I know, using the title of a hit movie as part of the title. Kinda cliche, but, very true.
I am always amazed at my Father and His work. More importantly, how He works through prayer. How long it seems we slumber in our kingdom walk then suddenly He shakes us awake through the use of circumstances, history, and the words we read in the Bible from long ago.
A couple of months ago, I read a passage from John 14:12-14. Jesus was speaking to his disciples who were amazed by the things he did. He turned this around on them and said, "whatever you ask in my name, I will do it to glorify the name of my Father in heaven! If you ask me ANYTHING in my name, I WILL do it!"
Think about the power in those words. Reading them drew me to desire even more to know how to pray, how to ask, and what to ask for. This in turn led me to order a book entitled "Release the Power of Prayer" by George Mueller. If you remember, it was his story that sparked another journey in my life back in January of 2014. After having read the above verse and seeing the title of the book, knowing George was a man of prayer, I assumed I could learn much from his knowledge of "how to pray!" However, I was even more moved as I began reading and found the book was again simple stories of prayers God had answered in his life. In fact, it was stated that George Mueller had documented over 50,000 answered prayers in his 92 years on earth. FIFTY THOUSAND! Stories ranging from lost keys to God changing the weather. I highly encourage the reading of his autobiography and this book as well so you can be as George would say, "encouraged that God still answers prayer!"
On a recent retreat, I began to understand the power in, and need for, God's people in 2015 to share the stories of what God is doing. We have His Word in the Bible of the things he has done. We have stories from history like George Mueller, Hudson Taylor, David Livingstone, Samuel Morris, and Isabel Kuhn of what He has done. But today we so desperately need to know what He is doing. We sing "God is not Dead", but do we live our lives as a reflection of that saying? If He is not dead, and He does not change, then His power we read of in the Bible and stories of history must be alive today!
In the aforementioned book, Release the power of prayer, George told of a time when he needed mild weather during the winter so he asked for God to send a southerly wind on the days the work needed done. God answered! He also spoke of asking God to help him find a key, and when money was in need, and when the desire for souls to be saved. God answered.
This awoke something in me! The desire to pray and expect God to work, as George had mentioned he did. So on November 28th, I was scheduled to have an Auction in Gallatin TN and all week the weather was amazing. However, heavy rain was forecast for the evening of the 27th and on for four days. Having just read of Georges answer to the southerly wind prayer, I asked God to hold off the heavy rains until the sale was completed and to bless the auction beyond any of our imaginations. When Saturday morning arrived, only a light mist was in the air and a drizzling rain. I have a video from right after the tenet was taken down and the sale complete, and the larger rain drops began to fall and it poured the rest of the weekend. God answered. Not only that, guesses on what the farm would bring was from $400,000 to $675,000, when it was finished, it brought $830,000. god answered.
I know if you have read my story, these should not be a surprise as God has been doing some amazing things in my life over the past 24 months. However, I am human just like all the characters in the Scriptures and like George Mueller and Hudson Taylor. That means I wrestle with God and "can He, and will He really pull through this time?" But George said something that stuck out to me, he said "each small prayer answered and each small test given is a faith builder for the days ahead and the next test." So I began to see God moving and it encouraged me to pray more.
My next test came as I was called for another Auction. I had done the past two as co-broke with my father, but knowing God had called me to be set apart even in my labors, I wondered if the owner would be okay with me standing on my own two feet. So I asked (worriedly I might add) for God to give me favor and show me how to approach the situation. When it came up, it was VERY clear God had gone before by using another person to recommend me for the job and the owner said "I don't care how you do it, I was told you were the one for the job and I want you!" God answered!
Soon after I was working on my sheep shed and I really wanted to finish it on a certain day. Not having electricity available, I was relying on my chain saw for cutting boards. Early in the day, as I pulled the cord to crank it, it failed to recoil and my heart sank. I worked with it a few times and no luck. I finally got it to take the cord back in and I prepared to take it to the shop. Suddenly I stopped and simply said, "Father, I really want to finish this shed today, can you please make this thing crank and work correctly?" I grabbed the chainsaw, pulled the cord, and it fired right up and worked the rest of the day! God Answered!
Then just the other day, we were called regarding my daughters horse and that she was acting up. I went the next morning to check on it and was told a story of how she was nearly impossible to catch and get back in the barn. I, not being a fan of the horse business, was discouraged and not sure what to do. We decided the next morning that my daughter and wife would go early and try to get her back in. On the way I simply asked "Father, please allow Raygan to walk up to her horse and lead her into the barn!" When we arrived it was very foggy and hard to see. I stood at the gate and continued to pray that prayer, and the next thing I saw was my wife and daughter walking to the barn with the horse on the lead rope. Not an issue at all, and has not been since!" God answered!
So why tell you all this? Because I want you to know God answers prayer! In fact, He is pleading with His children in the western world to remember He answers prayer and He wants us to know that He longs for us to simply ask Him ANYTHING! Not that you can run and ask for a million dollars, but if it His will and for His glory that a million dollars be given you, He can, and will, only ASK!
God loves us so much, as a father does his child. I know if my children ask me to do something for them that I know will be good for them or simply bring them joy, I do everything in my power to make it happen. If I , an earthly father who struggles with a wicked heart, will do that for my kids, HOW MUCH MORE will He do so much more for us, His children.
To God be the Glory!
Your brother,
Ray Carman - Auctioneer/Realtor
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Elijah - God's Agent of SMASH
On my journey with my kids through Scripture and looking at God's Agents of SMASH, this week we came upon Elijah in 1 Kings 17-19. I am constantly amazed (and encouraged) of how each time God's people had been led astray by a false God, that He would send an Agent of Smash to redeem His people back to himself. I am also amazed at how each Agent was not some amazing, Hercules of a man (or woman) but rather just a person that God had called and they willing followed and obeyed. It gives me hope for our world for when He sends his next agent of SMASH!
Elijah's story is set in a time that a king had risen up whose heart was set against God. He and his wife had rid the land of the prophets who spoke truth and replaced them with prophets to the false god Baal. Ahab and Jezebel had been doing everything to kill Elijah himself, and out of fear for his life, Elijah went and hid himself. He had witnessed God do amazing things, but just like any human, he feared death, especially death at the hands of these evil people. So he had pronounced that it would not rain until God told him it would, and then he ran and hid.
In this time, he ended up at a widows house who had a son (chapter 17). He asked her for food and she informed him she only had enough for one meal left for her and her son and then she was planning on dying. Elijah told her to cook it all, but to first feed him and if she obeyed, her flour and oil would not run out until it rained again! This was her test, and according to the story, she passed in flying colors. From that day on Elijah lived with her and they ate from that same jar of flour and oil. Until her son died! This part of the story shows us another test of Elijah as he prayed for life to renter the boy's body. It did not happen the first or second time. But Elijah did not I've up in his prayer and on the third time asking God to revive the boy, he breathed again. Lesson: do not quit praying if you do not receive the answer immediately.
After this Elijah was sent by the Spirit of God back to Ahab to call out the prophets of Baal to do a test and see who the one and only God was! (Chapter 18). Wow, what a scene. As he called out the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 of Asherah to a challenge to see whose God would send down fire to consume an offering. PLEASE, read this story yourself! It is amazing.
In the end, of course God proves only He is God and as a result, Elijah told the people to capture the false prophets of Baal and put them to death by sword that day. He called the people to serve ONLY God and to abandon their evil worship of Baal. God used Elijah to redeem his people again and purify His people from their sin. But it again took an agent of SMASH who obeyed God and did something radical to call attention back to God. It was not an action of his own choosing, but rather an obedience to what God told him to do.
Immediately following this, Elijah told Ahab to go eat and drink and prepare for rain. At this point it had been three years since it had rained in the land. Elijah went to the top of a mountain and prayed for the rain to come. 6 times he sent his servant to check the horizon for a rain cloud and 6 times he returned saying there was nothing. It was the seventh time when his servant said "there is a cloud on the horizon the size of a mans hand." That is when Elijah told Ahab he better get home because a rain cam e up quickly. Ahab rode his horse and chariot, but we are told "the Spirit of God cam upon Elijah" and he girded up his clothes and ran ahead of the chariot (on his feet) into the city! Another cool story, but pronounced with the fact that Elijah did not stop praying after 6 times of negative words, but rather continued to pray and waited expectantly upon God to answer.
Elijah's story is full of exciting times, and times where he despaired of life all together. Immediately following this he went somewhere and asked God to simply take his life because "he was the only prophet left who loved God!" he was depressed and God had to rise this man back out of the miry clay. Elijah was just a man, and anything mighty that was done through him, or any Agent of SMASH was done because the "Spirit of the LORD" came upon them. Please take the time and read the rest of Elijah's story, it is full of the glory of God and His ways!
Until next time, SMASH on!!!
Your Brother,
Ray Carman
Elijah's story is set in a time that a king had risen up whose heart was set against God. He and his wife had rid the land of the prophets who spoke truth and replaced them with prophets to the false god Baal. Ahab and Jezebel had been doing everything to kill Elijah himself, and out of fear for his life, Elijah went and hid himself. He had witnessed God do amazing things, but just like any human, he feared death, especially death at the hands of these evil people. So he had pronounced that it would not rain until God told him it would, and then he ran and hid.
In this time, he ended up at a widows house who had a son (chapter 17). He asked her for food and she informed him she only had enough for one meal left for her and her son and then she was planning on dying. Elijah told her to cook it all, but to first feed him and if she obeyed, her flour and oil would not run out until it rained again! This was her test, and according to the story, she passed in flying colors. From that day on Elijah lived with her and they ate from that same jar of flour and oil. Until her son died! This part of the story shows us another test of Elijah as he prayed for life to renter the boy's body. It did not happen the first or second time. But Elijah did not I've up in his prayer and on the third time asking God to revive the boy, he breathed again. Lesson: do not quit praying if you do not receive the answer immediately.
After this Elijah was sent by the Spirit of God back to Ahab to call out the prophets of Baal to do a test and see who the one and only God was! (Chapter 18). Wow, what a scene. As he called out the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 of Asherah to a challenge to see whose God would send down fire to consume an offering. PLEASE, read this story yourself! It is amazing.
In the end, of course God proves only He is God and as a result, Elijah told the people to capture the false prophets of Baal and put them to death by sword that day. He called the people to serve ONLY God and to abandon their evil worship of Baal. God used Elijah to redeem his people again and purify His people from their sin. But it again took an agent of SMASH who obeyed God and did something radical to call attention back to God. It was not an action of his own choosing, but rather an obedience to what God told him to do.
Immediately following this, Elijah told Ahab to go eat and drink and prepare for rain. At this point it had been three years since it had rained in the land. Elijah went to the top of a mountain and prayed for the rain to come. 6 times he sent his servant to check the horizon for a rain cloud and 6 times he returned saying there was nothing. It was the seventh time when his servant said "there is a cloud on the horizon the size of a mans hand." That is when Elijah told Ahab he better get home because a rain cam e up quickly. Ahab rode his horse and chariot, but we are told "the Spirit of God cam upon Elijah" and he girded up his clothes and ran ahead of the chariot (on his feet) into the city! Another cool story, but pronounced with the fact that Elijah did not stop praying after 6 times of negative words, but rather continued to pray and waited expectantly upon God to answer.
Elijah's story is full of exciting times, and times where he despaired of life all together. Immediately following this he went somewhere and asked God to simply take his life because "he was the only prophet left who loved God!" he was depressed and God had to rise this man back out of the miry clay. Elijah was just a man, and anything mighty that was done through him, or any Agent of SMASH was done because the "Spirit of the LORD" came upon them. Please take the time and read the rest of Elijah's story, it is full of the glory of God and His ways!
Until next time, SMASH on!!!
Your Brother,
Ray Carman
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Balaam's Donkey - Agent of SMASH
If you have not read Numbers 22-24 lately, you really should. Most people are somewhat familiar with the phrase, "If God could speak through an ass (donkey)......" and this is where that story comes from. This week Father led me to this story as our next installment of His Agents of SMASH. I will have to admit, on the surface, it does not seem to fit the profile, that is until you really dig deeper.
Take a minute and read it for yourself. I never believe in relying on someone else to recount a story especially if the source is available. But here was our take on it.
Israel is in the post Egypt era and they are moving through the land, pretty much overtaking all the inhabitants based on God's command. When they reach Moab, the king there, Balak, decides to take some extreme measures. He reaches out to Balaam, a well known sorcerer in the area who has a high reputation as being one who if he cursed or blessed you, you were cursed or blessed. Bala, knew he had no chance against Israel, unless, Balaam would come curse them.
Balak sends messengers to bring Balaam to his aid, and God simply told Balaam "No!" So Balak, sends a second party of princes to ask for his services, and this time God told him to go with them, but only say what He told him to say.
The next verse is really interesting as we enter into the donkey's part of the story. Salaam, gets up the next day and goes as God had told him to, but then we see God for doing what he had said, to which I replied, "Good question to ask God!"
This is when God sends an angel to oppose Balaam on his journey and the Agent of SMASH goes to work. This angel stands in the path and Balaam does not see him, but the donkey does. Here is why that is interesting. Balaam is a sorcerer who is suppose to be in touch with the spiritual realm and see spiritual beings. He should have seen the angel, but his eyes had been shut and he could not. So when the donkey 1) veered into the field 2) rubbed the wall crushing Balaam's foot 3) laid down in the road, Balaam went ballistic and beat the animal. And when it said he beat the donkey, imagine a thorough whipping and lashing that would hurt. Balaam was furious because he was embarrassed. This animal was "making a fool" of him (v.29). God, in his mercy allowed the donkey to speak and simply ask Balaam, "Why are you beating me?"
Here is where we get the fun part of the story. Balaam seemingly not surprised answers his donkey. They carry on a discourse until Balaam finally says, "If I had a sword I would slay you!" Now is when his eyes are opened and he finally sees this angel with a flaming sword in his hand and Balaam is AFRAID! The angel informs him had it not been for his donkey, he would have surely slain Balaam and spared the donkey (ironic turn of events.) Balaam in fear offers to go back home, but instead, God told him to continue on through the angel, but warned again that he was only to say what he was told to say.
So how is the donkey an Agent of SMASH? She was an agent because she saw the danger ahead and turned to avoid it, and in the process, she crushed the foot and pride of the man she was carrying. Agents of Smash are agents who are sent to purify from sin, and Balaam had a pride issue which showed itself in his reactions to the donkey turning from the path and embarrassing him. If God had not used the donkey to purify Balaam before he arrived, he may have succumbed to the temptation to curse Israel in order to please Balak over God. He had been told to only do as God said, but with a heart full of pride, he may have disobeyed in order to please men. His pride and arrogance is shown by the fact he was blindly going ahead, ignorant of the road block God had sent. Without the donkey, Balaam would have surely died because he was not acting humbly and this would have spelled disaster for him ahead.
However, because God used a donkey to humble this proud man, he obeyed when he was told to bless Israel despite the temptation to receive the approval and riches of men. He obeyed God inspite of the fact he may have lost his life at the hands of Balak. This Agent of SMASH allowed him to see God more clearly and therefore obey His commands.
What a fascinating story and one we can learn so much from. God oft times places obstacles in our paths in order to protect us or remind us of his will. And if we are too proudly marching forward in our own strength, in His mercy he may humble us and speak to us through the mouth of an ass (donkey.) If we are sensitive to Him, hopefully we will see the Angel and the flaming Sword before the donkey speaks!
On a personal note, having had donkeys on our farm and knowing how frustrating they can be, it gives this story even more significance when the donkey says "have I ever acted like this before?" and Balaam says "No." I promise you, if one of my donkeys ever spoke, you can bet I would first check my sanity, but then I would listen. Because of this donkey, God secured a major blessing for his people and again displayed His sovereignty over ALL things!
Amazing story, you should really check it out!
Your Brother,
Ray Carman
Take a minute and read it for yourself. I never believe in relying on someone else to recount a story especially if the source is available. But here was our take on it.
Israel is in the post Egypt era and they are moving through the land, pretty much overtaking all the inhabitants based on God's command. When they reach Moab, the king there, Balak, decides to take some extreme measures. He reaches out to Balaam, a well known sorcerer in the area who has a high reputation as being one who if he cursed or blessed you, you were cursed or blessed. Bala, knew he had no chance against Israel, unless, Balaam would come curse them.
Balak sends messengers to bring Balaam to his aid, and God simply told Balaam "No!" So Balak, sends a second party of princes to ask for his services, and this time God told him to go with them, but only say what He told him to say.
The next verse is really interesting as we enter into the donkey's part of the story. Salaam, gets up the next day and goes as God had told him to, but then we see God for doing what he had said, to which I replied, "Good question to ask God!"
This is when God sends an angel to oppose Balaam on his journey and the Agent of SMASH goes to work. This angel stands in the path and Balaam does not see him, but the donkey does. Here is why that is interesting. Balaam is a sorcerer who is suppose to be in touch with the spiritual realm and see spiritual beings. He should have seen the angel, but his eyes had been shut and he could not. So when the donkey 1) veered into the field 2) rubbed the wall crushing Balaam's foot 3) laid down in the road, Balaam went ballistic and beat the animal. And when it said he beat the donkey, imagine a thorough whipping and lashing that would hurt. Balaam was furious because he was embarrassed. This animal was "making a fool" of him (v.29). God, in his mercy allowed the donkey to speak and simply ask Balaam, "Why are you beating me?"
Here is where we get the fun part of the story. Balaam seemingly not surprised answers his donkey. They carry on a discourse until Balaam finally says, "If I had a sword I would slay you!" Now is when his eyes are opened and he finally sees this angel with a flaming sword in his hand and Balaam is AFRAID! The angel informs him had it not been for his donkey, he would have surely slain Balaam and spared the donkey (ironic turn of events.) Balaam in fear offers to go back home, but instead, God told him to continue on through the angel, but warned again that he was only to say what he was told to say.
So how is the donkey an Agent of SMASH? She was an agent because she saw the danger ahead and turned to avoid it, and in the process, she crushed the foot and pride of the man she was carrying. Agents of Smash are agents who are sent to purify from sin, and Balaam had a pride issue which showed itself in his reactions to the donkey turning from the path and embarrassing him. If God had not used the donkey to purify Balaam before he arrived, he may have succumbed to the temptation to curse Israel in order to please Balak over God. He had been told to only do as God said, but with a heart full of pride, he may have disobeyed in order to please men. His pride and arrogance is shown by the fact he was blindly going ahead, ignorant of the road block God had sent. Without the donkey, Balaam would have surely died because he was not acting humbly and this would have spelled disaster for him ahead.
However, because God used a donkey to humble this proud man, he obeyed when he was told to bless Israel despite the temptation to receive the approval and riches of men. He obeyed God inspite of the fact he may have lost his life at the hands of Balak. This Agent of SMASH allowed him to see God more clearly and therefore obey His commands.
What a fascinating story and one we can learn so much from. God oft times places obstacles in our paths in order to protect us or remind us of his will. And if we are too proudly marching forward in our own strength, in His mercy he may humble us and speak to us through the mouth of an ass (donkey.) If we are sensitive to Him, hopefully we will see the Angel and the flaming Sword before the donkey speaks!
On a personal note, having had donkeys on our farm and knowing how frustrating they can be, it gives this story even more significance when the donkey says "have I ever acted like this before?" and Balaam says "No." I promise you, if one of my donkeys ever spoke, you can bet I would first check my sanity, but then I would listen. Because of this donkey, God secured a major blessing for his people and again displayed His sovereignty over ALL things!
Amazing story, you should really check it out!
Your Brother,
Ray Carman
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
His Hand Provides through Prayer
I am currently reading "Release the Power of Prayer," another small book detailing more of George Mueller's life and prayers that were answered. I am moved by how he sought God for everything, big and small, and how he "expected" answers. He encourages all believers to pray and look expectantly to God to answer their prayers.
So this past Saturday I had a fairly large auction come up. I had been working for over 6 weeks prepping, marketing, and working through obstacles to see it come to pass. I had poured my heart out into this project as I try and do with any I am involved in as a thank you to God for allowing me the pleasure of doing work I enjoy. This is also the means by which He allows me to provide for my family, but more so, these properties are very meaningful to the owners for whom I work. Therefore, I strive to give it my all and my best.
So with this sale coming up, a "perfect day" would be sun shining and 65 degrees. However, this is November 28th we are talking about in TN and the weather said rain was moving in on Friday evening and staying for 4 days. I knew that the buyers would come no matter what, because experience tells me so. However, of the sellers sake, you hope for the best. Therefore, I simply prayed, 'Lord please hold off the bulk of the rain till after the sale and blow our minds as to the outcome of it for Your glory and for the sake of the sellers."
And that was it. Simple prayer and I "looked expectantly" unto my Daddy to answer my prayers.
On Saturday morning, we had only had a drizzle through the evening and throughout the sale. The number of people who came out was literally mind blowing because we only had 8 tracts of land to offer, yet we had over 100 people come to the auction in drizzling, cool weather. On top of that, the final sales price exceeded everyone of our estimations by 20%.
All that to simply say, yes, God answered prayer in the Bible when Jesus prayed. He also answered prayer when George Mueller and Hudson Taylor prayed. He also answered prayer when Ray Carman prayed. All simply men looking to their Heavenly Daddy who told us through His Son, "If you believe, you WILL receive whatever you ask for in prayer!"
When God moves you to pray and burdens your heart, He longs for you to come to Him in prayer so He may answer. He may not do it immediately, (one man prayed for 50 years for the salvation of two men, and his prayer was answered after his death!), but He will build the strength of your faith through patiently awaiting His answer and once he has answered, He will build your Fatih in preparation for the next trial before you!
Your Brother,
Ray Carman
So this past Saturday I had a fairly large auction come up. I had been working for over 6 weeks prepping, marketing, and working through obstacles to see it come to pass. I had poured my heart out into this project as I try and do with any I am involved in as a thank you to God for allowing me the pleasure of doing work I enjoy. This is also the means by which He allows me to provide for my family, but more so, these properties are very meaningful to the owners for whom I work. Therefore, I strive to give it my all and my best.
So with this sale coming up, a "perfect day" would be sun shining and 65 degrees. However, this is November 28th we are talking about in TN and the weather said rain was moving in on Friday evening and staying for 4 days. I knew that the buyers would come no matter what, because experience tells me so. However, of the sellers sake, you hope for the best. Therefore, I simply prayed, 'Lord please hold off the bulk of the rain till after the sale and blow our minds as to the outcome of it for Your glory and for the sake of the sellers."
And that was it. Simple prayer and I "looked expectantly" unto my Daddy to answer my prayers.
On Saturday morning, we had only had a drizzle through the evening and throughout the sale. The number of people who came out was literally mind blowing because we only had 8 tracts of land to offer, yet we had over 100 people come to the auction in drizzling, cool weather. On top of that, the final sales price exceeded everyone of our estimations by 20%.
All that to simply say, yes, God answered prayer in the Bible when Jesus prayed. He also answered prayer when George Mueller and Hudson Taylor prayed. He also answered prayer when Ray Carman prayed. All simply men looking to their Heavenly Daddy who told us through His Son, "If you believe, you WILL receive whatever you ask for in prayer!"
When God moves you to pray and burdens your heart, He longs for you to come to Him in prayer so He may answer. He may not do it immediately, (one man prayed for 50 years for the salvation of two men, and his prayer was answered after his death!), but He will build the strength of your faith through patiently awaiting His answer and once he has answered, He will build your Fatih in preparation for the next trial before you!
Your Brother,
Ray Carman
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Gideon - Agent of SMASH
This past week, the family and I looked at another Agent of SMASH. Gideon. What a story this guy had to tell. It is amazing that it was wrapped up in only 3 chapters in the Bible, Judges 6-8.
Gideon is another one of those "least likely" guys to make this list. He was the youngest of his household and by his own account, from the weakest tribe in Israel. He lived in a time when the Israelites had again forsaken God and the punishment came in the form of a swarm of Midianites. According to the story, every year during crop time, the Midianites would come in and camp in the crop lands, destroying everything that was planted. It also says they left no sheep, cows, or donkeys for the Israelites. Imagine the difficulty of finding food for your family when everything you planted was destroyed 7 years in a row.
That was where we found Gideon, as he was threshing wheat in a winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. This is where God called him to be an Agent of SMASH, yet Gideon was not too certain even when faced with an "Angel of the Lord" who according to Scripture was "the Lord" himself. (Judges 6:11-15)
Even after finding himself in the Lords presence, Gideon still asked the Lord for proof. Actually, he was so timid that asked for proof several times. His first assignment was to tear down an alter to Baal and the Asherah pole in his town. He obeyed, however, it said "because he was afraid" (Judges 6:27), he did it under the cover of darkness in order to avoid the wrath of the family and neighbors. So he obeyed, but he still was scared. Gideon was a timid fellow.
This is proved again when he was told to prepare for the fight against the Midianites, after he had gathered the 32,000 men, who would go up against 135,000, he went to God and said "I need proof again!" Judges 6:36-40 is the story best known around Gideon regarding the fleece and the dew. Both his test were accepted and God showed that He would hold up His side of it all and deliver the Midianites into the hands of Gideon.
The only problem God had with it was Gideon had too many men. He did not want the men thinking they could win on their own strength. If you look at the numbers, 32000 vs 135000, that is not quite an position in which one might think the odds were in your favor. Every soldier Gideon had would have to defeat 4 Midianites at the same time to win. Not odds I would want in any fight. However, God said it was too many, so he made Gideon send everyone who was afraid home. (7:1-3) The result of this was Gideon was left with only 10,000 men.
Based on Gideon's track record, I am surprised he did not leave with those who were afraid. He was afraid when he realized the Angel was the Lord. He was afraid when he took down the Baal alter. He showed timidity when he asked for proof after gathering the army with the fleece test. SO it would have not been a huge surprise for him to leave with the men who were afraid to fight. But we see him there now with 10,000 men. The fighting odds just went from 1 vs 4 to 1 vs 13 for every remaining soldier. Gideon has to be thinking "Are you serious God?"
But God was not finished. He again told Gideon he had too many men still and set up another "filtering" test to get it down to the correct number according to God. When this test was finished, Gideon only had 300 men left. That means each man would have to battle 400 at a time and win in order for the battle to be won. When God says, "I will not share my glory" (Isaiah 42:8), He was not kidding. Can you imagine having to face a battle where it was you vs 400 at the same time? Gideon must have been overwhelmed at this point with fear. I would have been shaking in my boots and looking for the exit route, and I bet he was too. In fact, I know he was afraid because we are told he was in 7:10 when God said, "If you are afraid, take a servant and go down to the valley," and Gideon did. He took his servant to the valley because he was afraid. But what God did there was again offer proof that He would win this battle.
From there, the story is well known. Gideon takes his 300 men and divides them into 3 companies. They take their horn, a torch, and a jar to cover the torch light (notice the lack of a sward) and went to three sides of the valley. In the middle of the night, they blow the trumpets, Smash the jars, and yell out, "For the Lord and for Gideon!" and chaos erupted in the camp and the Midianites started killing each other as the fled. That night 120,000 men died as Gideon and his men watched.
However, the story progresses as Gideon and his men pursue the remaining 15,000 and 2 kings and eventually catch and defeat them s well, killing the two kings. However, along the way, two towns refused to supply Gideon and his men food and water, and Gideon made them pay on his way back through by beating the leaders of one town viciously and then destroying the tower in the next town and killing the men there. When Gideon made a purge, he did so with might just as God described him in 6:12, calling him a "mighty warrior."
Gideon was then asked to rule over the people and he refused saying "The Lord will rule over you!" However, his story ends with a warning, much like Nehemiah's. Gideon took some of his spoils and made an ephod (garment) which eventually became an idol to the people. Instead of it being a reminder of what God had done (defeating the army of 135000 with 300) people began to say, look what Gideon has done and this ephod is a symbol of how great Gideon was. It says that is became a "stumbling block" to Gideon and his family and what God did for good turned into a "look what we accomplished!" 8:22-27
For the rest of Gideon's life, Israel had peace (40 years), however, it says immediately upon his death, the foolish Israelites returned to the worship of Baal and failed to be kind to Gideon's family.
There are MANY lessons we can take from this story, but I think the main one is this, "Remember God!" We are to remember the great things done in our lives are done by God and for God. He demands the glory and honor and we are to offer it always. Things we set up as a remembrance, if we are not careful will become the very things we replace God with. And like God destroyed the Midianite army, he will also destroy the idols we set up and "prostitute ourselves" before (8:27).
God is not afraid to use an Agent of Smash to purify his land and his people, and He has proven that over and over throughout history!
Until Next time.
Gideon is another one of those "least likely" guys to make this list. He was the youngest of his household and by his own account, from the weakest tribe in Israel. He lived in a time when the Israelites had again forsaken God and the punishment came in the form of a swarm of Midianites. According to the story, every year during crop time, the Midianites would come in and camp in the crop lands, destroying everything that was planted. It also says they left no sheep, cows, or donkeys for the Israelites. Imagine the difficulty of finding food for your family when everything you planted was destroyed 7 years in a row.
That was where we found Gideon, as he was threshing wheat in a winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. This is where God called him to be an Agent of SMASH, yet Gideon was not too certain even when faced with an "Angel of the Lord" who according to Scripture was "the Lord" himself. (Judges 6:11-15)
Even after finding himself in the Lords presence, Gideon still asked the Lord for proof. Actually, he was so timid that asked for proof several times. His first assignment was to tear down an alter to Baal and the Asherah pole in his town. He obeyed, however, it said "because he was afraid" (Judges 6:27), he did it under the cover of darkness in order to avoid the wrath of the family and neighbors. So he obeyed, but he still was scared. Gideon was a timid fellow.
This is proved again when he was told to prepare for the fight against the Midianites, after he had gathered the 32,000 men, who would go up against 135,000, he went to God and said "I need proof again!" Judges 6:36-40 is the story best known around Gideon regarding the fleece and the dew. Both his test were accepted and God showed that He would hold up His side of it all and deliver the Midianites into the hands of Gideon.
The only problem God had with it was Gideon had too many men. He did not want the men thinking they could win on their own strength. If you look at the numbers, 32000 vs 135000, that is not quite an position in which one might think the odds were in your favor. Every soldier Gideon had would have to defeat 4 Midianites at the same time to win. Not odds I would want in any fight. However, God said it was too many, so he made Gideon send everyone who was afraid home. (7:1-3) The result of this was Gideon was left with only 10,000 men.
Based on Gideon's track record, I am surprised he did not leave with those who were afraid. He was afraid when he realized the Angel was the Lord. He was afraid when he took down the Baal alter. He showed timidity when he asked for proof after gathering the army with the fleece test. SO it would have not been a huge surprise for him to leave with the men who were afraid to fight. But we see him there now with 10,000 men. The fighting odds just went from 1 vs 4 to 1 vs 13 for every remaining soldier. Gideon has to be thinking "Are you serious God?"
But God was not finished. He again told Gideon he had too many men still and set up another "filtering" test to get it down to the correct number according to God. When this test was finished, Gideon only had 300 men left. That means each man would have to battle 400 at a time and win in order for the battle to be won. When God says, "I will not share my glory" (Isaiah 42:8), He was not kidding. Can you imagine having to face a battle where it was you vs 400 at the same time? Gideon must have been overwhelmed at this point with fear. I would have been shaking in my boots and looking for the exit route, and I bet he was too. In fact, I know he was afraid because we are told he was in 7:10 when God said, "If you are afraid, take a servant and go down to the valley," and Gideon did. He took his servant to the valley because he was afraid. But what God did there was again offer proof that He would win this battle.
From there, the story is well known. Gideon takes his 300 men and divides them into 3 companies. They take their horn, a torch, and a jar to cover the torch light (notice the lack of a sward) and went to three sides of the valley. In the middle of the night, they blow the trumpets, Smash the jars, and yell out, "For the Lord and for Gideon!" and chaos erupted in the camp and the Midianites started killing each other as the fled. That night 120,000 men died as Gideon and his men watched.
However, the story progresses as Gideon and his men pursue the remaining 15,000 and 2 kings and eventually catch and defeat them s well, killing the two kings. However, along the way, two towns refused to supply Gideon and his men food and water, and Gideon made them pay on his way back through by beating the leaders of one town viciously and then destroying the tower in the next town and killing the men there. When Gideon made a purge, he did so with might just as God described him in 6:12, calling him a "mighty warrior."
Gideon was then asked to rule over the people and he refused saying "The Lord will rule over you!" However, his story ends with a warning, much like Nehemiah's. Gideon took some of his spoils and made an ephod (garment) which eventually became an idol to the people. Instead of it being a reminder of what God had done (defeating the army of 135000 with 300) people began to say, look what Gideon has done and this ephod is a symbol of how great Gideon was. It says that is became a "stumbling block" to Gideon and his family and what God did for good turned into a "look what we accomplished!" 8:22-27
For the rest of Gideon's life, Israel had peace (40 years), however, it says immediately upon his death, the foolish Israelites returned to the worship of Baal and failed to be kind to Gideon's family.
There are MANY lessons we can take from this story, but I think the main one is this, "Remember God!" We are to remember the great things done in our lives are done by God and for God. He demands the glory and honor and we are to offer it always. Things we set up as a remembrance, if we are not careful will become the very things we replace God with. And like God destroyed the Midianite army, he will also destroy the idols we set up and "prostitute ourselves" before (8:27).
God is not afraid to use an Agent of Smash to purify his land and his people, and He has proven that over and over throughout history!
Until Next time.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Nehemiah - Agent of Smash, Part 3
I was driving down the road today, I had an epiphany. Whenever telling the story of a SMASHER, one must start with the SMASHING! I realized I had failed to do that with Nehemiah. Therefore, today I am going to correct this oversight in the story of Nehemiah.
Most people would argue about Nehemiah being put into this particular category, and before a few weeks ago, I would have as well. However, a friend asked to do a bible study and this is the book he mentioned, and thus we went through it. We poured over the story most know of the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem, but I was shocked (and elated) when I reached the final chapter (13).
I would really hope you would take a moment and read that chapter for yourself in its entirety. I can in no way give you the full story on here (as you would probably tire of my recounting the whole thing), however, I will hit the highlights for you.
After Nehemiah had finished the task of rebuilding, he returned to his job as cupbearer before the king (as he had promised in Chapter 2). But 12 years after he had first returned, he came back for a visit to Jerusalem only to find things that broke his heart. After all the rebuilding, after all the purifying of the people, returning to the law of God, he returned to find they had turned again to their old ways. Here are just a few things he saw:
1. The High priest had turned the storehouse room in the Temple into a house for a close friend of his. (v4-5)
2. The portion due to the Levites so they could attend to the Temple had been withheld from them and they were forced to return to work in the fields to provide for their family's needs. (v10)
3. They were working again on the Sabbath and the merchants were busy buying and selling on the Sabbath. (v 15-16)
4. The men of the city were once again marrying women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab (see v1-3 as to why this was a problem).
5. The son of the high priest had married the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite. (more on this coming)
So what is the big deal you may say? Well, here it is in a nutshell in Nehemiah's own words,
“Why is the house of God neglected?” - We learn from previous encounters with God that it was a sin to "take care of your own house and ignore His house! (v11)
“What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.” - (v17-18)
“You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. 26 Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. 27 Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?” v(25-27)
So now we know why this was a big issue to Nehemiah, and we can understand his transformation from the "rebuilder" to the SMASHER!!! Look at how he responded!
In response to the storehouse in the temple being used for a home: "I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9 I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense." Close your eyes and imagine that scene! You are disgusted by what you see so you go in and start grabbing stuff and throwing it out on the street. There is no neat nice pile of things, but rather, a tossed pile of items in a heap and as you are going through your heart is pounding in fury because what has happened. Imagine the same scene from a movie when a woman has discovered her man has been cheating on her and all his items have been tossed out in the street. If you can picture that, then you have what our SMASHER did here.
In response to the Levites not attending to their duties in the Temple: "So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?”Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts." You ever been properly rebuked? Imagine a drill sergeant screaming in the ear of his cadet who has not properly attended to his bunk or rifle. Spit is rolling in your ear as you listen to him grind you down for neglecting your duty. That is the tactic the SMASHER is using! This isn't no simple slap on the back of the hand. This is a hard core situation which meant "shape up or ELSE!"
In response to working on the Sabbath: I rebuked the nobles of Judah (v17) and I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.” This rebuke for desecrating the Sabbath (God's Holy Day) was met with the same fierce rebuke, but also with a warning that if he caught them doing it again, they were going to spend some hard time!
In response to marrying foreign women: (this is my personal favorite) "I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair." Oh, I wish I could have been there. My inner child who always wanted to turn green would have wanted to join in! The drill sergeant is no longer stopping at the verbal abuse and rebukes, oh no, he is now on to the all out physical assault! Nehemiah released the "Hulk" and started beating these men for their stupidity and even pulling out their hair! The offense was so great, that a simple word of rebuke would no longer do. They had to know God meant business, so he sent a SMASHER to get his point across.
Finally, in response to the high priest son marrying the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite: "I drove him away from me." If you read this and study the nature of the culture and the times, what this picture would resemble is that of Jesus in the Temple with his whip driving out the merchants. Nehemiah literally drove this boy out of the city with force and prejudice! He was so furious about this situation, that he simply picked this boy up and DROVE him out by force. He SMASHED this boy out of town! (if you do not know why, it is because Sanballat was the #1 enemy Nehemiah had to deal with during the rebuilding process. Go read first few chapters and you will get the picture. The very enemy Nehemiah had built the wall to keep out was now free to come and go because the High Priest allowed his son to marry his daughter. The one who wanted to destroy Jerusalem was now free to enter its walls again and start destroying from the inside out! I think I would have HULKED up too!)
What I love the most is how this SMASHER turned to God after everyone of these smashing events and said : "Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services." (v14) and "Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love." (v22) and finally "Remember me with favor, my God." (v30)
The point being this, sometimes, it takes a SMASHER to purify the house of God in order for God to be glorified!
Therefore I dub Nehemiah one of God's Agents of SMASH!!!!
Most people would argue about Nehemiah being put into this particular category, and before a few weeks ago, I would have as well. However, a friend asked to do a bible study and this is the book he mentioned, and thus we went through it. We poured over the story most know of the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem, but I was shocked (and elated) when I reached the final chapter (13).
I would really hope you would take a moment and read that chapter for yourself in its entirety. I can in no way give you the full story on here (as you would probably tire of my recounting the whole thing), however, I will hit the highlights for you.
After Nehemiah had finished the task of rebuilding, he returned to his job as cupbearer before the king (as he had promised in Chapter 2). But 12 years after he had first returned, he came back for a visit to Jerusalem only to find things that broke his heart. After all the rebuilding, after all the purifying of the people, returning to the law of God, he returned to find they had turned again to their old ways. Here are just a few things he saw:
1. The High priest had turned the storehouse room in the Temple into a house for a close friend of his. (v4-5)
2. The portion due to the Levites so they could attend to the Temple had been withheld from them and they were forced to return to work in the fields to provide for their family's needs. (v10)
3. They were working again on the Sabbath and the merchants were busy buying and selling on the Sabbath. (v 15-16)
4. The men of the city were once again marrying women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab (see v1-3 as to why this was a problem).
5. The son of the high priest had married the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite. (more on this coming)
So what is the big deal you may say? Well, here it is in a nutshell in Nehemiah's own words,
“Why is the house of God neglected?” - We learn from previous encounters with God that it was a sin to "take care of your own house and ignore His house! (v11)
“What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.” - (v17-18)
“You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. 26 Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. 27 Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?” v(25-27)
So now we know why this was a big issue to Nehemiah, and we can understand his transformation from the "rebuilder" to the SMASHER!!! Look at how he responded!
In response to the storehouse in the temple being used for a home: "I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9 I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense." Close your eyes and imagine that scene! You are disgusted by what you see so you go in and start grabbing stuff and throwing it out on the street. There is no neat nice pile of things, but rather, a tossed pile of items in a heap and as you are going through your heart is pounding in fury because what has happened. Imagine the same scene from a movie when a woman has discovered her man has been cheating on her and all his items have been tossed out in the street. If you can picture that, then you have what our SMASHER did here.
In response to the Levites not attending to their duties in the Temple: "So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?”Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts." You ever been properly rebuked? Imagine a drill sergeant screaming in the ear of his cadet who has not properly attended to his bunk or rifle. Spit is rolling in your ear as you listen to him grind you down for neglecting your duty. That is the tactic the SMASHER is using! This isn't no simple slap on the back of the hand. This is a hard core situation which meant "shape up or ELSE!"
In response to working on the Sabbath: I rebuked the nobles of Judah (v17) and I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.” This rebuke for desecrating the Sabbath (God's Holy Day) was met with the same fierce rebuke, but also with a warning that if he caught them doing it again, they were going to spend some hard time!
In response to marrying foreign women: (this is my personal favorite) "I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair." Oh, I wish I could have been there. My inner child who always wanted to turn green would have wanted to join in! The drill sergeant is no longer stopping at the verbal abuse and rebukes, oh no, he is now on to the all out physical assault! Nehemiah released the "Hulk" and started beating these men for their stupidity and even pulling out their hair! The offense was so great, that a simple word of rebuke would no longer do. They had to know God meant business, so he sent a SMASHER to get his point across.
Finally, in response to the high priest son marrying the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite: "I drove him away from me." If you read this and study the nature of the culture and the times, what this picture would resemble is that of Jesus in the Temple with his whip driving out the merchants. Nehemiah literally drove this boy out of the city with force and prejudice! He was so furious about this situation, that he simply picked this boy up and DROVE him out by force. He SMASHED this boy out of town! (if you do not know why, it is because Sanballat was the #1 enemy Nehemiah had to deal with during the rebuilding process. Go read first few chapters and you will get the picture. The very enemy Nehemiah had built the wall to keep out was now free to come and go because the High Priest allowed his son to marry his daughter. The one who wanted to destroy Jerusalem was now free to enter its walls again and start destroying from the inside out! I think I would have HULKED up too!)
What I love the most is how this SMASHER turned to God after everyone of these smashing events and said : "Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services." (v14) and "Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love." (v22) and finally "Remember me with favor, my God." (v30)
The point being this, sometimes, it takes a SMASHER to purify the house of God in order for God to be glorified!
Therefore I dub Nehemiah one of God's Agents of SMASH!!!!
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Part 2 - Nehemiah - Agent of SMASH
Read Nehemiah Chapter 2
So Nehemiah, armed with the promises of God, went in before "this man" (the king) to do his duty as cupbearer, but due to having spent several days "mourning and fasting" Nehemiah's face looked "sad." Unfortunately for Nehemiah, looking sad in the presence of the king could potentially carry the death penalty. That is why Nehemiah admitted in verse 3 of "being VERY much afraid" once the king questioned him about looking "ill from sadness of heart."
However, our Agent of Smash boldly told the king why he was sad and it incurred the response of "What do you want," (v4) from the king. What I love here is how Nehemiah boldly asked not only to go fix the wall and the gates in Jerusalem, but also asked the king to supply the letters of passage to the area leaders and also a letter to supply the necessary materials to rebuild the wall, of course after a quick prayer to God for His help. (v4).
All his request were answered "because the gracious hand of God was upon him" (v8) and he was sent with his letters and even an armed escort to go rebuild the walls. Once he arrived, our Agent spent three days in the city before doing anything, and then he went out at night to survey the actual damage. I can promise you, no matter how bad he thought it was from he words he had been given, what he saw was much worse. (isn't that usually the case?) It was so bad in some places that his horse could not even make it through.
Up to this point Nehemiah had said nothing of his reason of returning to anyone, but after seeing the damage first hand, he came to the priest and the leaders and said, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
Now the leader has emerged and his job was confirmed as the leaders replied "Let us start rebuilding!" (v18)
However, the process was not all glory and grace. In fact, the very first outside response from his enemies was mockery and laughing. Nehemiah had three "foes" who were disturbed by this rebuilding, and we will see them through out the story. Each time we see them, we see a different tactic in their warfare, something we will need to pay attention to and point out later. So stay tuned.
Before we leave todays lesson, we need to see Nehemiah's response to this initial attack of his enemies. They were macing and laughing "You think you are going to rebuild this wall? Are you starting up a rebellion against the king? You silly people!" To which our Agent of SMASH responded....
“The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
So our agent began his journey by having to be humble. But his humility was immediately turned into boldness and he told his enemy, "You have NO claim to this land nor historical right!" And as children of God, when our enemy (Satan) attacks, we need to remind him that he has no claim to this soul redeemed by God and he has no historical claim to it as well, for it began as a creation of God and God has now redeemed what once was lost, in shambles, and lay in rubble, unto himself and He is rebuilding us into His mighty wall! (free side sermon!)
So our Agent of SMASH we see is humble, contrite, and BOLD!
So Nehemiah, armed with the promises of God, went in before "this man" (the king) to do his duty as cupbearer, but due to having spent several days "mourning and fasting" Nehemiah's face looked "sad." Unfortunately for Nehemiah, looking sad in the presence of the king could potentially carry the death penalty. That is why Nehemiah admitted in verse 3 of "being VERY much afraid" once the king questioned him about looking "ill from sadness of heart."
However, our Agent of Smash boldly told the king why he was sad and it incurred the response of "What do you want," (v4) from the king. What I love here is how Nehemiah boldly asked not only to go fix the wall and the gates in Jerusalem, but also asked the king to supply the letters of passage to the area leaders and also a letter to supply the necessary materials to rebuild the wall, of course after a quick prayer to God for His help. (v4).
All his request were answered "because the gracious hand of God was upon him" (v8) and he was sent with his letters and even an armed escort to go rebuild the walls. Once he arrived, our Agent spent three days in the city before doing anything, and then he went out at night to survey the actual damage. I can promise you, no matter how bad he thought it was from he words he had been given, what he saw was much worse. (isn't that usually the case?) It was so bad in some places that his horse could not even make it through.
Up to this point Nehemiah had said nothing of his reason of returning to anyone, but after seeing the damage first hand, he came to the priest and the leaders and said, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
Now the leader has emerged and his job was confirmed as the leaders replied "Let us start rebuilding!" (v18)
However, the process was not all glory and grace. In fact, the very first outside response from his enemies was mockery and laughing. Nehemiah had three "foes" who were disturbed by this rebuilding, and we will see them through out the story. Each time we see them, we see a different tactic in their warfare, something we will need to pay attention to and point out later. So stay tuned.
Before we leave todays lesson, we need to see Nehemiah's response to this initial attack of his enemies. They were macing and laughing "You think you are going to rebuild this wall? Are you starting up a rebellion against the king? You silly people!" To which our Agent of SMASH responded....
“The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
So our agent began his journey by having to be humble. But his humility was immediately turned into boldness and he told his enemy, "You have NO claim to this land nor historical right!" And as children of God, when our enemy (Satan) attacks, we need to remind him that he has no claim to this soul redeemed by God and he has no historical claim to it as well, for it began as a creation of God and God has now redeemed what once was lost, in shambles, and lay in rubble, unto himself and He is rebuilding us into His mighty wall! (free side sermon!)
So our Agent of SMASH we see is humble, contrite, and BOLD!
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Nehemiah - Agent of SMASH
Now this might come as a surprise to most folks to see Nehemiah as the first person on the Agents of SMASH list. After all, he is the one known for rebuilding the wall, not smashing one. However, I recently was forced to read through this book with a friend as part of a weekly gathering he wanted to have. This book was one he had just gone through on a weekend retreat, so we decided to dive in a little further. In all honesty, I was amazed at everything God has in this precious 13 chapter book, but the last one was the biggest surprise.
As with any Agent of Smash's story, you have to have a proper introduction to who they were/are before you get to the smashing part. So if you have time, lets look into Nehemiah before we get to the glory of the SMASH!
I would highly suggest you read through Nehemiah as I go through this in order to see much of this straight from the word. I personally despise the notion of simply taking someone for their word especially on Scripture as that tends to lead to corruption and idolatry in our hearts. So please take a moment and read the first chapter for this installment of "Nehemiah - Agent of SMASH."
Nehemiah's story is one of much intrigue. He is a man who was evidently most favored as he had earned the right to be the cup bearer for the king. This was an extremely important job as kings were often sought to be killed by poison in their drink. The cupbearer was responsible to see to it that the kings cup was pure and free from poison and if necessary, he must first drink in the sight of the king in order to prove his loyalty and that the wine was not tainted. This was a job not taken lightly by any king or his court. So Nehemiah was a favored man.
We first learn of Nehemiah as he is meeting with a delegation of his fellow Israelites who have come to Susa where Nehemiah served the king. Anxious to hear about his home country, Nehemiah pressed them for information on his precious home, only to learn of how it lay in disgrace. In chapter 1:3 we read “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
His response is as one might imagine we had on 9-11 when the towers fell. Nehemiah wept bitterly. He was so overcome with grief that he "mourned and fasted" for several days. Then it says he prayed! I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU READ his prayer as found in verses 5-11 in chapter one. I want to point out what he said in verse 6-7......
I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
Do you see what Nehemiah did? He followed what we see in 2 Chronicles 7:14 where God said, "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and heal their land!" Nehemiah did not simply confess that Israel had sinned, he included himself and his family as part of the sin problem. He did not pray, "Lord forgive them..." he said "please forgive US!" He then reminded God of what He had promised to Moses (v8-9) and then humbly asked God to grant him success "before this man" referring to the earthly king whom he served!
Our first look at this Agent of Smash is of a man who is a servant in a foreign land to a foreign king. He did his job with integrity and served as he was trained to as a child, with a heart to glorify God. But upon hearing about his homeland being in rubbles, his heart broke and he sought the ear of his Father to see what it is he might could do. He was a man of action, but his first action was not to "do something" but rather to seek God's face and ask God to forgive, remember, then give success.
Therefore, to be one of God's "Agents of SMASH," you must begin with a humble heart that seeks God's face and realizes your sin and inability, thus relying totally on His ability to do what needs to be done!
Monday, November 9, 2015
Agents of SMASH
There is no hiding the fact that as a child growing up I had a favorite super hero. Like any boy, the dreams of super strength, speed, or the ability to fly captures everyone. For some reason I was drawn to the strongest of them all, The Incredible Hulk!
I used to watch in awe as Bruce Banner transformed into an unstoppable being whose strength was unmeasured. I dreamed of one day how maybe I could be just like him and smash all my enemies to bits. My greatest nemesis as a child was my older brother. Most of my dreams back then were to be able to suddenly bulk up and actually win one of our many fights (didn't happen till I was 15, but I failed to turn green!). As I grew older and realized being a green, unstoppable force was a fantasy, I like every other boy forgot about my hope!
Now as a dad of two young boys, I again have been introduced to world and wonders of dreaming. They, like any other young man have watched in wonder as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and yes, the HULK, have gathered together and fought against evil. Recently they began watching a little cartoon series about the Hulk and his Agents of SMASH. Like a good dad, I watched with them and I was again reminded of my boyhood dreams.
Whenever the HULK got mad, he had one simple mission, to smash his opponent into submission. His anger drove his strength, however there was even a deeper key to his power. It was his RAGE! If an enemy ever poked hard enough, they could drive the HULK to a place of pure rage where his strength was at its height, but his ability to think disappeared with his rage. Hulk had to not only fight his enemies, he also had to fight an internal battle to control his rage. If he wanted to be of use and actually help, he had to not only use his mighty strength, he also needed his mind to be clear. That was the only way he could be effective in his war against evil.
Now, you might ask, why do I write all this. Well, it is because there is still a desire in me sometimes to be like the Hulk. I still see things that enrage me and I would be lying if I did not say that I really wanted to start smashing! However, I have always held off because I was told letting your anger control you or drive your decisions is a sin. And for the most part, I would agree. However, in recent studies of the Holy Scriptures, I found something of interest. I found Gods very own "Agents of Smash!" People God used to set His people back on a right path or free from their enemies by using their physical strength and to SMASH the things around them. The key was their smashing was with a purpose, to turn the eyes of the people back to God.
So maybe a guy about to turn 40 can still dream of being a super hero and joining Gods "Agents of SMASH!"
In coming days I want to share some of the stories that I mentioned above as I was literally amazed how God used them to rid His kingdom of His enemies and to remind His people of the necessity to obey Him!
I used to watch in awe as Bruce Banner transformed into an unstoppable being whose strength was unmeasured. I dreamed of one day how maybe I could be just like him and smash all my enemies to bits. My greatest nemesis as a child was my older brother. Most of my dreams back then were to be able to suddenly bulk up and actually win one of our many fights (didn't happen till I was 15, but I failed to turn green!). As I grew older and realized being a green, unstoppable force was a fantasy, I like every other boy forgot about my hope!
Now as a dad of two young boys, I again have been introduced to world and wonders of dreaming. They, like any other young man have watched in wonder as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and yes, the HULK, have gathered together and fought against evil. Recently they began watching a little cartoon series about the Hulk and his Agents of SMASH. Like a good dad, I watched with them and I was again reminded of my boyhood dreams.
Whenever the HULK got mad, he had one simple mission, to smash his opponent into submission. His anger drove his strength, however there was even a deeper key to his power. It was his RAGE! If an enemy ever poked hard enough, they could drive the HULK to a place of pure rage where his strength was at its height, but his ability to think disappeared with his rage. Hulk had to not only fight his enemies, he also had to fight an internal battle to control his rage. If he wanted to be of use and actually help, he had to not only use his mighty strength, he also needed his mind to be clear. That was the only way he could be effective in his war against evil.
Now, you might ask, why do I write all this. Well, it is because there is still a desire in me sometimes to be like the Hulk. I still see things that enrage me and I would be lying if I did not say that I really wanted to start smashing! However, I have always held off because I was told letting your anger control you or drive your decisions is a sin. And for the most part, I would agree. However, in recent studies of the Holy Scriptures, I found something of interest. I found Gods very own "Agents of Smash!" People God used to set His people back on a right path or free from their enemies by using their physical strength and to SMASH the things around them. The key was their smashing was with a purpose, to turn the eyes of the people back to God.
So maybe a guy about to turn 40 can still dream of being a super hero and joining Gods "Agents of SMASH!"
In coming days I want to share some of the stories that I mentioned above as I was literally amazed how God used them to rid His kingdom of His enemies and to remind His people of the necessity to obey Him!
Friday, October 2, 2015
Do I Really Believe Continued....
This has really become a theme in my life right now. The questions surrounding life all point back to this simple question, Do I REALLY Believe?
I have learned it is easy to acknowledge my belief in something or someone with my mouth, but is that really belief? I say it is NOT! Knowing something in my mind and saying it with my mouth only prove that I "know" that thing. Belief has a completely different effect! It is a life changing effect!
So when I say I believe in God and his son Jesus Christ, does my belief have a life changing effect? This morning I read in 1 John 2: 5-6 and it said, "5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did." So if I believe in God and his son Jesus, the life changing effect is I will obey Him and live as Jesus did. My belief will reflect a real life change.
What about this verse: James 5:16 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Do I really believe that my prayers are powerful and effective? I hear the initial response of "you have to be righteous." But are we not according to God made righteous in his Son? (Romans 3:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 3:9) Another time to ask, do I Believe I am Righteous through faith in Christ. If I believe I am (which I do) and therefore believe my prayers are powerful, is that reflected by a life a prayer? If not, then I must ask myself, Do I REALLY believe what God said was true?
I am coming to the conclusion that through a life of battles and trials, the point is to perfect my faith and belief in what I say I believe. But that perfection will not be a more determined desire to know it more or deeper, but show itself through the effect it has on my life. After all, faith (belief) without works (effect on how I live my life) is worthless!
As a side note, God allowed me to be pushed again in my greatest area of struggle this week, the struggle to trust Him to provide my daily needs! Funny how this blog is titled "God Himself Will Provide" and I have amazing stories in my personal walk proving that, yet that is still my greatest weakness. During this test this week, as I began to sink into a personal moment of despair and the miry clay, He put on my heart to ask two broken brothers whom I am striving to encourage, to pray for me. During that time of prayer, God gave me a simple directive, write down my need, then write down what I already know He has provided in the upcoming weeks. Amazingly, what He has provided through work almost doubled the amount over which I was sinking into despair. God is amazing and is allowing me to perfected through such trials as He is asking me, "Ray, do you Really believe?"
Your Brother in Christ,
Ray
I have learned it is easy to acknowledge my belief in something or someone with my mouth, but is that really belief? I say it is NOT! Knowing something in my mind and saying it with my mouth only prove that I "know" that thing. Belief has a completely different effect! It is a life changing effect!
So when I say I believe in God and his son Jesus Christ, does my belief have a life changing effect? This morning I read in 1 John 2: 5-6 and it said, "5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did." So if I believe in God and his son Jesus, the life changing effect is I will obey Him and live as Jesus did. My belief will reflect a real life change.
What about this verse: James 5:16 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Do I really believe that my prayers are powerful and effective? I hear the initial response of "you have to be righteous." But are we not according to God made righteous in his Son? (Romans 3:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 3:9) Another time to ask, do I Believe I am Righteous through faith in Christ. If I believe I am (which I do) and therefore believe my prayers are powerful, is that reflected by a life a prayer? If not, then I must ask myself, Do I REALLY believe what God said was true?
I am coming to the conclusion that through a life of battles and trials, the point is to perfect my faith and belief in what I say I believe. But that perfection will not be a more determined desire to know it more or deeper, but show itself through the effect it has on my life. After all, faith (belief) without works (effect on how I live my life) is worthless!
As a side note, God allowed me to be pushed again in my greatest area of struggle this week, the struggle to trust Him to provide my daily needs! Funny how this blog is titled "God Himself Will Provide" and I have amazing stories in my personal walk proving that, yet that is still my greatest weakness. During this test this week, as I began to sink into a personal moment of despair and the miry clay, He put on my heart to ask two broken brothers whom I am striving to encourage, to pray for me. During that time of prayer, God gave me a simple directive, write down my need, then write down what I already know He has provided in the upcoming weeks. Amazingly, what He has provided through work almost doubled the amount over which I was sinking into despair. God is amazing and is allowing me to perfected through such trials as He is asking me, "Ray, do you Really believe?"
Your Brother in Christ,
Ray
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Did Jesus and God Really Mean It?
You know I spoke last about "Do I Really Believe". When God or Jesus said something in the Bible, do I really believe it, or do I simply think it was just words? This question is something that I believe the Church (body of believers) really need to consider in America today. Somehow we have embraced a "feelings" based Christianity and have departed from the Words of Life and Truth. Somewhere along the way we have fallen prey, even in the most conservative circles of Christianity, to lies the Devil has whispered in our ears. The greatest of these lies is found as the source of our sin and his ultimate weapon he used in the Garden of Eden which is this, "God (Jesus) did not really mean that!"
This weapon works in two different manners in our lives. One, to rob of us truth of who Jesus really was/is and how he truly bore our full burdens and sorrows so he can help us when we are tested (Hebrews 2:17-18). It robs us of the joy that yes, God does truly love me just as I am and considers me worthy of the price that was paid (John 3:16). It removes the skin from Jesus and makes him only the Son of God and tells me that he does not understand my life as a man. Therefore, if Jesus did not truly bear all my sorrows (Isaiah 53:4) then I am hopeless to fight the battles I currently face because I do not have a Savior who understands my pain. If Jesus is ONLY the price for my sin and not my fellow man, then I may have hope of eternal life, but I am powerless to live in the joy he says he offers.
However, If I believe Jesus when he said, "I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am Life" and we turn from how we feel and live in His truth, then we have power over this lie Satan has spawned. If we believe that Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father (John 14:6) and that his ULTIMATE purpose was to point me to my Abba Daddy who loves me as His own, then I can rest in Jesus knowing He meant every word he said and that he truly did carry my every burden and sorrow, not just my sin. Satan's desire in telling us this first "God did not mean it" lie is to keep the sons and daughters of God living in a powerless state. If I cannot fully embrace the truth of God's Amazing love for me, I am bound to embrace a cruel picture of a father who condemns me in my pitiful attempts to please him as I fail daily. If I do not BELIEVE He loves me with ALL His being just as He loved His Son Jesus, then I am bound to live in misery and constantly feeling worthless and useless. If I do not BELIEVE the Word of God became flesh (and in EVERY RESPECT was tempted and tried as I am Hebrews 2) then I am of all men most miserable. However, If I do BELIEVE God and Jesus when they said (enter entire Holy Scripture Here) and take Him at his WORD (and God CANNOT lie, via His Word), then I am FREE to live in the power of TRUTH that I am an OVERCOMER in this world because JESUS overcame this world. I am infused with HIS power over the enemy and shall do GREATER things than he did (John 14:12-14)! The question again is Do I Believe this is Truth?
But Satan's lie has a second edge to his planned destruction. It is the lie that "God did not really mean it when he said, You must Obey my commandments." John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments (aka, obey me)." And oh how this lie has overtaken His Body! It is like a raging virus that has rooted itself so deeply in the body that we are closing in on death without even realizing it. The effects of believing the lie over God's Word is having a duel effect. It has created a false gospel and a false god for American Christians to follow while also completely turning off those who are looking for something REAL.
Jesus offered us REAL life (John 10:10), but that life in this world will have a cost! (Luke 9:23-26, Matthew 16:21-28, John 15:18-27). Picking up a cross, denying self, dying daily, suffering as he suffered, persecuted as he was, hated as he was, that sounds like a cost. But that is the reason Jesus warned his followers to "Count the Cost!"
Luke 14:25-33 "25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."
Jesus offers a FREE gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:1-10) however the price to follow him is HIGH! Just look at Luke 14:33, "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions." That is a VERY high price to pay. Unfortunately, what we, the body of Christ in America, have decided is that we want the prize or gift of eternal life, but we prefer to ignore the rest of the truth regarding the price to follow Jesus. I recently read an article and it said something to the following effect, "If the world looks at you does not deem you radically different, then Jesus probably has not truly become your Lord, only your Savior. However He will not agree to just be your Savior, he requires being Lord as well!" We have listened to Satan's lie and have now created a gospel where sin is no longer sin, it is just a trial or sickness or personal preference. We proclaim that all may enter in to his gift of salvation, but we dare not explain that he demands that we be "holy as He is Holy!" or that we are to cast off the weights of sin, repent and turn from our wicked ways, and follow Jesus in the path of righteous living. No we prefer simply to boost our numbers by telling people that God loves them no matter what and that we cannot truly live in the power of Christ over sin and yes, turn even from the most tempting sins. We spread the blood of Jesus thin to cover as many as possible, and in doing so fear offending any because we may lose the opportunity to reach them. We seek out the rich and prosperous and those who are similar to ourselves in the classes of life so we can "feel good" because they struggle as we do or they are willing to accept a cheap gospel which cost us very little.
The Question we must answer when we read the Words of God and Jesus and those who He spoke through in the Holy Scriptures is this, Do I REALLY Believe ALL He has said? If you say yes, then has it changed your life? Has it cost you something? Are you willing to lay down your life for the sake of others? Are you willing to boldly tell them the good news of Jesus even if it cost you your life like it cost Jesus his life. Are you truly willing to suffer, be persecuted, be hated, as he was? Because in order to live a life of true Abundance, Real Power in His name, a life that considers this world worth forsaking because His treasure and His love is worth FAR more, then it must be understood that there is a real cost, even in America!
John 6:65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
This weapon works in two different manners in our lives. One, to rob of us truth of who Jesus really was/is and how he truly bore our full burdens and sorrows so he can help us when we are tested (Hebrews 2:17-18). It robs us of the joy that yes, God does truly love me just as I am and considers me worthy of the price that was paid (John 3:16). It removes the skin from Jesus and makes him only the Son of God and tells me that he does not understand my life as a man. Therefore, if Jesus did not truly bear all my sorrows (Isaiah 53:4) then I am hopeless to fight the battles I currently face because I do not have a Savior who understands my pain. If Jesus is ONLY the price for my sin and not my fellow man, then I may have hope of eternal life, but I am powerless to live in the joy he says he offers.
However, If I believe Jesus when he said, "I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am Life" and we turn from how we feel and live in His truth, then we have power over this lie Satan has spawned. If we believe that Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father (John 14:6) and that his ULTIMATE purpose was to point me to my Abba Daddy who loves me as His own, then I can rest in Jesus knowing He meant every word he said and that he truly did carry my every burden and sorrow, not just my sin. Satan's desire in telling us this first "God did not mean it" lie is to keep the sons and daughters of God living in a powerless state. If I cannot fully embrace the truth of God's Amazing love for me, I am bound to embrace a cruel picture of a father who condemns me in my pitiful attempts to please him as I fail daily. If I do not BELIEVE He loves me with ALL His being just as He loved His Son Jesus, then I am bound to live in misery and constantly feeling worthless and useless. If I do not BELIEVE the Word of God became flesh (and in EVERY RESPECT was tempted and tried as I am Hebrews 2) then I am of all men most miserable. However, If I do BELIEVE God and Jesus when they said (enter entire Holy Scripture Here) and take Him at his WORD (and God CANNOT lie, via His Word), then I am FREE to live in the power of TRUTH that I am an OVERCOMER in this world because JESUS overcame this world. I am infused with HIS power over the enemy and shall do GREATER things than he did (John 14:12-14)! The question again is Do I Believe this is Truth?
But Satan's lie has a second edge to his planned destruction. It is the lie that "God did not really mean it when he said, You must Obey my commandments." John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments (aka, obey me)." And oh how this lie has overtaken His Body! It is like a raging virus that has rooted itself so deeply in the body that we are closing in on death without even realizing it. The effects of believing the lie over God's Word is having a duel effect. It has created a false gospel and a false god for American Christians to follow while also completely turning off those who are looking for something REAL.
Jesus offered us REAL life (John 10:10), but that life in this world will have a cost! (Luke 9:23-26, Matthew 16:21-28, John 15:18-27). Picking up a cross, denying self, dying daily, suffering as he suffered, persecuted as he was, hated as he was, that sounds like a cost. But that is the reason Jesus warned his followers to "Count the Cost!"
Luke 14:25-33 "25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."
Jesus offers a FREE gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:1-10) however the price to follow him is HIGH! Just look at Luke 14:33, "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions." That is a VERY high price to pay. Unfortunately, what we, the body of Christ in America, have decided is that we want the prize or gift of eternal life, but we prefer to ignore the rest of the truth regarding the price to follow Jesus. I recently read an article and it said something to the following effect, "If the world looks at you does not deem you radically different, then Jesus probably has not truly become your Lord, only your Savior. However He will not agree to just be your Savior, he requires being Lord as well!" We have listened to Satan's lie and have now created a gospel where sin is no longer sin, it is just a trial or sickness or personal preference. We proclaim that all may enter in to his gift of salvation, but we dare not explain that he demands that we be "holy as He is Holy!" or that we are to cast off the weights of sin, repent and turn from our wicked ways, and follow Jesus in the path of righteous living. No we prefer simply to boost our numbers by telling people that God loves them no matter what and that we cannot truly live in the power of Christ over sin and yes, turn even from the most tempting sins. We spread the blood of Jesus thin to cover as many as possible, and in doing so fear offending any because we may lose the opportunity to reach them. We seek out the rich and prosperous and those who are similar to ourselves in the classes of life so we can "feel good" because they struggle as we do or they are willing to accept a cheap gospel which cost us very little.
The Question we must answer when we read the Words of God and Jesus and those who He spoke through in the Holy Scriptures is this, Do I REALLY Believe ALL He has said? If you say yes, then has it changed your life? Has it cost you something? Are you willing to lay down your life for the sake of others? Are you willing to boldly tell them the good news of Jesus even if it cost you your life like it cost Jesus his life. Are you truly willing to suffer, be persecuted, be hated, as he was? Because in order to live a life of true Abundance, Real Power in His name, a life that considers this world worth forsaking because His treasure and His love is worth FAR more, then it must be understood that there is a real cost, even in America!
John 6:65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Do I REALLY Believe?
This past week / weekend, it has been interesting the conversations I have been a part of. It never ceases to amaze me what God is doing in others which converts into what He is doing in me.
I have been blessed so richly to be surrounded by a cloud of witnesses who are running along with me this Great Adventure we call life. I am also richly blessed to be joined in the race by others who are just as broken as I am. Without this family my race would be much more difficult.
I have been wrestling with being REAL with others and allowing them to help carry my burdens. I was raised in such a way that showing weakness of any kind was frowned upon heavily. I have always had it in my mind that it was up to me to remain strong and to carry myself in such a manner others could look to me to help with their burdens. However, I now know that is simply putting on a mask of pretense which is a destroyer of my own soul. Truth is I have deep struggles with our Enemy and I am not strong enough on my own. That is why God supplied me a family. Not to simply tell me I would make it, but to lift me up and carry me in my weaknesses! That is why we are called the "body of Christ!"
Believe it or not, one of my greatest struggles is actually trusting God. If you have read any of my story, then you might find this odd. Of all people who has the history of God providing and never leaving him in need, it is me, and yet still i awake each day and think somehow my life depends on how hard I work or upon my own intelligence to make it through and provide for my family. That is why it is so difficult to surrender to what God wants me to do. I look at what He is saying do and simply reply, "But God I have to do XYZ to feed my family!" And more often than not, I do XYZ because I struggle to trust if I will follow His plan that he will actually do what He says and supply my daily needs.
So God, in His Mercy, places others in my path who can tell me of their stories of His provision and help remind me of my own. OR, He puts others who are struggling in their belief that He will meet them in their current need, and they ask me for help. Amazingly, I find as I am going through Scripture with them and asking them, "Do you Believe it when God says......" my sweet Heavenly Daddy says to me, "Do you Believe Ray?" So as I pray and ask for wisdom to encourage them in their race, God is actually setting me up to Personally encourage me in mine. After all, He is the greatest Witness along our course who's voice is heard over all the others crying out,
"Keep going my son/daughter! You are running such a great race! I am so proud of you my child! You are the apple of my eye! Keep it up because I am at the finish line and I cannot wait to hold you in my arms my dearly beloved son/daughter!"
And when I am worn out and feel as if He is no longer with me, He reminds me that His Son once ran my same race and was tired as well as he endured all this struggle just as I do (Hebrews 2 and 4). He whispers that He has sent His Holy Spirit to guide me, comfort me, encourage me, and utter my deepest groans when I don't even know what to pray. He reminds me I am surrounded by a cloud of other broken runners who are not trying to beat me to the finish line, but to actually help each other along the way. And when I simply cannot run any more because this world has surrounded me with noise and darkness so I cannot see nor hear, He whispers through the truth of His Word, "I am right here with you, I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you, and yes, even in your darkest hour when you feel alone, unloved, and unlovely, I AM here, I AM loving you, and I AM blown away by the beauty of who you are!
Now, the question I have to answer is, Do I REALLY believe Him when he says........(insert Scripture here)
Your Brother,
Ray
I have been blessed so richly to be surrounded by a cloud of witnesses who are running along with me this Great Adventure we call life. I am also richly blessed to be joined in the race by others who are just as broken as I am. Without this family my race would be much more difficult.
I have been wrestling with being REAL with others and allowing them to help carry my burdens. I was raised in such a way that showing weakness of any kind was frowned upon heavily. I have always had it in my mind that it was up to me to remain strong and to carry myself in such a manner others could look to me to help with their burdens. However, I now know that is simply putting on a mask of pretense which is a destroyer of my own soul. Truth is I have deep struggles with our Enemy and I am not strong enough on my own. That is why God supplied me a family. Not to simply tell me I would make it, but to lift me up and carry me in my weaknesses! That is why we are called the "body of Christ!"
Believe it or not, one of my greatest struggles is actually trusting God. If you have read any of my story, then you might find this odd. Of all people who has the history of God providing and never leaving him in need, it is me, and yet still i awake each day and think somehow my life depends on how hard I work or upon my own intelligence to make it through and provide for my family. That is why it is so difficult to surrender to what God wants me to do. I look at what He is saying do and simply reply, "But God I have to do XYZ to feed my family!" And more often than not, I do XYZ because I struggle to trust if I will follow His plan that he will actually do what He says and supply my daily needs.
So God, in His Mercy, places others in my path who can tell me of their stories of His provision and help remind me of my own. OR, He puts others who are struggling in their belief that He will meet them in their current need, and they ask me for help. Amazingly, I find as I am going through Scripture with them and asking them, "Do you Believe it when God says......" my sweet Heavenly Daddy says to me, "Do you Believe Ray?" So as I pray and ask for wisdom to encourage them in their race, God is actually setting me up to Personally encourage me in mine. After all, He is the greatest Witness along our course who's voice is heard over all the others crying out,
"Keep going my son/daughter! You are running such a great race! I am so proud of you my child! You are the apple of my eye! Keep it up because I am at the finish line and I cannot wait to hold you in my arms my dearly beloved son/daughter!"
And when I am worn out and feel as if He is no longer with me, He reminds me that His Son once ran my same race and was tired as well as he endured all this struggle just as I do (Hebrews 2 and 4). He whispers that He has sent His Holy Spirit to guide me, comfort me, encourage me, and utter my deepest groans when I don't even know what to pray. He reminds me I am surrounded by a cloud of other broken runners who are not trying to beat me to the finish line, but to actually help each other along the way. And when I simply cannot run any more because this world has surrounded me with noise and darkness so I cannot see nor hear, He whispers through the truth of His Word, "I am right here with you, I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you, and yes, even in your darkest hour when you feel alone, unloved, and unlovely, I AM here, I AM loving you, and I AM blown away by the beauty of who you are!
Now, the question I have to answer is, Do I REALLY believe Him when he says........(insert Scripture here)
Your Brother,
Ray
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Truthfully: Jesus is NOT All I Need!
I know this may sound a little off color, but bear with me on this one. I have been wrestling with this one for a bit now, and still have more wrestling to do.
So many times we hear someone say, "Jesus is All I need," or "Jesus is more than enough for me." Have you or I ever stopped to consider the meaning of this statement? I have and I have come to this conclusion, Jesus is NOT all I need and He is NOT more than enough for me!
Sounds sacrilegious doesn't it? But I really believe it is true not only for myself, but for all who follow Jesus as well. Here is why. Jesus was not all that Jesus needed either! If Jesus needed more than just himself, then why shouldn't I need more than him?
Before I lose you, let me explain. Jesus is my best friend and he is my only Savior and Lord. He is my king and my shield. My Comforter and my Shepherd. His blood is all sufficient to cover my unrighteousness and his love is more than enough to cover even my darkest of hours. Jesus is who I stare at and persevere to imitate and hope to one day embrace and have him tell me of his love face to face. When I think of Jesus and the depths of his passion for me, it is overwhelming to say the least. He bore my burdens, he carried my scars, he wore my flesh, he faced my temptations, his body was ripped and torn because he loves me. What an amazing Savior and Lord!
But I need more than Jesus, and so did he! I need the Holy Spirit to help me and guide me on a daily basis! Oh how I thirst to know the Spirit's voice more clearly. Jesus was able to tune into the voice of the Spirit which led him to the water with John the Baptist, and then to the desert to be tempted. He heard the sound of that voice when his body was wrecked by hunger and yet he could quote the power of Scripture to overcome his foe. He himself said he did not do anything that he did not see his Father doing, and it was the Spirit guiding his eyes to see and hear those very things. Jesus, in his human form, was forced to rely solely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show him his Father's path, and I need the Holy Spirit that much more. In a day and age when we are so driven by what we can see, feel, and taste, Jesus showed us that we are to live on the bread of his Word and the water that flows from him which comes only through the Holy Spirit. Jesus is not all I need, I need the Holy Spirit.
That however is not all. I need my Father as well. Jesus told us that he came to point us to the Father, God in heaven. Jesus had to entrust himself to the hands and plan of his Father, praying it would all be as he had been told. He knew the plan, because the Spirit made it clear to him through the Scriptures, but Jesus wrestled in his heart with this plan. "Father, is there any other way?" he cried as drops of blood mixed with his sweat. However, Jesus said, "Not my will, but yours be done." Jesus walked his daily life trusting His Dad to pull through for him because he needed his Father. When he broke bread for the multitudes, he had to trust his Dad would stretch it out and make it last. When he faced Satan in the desert, he had to trust his Dad to give him strength to resist the temptations. When he faced a demonic person, he had to trust his Dad to overcome in the battle. When he faced an angry mob in the temple who wanted to stone him before it was his time, he had to trust his Dad to protect him. When he was physically and emotionally exhausted, he had to retreat to a place to be alone with his Father, through the Holy Spirit, to regain his strength and focus on the path ahead. When he faced the trials, he had to trust his Dad to keep his mouth shut as he was falsely accused, because every ounce of human flesh in him raged to lash out and defend his honor. When he was on the cross, and gasping for air, he had to trust his Dad that this was the plan and that after three days his Dad would summon him from the hands of all his enemies and set him on his rightful throne for all eternity and give him the bride his heart so desired. While for three days he suffered the unthinkable tortures of death, he had to trust his Dad to call his name and say "Son, Arise my Love!" When he left us here to continue on this journey, he had to trust his Dad that he would clothe us in righteousness and bring us home even though our journeys would be difficult, just like his. Jesus needed his Heavenly Father, and so do I!
There is one more thing Jesus needed, and it was a physical family. Remember, Jesus was human in every way we are, and that means he required fellowship just as we do. Jesus longed to walk with others he could share life with. That is part of the reason why he called 12 unworthy men to be his friends. As he went through daily life, Jesus thrived in the presence of these guys. He enjoyed pouring his love out on them, and he also enjoyed them sharing their lives with him. Could he have survived without the 12? I am sure he could have. However, Jesus knew our human needs, as he created us as we are, so he gave himself to be like us and to the need of surrounding ourselves with a family. Human nature is drawn to others who can lift us up and give us strength to face life together. It is evident on Sunday mornings when like minded people gather in a building or when a gang of thieves all gather and live together. Farmers enjoy the company of other farmers! Bikers enjoy riding with other bikers. Athletes connect with other jocks! Smart people surround themselves with other smart folks. Look around and everywhere you turn you will see that intimate need we all have for a family. Even those who are "alone" and depressed tend to connect with others who are alone and depressed. It is our human nature and Jesus carried that burden as well. That is why he surrounded himself with outcast and those others cared little for, because he grew up as an outcast and one who others despised. The world looked down on fishermen and tax collectors just as they had looked down on a baby born in a manger, to a mother out of wedlock. Jesus longed for intimacy with these guys so much, that at one point when the crowd grew so large only because people wanted to see the miracles or be fed for free, he spoke a harsh word of reality (you mist eat my flesh and drink my blood) so all those who were not truly committed would leave and he could draw in closer to these 12 men. Jesus, the man, needed a family, and so do I!
As the payment for my sin, YES, Jesus is ALL I need and more than enough for me. But Jesus himself knows I need so much more than just him. He knows how easy it is to struggle and doubt, so he sent the Holy Spirit to be my guide and the lifter up of my soul. to groan for me in deep prayers I know not even how to utter. He knew I needed more, so he pointed me to His father and said, I am one with Him and my Father longs to be one with you. I will show you how to walk with him, just Follow Me! Jesus knew I needed a family, because life alone can be so miserable, so he surrounded me with dear brothers and sisters whom I can share this life with. And in these days when true, authentic family can be so hard to find, he allows for our hearts to span a globe to be close to someone who may be thousands of miles away.
I want to be like Jesus in every way, and that includes acknowledging not only my need for him, but that I also need more than just him. I need the Holy Spirit to guide my every step. I need God my father so I can entrust myself to his plan even though to me it does not make sense. And I need a family to walk through this life with so I can be held accountable to His high calling and reminded of his love through their hands and feet of service.
Through Jesus ALL of this is possible, therefore I need Jesus and ALL he has to offer!
In Love
Ray
So many times we hear someone say, "Jesus is All I need," or "Jesus is more than enough for me." Have you or I ever stopped to consider the meaning of this statement? I have and I have come to this conclusion, Jesus is NOT all I need and He is NOT more than enough for me!
Sounds sacrilegious doesn't it? But I really believe it is true not only for myself, but for all who follow Jesus as well. Here is why. Jesus was not all that Jesus needed either! If Jesus needed more than just himself, then why shouldn't I need more than him?
Before I lose you, let me explain. Jesus is my best friend and he is my only Savior and Lord. He is my king and my shield. My Comforter and my Shepherd. His blood is all sufficient to cover my unrighteousness and his love is more than enough to cover even my darkest of hours. Jesus is who I stare at and persevere to imitate and hope to one day embrace and have him tell me of his love face to face. When I think of Jesus and the depths of his passion for me, it is overwhelming to say the least. He bore my burdens, he carried my scars, he wore my flesh, he faced my temptations, his body was ripped and torn because he loves me. What an amazing Savior and Lord!
But I need more than Jesus, and so did he! I need the Holy Spirit to help me and guide me on a daily basis! Oh how I thirst to know the Spirit's voice more clearly. Jesus was able to tune into the voice of the Spirit which led him to the water with John the Baptist, and then to the desert to be tempted. He heard the sound of that voice when his body was wrecked by hunger and yet he could quote the power of Scripture to overcome his foe. He himself said he did not do anything that he did not see his Father doing, and it was the Spirit guiding his eyes to see and hear those very things. Jesus, in his human form, was forced to rely solely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show him his Father's path, and I need the Holy Spirit that much more. In a day and age when we are so driven by what we can see, feel, and taste, Jesus showed us that we are to live on the bread of his Word and the water that flows from him which comes only through the Holy Spirit. Jesus is not all I need, I need the Holy Spirit.
That however is not all. I need my Father as well. Jesus told us that he came to point us to the Father, God in heaven. Jesus had to entrust himself to the hands and plan of his Father, praying it would all be as he had been told. He knew the plan, because the Spirit made it clear to him through the Scriptures, but Jesus wrestled in his heart with this plan. "Father, is there any other way?" he cried as drops of blood mixed with his sweat. However, Jesus said, "Not my will, but yours be done." Jesus walked his daily life trusting His Dad to pull through for him because he needed his Father. When he broke bread for the multitudes, he had to trust his Dad would stretch it out and make it last. When he faced Satan in the desert, he had to trust his Dad to give him strength to resist the temptations. When he faced a demonic person, he had to trust his Dad to overcome in the battle. When he faced an angry mob in the temple who wanted to stone him before it was his time, he had to trust his Dad to protect him. When he was physically and emotionally exhausted, he had to retreat to a place to be alone with his Father, through the Holy Spirit, to regain his strength and focus on the path ahead. When he faced the trials, he had to trust his Dad to keep his mouth shut as he was falsely accused, because every ounce of human flesh in him raged to lash out and defend his honor. When he was on the cross, and gasping for air, he had to trust his Dad that this was the plan and that after three days his Dad would summon him from the hands of all his enemies and set him on his rightful throne for all eternity and give him the bride his heart so desired. While for three days he suffered the unthinkable tortures of death, he had to trust his Dad to call his name and say "Son, Arise my Love!" When he left us here to continue on this journey, he had to trust his Dad that he would clothe us in righteousness and bring us home even though our journeys would be difficult, just like his. Jesus needed his Heavenly Father, and so do I!
There is one more thing Jesus needed, and it was a physical family. Remember, Jesus was human in every way we are, and that means he required fellowship just as we do. Jesus longed to walk with others he could share life with. That is part of the reason why he called 12 unworthy men to be his friends. As he went through daily life, Jesus thrived in the presence of these guys. He enjoyed pouring his love out on them, and he also enjoyed them sharing their lives with him. Could he have survived without the 12? I am sure he could have. However, Jesus knew our human needs, as he created us as we are, so he gave himself to be like us and to the need of surrounding ourselves with a family. Human nature is drawn to others who can lift us up and give us strength to face life together. It is evident on Sunday mornings when like minded people gather in a building or when a gang of thieves all gather and live together. Farmers enjoy the company of other farmers! Bikers enjoy riding with other bikers. Athletes connect with other jocks! Smart people surround themselves with other smart folks. Look around and everywhere you turn you will see that intimate need we all have for a family. Even those who are "alone" and depressed tend to connect with others who are alone and depressed. It is our human nature and Jesus carried that burden as well. That is why he surrounded himself with outcast and those others cared little for, because he grew up as an outcast and one who others despised. The world looked down on fishermen and tax collectors just as they had looked down on a baby born in a manger, to a mother out of wedlock. Jesus longed for intimacy with these guys so much, that at one point when the crowd grew so large only because people wanted to see the miracles or be fed for free, he spoke a harsh word of reality (you mist eat my flesh and drink my blood) so all those who were not truly committed would leave and he could draw in closer to these 12 men. Jesus, the man, needed a family, and so do I!
As the payment for my sin, YES, Jesus is ALL I need and more than enough for me. But Jesus himself knows I need so much more than just him. He knows how easy it is to struggle and doubt, so he sent the Holy Spirit to be my guide and the lifter up of my soul. to groan for me in deep prayers I know not even how to utter. He knew I needed more, so he pointed me to His father and said, I am one with Him and my Father longs to be one with you. I will show you how to walk with him, just Follow Me! Jesus knew I needed a family, because life alone can be so miserable, so he surrounded me with dear brothers and sisters whom I can share this life with. And in these days when true, authentic family can be so hard to find, he allows for our hearts to span a globe to be close to someone who may be thousands of miles away.
I want to be like Jesus in every way, and that includes acknowledging not only my need for him, but that I also need more than just him. I need the Holy Spirit to guide my every step. I need God my father so I can entrust myself to his plan even though to me it does not make sense. And I need a family to walk through this life with so I can be held accountable to His high calling and reminded of his love through their hands and feet of service.
Through Jesus ALL of this is possible, therefore I need Jesus and ALL he has to offer!
In Love
Ray
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