Are you familiar with the term "Prayer Warriors?" It generally is used to refer to certain people who seem to be specially gifted in prayer. It lends itself to the idea a group of people who are called upon to pray in an especially dedicated way. It seems to be used chiefly to indicate a special class of Christians and Christian ministry. But let me assure you that is not so.
Anyone who prays is a prayer warrior as our prayers are not only petitions to God, they are an affront to or an attack on Satan. While God loves and encourages prayer, Satan despises and wars against them. If you are to bring your requests to God in prayer, it will be over Satan's best efforts to stop you.
In Ephesians 6:12, Paul warns us, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Then he commands, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground" (v. 13). "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (v. 18).
Do you see the connection? Paul tells us to acknowledge our enemy is the spiritual forces of evil and we need, therefore, to put on the full armor of God so that we can take our stand against the Evil One in prayer. To pray is to engage in spiritual warfare. Prayer qualifies you as a prayer warrior.
Now, how good of a prayer warrior you are and how effective your prayers tend to be are separate matters. Some soldiers cringe in the foxhole while others take aim from there. Some advance on the battle field, others retreat. There are some Bravehearts and there are some faint of heart. All of us who pray are prayer warriors but just how much of one depends.
The effectiveness of our prayers to God depend upon three things: 1) How righteous we are ("the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective" (Js 5:16). 2) How godly our prayer is ("if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 Jn 5:14). And, 3) Perseverance or the act of continuing in prayer regardless ("will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?" (Lk 18:7).
Live right, ask right and keep right on praying until you have seen the results of your prayer or you have the assurance in your heart that it will be so. Once you begin to pray something for someone, don't stop until you see the result. This might take a day or years. I've been praying for my children since before their births.
Being an effective prayer warrior does not require a special skill in the art of prayer, it requires only a special commitment or a heart of prayer. Effective prayer is prayer that comes from one who yields to the Father, seeks the Father's will and waits on the Father's answer. If you pray, you are a prayer warrior. To be an effective one, seek God's will from an honest heart and do not give up. Jus' Say'n.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Acting The Fool
Growing up, church was serious business. Every time the doors were opened, we were there. Clean clothes, hair combed, faces washed all the way around behind the ears. We were to sit quietly unless singing, listen attentively to the preacher and, most importantly, no monkey business would be tolerated. Church was a somber, sober time of reverence to the Lord, not a time to act the fool.
I remember the time when I was about 10 and the preacher was taking a break from hellfire and damnation preaching to talk about heaven. He painted such a marvelous picture that I found myself smiling from ear to ear. My Dad, noticing my exceptional display of teeth, said under his breath, "Wipe that silly grin off your face! We're in church." No sir, no acting the fool allowed.
King David's wife, Michal, felt the very same way. When the Ark of The Covenant was finally brought back to Jerusalem, he took off his outer clothing, "dancing before the Lord with all his might" (2 Sam 6:14). But when Michal "saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart" (vs. 16). This would have risen to the level of "Tom foolery" except there weren't any Toms yet, so it was just David acting a fool as far as Michal was concerned, and, in front of the slave girls at that!
David, however, was having none of her judgment and refused to allow her view of decorum to douse the flame of joy and celebration he felt within his heart. Rather then feeling ashamed as her words were meant to inspire, he double-downed and shot back across the bow, "I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor" (v. 21b-22).
David danced for an audience of One. The slave girls could see what Michal could not, the King was authentically worshipping and celebrating the Lord - an act of reverence, bounded by joy. The apostle Paul had a similar attitude as that of David. He knew that people looking on as he and the other apostles gave up their careers, families and positions within their communities, would see them as fool hardy. Rather than apologize, he proudly proclaimed, "We are fools for Christ" (1 Cor 4:10). Moreover, he challenged those who considered themselves too wise to lower themselves in such a foolish way, "you should become 'fools' so that you may become wise" (1 Cor 3:18).
David and Paul were not concerned that others thought they were acting the fool because they were not acting or performing for the benefit or consideration of others. They thought only to honor and celebrate God. What other might have to say had no bearing on what their authentic worship or service would look like.
I have known so many who say they would like to raise their hands in worship or shout hallelujah or fall to their knees in prayer but were constrained by their fear of being judged by others for looking the fool. Two of the greatest men of God in the Old Testament and the New chose to appear to act the fool in the eyes of others in order to authentically celebrate and worship the Lord. Wouldn't you say that they are a pretty fair endorsement of risking being seen as foolish or even leaving that silly grin on your face as you celebrate the Lord? Jus' Ask'n.
I remember the time when I was about 10 and the preacher was taking a break from hellfire and damnation preaching to talk about heaven. He painted such a marvelous picture that I found myself smiling from ear to ear. My Dad, noticing my exceptional display of teeth, said under his breath, "Wipe that silly grin off your face! We're in church." No sir, no acting the fool allowed.
King David's wife, Michal, felt the very same way. When the Ark of The Covenant was finally brought back to Jerusalem, he took off his outer clothing, "dancing before the Lord with all his might" (2 Sam 6:14). But when Michal "saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart" (vs. 16). This would have risen to the level of "Tom foolery" except there weren't any Toms yet, so it was just David acting a fool as far as Michal was concerned, and, in front of the slave girls at that!
David, however, was having none of her judgment and refused to allow her view of decorum to douse the flame of joy and celebration he felt within his heart. Rather then feeling ashamed as her words were meant to inspire, he double-downed and shot back across the bow, "I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor" (v. 21b-22).
David danced for an audience of One. The slave girls could see what Michal could not, the King was authentically worshipping and celebrating the Lord - an act of reverence, bounded by joy. The apostle Paul had a similar attitude as that of David. He knew that people looking on as he and the other apostles gave up their careers, families and positions within their communities, would see them as fool hardy. Rather than apologize, he proudly proclaimed, "We are fools for Christ" (1 Cor 4:10). Moreover, he challenged those who considered themselves too wise to lower themselves in such a foolish way, "you should become 'fools' so that you may become wise" (1 Cor 3:18).
David and Paul were not concerned that others thought they were acting the fool because they were not acting or performing for the benefit or consideration of others. They thought only to honor and celebrate God. What other might have to say had no bearing on what their authentic worship or service would look like.
I have known so many who say they would like to raise their hands in worship or shout hallelujah or fall to their knees in prayer but were constrained by their fear of being judged by others for looking the fool. Two of the greatest men of God in the Old Testament and the New chose to appear to act the fool in the eyes of others in order to authentically celebrate and worship the Lord. Wouldn't you say that they are a pretty fair endorsement of risking being seen as foolish or even leaving that silly grin on your face as you celebrate the Lord? Jus' Ask'n.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
God is Good
Just over a decade ago I was in Honduras for the first time. It was also the first time I heard the refrain "God is good all the time, all the time God is good." It was a message we were sharing in a place where the more fortunate lived in metal roofed shacks with roughly the square footage of a medium-sized Tuff Shed but not nearly as nice.
Others lived in cardboard boxes or hovels put together with whatever scraps could be found. Many simply slept under a tree or whatever overhang was available. Few had shoes, virtually no children were seen with footwear. Health and dental care were non-existent in the villages, and even simple medicines like aspirin were not to be found. Even food and potable water were in short supply, making for many bellies empty except for the parasites that came from the drinking supply and sleeping on dirt floors.
How could we claim that God is good all the time to a people who had so little and suffered so much? More importantly, why would they believe it? Where was the goodness of God to be seen? It was seen in the children of God who came at their own expense, bringing medical and dental supplies, food, shoes and building little metal roofed shacks that seemed like mansions to those who had no place to lay their heads.
While the world was not always good, God was good and he had sent Christian workers, many of whom were teenagers, to share their faith and their goods. We helped erect church buildings and community centers, provided portable water filtration with each house built, taught marketable skills, provided more of a hand up than a hand out. They began to see clearly how good God was when invited into their families and communities. The world continued to be harsh but God's presence was a healing balm.
In my work as a hospice chaplain, I deal daily with people dying and their families. I share this truth with them and part of the reason they agree is because they see the goodness of God in Arkansas Hospice nurses, aides, social workers, doctors and chaplains. I hear them describe our people as angels as the families express how grateful they were for the blessing of hospice.
I see the same thing at the recovery group home called Samaritan House, where I volunteer to preach. I hear it when the area churches gather to go out in teams to complete community projects, pass out clothes and provide food for the hungry and homeless. His goodness is revealed anytime, anywhere that His children go in His name, doing the "good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph 2:10).
God is good all the time and when his children are living as his children are called to live, his goodness is seen continually in and through us. If you and/or people around you are not seeing the truth of His constant goodness, what on earth are you doing for goodness sake? Jus' Ask'n.
Others lived in cardboard boxes or hovels put together with whatever scraps could be found. Many simply slept under a tree or whatever overhang was available. Few had shoes, virtually no children were seen with footwear. Health and dental care were non-existent in the villages, and even simple medicines like aspirin were not to be found. Even food and potable water were in short supply, making for many bellies empty except for the parasites that came from the drinking supply and sleeping on dirt floors.
How could we claim that God is good all the time to a people who had so little and suffered so much? More importantly, why would they believe it? Where was the goodness of God to be seen? It was seen in the children of God who came at their own expense, bringing medical and dental supplies, food, shoes and building little metal roofed shacks that seemed like mansions to those who had no place to lay their heads.
While the world was not always good, God was good and he had sent Christian workers, many of whom were teenagers, to share their faith and their goods. We helped erect church buildings and community centers, provided portable water filtration with each house built, taught marketable skills, provided more of a hand up than a hand out. They began to see clearly how good God was when invited into their families and communities. The world continued to be harsh but God's presence was a healing balm.
In my work as a hospice chaplain, I deal daily with people dying and their families. I share this truth with them and part of the reason they agree is because they see the goodness of God in Arkansas Hospice nurses, aides, social workers, doctors and chaplains. I hear them describe our people as angels as the families express how grateful they were for the blessing of hospice.
I see the same thing at the recovery group home called Samaritan House, where I volunteer to preach. I hear it when the area churches gather to go out in teams to complete community projects, pass out clothes and provide food for the hungry and homeless. His goodness is revealed anytime, anywhere that His children go in His name, doing the "good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph 2:10).
God is good all the time and when his children are living as his children are called to live, his goodness is seen continually in and through us. If you and/or people around you are not seeing the truth of His constant goodness, what on earth are you doing for goodness sake? Jus' Ask'n.
Monday, May 4, 2015
No Doubt
When we say something like "No doubt we'll get the job done on time or no doubt he'll come through for us," there actually is some doubt. It is part of the human condition to go through some doubt as we come to a solid foundation of faith.
It is simply too easy to fall into the "What if?" pit. The great lawgiver and leader of Israel, Moses, illustrates this well when God told him to go to Pharaoh to "Let my people go," to which Moses replies, "What if they do not believe me or listen to what I say?" (Ex 4:1).
Today, we wonder: "What if she says no?" "What if it rains before we finish the job?" "What if I can't handle this promotion?" "What if I can't handle the college work?" "What if I can't live up to the expectations of being a deacon?"
Sometimes the doubt comes from the simple enormity of the idea. The apostle Thomas, who witnessed Jesus walk on water, heal the sick and raise the dead, still declared, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe" (Jn 20:25).
Regardless of the reason or the form of the doubt, you need not doubt that it will come. To actually have "no doubt" would require perfect faith in the person, the power and the process of whatever you are called or challenged to believe. The barrier to that happening is the fact that we live in an imperfect world, operating with an imperfect faith.
Regardless of what the weatherman promises, we cannot be 100% certain that it will not rain tomorrow. Why is it that we are so prone to make back up plans? How many of you would go ahead and spend that check that is said to be in the mail? And, let me ask you, why is it that any Christian would fear death. Or, for that matter, fear any outcome when God promises to "work all things to the good of those who love him" (Rom 8:28) and when Jesus promises "I will never leave you as orphans" (Jn 14:18)?
The very reason we are called out of doubt, that we are commanded not to doubt in Scripture is because we do doubt. But it is not the doubting that is our problem. No one alive has no doubts. The problem is continuing in doubt. Jesus didn't tell Thomas that he should never have doubted. Instead, he said, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe" (Jn 20:26). The challenge is not to never have any doubt but not to linger in them, not to allow them to paralyze us or keep us from a faith response.
Reaching the point of perpetually having no doubt is not a reasonable goal considering the human condition produced by a fallen world. But, overcoming those doubts and coming to faith is more than doable, it is our calling. It is just there, in the wake of our doubts that the beachhead of faith is to be established. Jus' Say'n.
It is simply too easy to fall into the "What if?" pit. The great lawgiver and leader of Israel, Moses, illustrates this well when God told him to go to Pharaoh to "Let my people go," to which Moses replies, "What if they do not believe me or listen to what I say?" (Ex 4:1).
Today, we wonder: "What if she says no?" "What if it rains before we finish the job?" "What if I can't handle this promotion?" "What if I can't handle the college work?" "What if I can't live up to the expectations of being a deacon?"
Sometimes the doubt comes from the simple enormity of the idea. The apostle Thomas, who witnessed Jesus walk on water, heal the sick and raise the dead, still declared, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe" (Jn 20:25).
Regardless of the reason or the form of the doubt, you need not doubt that it will come. To actually have "no doubt" would require perfect faith in the person, the power and the process of whatever you are called or challenged to believe. The barrier to that happening is the fact that we live in an imperfect world, operating with an imperfect faith.
Regardless of what the weatherman promises, we cannot be 100% certain that it will not rain tomorrow. Why is it that we are so prone to make back up plans? How many of you would go ahead and spend that check that is said to be in the mail? And, let me ask you, why is it that any Christian would fear death. Or, for that matter, fear any outcome when God promises to "work all things to the good of those who love him" (Rom 8:28) and when Jesus promises "I will never leave you as orphans" (Jn 14:18)?
The very reason we are called out of doubt, that we are commanded not to doubt in Scripture is because we do doubt. But it is not the doubting that is our problem. No one alive has no doubts. The problem is continuing in doubt. Jesus didn't tell Thomas that he should never have doubted. Instead, he said, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe" (Jn 20:26). The challenge is not to never have any doubt but not to linger in them, not to allow them to paralyze us or keep us from a faith response.
Reaching the point of perpetually having no doubt is not a reasonable goal considering the human condition produced by a fallen world. But, overcoming those doubts and coming to faith is more than doable, it is our calling. It is just there, in the wake of our doubts that the beachhead of faith is to be established. Jus' Say'n.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Chariots and Horses
The Psalmist wrote, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God" (20:7). And his words, though antiquated in symbolism, ring just as true today as when they were penned millennia ago.
Today we don't trust in chariots and horses particularly, with the exception of those who "play the ponies" at the track, but we do trust in that which we believe gives us power or position. On a national level, we trust in nuclear weapons, superior conventional weaponry and an unmatched satellite capacity. We trust in a military machine without rival and resources unparalleled in history.
On a personal level, Americans tend to trust in things such as their wealth, their education and their appearance. Good looks, a graduate degree and a generous portfolio would be the trifecta. Any one of the three gives one a sense of value and importance - something in which to trust.
While the trappings have changed over the course of history, the trap has stayed the same. Satan entices us to believe that we have life under control, that we the ability to rein things in, that we are the captains of our destiny. As the ending stanza of William Ernest Henley's poem, Invictus, reads, "It matters not how straight the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."
Jesus disagrees pointing out that we "cannot make even on hair black or white" (Matt 5:36) or "add a single hour to our lives" (Matt 6:27). While we say, "I am rich, I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing" (Rev 3:17a), he rebuffs saying, "But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" (3:17b).
My patients know that Jesus is right and Henley was wrong. Having reached the end of their lives, one of the constants is the realizaton that it was not what they thought it would be. All their attempts to assure control by setting aside funds or making special arrangement did not stop them from losing control and their displacement from the familiar. It has been for them much like what Jesus said it would be for Peter: "when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go" (Jn 21:18).
While it may appear that you have the world on a string, you actually have a tiger by the tail and one day you won't be able to hang on any longer. On that day, the tiger will devour you for "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Pet 5:8). OK, he's called a lion not a tiger, but lion, tiger or bear "Oh, my" they will eat you up.
There is but one hope, one way of victory over the Enemy: "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls" (Joel 2:32). Jus' Say'n.
Today we don't trust in chariots and horses particularly, with the exception of those who "play the ponies" at the track, but we do trust in that which we believe gives us power or position. On a national level, we trust in nuclear weapons, superior conventional weaponry and an unmatched satellite capacity. We trust in a military machine without rival and resources unparalleled in history.
On a personal level, Americans tend to trust in things such as their wealth, their education and their appearance. Good looks, a graduate degree and a generous portfolio would be the trifecta. Any one of the three gives one a sense of value and importance - something in which to trust.
While the trappings have changed over the course of history, the trap has stayed the same. Satan entices us to believe that we have life under control, that we the ability to rein things in, that we are the captains of our destiny. As the ending stanza of William Ernest Henley's poem, Invictus, reads, "It matters not how straight the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."
Jesus disagrees pointing out that we "cannot make even on hair black or white" (Matt 5:36) or "add a single hour to our lives" (Matt 6:27). While we say, "I am rich, I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing" (Rev 3:17a), he rebuffs saying, "But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" (3:17b).
My patients know that Jesus is right and Henley was wrong. Having reached the end of their lives, one of the constants is the realizaton that it was not what they thought it would be. All their attempts to assure control by setting aside funds or making special arrangement did not stop them from losing control and their displacement from the familiar. It has been for them much like what Jesus said it would be for Peter: "when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go" (Jn 21:18).
While it may appear that you have the world on a string, you actually have a tiger by the tail and one day you won't be able to hang on any longer. On that day, the tiger will devour you for "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Pet 5:8). OK, he's called a lion not a tiger, but lion, tiger or bear "Oh, my" they will eat you up.
There is but one hope, one way of victory over the Enemy: "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls" (Joel 2:32). Jus' Say'n.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Dying Rich
At the age of 21, in a Silicon Valley garage, college dropout Steve Jobs co-founded the Apple Computer dynasty. Selling his Volkswagen van to help finance the venture, he teamed with Wozniak and two others to produce a primitive computer, priced at $666.66, which had no keyboard or display, and customers had to assemble it themselves.
35 years later, at the age of 56, Jobs died of cancer, leaving behind a company with a multi-national presence and hundreds of retail stores selling hundreds of millions of their iconic iPods, iPads and iPhone - not to mention Apple Computers and accessories. Also, amassing a personal net worth of some $11 billion dollars, which is only a fraction of Bill Gates $79.3 billion USD, but still amazing to say the least.
One could easily say that he died a very rich man. But one might easily be wrong. When Steve Jobs died, he personally owned nothing of the Apple dynasty or the $11 billion USD wealth he had amassed. All of it belonged to his wife, his partners and others. He did not get to keep even one cent. As Solomon once wrote: "For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it" (Eccl 2:21).
35 years later, at the age of 56, Jobs died of cancer, leaving behind a company with a multi-national presence and hundreds of retail stores selling hundreds of millions of their iconic iPods, iPads and iPhone - not to mention Apple Computers and accessories. Also, amassing a personal net worth of some $11 billion dollars, which is only a fraction of Bill Gates $79.3 billion USD, but still amazing to say the least.
One could easily say that he died a very rich man. But one might easily be wrong. When Steve Jobs died, he personally owned nothing of the Apple dynasty or the $11 billion USD wealth he had amassed. All of it belonged to his wife, his partners and others. He did not get to keep even one cent. As Solomon once wrote: "For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it" (Eccl 2:21).
A bit shocking to think of it in that way. Solomon called it "a meaningless chasing after the wind," but true nonetheless. As Job put it, "Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will depart" (Job 1:21). That truth applies to all of us. Whatever amount of material wealth you have managed to amass, you will not get to keep it. It will go to someone who did not work for it. And, by the way, whether that is your children or not, they will not keep it either. Your wealth will go on to someone that you do not even know.
Nothing we gain in this world truly belongs to us except that which we gain in Christ. Only the heavenly treasure he bestows on us will follow us into the world to come as well as enrich our lives in this world. The only way to die rich is to die in Christ, which is why Jesus warns us, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven..." (Matt 6:19-20). So tell me, how's your portfolio looking? Jus' Ask'n.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Influence
Yesterday, while driving from one patient's house to another, I listened to Geraldo Rivera interview a ball player and a rap singer who were leading a peaceful march down the streets of Baltimore. He asked them what they were doing there and the response of both was pretty much the same: They came because they both had grown up on those streets and they wanted to remind those angry young men that there is hope, that there are possibilities and that there was a better way than rioting and looting. They were both there to exercise their influence for the benefit of others.
I also listened to Al "Sharptongue," who, surrounded by his entourage, got to a microphone and announced that he was there to demand justice, then marched off with his body guards. He brought his influence there as well, influence that he has been peddling for years, amassing great wealth and power for himself, not bringing peace or encouragement to anyone, simply lining his pockets and increasing his national profile.
The Book of Esther narrates the time when Haman conspired to get the king to make an edict to kill all the Hebrews. When Mordecai found out about it, he got word to Queen Esther, asking her to speak to the king on behalf of the Jews from which she came. She responded at first that, even for her, to go in to the king's presence with his invitation was to put your life on the line. Mordecai then gave her this word: "Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14)?
Mordecai was suggesting that her influence came from God and ought to be used for the good of others. Even though he knew there was a risk involved, he encouraged her to use what God had given her in a godly way, depending on God to bring good from it. Then Ester sent this answer, "I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish" (4:16).
Esther was determined to use the influence God had allowed her for the good of others. Putting her own self-interests aside, putting self-preservation at risk, she weighed in so that Israel might be saved. She is the model for using influence - determining the right thing to do and putting your stamp of approval on that, leaning in against evil, using it for good not using it just for self-advancement.
And, it is extremely important to realize that everybody influences someone and usually several someones. Some influence a great number but everyone influences some. You influence others. How will you use your influence? Jus' Ask'n.
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