It takes a very humble and very willing servant of Yeshua, the Everlasting God, to put one foot in front of the other and walk the road high enough to pray in agreement with these words. For the sake of these souls – both the lost whom Christ loved and died for as well as for us, and for those who would be their next victims, I pray we would each examine our hearts and be willing to walk that high road, following closely behind our Savior.
Tag: prayer
Halfhearted Won’t Do
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
Have you ever had someone come in the room and try talking to you when you’re in the middle of watching tv? You try listening to what’s being said but half your attention is still on your show. You end up either missing what’s going on on the tube (that’s what we called it in the old days – the “tube”), or you miss most of what was said, and you end up nodding your head, pretending you heard, or you have to fess up and say “What did you say?”.
God says we will find Him when we seek Him with our whole heart. Why? Why can’t we seek Him with part of our heart? Because then the rest of our heart is seeking after something else, or many somethings else.
Our attention would be divided, and our God’s is a still, small voice.
He has visions to give, wisdom to impart, paths to share, but He won’t compete with the world. He won’t compete with us. There is room for only one throne in the heart of each person. If we’re on it, God can’t be. But when we get down, all the way down, get rid of the distractions, and let God have His rightful place, then we’re in the position to hear Him.
Then we’ll find Him. And that’s where the real treasure is.
Grace and peace,
The Garden of Crushing
“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with Him, and He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me’” Matthew 26:36-38
Jesus and the apostles walked around the massive, ancient olive trees, past the cemeteries, to the foot of the mountain and into the garden of Gethsemane. The word Gethsamane means oil press.
Olives are not just squeezed to make oil, they must be crushed. The better the olive, the better and purer the oil.
Christ walked deep into the garden and allowed the Father to begin to crush Him.
The physician Luke even noted in 22:44 “And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”
He had matured, that is, He had all but finished His work, like the olives that are ready for crushing. In a garden is where sin entered the world, and there in the garden of Gethsamane would now be the beginning of victory over it.
And there Christ personified the olive oil that was so precious and significant.
In the way it was used as an offering, He would be the sacrifice, once for all.
In the way it was used as currency, He would be the payment for all sins.
In the way it was used to anoint for service, He would anoint His Church.
In the way it was used as fuel for lamps to give light, His Spirit would fill us and make us a light for all the world to see and glorify Him.
In the way it was used to beautify wives, Christ would beautify and prepare His Bride.
In the way the olive branch is a symbol of peace and victory, through Him and His sacrifice there would be peace between God and man, and victory over all sin.
And if there was a shred of doubt left in anyone’s mind about whether or not this was all the Father’s doing —
“So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to Him, went out and asked them, ‘Who is it you want?’
‘Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied.
‘I am He,’ Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, ‘I am He,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.” John 18:3-6
The power of God accomplishes what it will, and when God wants to bring people to their knees, they fall to their knees. These men who came under their own authority found they had none at all. All authority rested with God’s Son.
While Jesus’s prayers empowered Him, the apostles’ lack of prayer weakened them, again causing Peter and the others to lean on their own devices instead of Christ. Peter lobbed off the ear of the servant Malchus, and they would all eventually desert their Friend.
After Jesus healed the servant’s ear, He allowed them to bind him and take Him away.
Never Say Never
Jesus and His friends had just finished eating Passover supper, where Jesus revealed to them that Judas would betray Him. I wonder at the thoughts that ran through the minds of the eleven, perhaps looking at Judas in horror and judgment, saying to themselves they would never do that.
Jesus then used the bread and the cup to remind them again that He was about to give up His body and His blood as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. He looked into their eyes and urged them “…do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
“When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Then Jesus told them, ‘This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.’ (Zechariah 13:7)
Peter replied, ‘Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.’
‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’
But Peter declared, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’ And all the other disciples said the same.
Matthew 26:31-35
They stood at the Mount of Olives – a mountain ridge that held not only olive groves, but cemeteries, as well. Surely there the gravity of the circumstances would sink into their hearts. And suddenly He was telling them that not only would Judas betray them, but the rest of them would, too.
The disciples’ response to Him showed they still trusted in themselves over Jesus and over the prophecy laid out in God’s Word. It was this thinking – their pride, their self-sufficiency, their leaning on their own understanding – that led them to fall away.
They had allowed the seeds of pride sin to be planted in their minds and they were budding. Soon they would see how watering those seeds with pride and fear would quickly grow them into weeds that were out of control.
Never say, “I would never do that…” Never judge another person’s actions and say “I would never…”
The Lord knows what we are capable of. He warns us today the way He warned his friends that night. He tells us to “Be alert. Be watchful. Be prayerful. Be humble. Be sober in your thinking of yourselves.”
If we haven’t done or said something that shocked us then we haven’t yet faced the kind of overwhelming fear that could lead us to betraying Christ.
But times are changing fast. It should come as no surprise to anyone that conditions are becoming more and more hostile toward Believers. What are we willing to give up to follow Christ? Our friends? Our family? Our reputations? Our livelihood? Our freedom?
We have yet to face anywhere near the kind of pressure the disciples faced on the night they ran and hid and denied ever knowing Christ.
They all meant what they said that night as they stood among the olive trees, burial caves and tombstones, but in just 24 hours they would come to find out just how shallow and immature their faith still was.
But faith grows in the face of trouble.
Of course Jesus knew who and what they were, that they were still spiritual babes. He would give them another chance to heed His warning, as God’s mercy often does. He would lead them to the garden, taking Peter, James and John even closer.
Grow closer, my friends. Don’t wait until the enemy makes it personal…makes you choose. Choose Him now. Be resolute to walk with Him all the way to the cross.
Tomorrow: The Garden
Badge of Honor
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’” John 15:18-25
“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:21-22
More and more I’m seeing headlines about someone in America being sued or fired because of their faith in Christ. This is of course just a small taste of the persecution Christians and Jews are facing around the world.
And every time I see one of those headlines I’m as surprised and disgusted as anybody. But we can’t be; we must expect it. Persecution is increasing, and we need to prepare ourselves that we may one day see it knock on our own door. Jesus warned the apostles and He warns us now: we will be hated.
The word for hated in these verses means to detest, especially to persecute. This is not your run of the mill kind of hatred. It’s not just a feeling. This is hatred that is so vile and deep that it moves the person to act on their hatred, to systematically and methodically harm a person or group.
What I find interesting is that this is the complete opposite of compassion, which is to be so deeply filled with sympathy that it moves a person to action. Regardless of how much Christ was hated, He consistently demonstrated compassion His whole life. He’s our example of how to live a holy life in the face of persecution.
The Spirit enables us, we just need to decide if we’re willing. Let God take care of the persecutors, we must be faithful to Christ, to pray and to live holy and upright lives, not giving the enemy a foothold.
Jesus makes a point to remind us though, that all this is not without the hope of our promised salvation and reward.
In the meantime, we can pray to have the same attitude as the apostles who were arrested and jailed by the high priest and the Sanhedrin – people who claimed to know God and should have believed in His Son alongside the apostles – for teaching and healing in the name of Christ.
The apostles were flogged, ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus (which they promptly disobeyed) and let go. And Acts 5:41-42 says “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.”
Rejoicing because they had been counted to worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. From our own perspective it’s an awful thing to suffer persecution, but from a spiritual standpoint, the apostles saw it as a badge of honor. It meant they were living their lives for Christ in such a way that they suffered as their Lord had said they would. It meant the Spirit was moving, lives were being changed, souls were being convicted…and the enemy was not happy.
But I’d give anything to see the smile on Jesus’s face as He watched them fulfill what He called them to do.
In His great grace,
The Power of the Spoken Word
“And God said, ‘Let there be light…'” Genesis 1:3
Not one other person existed when God created the world so there was no one else to hear Him, and yet He spoke it into existence. He didn’t just think it, He said it. Why? Because there is power in the spoken word.
And there are no other words more powerful than those written in scripture, no other author more sovereign than the one who spoke the world into existence.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Today is World Read Aloud Day (which I personally think is fantastic). And what better words to read out loud than God’s Word? Can you imagine if believers all around the world today opened their Bibles and breathed aloud God’s eternal truth? If we drowned out the hateful words that fill the air with God’s exceedingly more powerful word of love? If we spoke the light within us into the darkness; if we stormed the gates of hell with the pillars of life, if we filled the heavens with the ancient way of the Almighty God in the face of the enemy who seeks to threaten the very lives of believers in some parts of the world and increasingly hardens hearts and minds toward believers everywhere?
Ask the Lord to put on your heart a portion of scripture to read aloud today and then make it a prayer. It might not feel effective (and I’m sure the enemy will tell you that very thing), but remember, God began the universe with four words.
Be Strong and Courageous
Moses had just died and was buried, and the time for grieving was over. The Lord now called Joshua to take his place. The man who’d been Moses’s aide, his servant, the #2 guy, the one who was used to taking orders, would now lead God’s chosen people into the Promised Land.
God began to prepare Joshua for the long and grueling road ahead, and His instruction was carefully studded with these words:
“Be strong and courageous…” Josh 1:6
“Be strong and very courageous…” Josh 1:7
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Josh 1:9
God didn’t say it just once and move on. He repeated it, with increasing emphasis, three times. He wanted Joshua to remember.
The Lord was with Joshua throughout their journey, giving him instruction, instruction that sometimes made no sense at all. But Joshua had learned to take instruction, to be a humble servant, and humility always makes the best leaders.
It would not be the last time the Lord would remind Joshua to not be afraid.
Sometimes we can read these ancient stories and forget that these were real people. Joshua was just a man, just a human being with flesh and blood like all of us. And there were times he was inclined to be afraid, and why the Lord had to periodically remind him not to be.
It’s been eleven years since the Lord spoke to me the words “Be strong and courageous” four times in the span of one month. The very next month I would begin a journey of health issues, mysterious symptoms and pain, and the Lord has had to remind me many times not to be afraid, that He was with me.
Throughout this journey, He’s blessed me at just the right times – times when I didn’t think I could take one more step – with a message, a teaching, a friend, to remind me to be strong and courageous.
There have been times on this road that I’ve looked back with regret that I wasn’t as strong and courageous as I felt the Lord had called me to be. But I see that it wasn’t just a call at the beginning of the journey, it’s been what the journey is about. It’s been about making me strong and courageous, it’s been about strengthening my spiritual muscles, as any trial worth its weight is wont to do.
And without those reminders, those messages, those Spirit-filled whispers of scripture, those perfectly timed words from friends, I would have sunk into quicksand and never come out.
After the Lord finished giving instruction to Joshua, Joshua then turned and gave instruction to God’s people.
“Then they answered Joshua, ‘Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!” Joshua 1:16-18
These are the kinds of friends to have – and to be – especially on the front lines of serving God where the enemy is sometimes the closest.
We need friends to remind us to take courage, to look up, to remind us of our purpose and the reason why God saved us – for our eternity, yes, but also to be a light in this dark world. We need friends to help us put our hand back on the plow and remind us that “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Cor. 4:17-18
We need friends to remind us that that which is unseen, the Lord Almighty, is the One who strengthens us, and He is with us. We are not alone. The clearer our vision settles on God, the stronger and more courageous we’ll be.
There are friends around each one of us who are going through something hard. Let’s look up from our own struggles every once in a while and be that encouragement.
They may not tell you how much they’re struggling, but if you’re careful to look you’ll see it in their eyes. If you listen, you’ll hear it in their voice. And most importantly, if you listen to the Lord, He’ll show you who needs prayer, a kind word, a hug, a cup of coffee or lunch, a friend.
You just may be the one who keeps someone from slipping into the sinking sand.
Prayer Attitudes
“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of his reverent submission.” Hebrews 5:7-8
Don’t think you have to come to God all stoic and speaking like you’re reading out of the King James Bible with a lot of thous and thees, or that you have to pretend to have it all together. God doesn’t want pomp and circumstance, He wants your heart. He wants you.
It’s okay to come to Him when you’re depressed and crying or riddled with anxiety. In fact, it’s imperative that you do come to Him in those times. Jesus did.
But it is also possible, and even necessary, to keep an attitude of reverent submission at the same time.
Come into the Light with all your heart, keeping no secrets and leaving nothing behind. He is El Roi, the God who sees you. He already knows, He loves you, and He wants to heal you and grow you into spiritual maturity. He has plans for you and rewards for those who diligently seek Him. Don’t be afraid. Be excited!
Grace and Peace,
The Wilderness Trip
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.” Luke 4:1-2
The wilderness is a lonely place to be. In fact, the Greek word for wilderness means lonesome. Sometimes we’re called to be in a spiritual wilderness, and in those times it’s good to remember that Jesus Himself was called to one, too. Not only was He called, He was led there by the Holy Spirit, knowing He would be tempted by the enemy. Why would the Father do that? He was already full of the Holy Spirit (and I’ll get back to that in a minute), so what else did He need?
He needed to identify with us.
Hebrews 4:15 tells us “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin.”
As the Father prepared Jesus for ministry through suffering, He also must prepare and discipline us if we’re going to do any good work for Him, and that can mean a wilderness experience. It may be 40 days like Jesus’s, and it may be 40 years like Moses’s. God appoints the time.
When we are in the wilderness, we can know we’re not alone. Our Lord has already been there and understands. He is not just some high and lofty God looking down with judgment. He knows what it is to be tempted by evil. He knows what it is to be hungry. He knows what it is to suffer. He sees us and He has compassion, and when we’re in the wilderness we can take comfort in knowing Jesus is right there.
I know all the various trials I’ve been through in my wilderness experiences have given me an understanding into the hearts of those who are suffering that I never would have had otherwise. It’s turned my sympathy into empathy, and I see the pain in their eyes and their hearts a little bit better. I know better how to pray for them.
Jesus is our example of enduring suffering and yet not sinning. He shows us what to do when we’re tempted by evil. But His example starts with being full of the Spirit.
Don’t be caught off guard when God decides it’s time to prepare you in the wilderness. Be full of the Holy Spirit right now and every day. Be prayed up and obeyed up. Forgive and ask for forgiveness. And keep your eyes fixed on the One who understands every step through the wilderness.
Pain That Earns a Crown
“1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:1-5
Did you know that in the Greek, the word for rejoice in verse 2 – “rejoice in the hope of the glory of God”….is the same word for glory in verse 3 – “glory in tribulations…”
Rejoicing and glorying in the hope of the glory of God: yes. But they aren’t exactly the first words I think of when I think of my tribulations – or pressure – as the Greek describes it. In our modern vernacular we might say “being stuck between a rock and hard place.” There’s no place to go, no way out, and nothing we can do about it. And for this we are to rejoice just as we are to rejoice in the hope, or expectation, of the glory of God.
How can we do that?
Just as we can rejoice in what will come as a result of our hope, our faith, our expectation: the glory of God, we can also rejoice in what will come as a result of our tribulations: perseverance…character…hope. Just as we wait for the glory of God Himself, we wait for the glory of God to be made manifest in ourselves through our sufferings. It’s through pain and suffering that we’re conformed to the image of God’s Son.
Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 as a runner who competes. A lot of training goes into an athlete before competition, and spiritually speaking, tribulations are our God-given trainer.
A runner runs until his feet bleed, his shins ache and his muscles spasm, but he doesn’t give up. A boxer hits a speed bag, a heavy bag and a sparring partner until he’s bruised, bloodied and his knuckles are raw, but he doesn’t give up.
No matter what opponent you’re facing, don’t give up. It may be more than you bargained for, it may leave you in tears and breathless, it may bruise your soul, but don’t give up. Trust in the One who sees you, the One who uses pain to produce in His children His own character. Allow our loving Father to discipline and prepare you, to mature and perfect you for whatever He has planned – in this life and the next – so that you may run the race and win the crown.
Grace and mercy,