PRAYER IN TROUBLED TIMES

Three words in the New Testament that embrace trouble.

These are tribulation, suffering and affliction. They differ somewhat, and yet, practically, each of them means trouble of some kind. Our Lord gave His disciples warning that they might expect tribulation in this world, that they could not hope to escape it, and that they would not be carried through this life on flowery beds of ease. How hard to learn this plain and patent lesson!

"In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer;

I have overcome the world" ~John16:33

There is the encouragement. As He had overcome the world and it's tribulations, so might they be able to do the same.

Paul also taught this lesson as throughout his ministry as he confirmed souls of the children of God and exhorted them to continue in their faith. He told them,

"we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" ~Acts14:22

Paul knew this firsthand as his journey was anything but smooth and easy. He uses the word sufferings to describe the troubles he had experienced in Romans 8:18.

"For I reckon(or consider) that the sufferings of the present time

 are not worthy to be compared with the glory

which will be revealed in us"

What an encouragement that must have been for Paul's sufferings, but what about the others who he had brought to a faith in Christ and their suffering?

Paul talks about the sufferings of the children of God in 2Corinthians.

"For our light affliction, which is for a moment,

works for us an far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory"

2Corinthians 4:17

So how can this apply to the time in which we live today? The modern world in which we live in 2013 may believe that we are so much more advanced or that the experiences of the time of Paul would never be possible today. I would have to beg differently as a believer and encourage my brothers and sisters to certainly consider this type of thinking to be deception to the greatest degree. Although science and technology have advanced greatly, we are but a few catastrophes away from experiencing life as people did a thousand years or even two thousand years ago. Just recently, around the world the news has spread about the vulnerability to attack of the communication and locator systems that have been placed into orbit. How far back would that put us, especially since most people only use cell phones for connecting and getting directions?

Then there is the growing threat of natural disasters according to studies. What would it mean to you and I if we experienced an earthquake like Haiti? What if there were more of the mega-storms to come as we experienced with Hurricane Sandy? How much more is our government going to be able to help with the disasters and what of the insurance companies stop paying for damages or go bankrupt? Just how many days would it take to do back to the days of Paul? If there is ever this time when we loose the conveniences of today and people lose the comforts of their homes, there is going to be a major outbreak of anger, stress and fear. People have depended on technology for their safety and security for so long that it will be a time of great desolation for many. Why must I remind myself and you about this possibility? Why not just write devotions about thoughts of peace, love and harmony and happiness today?

Because it is the prepared heart of the believer that there will be peace, love and harmony with the dispensation of the providence of God as He  wills for their individual life and situations. Yes, we can and we will find this when we realize that it is through those times that man will either rebel or turn to His maker and Savior.

When I thought about this, it reminded me of the suffering that has already taken place in the lives of so many as a result of attacks especially in the past 15 years in America through bombings, airplane hi-jacks, shootings, abductions, murders and the loss of life and property through what we call natural disasters. I don't believe they are very natural, but we have been through unheard of flooding, hurricanes, tidal waves, oil spills, earthquakes, wild fires, record tornado hits and devastation. On top of all this, we have experienced sickness like never before and the concern that antibiotics are not working. Who really knows of the effect that the nuclear waste released by Japan over a year ago will have on the entire world through food and air qualities.

Are we really that advanced to say that the writings of Paul wouldn't apply to our day? I think not and as the day of our Lord's return approaches, we can rest assured that God will use the troubles of this world to bring men, women and young people to His throne, not to punish them, but to draw them near so that they too can say in our time of trouble, as the apostle Paul said,

"know that tribulation works patience and patience, experience

and experience, hope: and hope does not make us ashamed;

because the love of God is shed abroad (put into circulation) in our hearts

by the Holy Ghost which is given to us" ~Romans5:3

He brings the world into a state of grace where troubles are not only endured,

but where we can find under that tribulation a spirit of rejoicing.

These are the gracious benefits of justification!

What rich fruit can result from even painful tribulations!

Shalom.

WANT IT HOT OR COLD?

Who likes their drink at room temperature? Blah!

Most of us order drinks hot or cold, but not room temperature, right?

Before I started my morning study, I followed the aroma into the kitchen to get my first cup of java, but the kitchen was quite cool. As I took my cup out of the cabinet I realized that my nice hot coffee might not even be warm if I placed it in this very cold cup, so I decided to fill the cup with hot water from the sink first. Within just a minute the outside of the cup felt warm and was ready to be used. Now I knew that my drink would stay warm and enjoyable.


It's kind of funny because this brought me right back to the verse that was waiting for me on my phone this morning on Daily Bible app.

"Do not labor for the food which perishes but for food that endures" in John 6:27

I thought it was quite a coincidence that my coffee could have so quickly been ruined had I not conditioned the cup first. My concern was that the vessel be properly prepared so as not to ruin the  very thing that I so desired at this moment. As a believer I have a desire to do what is right, but even greater than this, God has a desire to flow through me as a conditioned vessel for His use each day. How would that conditioning take place, I wonder? If we asked a child this question, they may have a wide variety of answers, but most adults would say that we have to ask Jesus into our hearts.

That is, as a matter of fact, what we see when I read the rest of John 6:27...

"but for the food that endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

Jesus, the Son of Man gives us food that endures to everlasting life and it is through the reading of His Word that this is made possible. How else would we receive this from Him?
"Labor for the food that endures to everlasting life" is what John was telling me in this passage.

Labor could also mean "Live", right?

Starting my day out by getting up a little earlier and spending time meditating on the Word of God makes all the difference in how my vessel (mind, body, spirit) gets used each day. So I'm always wanting more of that food that lasts forever; food that conditions my body for God's use. Want to be used by God? Looking for His purpose? Get in the Word and He will use you to do just that!

Live for the everlasting food....in the Word. Selah.

THE APPLE OF HIS EYE

First of all, I want to assure you, "You're not alone!" 

Is it possible that you are going through something right now that leaves you feeling helpless, afraid or...maybe even that recurring feeling of being alone. I understand because I have been there and know how it feels to like a sheep stuck in the briers just waiting to be freed or like a one of those horses that ends up on youtube or TV that had to be rescued from some hole or waterway. Yes, it can be embarrassing and it it's against our pride to ask for help sometimes. The one thing I can assure you of is that the Lord is waiting for our cry for help. It's not that He doesn't know what is going on so we have to tell Him, but instead it is more like a learning process where we are growing more dependent on Him and believe me, that is exactly what He wants. Even the fearless David, who slew the bear, wrote, "Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me under the shadow of your wings" in Psalm 17:8. He knew where his comfort and protection originated. David knew to pray in his time of crisis and he did in the form of song.

My daughter has a horse and she picked this one out of all the horses we looked at because he has a spirit that matched hers and she really got excited when she rode him for the first time. I'll never forget as he tried her by attempting to go where he wanted and swinging his head up and down as he moved in an attempt to make her uncomfortable. Why would he do all of this to such an experienced rider, I thought as I watched. The truth was that he hadn't been ridden much and the people who had him were afraid to ride him. I was quite proud of my daughter as she stayed on and he began to calm down, but she found out that all she had to do was give him a little bump in the ribs and he would fly! That's when I saw that she had met her match.

About a month later, as she was getting into the saddle to ride, he began bucking and threw her about 7 feet through the air and onto the ground. She called me so upset that I couldn't understand a word. All I knew was something really bad had happened and I was almost 30 minutes away. Well, I sped back to the pasture in about 15 minutes and found her limping and bruised. I felt so bad for leaving her their with another girl to ride. It was the first time I had allowed her to ride without my presence and then this happened. I felt so bad for not recognizing in advance the danger that my precious child had encountered. She told me later that she agreed to ride with the other girl because I had told her it would be alright. It was then that I realized just how much she depended on my word and my protection from dangers and potential harm.

Since that day I have always been there with her when she rode. As a matter of fact, I made arrangements to put up a fence around the field beside our house. Thanking God for this each day as we look out the window in the morning to see our spirited horse standing there waiting for some attention.
As my daughter has become more familiar with his ways and comfortable riding him, I have begun to go into the house to make dinner while she rides him around the field in the evenings. There is something that I thought she knew, but she said that she had not noticed. I told her recently, "You know when I go inside that I am constantly looking out the window to see that you are still riding and you are alright, don't you?" and she said, "No". I assumed that she could see me stopping in the window to check on her because I saw her look at the house as she passed the opening between the barns. I believe she was looking for me to come back out, but she couldn't see me standing in the window while getting something ready for us to eat.

As I thought about that, I realized that we often see our needs and our troubles as our own and until we tell God all about them, He is not aware of the things we are experiencing. I can assure you that God will never mistakenly leave you in harms way as I did that awful day that my daughter was thrown. David even says that the horses great strength doesn't compare to that of his God in Psalms 33:17-18.

An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither will he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

Let's hold firmly to the assurance that David had when he declares,

"BEHOLD! The EYE of the LORD is upon those that fear (revere) Him!"

We may not be able to see Him now as He watches over us, just as my daughter who couldn't see that I was closely watching out for her through the kitchen window.
But....we are ALL assured that one day He will appear before us ALL and I believe that day is drawing near my friends. Take time now to Pray. Find hope in His mercy today!

Behold, he comes with clouds;

and every eye will see him,

and they also which pierced him:

and all kindred of the earth will wail because of him.

Even so, Amen. 

I am Alpha and Omega,

the beginning and the ending,

saith the Lord, which is, and which was,

and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelations 1:7-8

"HOW TO BE A WINNER"

An humble King Wins!

The LORD had spoken to Judah; the inhabitants of Jerusalem and king Jehoshaphat saying, "This saith the LORD to you, Be not afraid, nor dismayed because of their great numbers; for the battle is not yours, but God's."

The first thing that the LORD wanted them all to come to realize was that He has the battle taken care of and they would not need to be afraid. What would it be like in each of our lives if we all could experience this whenever something came up that we couldn't handle?

The football player that catches my attention the most is the one who drops down on one knee and points his or her hand up to God! That is exactly how Jehoshaphat reacted when he knew his victory was sure and it was his humble attitude that also influenced the attitudes of all of Judah and Jerusalem! Just think about how different it would have been for their entire nation if he had started whooping and hollering and praising himself or his nation? But think about it, isn't that what the United States of America has been doing ever since the war?

I remember when we went to fight in Iraq. Songs began to emerge about the US and how proud we were to be Americans and about our victory over there when we demolished their bases and army. Songs like "Born In the USA", "Proud to be an American" and "Bomb Iran" were written and people chanted these songs with a smile on their faces as if killing was exciting and fun. I saw the pride of our nations leaders begin to swell and they boasted in the news how no one will mess with the USA.

Think about how different that is from Jehoshaphat and his nation's attitude in this passage? Ask yourself, "Which one is right and which one isn't?" They can't both be right, because God is always the same and the Spirit of God spoke to them. Let's see how they reacted as a nation,

And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.  2Chronicles 20:18-19

One of the most influential nations of all time was influenced by their King who loved and worshiped God. His attitude of thanks and praise to God shined, as the king bowed his head with his face down to the ground worshipping God. The amazing thing is that a nation of people that love God follow the leadership of a man of God with the right winning attitude!

Whooping and hollering, chest pounding, heads held high or singing songs of pride in the USA doesn't reflect the attitude of a nation that humbled themselves and prayed before offering up songs of praise to the LORD God of Israel. Does it???

 Can you see the difference in the attitudes of the leaders and citizens of our nation today and the attitude of king Jehoshaphat and the nation in this passage? Don't forget the key that makes all the difference between nations as we look back at the end of verse seventeen..."for the LORD will be with you."

In the next post we will look at the consequences of having the right winning attitude and praising the LORD. We'll see what happens in situations that look so hopeless, when it is put in God's hands.

Until then, remember to trust and praise God even when you are surrounded by impossibilities and the people, whose lives you impact, will be watching and following Your example! Psalm27:14

"VICTORY CAN BE CONFUSING"

Where the King goes, the people follow!!

The LORD had spoken to Judah; the inhabitants of Jerusalem and king Jehoshaphat saying, "This saith the LORD to you, Be not afraid, nor dismayed because of their great numbers; for the battle is not yours, but God's."

The first thing that the LORD wanted them all to come to realize was that He has the battle taken care of and they would not need to be afraid. What would it be like in each of our lives if we all could experience this whenever something came up that we couldn't handle?

My daughter called me one day about something she was going through and I suggested that she pray and ask God to fight that battle for her. That's when she told me that she had been learning to whisper prayers to God all through the day. What a blessing it was to hear that my daughter had already been doing this at the age of twenty-two.

Oh that we would live like that every day and fear not, nor be dismayed!

The literal Hebrew translation for "dismayed" is to "break down or be confused".  The LORD was saying to those who faced destruction and defeat, "Don't be afraid and don't get confused and break down emotionally (in your thinking) either! Don't give up!"

Let's look at the next thing that the LORD said to Judah through his servant Jahaziel;

2Chronicles 20:16-17 Tomorrow you go down against them: watch for them as they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and you will find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, you stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

The LORD sent them to the enemy. They had been fasting and trusting in God up to this point. They were told that He would fight the battle for them and they really liked that part of His message.

 Now the LORD is telling them to go out to meet the armies that want to defeat them? Have you ever thought about approaching a situation in your life, when you knew you were certain to lose unless something drastically changed? Not me! Not a chance! But think about this for just a minute! 

What if you knew that no matter what it looked like, you were going to WIN? How do you feel about  situations in your life when you knew you would come out on top? You knew you were sure to win and you probably couldn't wait for that moment to arrive, could you?

Were you experiencing that rush; that thrill of victory? When it happened, did you throw a fist up in the air and shout out without a moments hesitation, "YES!"?

Have you ever noticed the difference in how football players react whenever they score the winning point? They all react differently,don't they? Some of them hold the ball over their heads and point at their chest,showing everyone who should get the praise. Some will turn and bang chests with their team mates and then get carried off the field in praise. Some will even kiss the ball as if it had some great power of it's own. But the player that catches my attention the most is the one who drops down on one knee and points his or her hand up to God!

This is exactly how Jehoshaphat reacted when he knew his victory was certain. His humble attitude and reaction influenced the attitude of all those around him; of Judah and Jerusalem! Just imagine  how different the outcome may have been for the entire nation of Judah and Jerusalem, if Jehoshaphat had started whooping and hollering and praising himself, or maybe even praising HIS NATION? 

But think about it, how do Americans act when we are on top? Do we take the glory? When was the last time that our President gave God any glory for a victory granted? Does it make any difference?

You bet it does!

TO BE CONTINUED....

If you face battles you can't win, with an humble spirit, ask for God's help today. It begins with the humbling of the spirit that God grants us a truely victorious life eternally. God will ultimately cause you to lie down in green pastures.(Psalm 23) He will surely bring you out! Remain steadfast by faith!(Hebrews 11:1) Shalom

"WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'VE BEEN HAD"...Continued

Have you ever fought a loosing battle?
There are millions of Americans who are without jobs and the Senate passed and announced a couple of years ago that the unemployment compensation would be cut off for anyone who had been unemployed for six months or longer; leaving many families without any source of income.

Think about how the layoff of thousands of fathers has impacted the lives of everyone, even the single mothers who are raising their children alone and depend on that child support to provide proper care for their children. Think about the businesses that no longer receive business from  thousands of families who are now without any income whatsoever! It's a fearful time for most Americans today!
 Yes, things are looking hopeless and even the wealthy are fearful for their families and their own survival. Couldn't we relate in some ways to the feelings that Judah was going through in chapter 20 of  2Chronicles before they began to fast and pray? I think so!

Maybe you or someone you know seem to be fighting what looks like a losing battle with employment, an illness, a physical recovery, an addiction, disease or emotional abuse of some kind. Those are the kind of battles that we must trust God to win! Those are the battles man cannot fight on his own!

Let me tell you something encouraging now, my brothers, sisters and friends! Let me show you how Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah won the war that was IMPOSSIBLE TO WIN! Let's look at another passage a little further down when the Spirit of the LORD spoke to Jahaziel a Levite, in the middle of the congregation of Judah. Let's see what Jahaziel said;

2Chronicles 20:15 And he said, Hearken you, all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you king Jehoshaphat, Thus says the LORD to you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

He said not to be afraid or dismayed because of what you see when you look at your circumstances! Isn't that just how we feel too sometimes? Why did he say this?

He told them that the battle ahead wasn't going to be their battle to fight, but God's!

Your fight to survive illness, injury, loss of job, your financial struggles, your clothing and home are not yours to battle for in the time of hopelessness! You may think it is and you may fight and struggle until you are sick and exhausted and in tears, but the LORD will fight this battle for you if you will follow the recorded demonstration found here. Look at what all of the cities of Judah did thousands of years ago when they made the right choice.

They didn't even raise their hands to fight this battle and they not only won; they went home with treasures that they didn't have before? Isn't that just like our LORD to fight our impossible battles and send us home with something more than we had before? I have personally seen God's hand at work so many times when it seemed like there was no way to win! I know that the LORD will do the same for ANYBODY that turns to HIM! I know he will hear our prayers and attend to our fasting when we are experiencing pain, hunger and see no possibility of winning. Put your trust in the LORD!

Don't be afraid; for the battle is not yours, but God's!

TO BE CONTINUED....
In the next chapter we will look at what the families of Judah were expected to do when the enemy was upon them and how the LORD rewarded their prayer, fasting and obedience.

"WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'VE BEEN HAD"

Have you ever felt like you fought a loosing battle?

I know that life can take sudden turns for the worse and when that happens we tend to react with panic, fear and sometimes even feel like running for our lives. Isn't this so true of almost everybody in the world today? Yes, there are still a few unusual people who bow their backs, hold their heads high and will fight on to the death. There are those people who will begin to plan another strategy and another angle of attack to hold off the approaching army, but there are times when even those brave and stubborn people must realize that they too must seek help to win.

In the Word of God we find a King who had just experienced that feeling of fear and panic and just didn't know what he needed to do. His name was Jehoshaphat and he had just been given the message that he was going to be attacked, not by one, not by two, but by three armies. These armies were of the children of Moab, Ammon and the Ammonites. He was informed that the group was of a very great multitude coming from the sea and they were getting closer every minute. Don't you think that this king who had been placed over the children of Israel and had served the Lord in all his ways may have been a pretty fearless kind of guy? After all he had the Lord of all creation on his side! how would you have reacted to this message knowing that you had a much smaller army? Let's read a passage that shows his reaction to this message;

2 Chronicles 20:3-4 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of ALL the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. (For a way out & direction)

Wow! Can you believe that? It says that Jehoshaphat (the King) feared! What did he fear? He was afraid of the armies headed in his direction and he knew that he was in an impossible situation to escape alive. He couldn't help his feelings of fear and panic, BUT he could help how he responded to the news that had overwhelmed  him at that moment of surprise!

Haven't we all gotten surprises in our lives that shock us and leave us feeling helpless or in a total state of panic? Yes, I have experienced this and I know that anyone alive today has also been through this feeling and some may have even felt this way recently. My friend, let's learn from the reaction of this King to his fearful situation, his helpless situation. He had no hope of winning. He knew he was doomed to loose this battle and also to loose all that he had received from the Lord himself! What did he do though?

He set himself to the LORD! This means that he turned his face to the LORD and turned his attention to the LORD for help. Then he proclaimed to all of his kingdom to fast and pray. You see, the prayer and fasting come before the impossible over and over in the Bible. When I read this my first thought was of how the lack of food would have made the warriors of Judah even weaker physically as the armies of their enemies gained ground towards the great attack on their city. Knowing that they would grow weaker without food and continuing to proceed with the fast was a total move of faith in the LORD. As a matter of fact, it was the only choice that King Jehoshaphat had, that presented any chance of victory in this hopeless situation!

Think about this for a minute! Every life was in jeopardy and their very existence was at stake at this moment of their lives! Is this where you are in your life today? There are millions of people in the US right now that don't know where there sustenance will come from for the next day, week or month.

To be continued....

Hold fast and look to the LORD for a way, find a way to fast and meditate on thanking God for the way He is going to work in your life. Let's see how this situation turns out my next post.