “get real(enjoy life) and get out” of your comfort zone>>>>> mle

As promised last time, taken verbatim from Pages 23-26 in James Robison’s book “Living Amazed.”

Several years ago while I was at a luncheon with a group of business leaders, Cathy Hendrick of the Hendrick Motorsports family, was sharing with us at the table about a trip she had made with our LIFE Outreach mission team to India, where it was like stepping onto the set of the Academy Award  – winning movie “Slumdog Millionaire.”

If you’ve seen the film, you know that it portrays a group of children who have been taken captive and forced to beg on the streets of Mumbai – enriching their captors while the children live in poverty. Some were blinded or had their fingers or a hand cut off to make them more effective beggars. But the kids Cathy saw on the streets of India were not movie actors, and the suffering was  real.

She told of how our mission team went to these children and loved and cared for them in our LIFE Centers, which are homes we have established in nations around the world to provide a loving atmosphere, food and clothing, a safe place to sleep, an education, and godly instruction for children in need. And then she said, “I just watched these little kids who were staring at our team, and we would talk to them, and they would say that somebody had left them and they didn’t know if they were ever coming back.”

When she said that, I just broke down and wept at the head table. I cried so hard that I had to lay my head down on the table . You see, I flashed back to the first five years of my life, when my mother would come and get me at the Hales’ when I was three or four years old, and she would take me with her for three or four days at a time, but then she would leave me at somebody’s house because she would have to work and couldn’t take me with her into the homes of her patients.

The people she would leave me with were always really nice to me and would say, “Hey, James, here’s your room, if you want to go into your room.” But I can remember just going to the front window and putting my nose up against the glass or the screen, staring outside for hours, wondering if my mother was coming back to get me. Those times gave me a real feeling of being overlooked –  and it hit me like a ton of bricks when Cathy Hendricks shared her experiences in India.                                                                      

I think that’s why, when I read my Bible, I have such a tender heart for King David. David was a kid who, in the eyes of his own family, didn’t seem very significant. When Samuel came to anoint the next king of Israel from among the sons of Jesse, Jesse didn’t even think to call his youngest son in for consideration. But David was faithful in taking care of the sheep. He loved and protected them. Toiling in obscurity while his older brothers were off serving in Saul’s army, David killed a lion and a bear to protect his sheep. And one day in the same confidence, he would kill Goliath, the enemy of God’s people.                                                                                                                                                                                                        David lived amazed, and God still did amazing things in and through his life. He wasn’t perfect. His failures were epic and legendary. But in the balance, he became known as a man after God’s own heart. Even in his darkest days, he couldn’t stand to be away from the presence of his heavenly Father. He not only lived amazed, but he showed the world amazing grace and a brief glimpse of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

                When looking at David’s exploits, it’s easy to forget that he wasn’t born into privilege; he was plucked from obscurity. And yet God used him mightily. And God can do the same with you and me – if we’re faithful while tending the sheep and not being noticed; if we love the Father; and if we love the family of God, even when they don’t notice us and don’t think we have any ability; and even if we’re young, shy, and scared.                                                                                                           

                I think also of Gideon, whom the Bible describes as the least of the least – not because he was insignificant, but because he felt that way. But God had bigger plans for Gideon, and all Gideon had to do was respond in faith and obedience. How would you like you like to put to flight an army of soldiers  “as numerous as locusts” and camels “as numerous as the sand on the seashore,” and do it with only three hundred soldiers of your own?” That’s the equivalent of an average-sized church congregation in America today taking victory over enemies beyond number. (Sounds rather like our odds today. mle) That’s what living amazed is all about.

                Those years that I lived with my mother allowed me to see the reality of people’s pain. (God never wastes our pain. mle) Today, whenever I see an overlooked child or people who are hurting or lonely, I want to go to them and help them, because I know that God wants to reach out to them. Much of the world today is looking out their windows, with their noses pressed to the glass, and they’re wondering if anyone is noticing, if anyone sees their need or their pain.

Perhaps, if we would just allow the truth of God to penetrate our minds, and then receive the love of God into our hearts, perhaps we could then release God’s truth and love into the world to the folks around us. We would become like a river of life, like the channels of blessings we are intended to be, to those in our proximity who are hurting, lonely, or in despair enabling them to find peace, hope, and rest.

God absolutely sees what is in our hearts. He loves us like a father. He cares about what we care about. Even when we seem not to care about him, He always cares about us, and he’s always watching over us – even before we come to trust Him with our lives and realize that every good and perfect gift comes from above.(Wow, we need to just ruminate on that last paragraph, and drink deeply! Blessings HERE FORWARD!>>>>> mle)                                     

taken verbatim from James Robison’s book “Living Amazed: How Divine Encounters Can Change Your Life” Pages 16-19.

Later that fall, Betty and I went up to the retreat property again. We were sitting out back enjoying the scenery one afternoon when a man in a suit and tie came walking up through the brush. He must have crawled over a barbed wire fence to get in to the property, because the gate at the road was locked. But, there he was.

He introduced himself as Max Copeland and said, “I know this may sound crazy to you, but I’m the pastor of First Baptist Church in Marble Falls, and a few months ago we lost one of our football players. The day he died, every kid in the church who could get a hold of me called to say they weren’t coming back to church anymore, because they had been praying for God to save their friend’s life, and he had died. I mean, their faith was totally devastated.

“But the following Sunday, they were all there in the pews, and they told me about a man who had stopped at the convenience store and shared Jesus with them.

“James, I want you to know that I baptized twenty young people who had accepted Christ in that parking lot after you left. Other kids who had pulled away from God are now on fire for Him. We are experiencing a revival in our town because of this.”

“That is truly amazing,” I said.

“I wonder if you’d be willing to come back and preach to us sometime,” the pastor said.

I told him we were planning to come back and do some hunting soon.

“We have a big barn out in the country where folks could gather. Would you be willing to preach in a barn?”

“I’ll preach anywhere.”

After agreeing that Betty and I would come, I asked him, “How did these kids know who I was? I never told them.”

“I put up a poster about a revival in Austin, in case some of our people wanted to go. The kids saw it and came into my office and said, ‘You see that man in the picture on the poster? He’s the one who stopped and talked to us in the parking lot.”

Several of those young people were the ones who had spoken to me at the revival.

When Betty and I went back to Marble Falls in December, we drove outside of town about fifteen miles, along some country roads, until we found the barn. When we arrived, there were cars everywhere, and a thousand people inside the barn. The population of Marble Falls at the time was only about fifteen hundred, but a thousand of them had come to hear me preach.

When I gave the invitation that night, ninety – nine people came to hear me preach. I remember the exact number because Betty and I were laughing in the car afterward that I almost asked her to come forward so we could get an even hundred.

Brother Max invited us back again the next summer, and we did a three-night crusade at the high school football stadium, where another 176 people made the decision to accept Christ. Out of that parking lot conversation with thirty or forty high school kids, 275 people had now come to Christ.

But the story doesn’t end there.

A few years later, at a crusade in Orland, Florida, a woman approached me after one of the meetings and told me that her daughter had been at that convenience store parking lot in Marble Falls. She had not been a Christian at the time, but with everything that happened afterward, she had come to Christ and had become a beautiful witness for Him. Recently, though, she had been killed in an automobile accident. Although her mother was grieving her loss, she wanted to thank me because she knew that her daughter was in heaven, and she knew that the turning point had been that night outside the market.

When I stopped at the convenience store for chocolate milk that evening, I had no idea what I would find there. And the kids to whom I had spoken had no idea who I was. They didn’t know I was a preacher. I was just some guy that looked like a bum and had a heart for the Lord. And when the Holy Spirit spoke to me, and told me what I needed to say to those grieving kids, I had all the following usual excuses lined up and ready to go.

It’s late, I’m tired. My family’s tired. I’m busy. I need to get home. And even if I could get those kids together long enough to talk with them, why would they listen to me anyway?

But here’s the point of all this: What I did that night could be done by anyone with a heart yielded to God. All it took was being available, been willing, and being obedient to the call. And the result was living amazed.

Early in 2015, I called the church in Marble Falls to see if Brother Maxwell was still around. Indeed, he was, as pastor emeritus. It had been almost fifty years, but he still remembered me. He said he would never forget the day he climbed over a barbed wire fence to come find me, because a brief encounter at a convenience store parking lot had turned his entire town inside out. That’s what living amazed is all about.

Just a few months after I last spoke to him, Max Copeland went to be with the Lord at the age of eighty-five, after sixty-nine years of ministry, including fifty-seven years in Marble Falls. What distinguished his ministry in the minds of all who knew him was his genuine, steadfast love for other people. That’s something we all can emulate.

What the Bible says about LIVING AMAZED

After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed. Matthew 9:33

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Acts 4: 13

 “it could have been done by anyone with a heart yielded to God!! All it took was being available, being willing, and being obedient to the call.”

 Go Forth yielded, available, willing & obedient… while you’re able! >>>>> merlin

Everything has life cycles. We humans, as do empires, nations, ideologies, political parties, businesses, economies, even churches, all ebb and flow, or rise and fall. Humans compared to the other examples I offered, are not organizations and differ in the fact they are created in the image of God, possess a soul, and are capable of experiencing eternity, thereby exempt from the typical life cycle demise.

Most unique and so disturbing to the evolution crowd not wanting to recognize the innate qualities and capabilities God has physically endowed into humans over their animal cousins, and what’s even worse for that crowd, is the fact when humans are in relationship vertically with the Trinity known as Christ Followers, they are empowered by the Spirit and are known to exhibit recognizable supernatural dimensions.

For some reason, while driving the scenic back country roads during my route days, I’d stop when time permitted, in the parking lots of either these evidently failing or already closed churches, and read the signs: you know, the grass not mowed, no gravel, either no sign of identity or welcome; or if so, gravely faded; weeds well rooted and in full bloom, etc. And that is just what I could see. Then my imagination kicks in, and I imagine this churches cycle of life; who were the persons and the events that drove its formation, who were all the individuals and families that came thru its doors for the churches dynamic good years, for weddings, baptisms, funerals, revivals, prayer meetings as they sent young men and women off to war, or during the Cuban missile crisis, or for celebrations such as the ending of wars…

And then I would imagine the leaner years, after the attendance dropped, members were no longer drawn to worshiping, or praising God; evident first in their homes likely because the TV became the family altar replacing Bible reading and prayer, and then as years passed and when the culture lost its morals, followed by the subsequent proliferation of additional addicting forms of entertainment, perhaps even professional sports, accentuated by loss of leadership, whether in the pulpit, or among the elders and deacons, but especially in the pews and the surrounding community.

And once the congregation lost standing, influence or respect throughout the community, whether slowly thru assimilation, or quick and decisive, by such as devastating moral failures, or perhaps discouraging times such as we are witnessing since covid, hospice appeared to be their only option. Their last valiant ditch effort from the three remaining members, all in their upper 80’s, was to donate their edifice to an upstart fellowship in need of their building, but alas, no such qualified individuals could be found anywhere capable and interested in continuing the building’s decaying legacy.

But my vivid imagination observed one of the three had found several of Dr. Terry Teykl’s five books in his home library that he had long forgotten, giving outstanding insight and guidelines into establishing successful prayer in the local church. Sharing these books with the other two remaining members, they decided it was best they tackle the book on establishing a prayer room first. Below are the words of Dr Teykl:

Making Prayer visible in our churches makes it more likely to happen and encourage more people to participate. We must do everything we can to make prayer appealing, from investing in first-class prayer materials to raising up comfortable, inviting places for people to seek God. Prayer does not need to be mercenary to be spiritual.

One of the simplest and yet most profound things a prayer room offers is a place to be alone and still before God. It promotes humility and a visible dependence on God. Prayer rooms also generate and facilitate other prayer ideas given by the Holy Spirit to affect the whole ministry of the church in the community.

Ten Reasons Your Church Needs  A Prayer Room

1. It allows us to schedule prayer in a systematic manner, making it likely to happen. Scheduled prayer is Biblical. If you read in the book of Acts, you will see that the disciples had scheduled times of prayer – 9:00 am in Acts 2:15; 3:00 pm in Acts 3; 12 noon in Acts 10: 9; and 3:00 pm in Acts 10:30. Also, scheduled prayer tends to be inspirational prayer because it is based on a conscious decision to seek God at a given time each week, not merely during a crisis or a feeling.

  2. A prayer room provides an excellent place to keep a record of all the deeds of God in the life of the church – a reminder to thank and praise Him for all He does.

3. Prayer rooms provide places where information can be gathered and prayed over, promoting agreement in prayer.

4. Prayer rooms provide ownership of the church vision and serves as tangible, visible reminders of our commitment to pray.

5. The compassion of Jesus is displayed to the community while we make a statement to them about the importance of prayer.  

6. A prayer room provides a place where prayer can be practiced and matured – a training center for both corporate and individual prayer.

7. An inclusive impact is made on the church because a prayer room brings everyone to one place to pray.

8. Prayer rooms minister the presence of God to those who come, providing a place where people can be quiet and hear the voice of God. Church staff and prayer counselors can use it when a quiet, private place is needed.

9. Prayer rooms encourage soaking prayer – prolonged periods of prayer – persevering prayer. Sometimes it takes persistent prayer to reach a spiritual breakthrough. It is sobering to realize how many prayers fell just short of the mark because we gave up too soon.

10. A prayer room provides a control center for strategic prayer evangelism, for warfare and other prayer ministries.

A prayer room needs to provide privacy and be closed off from outside distractions. It should be comfortable, with a pleasant atmosphere,  – an inviting place to enjoy the Lord’s presence. It’s important that it be safely accessible 24 hours a day, with a telephone and preferably a separate outside entrance that is well-lighted and has a combination lock. It should be inspirational and should have helpful information to guide people as they pray.

Blueprint for the House of Prayer, pp. 48-49

PS

From where I sit at my writing table, I can see Marcus A Yoder’s book, Cathedrals, Castles, and Caves on the shelf. I’ve not read it yet but I always want to inject barn haymows into the three C’s. Part of my anabaptist genealogy I guess, resists the ten point footwork and says that the shop, the summer kitchen, the backyard swing, the spring house, the garden bench, the apple tree crotch in the far corner of the orchard, and the multiple barns, all offer the needed seclusion for engaging times of prayer. But I must remember the most folks do not have access to such organic prayer sites as many of us rural folk do, and  neither do many worship facilities, and neither do too often our homes. Perhaps if we offer such in our corporate worship centers, our homes will follow the example of restoring the Family Altar for praise, prayer, Bible reading and especially, the art of conversation. No devices allowed!  

1.) Define good;

2.) Spiritually, are you more “form” or real “substance?”

Though the title was to get your attention, the questions have merit and I hope they clarify your evaluations of your current spiritual race. Perhaps it is best if we first define the word “good.” The Hebrew word for good is tob. A few of the definitions found in The complete Word Study Dictionary are: “to be happy, acceptable, to do well, right.” The New International Encyclopedia of Bible Words takes it deeper by stating:

“This simple word means “good” in the broadest sense. It includes the beautiful, the attractive, the useful, the profitable, the desirable, the morally right.

The concept that links all these uses of “Good” is evaluation. To determine the good, one must  compare things, qualities, and actions with other things, qualities, and actions.

The account of the Creation introduces tob biblically as God views each day’s work and pronounces it good. God too evaluates. It is in fact because God shared His image and likeness with mankind that human beings have the capacity to make value judgements. But Sin has distorted humanity’s perceptions. (there is that perception word again!) Because of this, only God is able to evaluate perfectly. The writers of the OT were convinced that not only was God the giver and the measure of good but also that He alone knows what is truly beneficial for us and what is morally right. Only because God has shared His evaluation of good in His Word are we who rely on Him able to affirm with confidence that a certain thing, quality, or course of action is beneficial.“

I suggest the key word from the above is evaluation. Adam and Eve chose to evaluate good and acceptable apart from God’s counsel. They made an assessment according to a different set of standards: their own. This has been the root of man’s hostility with the Creator ever since. It has taken various shapes and forms, but it always comes down to this underlying motive: “I know what is right for my life and don’t need anyone to tell me otherwise.” Yet God declares: There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”(Proverbs 16:25).

God certainly knows how easily the line between good and evil can be distorted. If it happened in the garden, how much more easily can it occur today? God warns there will be ways – behavioral patterns, thought processes, beliefs, customs, and yes, even traditions – that seem acceptable by our evaluation but will eventually prove faulty in the building of our lives, and will in time, extract its toll. The results may take months or years to appear or sometimes not even show up until the Day of Judgement. Paul says, “Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later” (I Timothy 5:24 NLT). I can’t speak for you, but the second part of that verse causes me to tremble. Not that I’m scared of God, but rather, I’m terrified to be away from Him, outside His loving presence.

The bottom line is simply this: do I truly believe God’s wisdom is perfect and trust Him for what’s best for my life? Every human being must solidify the answer to this question in their own heart. And this core conviction cannot vary from one matter to another. Either God’s wisdom is perfect in all cases in my life, or it’s flawed, and if the latter, we will consequently attempt to operate independent of Him.

So what is the standard of good we are to trust? What leads to the way of life? The apostle Paul tells us: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. (II Tim. 3:16 NLT)

Perhaps this is an appropriate time to examine several key elements of Paul’s statement.

All Scripture. Notice, it does not say some. And definitely not just the ones we like or agree with. Or those that fit with our way of thinking or believing. Be honest. Do you view God’s wisdom as right in some areas but out of date or irrelevant in other cases?

Consider Eve. She knew God was Creator. She enjoyed the riches of His goodness along with the wonder of His presence. She lived in the ultimate Garden of Eden in peace, harmony, and abundance. Yet – and this is huge! Once convinced by the serpent an area of God’s wisdom wasn’t right, she fell directly into Sin and was removed as was Adam from the garden. So, if Eve could be swayed in a flawless environment of abundance, whatever will be our protection in the midst of the corruption in our culture? Only Scripture and the promised Comforter can and will suffice!

                Consider Scripture an absolute must to teach us what is true and right! Yes, it is so possible for something to have the appearance of good yet be just the opposite. You’ve all experienced concepts, assumptions, opinions, qualities, ways of reasoning and thought patterns that can seem so good and right; yet, not are all so endowed. For these hidden dangers, God has given us a complete play book (manual) so we do not unknowingly veer away from truth and be consumed with the seductive compelling bunny trails frequently leading to death. You know by now of course, the only viable playbook is the Bible. And unfortunately, as with instructions for the assembly of Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve, it is often ignored until it becomes a last resort life preserver event, requiring God’s exquisite gifts of grace and mercy. Perhaps even, again!

                It is pertinent for us to ask ourselves when free from deadline stress and such chaos, am I consistently reading my Bible? Answer honestly. Recall I’ve been giving numerous invites in recent blogs to join the 2022 For LIFE family in reading The One Year Bible! Next, do I actually study it? Do I spend time searching out God’s wisdom for the specifics of my life, my family, my peers? Or do I, like Eve, just presume I’m fluent in His Word, you know, I show up all decked out in my Sunday morning sometimes fake smile (my form) too often accompanied with little or no internal  “spiritual substance of merit?”

So in summary, perhaps the big question is just this: while living on this uniquely corrupted planet earth while also battling the ever conniving tempter Satan – do I really believe I am better than the historical Eve in her Garden of Eden, at understanding and obeying God’s truths, staying relationally aligned both vertically with the Trinity and horizontally with peers, community, and other Christ Followers?  May God have mercy on my soul as I struggle to stay in the race!

Good or God? Why Good Without God Isn’t Enough. John Bevere Pages 29-31. My apologies to John as I exercised considerable latitude and license in editing his text this time. Just seemed appropriate as I read tonight but you’ll never know the extent unless you have a copy.

I am fully aware much of my material of late is perhaps too elementary for many of you, so on this blog I attempted to reintroduce the basics with a different twist.  John Bevere has an amazing testimony and God has richly blessed him and his family as world class faith facilitators with their renown Ambassadors International organization. I do admit though I occasionally will swallow hard at times when reading some of his writings, and having read most of his books, I know that is rare and I’m deeply indebted to John and  owe him much gratitude for his teaching, wisdom, and encouragement that he has imparted to me over the years.    

Too often of late I’ve heard the phrase “All we can do is pray.” That misguided statement reminds me of the amazing role played by some Czech citizens in World War II.

In Elmer Bendiner’s book, The Fall of Fortresses, he describes one bombing run over the German city of Kassel: “Our B-17 (the Tondelayo) was barraged by flack from Nazi anti-aircraft guns. That was not unusual, but on this particular occasion our gas tanks were hit. Later, as I reflected on the miracle of a twenty-millimeter shell piercing the fuel tank without touching off an explosion, our pilot, Bohn Fawkes, told me it was not quite that simple.

“On the morning following the raid, Bohn had gone down to ask our crew chief for that shell as a souvenir of unbelievable luck. The crew chief told Bohn that not just one but eleven had been found in the gas tanks – eleven un-exploded shells where only one was sufficient to blast us out of the sky. It was as if the sea had been parted for us. Even after thirty-five years, so awesome an event leaves me shaken, especially after I heard the rest of the story from Bohn.

“He was told that the shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused. The armorers told him that intelligence had picked them up. They could not say why at the time, but Bohn eventually sought out the answer. Apparently, when the armorers opened each of these shells, they found no explosive charge. They were clean as a whistle and just as harmless. Empty? Not all of them.

“One contained  a carefully rolled piece of paper. On it was a scrawl in Czech. The Intelligence people scoured our base for a man who could read Czech. Eventually, they found one to decipher the note. It set us marveling. Translated, the note read: “This is all we can do for you now.”

All we can do?! The pilots on that B-17 certainly didn’t have a small opinion of what those Czechs had done. Nor did the wives, children, or grandchildren of those airmen. Not to mention the lives they saved in the future as they helped deliver the world from Adolph Hitler. “All we can do . . .!”

This is often what I think when I hear people bemoan their helplessness or lack of contribution as they pronounce, “All we can do is pray.” What better activity could a person possibly do? We can impact the world, secure destinies and affect eternity through prayer.

Watchman Prayer: How to Stand Guard and Protect Your Family, Home, and Community. Dutch Sheets Pages 108-110.

“Happy is the man who finds wisdom…. All the things you desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are those who retain her. (Prov. 3:13-18)

Scripture shows that God’s wisdom to our lives results in fruitful living, productivity, success, a long life peace of mind, and honor. A tree is something others partake of. According to this scripture, if we follow the way of life (wisdom), we become a tree of life – a source of nourishment to those who partake of what we produce. Conversely, if live by the wisdom of man, we will become a detrimental tree, and those who partake of what we produce will gravitate toward toil, stress, insufficiency, sickness, selfishness, and other byproducts of spiritual death.

Returning to Proverbs 14:12. We read, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” When we examine the first part of this verse, we know it can easily apply to anyone, Christian and nonbeliever alike. There is a way that seems right – it seems good, wise, beneficial, strategic, acceptable, profitable, and so forth. Yet the warning is clear: what seems good may actually bee detrimental, harmful, and nonproductive – the way of death.

The author of Hebrews writes this sobering exhortation to believers: …We have much to say…. Since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food…. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Heb. 5:11-12, 14).

It is clear that discernment is a key factor in determining what is truly good and what is truly evil. In other words, what’s truly good is not always clear to our natural thinking, reasoning, or senses.

You may ask, “Didn’t the author of Hebrews say that our senses can be trained to tell the difference?” He did, but what senses was he referring to? You’ll notice at the beginning of these verses, the author said he was writing to these Christians whose hearing had grown dull. What hearing was he referring to? Did all the Hebrew believers need hearing aids? Hardly. He was referencing the ability to hear in our hearts. Jesus constantly taught, “he who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matt. 11:15). Virtually all those who received this teaching had physical ears, yet not all of them had a discerning heart to hear the Word of God, which was best for their lives.

One of Jesus’s main team member, Peter, spoke of protection and long life to Jesus. It seemed certain that he was giving his Boss good counsel. Yet Jesus reprimanded him sharply by stating his interests were clearly not God’s (see Matt. 16:21-23). This is only one of many scriptural examples I could give illustrating how good and evil are not openly evident.

Solomon prayed, “Give me an understanding heart so that I can … know the difference between right and wrong. (I Kings 3:9 NLT). It takes an enlightened heart, one that is trained, to identify what God calls good and evil. Eve was perfect in every way, and in the garden where she resided the presence of God was powerful and strong. However, what she discerned to be good, pleasant, and profitable was actually evil and detrimental for her life. She was deceived and suffered because of it.

And thus, we are brought to the purpose of this book: To illuminate, through the Scriptures and the help of the Holy Spirit, the difference between what is good for your life and what ultimately will be detrimental. If Eve, who was perfect and living in a flawless environment, could still be deceived, how much easier is it for those of us with imperfect minds and living in a corrupted world – a skewed society –  to be deceived into judging what is damaging to be good?

Good or God? Why Good Without God Isn’t Enough? John Bevere pages 10-12.

In these times the terms good and God are seemingly synonymous . We believe that what is generally accepted as good must be aligned with God’s will. Generosity, humility, and justice are good. Selfishness, arrogance and cruelty are evil. The distinction seems pretty forward. But is that all there is to it? If good is so obvious, why does Hebrews 5:14 teach that we must have discernment to recognize it?

The apostle Paul writes, “ Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Roman12:2). We cannot discern what is truly good for our lives without first having our minds renewed. Without the transformation that comes through the renewing of our minds, we miss out on the amazing, God – infused life available to us in Christ.

Before the foundation of the world, God designed a plan for your life, one that is overflowing with fulfilled purpose, immense joy, and great satisfaction. His will and plan for you are perfectly and completely good. But there is a counterfeit good that can keep you from embracing God’s best.

Sadly, many of us have settled for the knockoff. We’ve unknowingly (and at times knowingly) rejected God in pursuit of what’s apparently good.

The early church leaders repeatedly warned us about this deception. To be so deceived is to believe we’re aligned with the truth, when in actuality, we’re not. (OUCH, Careful now!) Jesus Himself warned that deception would be so cleverly concealed in our time the elect could fall prey to it. Can we treat these warnings lightly? Can we brush them off, assuming we are above deception and instinctively discern good from evil?    

The good news is that God is not trying to hide His best from us. He’s not in the business of pulling the shades over our eyes. He promises that those who seek will find. If we commit to the journey of seeking truth, we will not be duped by its counterfeit. The question is, will we look to the Source of truth, or will we settle for a superficial knowledge of God and His good will? My hope is that in reading this book, we will solidify our resolve never to settle for less than God’s best.

May we pray before we begin:

Father, in Jesus’s name, open my eyes, ears, and heart to see, hear, and perceive You will for my life. Holy Spirit, teach me, deeply and profoundly, the ways of Jesus Christ as I read this message. I look to You as my Teacher. May You speak to me from every sentence of this book. May my life be changed forever. Amen.

John Bevere, author of “Good or God? Why Good Without God Isn’t Enough!”                                                 

Prayer Changes Everything… Two True Accounts Offering Eternal Perspectives….

When George McCluskey married and started a family, he decided to invest one hour a day in prayer, because he wanted his kids to follow Christ. After a time, he expanded his prayers to include his grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. Every day between 11:00 AM and noon, he prayed for the next three generations.

As the years went by, his two daughters committed their lives to Christ and married men who went into full time ministry. The two couples produced four girls and one boy. Each of the girls married a minister, and the boy became a pastor.

The first two children born to this generation were both boys. Upon graduation from high school, the two cousins chose the same college and became roommates. During their sophomore year, one boy decided to go into the ministry. The other didn’t. He undoubtedly felt some pressure to continue the family legacy, but he chose instead to pursue his interest in psychology.

He earned his doctorate and eventually wrote books for parents that became bestsellers. He started a radio program heard on more than a thousand stations each day. The man’s name – James Dobson.

Talk about the power of prayer! The next time you’re blessed by Focus on the Family or one of Dobson’s books, thank God for a generational watchman, George McCluskey.

Many kids are not as blessed with praying fathers.

At a 1994 Promise Keepers’ Conference in Denton Texas, Pastor James Ryle told his story:

When he was two years old, his father was sent to prison. When he was seven, authorities placed him in an orphanage. At 19, he had a car wreck that killed a friend. He sold drugs to raise money for his legal fee, and the law caught up to him. He was arrested, charged with a felony and sent to prison.

While in prison James accepted Christ, and after he served his time, he eventually went into the ministry. Years later he sought out his father to reconcile with him. When they got together, the conversation turned to prison life.

James’s father asked, “Which prison were you in?”

James told him, and his father was taken back. “I helped build that prison,” he said. He had been a welder who went from place to place building penitentiaries.

Pastor Ryle concluded, “I was in the prison my father built.”

Indeed! In more ways than one. These are amazing stories, powerfully contrasting two possibilities. We can either build prisons for our children or through prayer build fruitful lives that bless others.

Watchman Prayer: How to Stand Guard and Protect Your Family, Home and Community by Dutch Sheets, pages 105-107.