The Language of Prayer (Part One)

Language Rules

Prayer is the language of heaven. From the very moment we close our eyes and breathe “Heavenly Father”, “Dear Jesus,” or “Almighty God,” we trigger an interaction with God on a level that transcends human understanding. Yet, although we know what prayer is, we often fail miserably in actually knowing how to do it. Is it even possible for us to know the who, when, where, why and how of prayer? We must try. Anyone who wants to pray effectively needs answers to these basic questions. Without this fundamental knowledge, we are like the owner of a fine car who doesn’t know how to operate it or where to go. Likewise, dictionary definitions of prayer fall short of expressing everything we need to understand about it.

As a language, prayer is subject to the rules of language. We may determine this by breaking prayer down into the parts of speech. This enables us to cast prayer in precise Biblical usage and allows us to see major distinctions in kinds and styles of prayer, some apparent and some subtle. For example, we find that specific prayers govern certain outcomes, that there are well defined ways to pray for narrowly defined purposes, and that Biblical prayers observe special do’s and don’ts. The purpose for this study is not necessarily scholarly analysis, but to give a practical format to those who deeply yearn to enrich their prayer lives. To glean the most from this study, you must put these insights into real use. You will enter into a dimension of power in prayer that you never knew existed.

Prayer Nouns

Whatever exists can be named, and that name is a noun. By rote, most of us can still say “a noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.” Nouns help us avoid calling everything a “whatchamacallit” or “thingamajig.” In order to communicate meaningfully, we have to be much more precise in our language. Nouns help us to define and refine our speech until we know exactly what we are talking about. We even include words in our vocabulary that refer to the same general things, but reveal subtle differences. For example, we can call a book a volume, a tome, a work, or if it is unfinished, a manuscript. A special book may be a text, a biography, a novel, a log or a dictionary.

Prayer, as a part of speech, is a noun. If we just call it “prayer”, however, we lose important distinctions that add to our understanding of prayer. Using precise prayer nouns from the scripture helps us to see these differences and we can focus on specific purposes for our prayers. Let’s look at the most common of these nouns.

Prayer as Supplication

Supplication often appears in scripture as a prayer noun, especially in the Old Testament. It means humble entreaty, with greater emphasis on humble. Daniel gives us an excellent context for this word. “O my God, incline thine ear, and hear…for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.” Daniel 9:18. Supplicants lay aside all arrogance and pride. We come before God’s throne intensely aware of our humanness and lowly state of being and make our supplications known to him. This word reflects the attitude with which one prays more than the content of his or her prayer. A demanding attitude never prevails with God.

We should dedicate the beginning moments of any prayer to supplication. “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.” (1 Timothy 2:1). This establishes our position before God. We may then go on to other forms of prayer, but not before we expressly humble ourselves in his presence.

Prayer as Petition

Many prayers burst forth spontaneously as needs and circumstances pop into our lives. Often, they are based upon sudden impulse---or even panic. To petition God, however, is to present a formal request to him. In the legal profession, attorneys petition the court by making a serious, deliberate and well-considered case to the judge. In prayer, there are times when we need to go solemnly before the throne of grace, not impulsively or in haste, but with premeditation. We must adopt the Ezra mode of praying. “And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God. And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.” Ezra 9:5-6. Other prophets, like Nehemiah, Daniel, Isaiah and Jeremiah also prayed with petition prayers. It is not praying on a whim, but it ascends up from the depths of the soul, fashioned in the vortex of deep and abiding convictions.

A petitioning prayer requires preparation. First, prepare your own heart. Then, consider the true legitimacy of the need. Verify its scriptural foundations, look at the circumstances that call for it and weigh out its consequences. When you put your petition through these stringent prerequisites, you can then pray with authority and determination. Your faith becomes a powerful force and you will persevere because you are invested in your prayers. John wrote, “And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” John 5:15

Prayer as Intercession

An intercessor acts on another’s behalf or asks in favor of another. Intercession requires empathy, compassion and a willingness to concern oneself with another person’s spiritual welfare. Again, our reference is 1Timothy 2:1, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.” The intercessor assimilates the needs of others into his own being as he cries out in their stead. He prays their prayers for them because they cannot or will not pray for themselves. The true intercessor does not gauge the worthiness of those for whom he intercedes. He does not act out of anticipated pay back. His motive is selfless, his understanding is pure and his cause is rooted in love.

Jesus Christ was the greatest intercessor the world has ever known. It can be said that intercession embodied the whole purpose of his earthly mission. He summarized this mission in his High-priestly prayer of John 17:9, “I pray for them.” For them! Not for himself, but for them! In a twist of high irony, the one who deserved all glory stripped himself of that very glory on our behalf---so that he would become exceedingly glorified. “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God…he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:6-8.

The work of the church goes beyond simple evangelism. We are also called to intercessory prayer because it works in tandem with the preaching of the gospel. Intercession calls for a depth of care that the world has no capacity to give to people. Every saint of God must hear the cry of the lost and then carry that cry to the throne of grace. Meditate on the following verse and take it into your prayer closet. “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-20.

Prayer as Communion

The word communion does not appear in direct association with prayer, even though it comes from the same root from which we derive communication. We can trace its meaning in practice back to prayer as we examine the scriptures. Technically, communion refers to participation and sharing. The Bible uses the word in reference to receiving the Lord’s Supper. “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” 1 Corinthians 10:16. But, what is eating and drinking if not ingesting into oneself something that is outside of himself? Through communion, we ingest into our hearts the very presence of God.

From this thought of communion, we go to Revelation 3:20. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Sup means to drink in or swallow up. When you allow this picture to fully form in your mind, you see a person and Christ, in the same room by themselves, communing with each other. This is a perfect description of prayer.

Prayer can and should be more than the purposeful exchange of words and ideas between man and God. Prayer is a divine, awe-inspiring and life-changing experience that transcends words. It is something to be felt as well and heard and spoken. I believe Adam had this with God before the fall. “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” Genesis 3:8. Adam enjoyed a rich relationship with Jehovah as they walked together in paradise. If Jesus Christ restored that which was lost in Adam, and according to Romans that’s exactly what happened, then we can recreate the relationship that sin suspended in Eden in our closet of prayer. Another beautiful example of communion presents itself in the concept of marriage, as expounded in Ephesians.

How can you turn your prayer time into communion with God? It may be simple, but it’s not easy. It takes slowing down and savoring the moment. Anyone who has ever visited an exotic island wants time to stand still in order to soak up the atmosphere. It’s like basking in the warm sunlight, breathing in the fragrant air after the rain. For those who love the wintertime, it’s like letting the snowflakes fall softly and melting on your face. It means attuning your sensitivities to the heart and desire of God. Prayer as communion can only happen by having a full consciousness of his presence. God must become our chief joy and love. “If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.” Psalms 137:6.

Prayer as Worship

John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Worship is extravagant admiration. The human spirit seeks out icons, heroes and celebrities to fawn over and adore. It is our nature. All the components of prayer work together to become a total act of worship---not to a worldly icon---but to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. In order to enhance this aspect of prayer, we need to rehearse all the glorious names and titles of God and speak them out to him in prayer. We need to exult in him as Creator, Redeemer, Altogether Lovely, Rose of Sharon, Lily of the Valley, Bright and Morning Star…on and on it goes. And, when you exhaust the scriptural designations of God, you can compose your own. Lose yourself in the worship experience that prayer presents.

Worship demands ego-demotion. God must be the focus of your love and affection. This requires you to deviate from your personal agenda of wants and needs, and enter into the throne room of the presence of God. This is the place where you forget yourself and truly stand in awe of the One who has no equal in the universe. Psalm 95:6-7 says, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”

Prayer as Praise

Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

Praise means to attribute or express glory to a deserving individual. It can be either general or specific. Praise seeks out an aspect of character, a notable display of talent, a memorable deed or a significant word that has been spoken and makes a huge deal about it. Praise acknowledges excellence, concedes superiority and demonstrates credible appreciation for who someone is or what they’ve done.

1 Chronicles 16:4 illustrates the importance of praise. “And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, and to record, and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel.” The only job of certain priests in the Old Testament was to offer up praise to God.

Today, in order to praise God in prayer, we must find delight in every aspect of God and tell him about it. Generally, praise him for his excellent greatness, praise him for his tender mercy; specifically, praise him for the way he answered your prayer last week, or for baptizing you with the Holy Spirit. Once you get started, you’ll find it nearly impossible to stop praising him for the multitude of things he has done for you. Make praise a vital part of your prayer.

Prayer as Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a primary component of prayer. Colossians 4:2 says “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” In Psalm 100:4 we read, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Thanksgiving means to show sincere gratitude for an act of kindness or generosity. This display of thankfulness resonates so deeply within our conscience that North American governments have set aside a special day on the yearly calendar devoted to this very purpose. Without thanksgiving, we become exploiters, users, selfish takers and manipulators. We tag thankless people as obnoxious and rude.

We must not be spoiled brats in God’s presence, presuming upon his goodness and demanding his generosity. Yes, we are his children, and we have been graciously received into the family of God, but we still should not think of ourselves as having any entitlements with God. We have no legal, moral or actual authority over God which makes him subservient to us. Our relationship with him is predicated solely upon his goodness to us.

Make your prayers rich with thanksgiving. Show great appreciation for the fact that he even notices you, let alone the fact that he died to save you. As you offer up thanks to God, you will situate yourself in a place of great spiritual advantage. Psalm 69:30-31 says, “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. 31 This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.”

These are the nouns of prayer: supplication, petition, intercession, communion, worship, praise and thanksgiving. As you understand these aspects of prayer, you will pray with more purpose and you will see greater results than ever before. You have only just begun to experience everything God wants your prayer to be.

Prayer Prepositions

Every person who loves Jesus and desires to be a better and more effective disciple has—-or ought to have—-an intense interest in prayer. At one point, his disciples made this request of Jesus, “Teach us to pray.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”

Ernest Holmes said, “Through the art of affirmative prayer the limitless resources of the Spirit are at my command. The power of the Infinite is at my disposal.”

In our previous study, we looked at the practice of prayer as a language and discovered that the language of prayer is subject to the rules of language. Breaking prayer down into the parts of speech helps us to see how prayer is used in precise Biblical terms and shows us important distinctions in kinds and styles of prayer. Some remarkable truths appear to us when we look at the prepositions of prayer.

A preposition describes a relationship between other words in a sentence, like to, for, about, in, etc. Whenever the same word is followed by a different preposition, it may greatly modify the meaning of the word. For example, the phrases “running to”, “running for”, running through” and “running around” all mean very different things even though each of them contains the word “running.” So, every time a Bible reference to prayer shows up in the context of a different preposition, we need to pay close attention.

Specifically, we gain a new appreciation of prayer when we see the difference between praying to, praying for, praying against, praying about, and so on. As we carefully examine the subject of Biblical praying, we soon discover that each prayer preposition opens up an exciting and meaningful realm of divine communication and communion.

Praying to… DIRECTION

Prayer must always address the true and living God. While this may seem too obvious to state, the scriptures place great importance on this point. “…So I prayed to the God of heaven.” Nehemiah 2:4. Jesus said, “…Pray to thy Father which is in secret…” Matthew 6:6. Praying to the true God made all the difference in the world to Cornelius who “…prayed to God alway.” Acts 10:2. We must consciously and deliberately direct our prayers to God. In other words, we don’t get credit for sincerity, passion, desperation or sacrifice if we do not pray to God. God is a person, not just a power or a force. Our prayers must interact personally with God himself.

Praying to God forces us to acknowledge Jehovah as God. He becomes the focus of our faith. Focusing on the true God means we cannot give room to any competing power. Praying to God makes the sin of idolatry impossible. Praying to God gives glory to the only one who deserves all worship and honor. We do not pray to presidents or kings. We do not pray to saints or religious icons. We do not pray to political or economic systems. We do not pray to celebrities or heroes. We do not pray to doctors, lawyers or scientists. We do not pray to insurance companies or educational institutions. We pray to God. Praying to God places us squarely in the sanctuary of divine truth.

Make sure you focus on God as you pray. Sift through the biases and leanings of your heart to cull out any false placement of faith in people, systems or carnal ideas. God alone must be the recipient of your absolute trust.

Praying for… Support

Praying for people may be separated into three distinct meanings: support, mediation and needs. First, when we pray for people, we lend our support to them in their spiritual struggles and ventures. Many times, for example, friends and family members will ask us to pray for them as they go for a job interview, make a major purchase or anticipate a stressful confrontation. They recognize their need for divine help. In Colossians 1:9, Paul says, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.”

In 1 Samuel 12:19, we read “And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.” We make people stronger when we pray for them. Through prayer, we lift them up above their circumstances and bring the favor of God upon them. Through prayer, we confer upon them certain of the attributes and gifts of God, like peace, joy and love. David wanted this kind of prayer for his beloved Jerusalem . “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem : they shall prosper that love thee.” Psalm 122:6. To the Thessalonians, Paul wrote, “Brethren, pray for us.” He gave this as an unspecified and general prayer request that confessed an overall need for God’s help.

Pray for wisdom. Pray for strength. Pray for God’s blessings on your day. Pray for your family and friends that they may be edified.

Praying for…Mediation

Second, praying for others means to take up the role of a mediator, or an intercessor. We intercede for people when they cannot pray for themselves. Perhaps they have fallen out of a right relationship with God and feel too ashamed to pray, or they have been so weakened by injury or disease that they cannot pray themselves. They may not even desire to pray due to overwhelming doubt or rebellion in their hearts. Whatever the reason, we have a biblical mandate to step forward and pray in their behalf. Never was there a greater need for us to assume this powerful role than in the world today.

The most famous example of mediatory prayer comes from Abraham’s prayer for sinful Sodom . He prayed, “Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?” Genesis 18:24. When he received a merciful answer from God, Abraham ventured on further in his prayer. Finally, he stopped after requesting mercy for ten righteous people. “And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.” Genesis 18:32-33. Note that Abraham stopped asking before God stopped answering! Some have speculated that the outcome may have been radically different if only Abraham had continued on in his prayer.

Job also took the role of an intercessor. In Job 42:8, God says, “Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.” Evidently, God requires a mediator in some cases because he will not accept the prayers of another. Do we really know how many people rely on our intercessory prayers? Other instances in the Bible confirm this perspective of prayer.

• “And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us.” Jeremiah 42:2
• “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44
• “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Luke 22:32

The Apostle Paul stressed the role of reconciliation to the Corinthians. “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-20. The ministry of reconciliation involves prayer as much as preaching, witnessing or any other form of outreach.

Take the needs of other persons upon your shoulders. Pray in their stead, as though they had no ability to pray themselves. Go outside your selfish interests and let the problems of others consume you for a season of prayer. Be a bridge, a connecting point, a life-line.

Praying for…Needs

Finally, praying for people means praying for God to meet their specific needs. When Jereboam’s hand was withered, he cried for the man of God to pray for it to be healed. “And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.” I Kings 13:6. We have the right and authority to ask for healings, miracles and wonders. One popular belief today holds that we should let fate take its course; that we should not ask for divine intervention in our personal, physical lives. Besides, the thought goes, God no longer confirms his word with healings and miracles as he did when he lived here in the flesh. Yet, the Bible says, “Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. If we do not get an answer to prayer the way we wanted, it should not be because we have failed to pray. Someone has rightly said, “God cannot and will not answer a prayer that has not been prayed.”

Furthermore, we have the scriptural right to pray for people to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. “Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost.” Acts 8:15 . When people come forward in our services to pray, we should accompany them and pray for them to receive the Spirit. Prayer is one way for the church to take part in the new birth process for many spiritual babies.

• “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:26.
• “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:1.
• “Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.” Hebrews 13:18.
• “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” 1 John 5:16.

Pray for healings. Pray for miracles. Pray for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Pray for special dispensations of God’s power. Pray boldly for great things.

The Language of Prayer (Part Three)

Praying through…Victory

Pentecostal people have long used the term of “praying through.” While this idiomatic phrase is often misunderstood, it expresses the idea that prayer can have a satisfying conclusion. You can pray until you receive an inner assurance that you have been heard and that the answer is on the way. Many of our prayers, like those for daily needs of sustenance or divine support, do not fall in this category, probably because they are ongoing. Certain needs, however, require us to intensify our prayers until we see our way clear, or at least until we feel that God’s power has been mobilized on our behalf. This kind of praying calls for definite breakthroughs that give us a release from feelings of distress or worry.

Jesus illustrated this dimension of prayer by telling a parable about a man who needed loaves of bread at midnight . He persisted to knock on his neighbor’s door until his reluctant friend finally gave him what he wanted. In Luke 11:8, Jesus said, “I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.” There could be no other message of this parable than to strongly encourage his disciples to press on in prayer. Sometimes, as shown in this man’s friendship with his neighbor, our relationship with God alone is not sufficient to expect an answer. Many immature believers have a false impression about God’s providence. God does not jump to meet our every whim as though he were a foolish, doting parent. In his larger plan for our spiritual development, he nurtures us to become responsible, industrious and patient.

Weariness or frustration causes us to abort many of our prayers. We often stop much too soon after we start. Perhaps our technological age has so conditioned us to expect instantaneous results that we are left with little patience to persevere. We faint in doing the primary job of the church---praying. Again, Jesus charged us, “…that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Luke 18:1. If you want victory, if you want completion to your prayers, if you would rather die than live without the answer to a particular prayer, then pray on! The early church saw powerful results at the conclusion of their prayers. “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” Acts 16:31 .

Many reasons compel us to pray through. Satan greatly opposes the advance of God’s kingdom and we must wage spiritual warfare through prayer in order to defeat him. Also, God constantly monitors the intensity of desire and the level of faith in our hearts. God responds---not to the mere existence of the need---but to the faith and importunity that seize our hearts. Abraham’s experiences in prayer offer valuable insight to us in this regard. Even further, we must remember that there may be many steps or increments along the way to ultimate victory. God engages our services in prayer to supply the spiritual impetus for the campaign, much like a military maneuver. This calls for many elements to function together, and each element presents a challenge to us. One word of caution: don’t’ expect to pray through if your prayers contradict the word of God or if you have purely selfish motives in mind. First, you need to immerse your will in the will of God and make sure your prayers reflect his divine purposes and mission.

Pray through doubt and fear. Pray through sadness and loss. Pray through hurt and disappointment. Pray through spiritual dryness and apathy.  Pray through confusion. Pray through the feeling that you don’t want to pray through! Pray until you experience a breakthrough!

Praying against…Combative

The church has formidable enemies. These opponents employ every strategy---from frontal assault to under cover operations, from mass destruction to personal sniping, from to lies to demonic attacks. If we fail to recognize and understand this treacherous reality, we will find ourselves in deep trouble. Paul warned the Ephesians, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12.

The word wrestle begs explanation. The ancient Greeks practiced wrestling as a sporting event that tested the strength and skill between two comparable athletes who were weight and size classed. But this scripture implies more than a simple grappling contest with another individual. Paul undoubtedly speaks of a larger conflict involving enormous superpowers and eternal stakes. God outfits us with weaponry and armor, yet we cannot dismiss the enemy with a feint, an argument or a threatening word. We must be prepared to do actual battle with him on a spiritual level.

Failure to seriously engage our enemy will result in tragic and unnecessary loss. While we should not see a “devil behind every bush”, neither should we naively skip our way though this world as though we travel an unimpeded, rose-strewn path. We face a vicious, fallen angel and his minions who have zero chance of redemption. With nothing to lose, Satan has declared war on the church of Jesus Christ . He conducts his warfare through an amalgamation of evil spirits, through forming alliances with worldly powers and through drafting people as unwitting pawns to do his destructive bidding.

Jesus recognized the personage of Satan throughout his ministry and addressed him on many occasions. He contradicted Satan at the time of his temptations, he cast demons out of Legion in a herd of two thousand swine and he bade the demons to go from those who were possessed. While Jesus never exhibited a fearful attitude toward evil spirits, neither did he sink into mindless oblivion about them. He alerted his disciples to the whole specter of the “principalities and powers” arrayed against them. The devil, he taught, robbed people of the word of God. “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” Luke 8:12. He informed Peter that he was a target of Satan. Later, the Apostle Peter said, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8.

What can the church do about Satan and his forces? We can pray against them! We take our cue from 2 Kings 19:20. “Thus saith the LORD God of Israel , That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” As a representative of evil, Sennacherib was targeted by the prayers of Hezekiah. God heard those prayers and sent his angel to decimate the Assyrian army. Sennacherib retreated to Nineveh and abandoned his quest to conquer Israel . The Assyrians were defeated---not by Israel ’s military might---but by the effectual prayer of the King.

Long before Hezekiah, the Psalmist David had already learned to pray against his enemies as we see in Psalm 64:

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.  2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:  3 Who whet their tongue like a sword,  and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:  4 That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.  5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?   6 They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.   7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.   8 So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.   9 And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God;  for they shall wisely consider of his doing.    10 The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him;  and all the upright in heart shall glory.  

Pray against the devil. Pray against evil forces and evil people.  Pray against the dominance of the flesh.  Pray against roadblocks to revival.  Pray against the enemies of the Cross. 

Praying over…Protective

Most of us who were raised in Christian homes began our prayer life as toddlers praying over things. We prayed over our food. We prayed over our night of rest. We prayed over a trip we were about to take. As we grew older, we prayed over an exam before we took it; we prayed over the music piece we had to play for the recital; we prayed over our car that it would make it home. Now, I find myself praying over my children, my Christian witness and my doctor’s appointments.

We have scriptural precedent for this kind of praying. “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” 1 Timothy 4:4-5. Many unseen and unknown dangers lurk out there, hidden among everyday activities and vicious microbes or nasty chemicals threaten us constantly. We cannot presume that all is well as we travel through a world that “lieth in wickedness.” Prayer throws a protective covering over our endeavors and confers a divine blessing on our necessary activities.

When sickness does attack our bodies, we possess a Biblical authority to have our spiritual leaders pray over us. “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:14. This verse does not specify how the elders are to pray, but it strongly implies that the blessing and power of God will be conferred upon the sick person.

Believers need to exercise this right to pray over their lives and loved ones. We should not simply chalk events up to fate, or think that we have to gamble with our lives as though we have no covenantal relationship with God. Through a prayer covering, we can place ourselves in God’s protective custody.

Pray over your food. Pray over your day’s activities. Pray over your children. Pray over your business decisions. Pray over people afflicted with sickness and disease.

Pray to, pray for, pray through, pray against, pray over…these are the prepositions of prayer. Understand how they are used and how they enhance your prayer life. You will profoundly affect your prayer experience.

Corrie Ten Boom asked, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” If it is your spare tire, it doesn’t matter where you go or how you get there. When it becomes your steering wheel, you need you know how to turn the wheel and how to head in the right direction. Wherever you need to go in God, prayer will take you there.

What Is Your God Like?

This may strike you as a strange question, but every one of us has a decidedly personal concept of God, a blend of what we’ve heard, what we’ve been taught, what we’ve researched in our personal devotions…plus our own feelings, emotions, impressions and desires.

Those of you who have suffered through classes on world religion in high school or college classes have seen many interesting concepts and pictures of God held by individuals and cultures from the past and present. From dragons, gargoyles and hideous creatures to beautiful forms that appeal to the eye, God has been represented in every imaginable way. The attributes and personalities of deity have also taken many forms. He has been seen as loving, hateful, cruel, soft, aloof, diabolical, devious, perfect, flawed, weak, strong…on and on the list goes.

Paul captures some of these ideas in writing to the Romans, a culture saturated with pagan religion and idolatry.

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Roman 1:20-25

Man continually re-makes God into an image like corruptible man or other beings. While people who hold to the Judeo-Christian understanding of God may reject such far-out views, we still tend to think of God in a way that confirms our own thinking or desires.

Here is a list of images some people cast God into:

• Agent:  Sees things from my perspective.
• Banker:  Provides finances for me whenever I need money.
• Bell Hop:  Carries my baggage.
• Bodyguard:  Won’t let anybody hurt me.
• Coach:  Gives me pointers on how to live my life.
• Co-conspirator:  Helps me carry out my plans.
• Congressman:  Makes new laws just for me.
• Custodian:  Cleans up after me.
• Doctor:  Diagnoses my every problem.
• Judge:  Interested only in right and wrong.
• Lawyer:  Constantly looks at the fine print.
• Mechanic:  Fixes things for me.
• Nurse:  Makes me feel better.
• Personal Chef:  Prepares foods I like.
• Personal Valet:  Always makes me look good.
• Policeman:  Always ready to enforce the law.
• Press Secretary:  Always spins the story in my favor.
• Referee:  Makes sure I play fair.
• Scorekeeper:  Keeps a record of my actions.
• Sympathizer:  Affirms my feelings regardless of what they are.
• Teammate:  Works with me and helps me out.
• Water Boy:  Attends to my smallest needs.

The problem with re-making God into our image:

a.  We become the main character in the drama of redemption.

Isaiah 44:15-20 speaks about a man who cuts down a tree. He says,

15 Then it shall be for a man to burn, For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.  16 He burns half of it in the fire; With this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.  He even warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”  17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image.  He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”  18 They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.  19 And no one considers in his heart, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire, Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”   20 He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”   NKJV

But in Colossians 1:15-19, the Apostle Paul writes, ”He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.”  NKJV

b.  We end up with a false God. (Hosea 13:1-2)

When Ephraim spoke, trembling, He exalted himself in Israel; But when he offended through Baal worship, he died.  2 Now they sin more and more, And have made for themselves molded images, Idols of their silver, according to their skill; All of it is the work of craftsmen.  They say of them, “Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!”   NKJV

c.  We live our lives under false pretenses. (Esther 4:13; Romans 2:1-3)

2:1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?   NKJV

The truth is that we were originally created in God’s image. (Genesis 1:26-27)

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. NKJV

• He has primacy over all. (Revelation 1:8-18)
• He has ownership. (Psalm 100:3)
• He gives direction to us. (Proverbs 3:6; Jeremiah 10:23)

The real challenge is letting God re-make us into his image.

There are three operative words here: Become, Grow and Change.

Become.

John 1:12-13  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”  NKJV

Grow.

Ephesians 4:15 “But, speaking the truth in love, [we] may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— “  NKJV

1 Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”  NKJV

Change.

2 Corinthians 3:18  “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. “  NKJV

Why is the process of change into the image of God so hard for us?

• It goes against the way we were raised.
• Prejudice, Anger, Superiority, Entitlement, Victim mentality, Fear.
• A past religion or teaching we received.
• Easy believism, ecumenism, humanism, legalism, self-reliance.
• We don’t want to lose any advantage we may have. When we have lived our lives investing in our identity and establishing our persona, the thought of walking away from it seems to make us a non-person.
• It’s a scary proposition to re-define ourselves.
• We don’t want to lose face.
• It will cost us money, possessions, independence.
• It may be painful.
• It seems unfair.
• We don’t know what the end result will be.
• Yet, regardless of the difficulty of the change, discipleship demands this precise transformation.

What does God need from us in order to re-make us into his image?

A willing an pliable heart.

• Jer 18:3-4 “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.  4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.”  KJV
• Romans 9:20-22 “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?”  NKJV

Humility. 1 Peter 5:5

Teachable spirit. 2 Timothy 2:2

Submission. James 4:7

What methods will God use to re-make us into his image?

Examination and trial.

Psalm 26:2  “Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my mind and my heart.”  NKJV

Affliction.

2 Corinthians 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. NKJV

Fire. 1 Corinthians 3:13; 1 Peter 4:12.

Preaching. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Discipline. 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15

Buffeting. 1 Corinthians 4:11;

1 Cor 4:11-13  “To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. “  NKJV

What is God’s purpose in re-making us into his image?

Mark 12:15-17 “Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” 16 So they brought it. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at Him.” NKJV

In the end of all time, when the church lives in eternity with her bridegroom, God intends to fashion us into his image.

1 John 3:1-3 “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” NKJV

I know what the God of the Bible is like.  He is a God of love and forgiveness.  He is a God of might and power.  He is a God who takes a personal interest in me.  He is a God who has a beautiful plan for my life.  I can believe in a God like that.  If your God doesn’t resemble the God of the Bible, it’s time to make a change.

Micah 7:18  ”Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?  He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.   NKJV

Mother’s Hats

The creative powers of God were fully challenged. After he flung the galaxies into the expanses of near space, spun the planets into orbit, and dusted his hands of the Milky Way, he turned his attention to the world we inhabit. He sculpted out the Grand Canyon, smoothed out the Saharan Desert, chiseled out the snow-capped Andes Mountains, scattered California with mighty Redwoods, carpeted the tropics with exotic palms and Birds of Paradise, ran his finger around the seven continents’ coastlines creating beaches with white sand and rugged rocks, carved Egypt with the Nile, Brazil with the Amazon, India with the Ganges, China with the Yangtze, and the U. S. with the Mississippi—-and he wasn’t finished. He tinged the forests with shades of green, brushed yellow onto the daffodils, pink onto the azaleas, red onto the roses and violet onto the violets, but even more was required. He had to pour grace into the deer, ferocity into the mother grizzly, craftiness into the fox, exquisite color into the peacock and song into the swallow. Almost at the end of his creative run, he made man.

Now, ready for his crowning achievement, God surpassed every one of the previous creative marvels. He made Mothers.

Mothers are terrific. There’s almost nothing they can’t do—-certainly nothing they wouldn’t try to do in fulfilling their creative instincts. They wear many hats and change them at the drop of a hat.

My mother used to be an incurable hat wearer. She wore the pillbox hat, the tam, the straw bonnet, the broad-brimmed satin or a hat trimmed in lace, the plumed hat, the veiled hat and dressy coverings made of felt. Some women wear hats decorated with beads, feathers, flowers, tassels, pins or even pieces of fruit. Others wear fur caps, head wraps, decorative scarves and colorful bandannas.

The hats I’m talking about, however, aren’t part of a fashion aficionado’s wardrobe. I’m referring to the hats that define the roles that moms play.

Mothers wear the cook’s hat. From baloney sandwiches to au gratin potatoes, Mom does it all. She can whip up a cake from scratch, make special fudge at Christmas time, and cook that turkey tender. She mixes, stirs, grinds, fries, bakes, boils, broils, grills, bastes, simmers, heats, sautés, toasts, and browns—-all without burning or scorching. She cans peaches, freezes corn, organizes spice trays, clips coupons and shops for all the groceries. Mom does it all.

Mothers wear the homemaker’s hat. She arranges—-and re-arranges—-furniture, measures for curtains and carpet, hangs pictures, paints and papers the walls, and decorates for Christmases and birthdays. She color-coordinates the towels, plants flowers, buys shrubs for Dad to plant and picks up bug-spray for Dad to apply. She does almost all of the shopping for household items and has been known to take back every single one of those items that she purchased and either replace them with the right color or size, or get a refund because she decided she didn’t need them.

Mothers wear the maid’s hat. She washes, dries and irons clothes, sews on buttons, makes beds, cleans toilets, shakes out rugs, defrosts freezers, washes dishes, scrubs pots and pans, dusts furniture, superglues broken vases, wipes up spills, throws out soured milk, dumps moldy leftovers, vacuums carpets, sweeps away cobwebs, mops and waxes floors, inspects the shoes of Dad and the kids before she lets them in the house, and has been known to raise her voice at messy rooms.

Mothers wear the nurse’s hat. She administers medicine, applies Band-Aids, washes out cuts and scrapes, kisses owies, takes temperatures, forces down cough syrup, calls doctors, fixes hot tea with lemon for sore throats, reminds kids to wear their hats, scarves, gloves, boots—-and their retainers for the teeth from which the braces just came off that cost thousands of dollars…not to mention the third pair of eyeglasses that have been lost! She prescribes home remedies, sets out the vitamins, sends kids back to brush their teeth, and writes out excuses for sick kids—-or sends them on to school when she thinks they’re pulling her leg—-and has the incredible wisdom to know the difference.

Mothers wear the policeman’s cap. She senses when something is wrong. She checks pockets, digs in back-packs, flips through books and rummages through purses. She demands to smell breath, inspect hair, rub cheeks, lips and eyebrows, and examine belt-lines, hemlines and necklines. She asks who you’re riding with, emailing, calling and having over. She wants to know who gave you that item of jewelry or article of clothing that you’re not supposed to have. She finds mysterious notes, forbidden tapes and CD’s, trashy books, questionable magazines, and rips up Abercrombie and Fitch’s catalogs! She wants to know what you watched when you went to someone’s house, why your radio is set to 102.5FM, and why you got into a certain website. She never stops questioning, and is never satisfied with the first answer she gets. Aren’t mothers wonderful?

Mothers wear the hats of story-tellers, book readers, game players, one-person audiences for kids reciting poems, homework helpers, baseball coaches, taxi-drivers, referees, umpires, mediators, detectives, prosecuting attorneys, defense lawyers, judges and juries. She advises, counsels, sooths, comforts, chides, mentors, hugs, kisses, pats, reminds, scolds, sends cards and letters, drops off a batch of cookies for the neighbors or the bake sale, takes pictures and pastes them in album after album, (or at least intends to some day).

But, most importantly, Mother’s wear the prayer warrior’s hat. You might think Mom always knows and always has the answers. But, she knows she doesn’t. That’s why—-late at night or early in the morning, and sometimes in the middle of the night—-if you sneak into the family room or kitchen, you will see Mother in her most glorious hat, the hat of the prayer-warrior.

You see, sometimes Mothers don’t get the answers they want when they ask the questions. They worry about rashes, bumps and scrapes. They may not know what all the medical terms are, but they know when you just aren’t yourself. They worry about the older kids that come around their children, and what happens at school or the playground or the park.

When kids get older, Mothers are troubled by rebellious looks, hateful remarks, shifty eyes, strange words, reluctance to go to church and a resistance to do the right things that had never before arisen.

She knows you’re vulnerable as you enter changes in your life.
She sees the pain on your expression when someone disses you.
She sees signs of spiritual struggle.
She knows when you’re not around the altar.
Sometimes, she doesn’t like the relationships you’re getting into.
She sees the far-off look in your eyes, and it worries her.
Your spiritual well-being is the single most important thing in her life.

And so she prays. Sometimes, she feels like she just can’t get through to you. She can’t watch you all the time. She doesn’t know all of the influences you may be under.

And so she prays. If the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, you can double that for a mother. The very demons of hell tremble when a mother comes after them with intercessory prayer. The mothers of the Bible say, “Pray on!”

Hannah: 1 Samuel 1:15-17 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. 17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

Deborah: Judges 5:1-2 Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying, 2 Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel , when the people willingly offered themselves. 7 The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel , until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel .

I’m confident that behind the successes of Isaac were the prayers of his mother, Sarah. Rebekah must have prayed for Jacob, Jochebed for Moses, Hannah for Samuel, and unnamed mothers for Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the long line of prophets. A grandmother named Lois and a mother named Eunice must have prayed for Timothy. Mighty patriarchs, prophets, priests and kings all must attribute their blessings to mothers who knew how to pray.

Mothers, on this Mother’s Day, you may be weary and distraught. Satan may have told you that you are fighting a losing battle. You may feel inadequate, outsmarted, helpless and hopeless. But, you’re none of these things as long as you can pray!

Pray through the attack of Satan on your home and children.
Pray through the clouds of darkness that try to suffocate you.
Pray through the attempts of evil influence to destroy everything you’ve instilled in your kids.
Pray—-not with resignation, but with resolve!
Pray first, pray last, and fill up the hours in between with whispered prayer.
Find time, make time, take time to pray.
Pray early, pray late, pray often.
Pray softly, pray loudly, pray fervently.
No one can represent your children before the throne of God like you can.
It is time that the mothers in Israel arose. There is a mighty prayer army that moves the very throne of God.

Why I Believe That Miracles Still Happen Today

 Do you believe in miracles? Many don’t, but I do. Here are just a few reasons why, based on both the scriptures and ministerial experiences, that I accept the reality of the supernatural and preach and teach this in the church

1. There are no scriptural reasons to believe that miracles have ceased. Many who deny miracles today interpret 1 Corinthians 13:10 , “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away” to mean that the when Holy Bible was complete, the need for miracles ceased. This view finds little support among Bible scholars. The phrase, “that which is perfect is come” actually refers to the second coming of Christ. Until he comes, spiritual gifts and miracles remain the province of the believer.

2. Jesus emphasized that whatsoever we asked in his name he would do it. John 14:13-14 states, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” Asking “in his name” is not a carte blanche, but a reflection of the nature and will of God.

3. The Bible teaches that these signs shall follow them that believe. Mark 16:17 “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

4. The Bible states that the church would do greater works than he did. John 14:12. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” “Greater” refers to more in number because Jesus would not be limited to a physical body when we returned to his Father. Thus, he now extends himself and operates through his church. “Greater” does not mean “less.”

5. Multitudes in the Bible were saved because they saw the miracles. Matthew 15:31. “Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.” Millions of unbelievers exist today who would be equally impacted by the supernatural.

6. To deny the miracle power of God would be to place limitations on God. Psalm 78:41 says, “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel .” If God wants to work miracles today, why should we try to limit him?

7. The Bible instructs us to pray for healing and miracles. James 5:14-15. “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick…” If this scripture retains any value for the church today, it is because the potential for miracles to happen still exists.

8. Healing gifts and the working of miracles are among the gifts of the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:9-10 “To another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles…” Nestled among the spiritual gifts that are resident in the church are these supernatural gifts. We must accept them along with all other gifts.

9. Those who say there are no miracles imply that prayer does not work. Many sincere people believe that if answers to prayer don’t come immediately, then we should stop because it must be against the will of God. Yet, they continue to pray for other things, like peace, strength, joy, even when they see no immediate answer. Does that mean that we are wrong to pray for such things? Absolutely not. Keep praying. You never know when and how the answer will come. If we take care of the praying, God will take care of the answering.

10. When miracles do occur, who should we thank? Should we exalt man? Science? Nature? Chance? No. James 1:17 states, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Miracles come from God. Further, if God did want to show his miracle-working power, how could he convince us over our doubt? Doubt serves no spiritual purpose at all.

11. The testimony of millions today contradicts the denial of the critics. Too many examples of miraculous events and supernatural healings abound for us to fall in line with the critics. The healer is in the house. The very least we can do is acknowledge him and pray that he would extend his hand of power and dominion to us. Remember, Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

The State of the American Character

A Florida State University study finds 39% of workers claim their supervisor failed to keep promises. 37% say the boss failed to give credit when due, 31% were given the “silent treatment” by their boss in the past year, 27% report their supervisor made negative comments about them to co-workers or managers, 24% claim their privacy was invaded by a supervisor, and 23% say the boss blamed others to cover up mistakes to minimize embarrassment. (Associated Press, 1-2-07). The study did not concern itself with whether or not employees were guilty of behavior just as bad or worse than their bosses. My guess is that there is enough blame to go around.

Maybe I was born too soon. I could just say that it’s different today. Honesty, integrity, courtesy and good manners were common traits of the culture that I grew up in as a child. We were taught to be kind to each other, to say “thank you” for any nice thing someone did for us, and to take responsibility for one’s own actions. We smiled at each other, opened doors for each other and asked permission before we took or used something. Loyalty, faithfulness and commitment were not considered stupid. People knew that they should treat others with the kind of respect they wanted for themselves.

But, it’s not enough just to say it’s different. At some point, the baby-boomer generation threw off the old rules of common courtesy and replaced them with a new rule of serving oneself and forgetting about anyone else. Animal instincts have been elevated to become the basic definition of human life today. That might be why we talk of a “dog-eat-dog” rat race where we look out for number one and please ourselves first before pleasing other people.

I trace this deterioration back to the societal revolution of the sixties. Not only did we see three powerful political figures assassinated and experienced the riots of Watts and Detroit during that decade, we also banned prayer from the schools, asserted total sexual freedom, began the widespread use of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and other illegal drugs, and saw the Vietnam War escalate and incite an unprecedented firestorm of protest. “The Sixties amounted to one collision after another, as if the culture were an enormous pile of fissionable material and each collision shook loose particles that collided with other particles until the entire society was undergoing a chain reaction.” (Todd Gitlin, Life). Never forget that an intense skepticism of religion and a rejection of biblical morality led the way.

When society rejects the God of the Bible, it creates a gigantic moral vacuum that will soon be filled with any number of alternative beliefs and behaviors. Some mistakenly believe that the loss of biblical morality means nothing and that life just goes on. No. If we were to suspend the law of gravity, for example, objects that once were securely in place would begin flying everywhere. Even so, our dismissal of God’s laws means that fairness, kindness, courtesy and all the other norms of interpersonal behavior no longer stay put. The basis of righteousness must remain in place for righteous behavior to survive. Acting out a safe, rewarding and secure culture hinges upon our belief that these behaviors are indeed ordained of the God we love and serve. One cannot be divorced from the other.

Good character proceeds from basic faith.

Asking the Tough Questions (Part One)

In all of scripture, there is no more depressing scenario to be found than the miserable creature Job as he cursed the day of his birth.

Job 3:2 "Let the day of my birth be cursed," he said, "and the night when I was conceived. 4 Let that day be forever forgotten. Let it be lost even to God, shrouded in eternal darkness.

9 Let the stars of the night disappear. Let it long for light but never see it, never see the morning light. 10 Curse it for its failure to shut my mother's womb, for letting me be born to come to all this trouble…

11 "Why didn't I die at birth? 12 Why did the midwife let me live? Why did she nurse me at her breasts? 13 For if only I had died at birth, then I would be quiet now, asleep and at rest, 14 along with prime ministers and kings with all their pomp, and wealthy princes whose castles are full of rich treasures. 16 Oh, to have been stillborn!-to have never breathed or seen the light. 17 For there in death the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. 18 There even prisoners are at ease, with no brutal jailer to curse them. 19 Both rich and poor alike are there, and the slave is free at last from his master.

I think you’ll agree that Job has a pretty dismal outlook on life, to say the least. But then, he asks a question that goes directly to the heart of our Creator:

Why is a man allowed to be born if God is only going to give him a hopeless life of uselessness and frustration?"  TLB

One Saturday night, I had a serious discussion scheduled with the twenty-somethings of our church. I called it “Re-Imagine.” I allowed them to talk to me about things that bothered them…fears, frustrations, dislikes, problems…all in an open and affirming way. I let them ask me about church services and ministries. A couple of them, thankfully a minority, thought much of it was irrelevant or even counterproductive to their needs. Suffice it to say, we had an interesting discussion.

I think, however, that some of their questions, and the questions of a lot of people, may be superficial or secondary to deeper questions about God. It’s time for us to get to the bottom of some things that bother us.

Why pain and suffering?
Why death?
Why war and devastation?
Why do bad things happen to good people? Why? Why? Why?

All of us have a hard time with these deep and searching questions about life. We try to ignore them; we make up quick and easy answers to them; we aren’t satisfied with the answers we get from so-called experts; in the end, we resign ourselves to eternal ignorance. I have found, however, that many of our questions grow out of basic underlying assumptions we have about life. As one of my secondary education teachers used to say, “I can tell how much you understand about the subject by the questions you ask.”

So, first of all, let’s examine some of the basic ideas we have to deal with.

You and I see the universe from the perception of human beings.
We are finite.
We are limited in power.
We are limited in understanding.
We are limited in knowledge.
We are limited in resources.
We are limited in controlling our lives.
We are weak in moral and ethical attributes.
We are capable of imagining great things, but incapable of doing most of them.
Our entire view of the world is predicated on human experiences and understanding.

What does this mean?
It means that we have the ability to ask questions that we can neither ask properly nor understand the answer if it is provided.
It’s like a kindergarten student engaging a professor of higher mathematics in a discussion about trigonometry or calculus.
It’s like people of two different languages trying to talk to each other without a translator.

Let’s look at some things we know about God.

The Bible does not seek to prove the existence of God; it simply affirms His existence by declaring, "In the beginning God..." (Gen 1:1).

God has revealed Himself through the physical universe (Ps 19:1; Rom 1:19-20). By observing the universe, one can find positive indications of God's existence. Creation reveals the results of a universal mind that devised a master plan and executed it. It makes more sense to accept the idea of God as Creator of the universe than to assume that our orderly universe came into existence apart from a divine being.

God may be described in terms of attributes. An attribute is an inherent characteristic of a person or being. While we usually fail to describe God in a comprehensive way, we can learn about Him by examining His attributes as revealed in the Bible.

God Is Spirit. Jesus taught that "God is Spirit" (John 4:24). God has no body, no physical or measurable form. Thus, God is invisible. He became visible in human form in the person of Jesus Christ, but His essence is invisible.

God Is Changeless. He said, “I am God; I change not.”

God Is All Powerful. God's power is unlimited. He can do anything that is not inconsistent with His nature, character, and purpose. In Genesis 18:14, he asks the question of Abraham, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” The only limitations on God's power are imposed by Himself. "Impossible" is not in God's vocabulary. God creates and sustains all things; yet He never grows weary:

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
NKJV (Isaiah 40:27-31).

God Is All Knowing. God possesses all knowledge (Job 38:39; Rom 11:33-36). Because God is everywhere at one and the same time, He knows everything simultaneously. That God has the power to know the thoughts and motives of every heart is evident from many Scripture passages, notably Job 37:16; Ps 147:5, and Heb 3:13.

God Is Everywhere. God is not confined to any part of the universe but is present in all His power at every point in space and every moment in time (Ps 139:7-12). Thus, God does not belong to any one nation or generation. He is the God of all the earth (Gen 18:25).

God Is Eternal. Eternity refers to God's relation to time. Past, present, and future are known equally to Him (2 Peter 3:8; Rev 1:8). Time is like a parade that man sees only a segment at a time. But God sees time in its entirety.

This first group is known as the natural attributes of God. The second group of attributes is called moral attributes. These refer to God's character, His essential nature.

God Is Holy. The word holy comes from a root word that means "to separate," so it refers to God as separated from or exalted above other things (Isa 6:1-3). Holiness refers to God's moral excellence. Since he is holy, God demands holiness in His own children. And what He demands, He supplies. Holiness is God's gift that we receive by faith through the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 4:24).

God Is Righteous. Righteousness as applied to God refers to right as opposed to what is wrong. We see this in His moral laws laid down to guide the conduct of humankind, as in the Ten Commandments. Righteousness also refers to God's justice. He punishes the disobedient (Gen 18:25; Deut 32:4; Rom 2:6-16).

God Is Love. Divine love runs like a golden thread through the entire Bible. God loves and gives; From the scriptures, we find that He loved and sought out mankind---just as a shepherd seeks his sheep. God loved and suffered, providing His love by giving His all on the cross to redeem lost souls. God, in His love, intends good for mankind. Psalm 145:9 says,

The LORD is good to all,And His tender mercies are over all His works. NKJV

God Is Truth. All truth, whether natural, physical, or spiritual, looks back to God as its source. Any apparent contradiction between natural and physical sciences and God's revelation of Himself simply illustrates our finite knowledge. The more we understand God, the more we discover truth. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6

God Is Wisdom. God's wisdom has been defined as God doing the best thing, in the best way, at the best time for the best purpose. Knowledge does not necessarily equate with wisdom, the wisest sometimes have little knowledge. God is "the only wise God" (1 Tim 1:17).