WHEN YE PRAY

I would like to help with prayer because if we get prayer wrong we will not get too far in God. Now God wants us to pray. Jesus tells us this in Matthew, but He also tells us things not to do. Yet most Christians ignore them out of traditions of men and wrong thinking from a performance based denominational religion. In Matthew we read the words of Jesus, "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." (Matthew 6:5-8) Prayer is one of the most mysterious functions and operations of the LORD. Our walk with the LORD is a huge mystery now I really like this. Who wants to serve a God you have figured out? We see this mystery when we read, "Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:" (Colossians 1:25-26) and "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." (1 Timothy 3:16) I learned this (and seem too often relearn it) the second time I went to India. After 10 days of a very busy schedule, sickness, and diarrhea I was at the end of my strength and self. It was late in the evening and my host pastor asked me to pray for a little boy who had not walked in 6 months. I said yes. The father brought the little boy over to me and I grabbed his little feet and I prayed this great prayer, "LORD please heal this little boy." No lightning bolts, no fancy words, God did not speak from heaven that was it. As I was reaching for my supper of chicken, curry, and rice (what I was fed to help my stomach) out of the corner of my eye I saw the father put the little boy down and as his little feet touched the ground the boy was off and running. The little boy is probably is still running. Well I never got to my supper that night a line quickly formed. But how did God do this? How did God heal this little boy? It was not me I had no strength so it had to be God. You know I find it amazing nowhere in the Bible did Jesus pray (like we do) for someone. Jesus just healed them He did not pray for them. You know if I cannot get to the Father on my behalf for healing I would not want someone to only pray for me. I think I would want someone who has a walk with the LORD who could touch Him on my behalf. Yes prayer is mysterious it reveals God's nature to us. His concern, heart, and love. How does He do this? Did you know prayer is translated six different ways in the Bible? The top three are beseeching, comforter, but the most common is "direct address to the Father." Not in communication, but communion. At first the disciples had it wrong when they prayed around through the Father. Many Christians sing the song, "Ave Maria" or around to the Father though Maria (Jesus' mother) , but in the LORD's prayer (beginning in Matthew 6:9) Jesus said to pray "abba Father." The word "abba" is a term of endearment, literally "daddy" in the Greek, an intimate word of the heart. Funny it is interesting to know John the Baptist disciples knew how to pray before Jesus' disciples. "And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." (Luke 11:1) There are seven points on prayer I would like for us to look at. John Wright Follette (my teacher's teacher) said, "we learn to pray by praying." Prayer is a work of the Spirit of God. Unless we have allowed God to work in our lives through His dealings and judgments we will NEVER enter into the "true" realm of prayer. Many Christians are begging God to bless the works of their hands and God is saying do something! As we pray we learn how to touch the heart of God. The second point is we cannot change God's sovereign will by praying. Jesus tried this in the Garden of Gethsemane, but in the end Jesus said, "not my will, but thy will be done." God has a plan and purpose for each and every life he created and praying will not change it. God is God and we are not no matter how hard we try to twist God's arm in prayer. The third point is prayer helps us adjust our heart and thinking with God's will. In the Psalms we read, "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." (Psalm 37:4) Oh how we like to delight ourselves in the LORD: standing in services, raising our hands, shaking our fist, and bobbing our head as the preacher rolls while all the while our heart has not been touched by the Spirit. My friend if we do not receive the word of God by our spirit we will never receive it by our flesh. The word "delight" here means pliable, bendable,, moldable. If we cannot be the clay and if the LORD cannot be the potter then He can never give us the desires of our heart, but sadly most Christians in prayer care little what God wants. And remember clay does not talk back. Prayer is not the time to receive something from God. We are to use our faith for someone else. Does God know what we need? When is the last time you have heard this message? The next point is the Holy Spirit always prays according to His will. In Romans we read, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27) So if we have the Holy Spirit operating in our lives then why are all of our prayers not answered? Please consider we are not praying according to God's will. God does NOT have to answer any of our prayers, but He wants to show us His love and concern (His character and nature) so He answers some. And if not we get angry at God and threaten to leave Him or get a big boo boo face or twist His arm. We must pray according to what and how God tells us to pray and not what we want to see happen in the lives of our family, friends, even the world. The next point is ALL things work together for good as long as we are called according to God's purpose and I would add if we learn the lesson God is teaching. Still in Romans, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) God already knows what we are going to pray before we pray so why pray? To align our thinking up with God's thinking. The LORD's purpose in our lives, friends, family, and the world is to share this wondrous Gospel message. He wishes none to be lost no not one. We need no other purpose or calling, but if God asks us to do specific things for Him say in ministry then we are to answer the call and fulfill the LORD's purpose in our lives. We really have this verse down. "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Philippians 4:6) Now this is okay, but God is doing more than giving us things or healing our bodies in our prayers. He is teaching us a lesson of His character and nature in prayer. He is teaching us how He functions and operates so we will be useful now (somewhat), but more in our next life. God will not have to train us when we get to our next life we will already know how to move and respond with and like Him. The second to the last point is obedience to God is never substituted by prayer. Most Christians would rather pray for hours than be obedient. My teacher Charles Haun tells the story of a lady who God would wake up at night to pray for people. Well one night God roused her and she got up and went to her chair where she prays and prayed for about one hour for a missionary and then went back to bed. About 15 minutes later God roused her again and this time she got out of her bed , knelt by her bed, prayed about 30 minutes, and headed back to bed. About 15 minutes later God roused her again and this time she just laid in bed and started to pray, but drifted off to sleep. God never bothered her again that night. About three months later the lady heard in church the missionary was killed the night the LORD woke her up. There is always a cost for our disobedience and usually others pay the price. The last point is Jesus always prayed because He wanted to maintain contact with His Father not to do or get things from His Father. From this contact or communion God's goal in prayer is manifested, "righteous living" where we just live right before God and man. Just like we do not have to think to breathe, we just live right. It becomes automatic. For this to happen God must be able to get us over this "give me give me things" thinking, so He can take us deeper into the mystery of prayer. Jesus said, "of myself I have no power" and "I can do nothing except what I see the Father do." Jesus was so dependent on the Father for everything which came out of His relationship with the His Father. Prayer teaches us how to be dependent and how to have a relationship with our heavenly Father. In prayer it is not God needs to know, but it is we need to tell Him. There is a need in man to talk with God He put it in us. And in His response we learn His will and how He thinks and functions what He wants in every given situation. Prayer is amazing mystery of God.

AT THE END OF THE DAY

At the end of the day it will not matter what you did or did not do (by ways of good works) for the LORD. There are no do overs or redos in the LORD. At the end of the day what we have done for the LORD will be on full display for those standing around to see. There will be no talking, arguing, praying, discussing, or even horse trading. At the end of the day we all will stand before the LORD and the book will be opened and if our name is found in the Book of Life of the Lamb, "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Revelation 13:8) we go on to the Judgment Seat of Christ, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences." (2 Corinthians 5:10-11) and if not then we go to the Great White Throne, "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them." (Revelation 20:11) to receive of our reward for not what we have done for the LORD, but for how we have done things for the LORD. God is not so concerned what we have done for Him, but He will be very concerned about how we have done things for Him. It is going to be not much done as most good, well intended Christians have been taught, but how done, how we did things for the LORD. Funny when you ask most pastors about their church they usually start with something like this, "well . . . we have about 100 members on Sunday (to be honest the mid-week service is a better gauge or determining factor of membership), we do this and/or that, but seldom do they talk about the spirituality of the members. Why are we so works focused? I guess it is easy enlarging our faith when we see a new building or new fellowship hall built, but now seeing spiritual growth and development as the LORD puts one through despair well that is a whole different focus. I will be honest I am as guilty as some pastors. When I pastored in Germany I would do the same thing thinking I was helping the LORD out impressing maybe a new member, but at the end of the day I was just embellishing the truth (most call it lying) to make things look better than they are. I wonder why we are so impressed by what we can do for the LORD? I wonder why we think the LORD is going to love us the more if we can do great things for Him? Great things for Him? He created the heavens (all three) and the earth, man, all we know and see, and we think building some building or big ministry to travel the world sharing this wondrous Gospel message impresses Him? Oh no my friend all of our good works, those good works we do for God are for our benefit not the LORD's. For it is in these good works in the hours of loneliness on planes, trains, and automobiles, in times of danger, in times of feast and famine, times what Paul calls the "terror of the LORD" in these times God can work in our heart and in our thoughts conforming us into the character and images of Jesus Christ, the LORD's grand goal in our lives. When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist God the father openly spoke of His son, "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." As to date (the Bible never recorded) Jesus had not started His earthly ministry. Jesus had not yet preached one message, made one disciple, or even performed one miracle. I wonder what made the Father so pleased with His son? Maybe it was the wonderful relationship the Father and Jesus had. Of course the Father knows all things and saw the day (in the future) that Jesus would be stretched out on the cross between heaven and earth for the atonement of our sin. Maybe it was the utter dependence Jesus had on the Father. Funny how today we think we are independent and we can handle things for the LORD. In John Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (John 5:19) We run around and say we have the power, brother do you have the power? And Jesus said he had a no power, "except for what the Father gives Him." Something is wrong here. As we walk with the LORD there are some very important things we must discover because soon we will find ourselves at the end of the day and it will be too late. We must learn we have no power, God is God and we are not! We must learn the only way we will ever be affective for the LORD is if we have a relationship with Him. We must learn He is not looking at what we are doing for Him, but He is closely scrutinizing us in how we are doing things for Him. The smaller the issue the closer He is scrutinizes us. Big things in God really do not matter, but ah the small things, well they are life and death to us. Something as small as a realization of our need for Him and a confession of our faith in Him to change us from who we are means all of the next world to us. We must learn the way up is down. We must be like Jesus lowly in heart and see of ourselves no reputation. My heavens just look at Christian TV (an oxymoron) the effort spent to build up a man over another man. Each working so hard to build up a reputation: as a end-time teacher, pastor, prophet, apostle, healer, you name it. Commercials are even made to promote a man to his greatness, but Jesus said the meek and humble shall inherit the earth. David said, "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Psalms 37:11) That is peace now on earth not in the sweet by and by. The meek and humble know truth. Jesus said in Matthew, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." (Matthew 11:29) Wow peace and rest! People of ambition trying to build up their reputation know no peace and rest, but striving and contempt. At the end of the day they confuse love, truth, and the weightier things of God. Remember, truth without love becomes a club, but love without truth becomes a perversion. If we get this wrong we are heading for hard times and a great fall my friend. I guess when I think of the Father and His relationship with Jesus (at the end of the day) I think of the many father and son relationships I have personally seen. At the end of the day all we can share is the things we personally know and I have been blessed (term over used) with great examples in my life. Growing up in a military family we made many visits to family members. When my father would deploy somewhere in the world we would move in with my mom's mother at 57 Carpenters Ave. in Ridgeley, WV. When my father would come home we would drive over to 15 Napoleon Street in Johnstown, PA where his mother lived. Now Grandma Stahl was not Grandma Jewell. I learned quickly not to confuse them. Grandma Stahl was stern not very loving. When her husband left her with four kids she decided to raise her kids with discipline and not much love. Grandma Stahl was a tough lady. But at the end of day when we would leave to head back to Ridgeley we would load up in the car and as we waved good-by I could see a tear or two run down the face of my father and my grandmother. I thought maybe she was not as tough as I thought, but to be honest I never realized what was going on. As we (Karen and I) got older and had kids we would visit our parents. For years we would visit from one address to the next. And as we got older and as we gathered grandkids to our parents (at the end of the day) when we would leave we would load the car and stand and wave as streams of tears would run down our face. I began to understand a little bit about the end of the day. And now when our kids come home with our grandkids and they leave at the end of the day my heart and mind goes back to my father and his mother, back to all of the times we left from Karen's parents home and my parents home. Oh what a heavy heart. Now we stand at the end of the day with tears streaming down our face as our kids pull out. We wave, oh what a heavy heart. At the end of the day I kind of believe this is the way the Father kind of felt about Jesus.

WTFMT 51 HGM ON 27 FEB 18

WILDERNESS TRUTHS FOR MODERN TIMES-51 TEXT:

 "And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs." (Numbers 12:23)

 

I. CONTRASTS

 

A. In our wiling walk with Him we will learn and receive of Him. But we must stay with Him. He may lead in various and unlikely situations of great contrast. This will be necessary for learning and receiving.

B. A great contrast is seen in Numbers 13:23. The 12 men leave the wilderness and go into a land which flows with milk and honey. From the wilderness to abundance could be a pleasant contrast for all. From nothing to abundance would certainly magnify the blessing of plenty.

C. God wants to illustrate to us light, He can take us into darkness, and then into light. That would make an impression upon us. If He wants to put joy into our soul, He could take us through sorrow, and then plunge us into joy. D. God will bring us through great contrast in order to emphasize certain qualities, and establish them in us. If we are taken from joy into greater joy, that second joy will not be too much emphasized. But if we are brought from sorrow into greater joy, it becomes greatly impressed upon our life.

E. Often He will reverse the contrast. If He wants to impress upon us a degree of the sorrow His Son experienced, He will bring us into great joy, then plunge us into sorrow. That way, we shall not only learn about the Man of Sorrows, we shall experience some of His sorrow. It will change us. It will equip us to comfort those who sorrow.

F. The contrast of light with darkness will teach us many things and enrich our spiritual life.

G. As we walk with the Lord His presence will be so near and intense that we may not be able to eat nor sleep on a regular schedule. We love the light. But after several weeks, maybe months that wonderful climate will lift and we will find ourselves in total darkness and dryness.

H. We then are impressed, terrified, amazed, puzzled. We are learning darkness and drought. We are learning those things which can be learned only in a wilderness. We are learning that God is faithful to us, even in a desert land, and He could be our light, even in darkness.

I. As always with the Lord, there is a deeper lesson He desires to teach us as we are faithful to Him. During this time in the wilderness He desires to give us the treasures contained in the darkness. "By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not." (Song 3:1-2) Those treasures contained in the unknown, silent and still, moving in a direction we do not know ones that will build a foundation of total trust in us that no matter what we face, we will not be moved. Those that will develop a love relationship with Him.

 

II. PARTING THOUGHTS

A. There are two areas of blessing which relate to the wilderness. One concerns the blessings that are within the wilderness; the other the opportunity for blessings based upon the wilderness itself and our proper responses. The Promised Land was the opportunity for blessings based upon how the children of Israel responded to God in the wilderness.

B. There is no way the Israelites could get from Egypt to Canaan without going through the many wildernesses. After the wilderness, a dip into the land of milk and honey revealed the blessings.

C. But, before the blessings come, before the land of milk and honey, before we inter into the joys of the Lord we must walk in the footsteps of obedience and faithfulness to the Lord. "His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:21)

D. In the wilderness all too often our vision is sorely limited. We see the lack and the difficulties. God's provisions cannot be seen very clearly if at all. Many believers do not know that God can provide a table for the needy even in the wilderness.

E. The provisions and power of God do not determine whether we fail or succeed in our walk with God. His provisions and power are always at hand and without limit. The ability of God to work in and through us is not the determining factor in our failure or success. God is more than able always.

OUR CHRISTIAN PROFESSION

What do you believe and why do you believe it? What is the profession of your faith? Most Christians do not know what and why they believe things in God. Most Christians are confused with the word "salvation" because they have been taught "salvation" only deals with our sins. We will talk about that later. There are websites where you can pick the church of your choosing (and call it God's leading) to use your God given ability and talents. Whatever happened to God directing our steps? Most Christians see the Christian job market as a way of life. Thinking this small church is a stepping stone to something greater. Whatever happened to greatness in God is being in His will? Why you can even get a Dove Award for being a great Christian singer. Whatever happened to God's reward being enough? And recently Hollywood has discovered Christians have wallets stuffed with money too with the making of "faith based" movies why they do not even call them Christian movies, well maybe they are not. Ah yes we can get a job (that pays quite well) in the Christian world, but that is not the profession I am talking about. Just ask all of the folks on Christian TV or pastors of those so called churches on TV. There is much money to be made on the backs of widows and good hearted folks who do not know better than to tune in and watch these charlatans or even the good hearted folks who do not know better than to attend crusades, conferences, and churches of apostate pastors (like T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Rick Warren, Rod Parsley, sadly the list go on and on) who preach and teach a prosperity, humanistic, or seeker sensitive message that is pure anti-Christ. Paul told the Christians at Galatia, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?" (Galatians 3:1) Today these thieves and charlatans have "bewitched" the feeble minded unlearned people to the truth of the word for personal gain and power it is no wonder most Christians do not know what they believe. Now I am not talking about such things in this article, but what I am talking about is what we as Christians ought to profess of our faith. Now the word "profession" (secondary meaning) is an interesting word and means, openly declaring what ones believes. Not too many Christians openly declare what they believe. In most cases most Christians are closet professors. For years I have wondered why so many Christians have to be pinned down (almost like in a fire fight) in a conversation before they will admit they are a Christian. Why so shy and backward in admitting their allegiance for Christ? Now I can understand why in some places of the world where sharing your allegiance can mark you for death, but in countries (like America) where we have Christian liberties to share what we believe, it just blows my mind to know most Christians hid the good news of the Gospel, and in their shame of the Gospel, by hiding their profession (what they believe) of their faith in confusion and deception. In reading the Bible it is critical we keep all things in context if not then we will get the precept (foundational truths) wrong and if we get our precepts wrong then we will get our concepts (our ways of daily Christian living) wrong. A prime example of this is how we have neutered the word salvation. We today equate salvation with the removal of our sins, but in reality "all of his benefits" are include in our salvation. David said in the Psalms, "I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted: 11 I said in my haste, All men are liars. 12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" (Psalm 116:10-12) There are more "benefits" in salvation than just our sin removal. I will save this for another article. Many mainstream denominations walk the Roman Road of salvation: Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9, Romans 5:1 to tell one how to be saved, but these verses are NOT the profession (what we believe) of our faith. Read them for yourself and do not make the same mistake. As wacky as the many Baptist dominations march up and down the Roman Road of salvation many Pentecostal denominations (Oneness types, United Pentecostal Holiness, and the like) profess Acts 2:38 as the only verse for salvation. Foolishness just foolishness, yet they push their half truths (which is a lie) out deceiving good hearted folks. I do not know about all of this stuff (sounds like a lot of religion to me) you judge, but all of these are not about our Christian profession (or what we believe as Christians) they are about the dos and do nots for salvation. The dos and do nots are not what we believe (our professions), but how we can be saved and usually are works focused. Even the wonderful verse of salvation found in John, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Is not a profession of our faith, but a verse that shows us how to be saved. There is a huge difference between our salvation and our profession of faith. Sadly the word salvation has become a religious cliché that only talks about our sins being forgiven, but salvation is much much more that. If you believe your sins are forgiven and if you would die today you would go to heaven, but you are not experiencing: joy, peace, healing, wholeness, spiritual growth and development, even prosperity, and daily battle with a sin consciousness then you do not understanding grace and faith. In days gone by the church never really struggled with the profession of faith. In the past the "church" was united on what it believed based upon a common creed statement. Today every one believes what they want to believe maybe that is why there is little to no unity within the Body of Christ. A creed (also known as a confession, symbol, or statement of faith) is a statement of the shared beliefs a of a community of believers in the form of a fixed formula summarizing core tenets. A creed is one of the three cords that ensure no heresy in the church: Scripture, creed, hymns. Ah the Scriptures and hymns two other foundational church pillars being displaced by the contemporary movement in the Body of Christ. The first creed was developed in 325 AD at the first Council of Nicaea and was based on Christian understanding (or belief) of the Canonical Gospels the letters of the New Testament and to a lesser extent the Old Testament. Affirmation of this creed which describes the Trinity, is generally taken as a fundamental test of orthodoxy for most if not all (then and through the years) Christian denominations. The Nicaea Creed reads: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy catholic (universal) and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. How could you not get behind that? Well most denominations (even the Assembly of God and Church of God) would dispute the facts of the Scriptures as delineated in the Nicaea Creed. Go figure. So what do we profess as our statement of faith? As essential as salvation is there must be more and it must come from the word of God. Paul in Ephesians gives us (in my humble opinion) the foundational truths that enable the profession of our faith. We read, "That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:7-10) If our salvation is of us than it cannot be from God. And if we miss the mark in understanding correctly "grace" and "faith" than we will be confused and the profession of our faith will be skewed from the truth of the word o God. There is a critical balance we MUST walk with the two. If we get "grace" wrong in our daily living then we will get over into sins of lascivious or sins of the flesh, the end product is cheap grace where we think we can do whatsoever we want and God will forgive us. If we get "faith" wrong then we will get over into the law and believe we are saved through a performance based (saved by good works) religion like most if not all of the mainstream religions. Our salvation and our daily Christian living which makes up our profession of our faith must be founded in "grace" and "faith" (two things of the Spirit of God, but not of man) if not we shall never see the requirement to become the workmanship of God. It is not what we can do or not do for God that drives the profession of our faith, but what we can become in God, "For we are His workmanship." For this to ring true in our heart and lives it must be pressed into our spirit as God presses us, molds us, and shaped us. The age old truth still rings true knowledge is not truth until it becomes personalized to our heart and lives. Richard Wurmbrand said, "a man really believes not what he recites in his creed, but only the things he is willing to die for." What do you believe and why do you believe it? What are you willing to die for? What is the profession of your faith?

WTFMT 50 HGM ON 23 JAN 18

WILDERNESS TRUTHS FOR MODERN TIMES-50 TEXT:
 "And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud." (Exodus 16:10)

I. POINT OF VIEW
A. What we see depends on our point of view. Our point of view is the direction in which we habitually look. The gaze of the Israelites had just been on meat which they desired, but did not have. Only when they looked toward the wilderness did they see the glory of God. The glory of God was not in the meat which they desired.
B. The reason why many of us on different occasions miss seeing the glory of God is that we are looking toward what which we desire. We are viewing Canaan Land when we should be looking toward the wilderness.
C. If the glory of God is appearing in the wilderness, and we are gazing at the Promised Land, we may see the Promised land, but we will not see the glory of God. When the glory of God has come to the wilderness, it is time to give the wilderness our attention. God brings us into the wilderness specifically to see His glory. He wants to bring to our vision His mercy, grace. longsuffering, provisions, purpose, and most of all His love.
D. Although many are brought to the wilderness to see the glory of God, not all see it. The direction of our vision at any particular time in our lives will determine what we shall see. It will also determine what we are not seeing of that which God wants to show us. We shall miss seeing His goodness as we constantly gaze at unfulfilled desires and long for the comforts of the flesh.
E. The wilderness is the place of opportunity. Here, from the Wilderness of Paran, the children of Israel could have moved into greater opportunities. The possibility of taking the Promised Land was theirs. God Himself actually initiated the conquest of Canaan at this time from this place, as seen in: "And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel." (Numbers 13:3)
F. The wilderness may not be seen as a launching pad into an orbit of spiritual reality and living, but the wilderness is that, and more. It is a place of opportunity. A particular opportunity in numbers reads. "And thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them." (Numbers 13:2) These men are going to search and discover. They are moving toward that which God had promised them. In this, many things will be discovered, and revelation will unfold.
G. The Israeli spies are going to discover things which they never though existed in that promised area. What do they discover? They discover the fruits of the land. "And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it." (Numbers 13:26-27) This was quite a revelation for these people who left the fertile waters of Egypt.
H. Foundations are necessary for revelation. The more abundant the revelations, and the fuller and richer they are the more the need for greater and stronger foundations.
I. God will often bring us through difficult places simply to establish in us a sufficient foundation and strength for the revelation which He desires to bring to us. Foundations are built by irrevocably trusting God and responding properly to Him in ALL our situations, whether pleasant or unpleasant.
J. 10 of the 12 spies did not have a foundation sufficient enough to support their revelation. Of the two who had faith, one spoke up: "And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it." (Numbers 13:30) Instead of great faith coming to them from the revelation, they were filled with fear and defeat. "And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." (Numbers 13:33)

II. PARTING THOUGHTS

A. The foundation for revelation must be built. Without it God will never be able to put into us certain truths and revelations, and the means of living them. Therefore we must be willing for the undergirding foundation to be built in us. Unwillingness for this particular work of God will cause loss of the riches of God.
B. Come let us go into the wilderness with willing hearts. There we will learn riches, and glean for ourselves unimaginable wealth.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR

As we moved from 2017 to 2018 I lost track (an understatement) of the number of Christians who said, "I hope I have a happy new year" or "I wonder what the new year holds for me and my family?" I kind of shook my head and pondered what in the world are they talking about? What kind of year are they going to have? What does the new year hold for them? Really? Are they Christians? Now I will be the first to admit being a Christian does not exempt us from life's many distractions, sorrows, and disappointments, but as Christians we MUST in experience of relationship with the LORD rise above the fray of worldly trials and circumstances (that seemingly level the playing field) for all who live on earth will be situational dependent (being happy) or sad depending on situations and circumstances faced in our daily living. As Christians we are not to look for our happiness in temporal things such as our livelihood, success, our health, even our acceptance. A.H. Maslow the well know American psychologist who was best known for creating "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs," a theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, culminating in self-actualization. Maslow described human needs as ordered in a prepotent hierarchy—a pressing need would need to be mostly satisfied before someone would give their attention to the next highest need. The hierarchy of human needs model suggests that human needs will only be fulfilled one level at a time. According to Maslow's theory when a human being ascends the levels of the hierarchy having fulfilled the needs in the hierarchy one may eventually achieve self-actualization. At the bottom of the hierarchy are the basic needs or physiological needs of a human being: food, water, sleep, sex, etc. Then safety needs: security, order, and stability. Next is the third level of need is love and belonging. And at the top of the pyramid need for self-actualization occurs when individuals reach a state of harmony and understanding because they are engaged in achieving their full potential. Once a person has reached the self-actualization state they focus on themselves and try to build their own image. They may look at this in terms of feelings such as self-confidence or by accomplishing a set goal. Late in life Maslow came to conclude that self-actualization was not an automatic outcome of satisfying the other human needs. Sadly (it is my experience) this is the way most Christians live their lives. Once I get a good job, a big house, and fancy car then I can work on myself and all the while satisfying basic needs along the way will equal the happiness I find in my life. Well this contrary to what the Bible teaches. The word of God has a much much more deeper and fuller understanding of where our happiness in found. Christians are not to build their happiness, which is situational dependent (where we get the word "blessed" from), but we are to be built on joy. Joy keeps us going when all around us is collapsing and hope seems to be no more. When our life is in shambles the "joy" (not happiness of the LORD) rushes in and is a shield and buckler for us to endure the many slings and arrows our daily living brings our way. Nehemiah shares with us a critical truth we MUST never forget when life begins to get us down. And make no mistake life will get us down the LORD will see to it. "Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10) But notice this is not just any "joy" it is "the joy of the LORD" which is our strength. The "joy of the LORD" is what strengthens us to endure and overcome life's problems and circumstances. How can we guess if problems and situations are coming our way in the new year? How can we wonder what the new year will be like? They are on the way the LORD will see to it, because it is the LORD's dealings and judgments in our lives that develops "the joy of the LORD" in us. Happiness is light and fleeting while "joy" is heavy and abiding. "The joy of the LORD" puts us on a good path for all year and it will sustain us all the days of our lives because it is built from a work of God in us and because it produces in us wisdom, righteousness, judgment (oh a bad word for most Christians), and equity. In the Proverbs Solomon said, "For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path." (Proverbs 2:6-9) When does the LORD give us all of these things? When we allow Him to work in our lives to show us our infirmities and failures. He adds these things underlined above to us while He is able to subtract our weaknesses and failures. God has made a way to endure life and overcome (be victorious) it through the work of Christ on the cross and through His dealings and judgments now within us. Can you imagine the hearing and understanding of the disciples and all in the crowd when Jesus told them, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Where withal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew 6:31-34) How could Jesus say, "take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Where withal shall we be clothed?" Does not Jesus know we need food, drink, clothing? Yes, but if you are filled with "the joy of the LORD" having or not having food, drink, or clothing does not matter. Does not Jesus know we need to self-actualize (become all we can be) and take care of our self? Yes of course, but back in Nehemiah we read, "Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord:" Again "the joy of the LORD" is dependent not on us receiving (even from God), but others receiving. How could Jesus say, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." Does not Jesus know we are to be happy? Well, no He does not. One of the greatest revelation we can discover in the new year is God is not trying to make us rich, popular, famous, powerful, or even happy, but is trying to do all that we will allow in our lives to conform us into the character and image of Jesus Christ. Sandwiched between these thoughts above is what God expects in our lives to bring us to a place in Him where we can survive and overcome life, "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." That is right "seek (it must be discovered it is not laying on the ground somewhere waiting to be found there is a discovery we must make as God works in our lives) first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." Now the "kingdom God" is not a place or a palace, but it is within us. In Luke we read, "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21) When the "kingdom of God" is active in our lives happiness will not even be a concern. Paul told the Church at Rome, "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14:17) You cannot get a job in the kingdom of God, but many people try to. Ah there is that word "joy" again, but that is not just the joy we have when we see a new born baby or as we swell up with pride when our son or daughter hits the winning goal, but it is "the joy of the LORD." The only way to have a happy new year is to allow God to work in our lives through His dealings and judgments and build in us "the joy of the LORD" and not happiness and even a good blessings.

THE GREAT FALLING AWAY

On 23 July 1996 (at 11:00) my family and I landed in Stuttgart, Germany where we lived for exactly (the jet way pushed back at 11:00) seven years leaving on 23 July 2003. When I think of this period when we arrived life was magical I was working at US European Command (USEUCOM) a four star headquarters as a Joint Medical Planner, but within less than one week upon arriving God was able to place the keys and the responsibility of the Pentecostal Chapel service at Robinson Barracks within my hands. Life was exciting, bright, a new, like I have never felt or experienced. The word "responsibility" took on a whole new meaning: family, work, and now a small Chapel service of about 30 to 35 foreigners, mostly Africans from West Africa. Suddenly, without any formal training, I found myself leading the service on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. What a time it was. Everything was so different to my thinking, my relationships with my family and at work God touched my life and enabled me to be used beyond my abilities and skills. When we allow God to run the show He will step in and make all things beautiful in our time. I remember thinking that my office mates (really cannot use the word friends) would come to our service and get involved with what God was doing, but boy was I wrong. But that was okay a man cannot give what they do not have. The first year we stayed at the Chapel and the small service grew and grew in numbers as God added people to positions needed for the work He was doing in us first and then out from us. Then on Easter week-end 1997 I found out the US Army (6th Area Support Group had base support for installations) was closing down our Chapel service to save money, but in reality our service was bigger than the Protestant (9 to 10:30) and Catholic (11 to 12:30) services combined with only a hand full of Americans. This was God 's way of kicking us out of the nest. On 27 April 1997 (on Karen's birthday) we started Christliche Gemeinde Stuttgart (CGS) at the Dorint Fontana a five star hotel. So out from CGS and the US Navy I started traveling to the nations. When God wants something to happen He will move mountains seemingly working in the supernatural. I cannot begin to tell you of the times I represented USEUCOM in the day and God at night. God used the US military to move us around the world to share His wondrous Gospel message first in the States while in training then to the nations in 1996. So I began to travel to the nations. My first trip was to Opel, Poland about 7 to 8 hours from Stuttgart by car. The trip was exciting and full of newness for me. There in Opel I meet Pastor Piotr Cieslar, his wonderful wife Kristina, and their three kids. Pastor Piotr's church was small, but packed to the rafters with hungry hearts wanting to know God in a greater way. I really liked Pastor Piotr. Now it has been some time since I stopped by Opel, but Pastor Piotr really influenced my life in so many ways. Over the years while living in Germany I made many trips to Opel and had the unique opportunity to watch his kids: Thomic (Thomas), Bashua (Barbara) and Oliver grow up and something strange his church began to empty out. I remember Poland in 1996 everything was gray or brown and everything seemed dirty. No one seemed to laugh maybe that is why I liked Pastor Piotr so much he had an unusual sense of humor. I can still hear him say, "LORD move the sinners so the saints can find parking." You see over the years with the integration of NATO and the European Union (EU) money the country of Poland got richer. Coupled with open border immigration (no visa was needed to travel to other EU countries) the Polish people started the exodus west looking for employment. When you have little to nothing to live on your future looks bleak and hope seems to disappear right before your eyes. So as the people moved west for money I watched the churches empty out. Finally another church merged with Pastor Piotr's church (the other church had a bigger building, but no people), but in time things really got small. I remember in 2003 right before we left I made a trip to Opel with a friend and they had a big beautiful church, but no people. Not only in Poland, but I have seen this scenario play out in Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova, and Bulgaria. As the countries got richer the people moved west looking for comfort, money, and security. One thing for sure once you get the taste of the "good life" nothing else will satisfy this human, basic hunger. Now do not misunderstand me here I am not beating up my friends in these countries (I have some dear dear friends in these countries), but what I am saying is more money does not mean one is wealthy and secure. The title of the first story in my book "Adventures with God" is taken from the words of Pastor Jacob from Constanta, Romania (who I dearly love). "No Money No Problems." In 1998 when I made it to Constanta this was the way they dealt with having no money, "No Money No Problems." Not only in Romania or other Eastern European countries, but also in counties in Africa, Asia, even in America I have seen as comforts and wealth increases churches decrease. Once we can do for ourselves we seem not to want to know God to seek His guidance and help. The end result is our absence from our brothers and sisters (notice I did not say absence from church), we seem to walk away from the things of God and our relationships with God. Strangely, it seems like we have walked away from those things that has enabled us to be able to move away from God. All of our early learning and teaching (as a child) that was our bedrock, our foundational principles, but once we get old enough to strike out looking for our fame and fortune all of our earlier teaching seems to vanish before our eyes. You know I have seen this in my life at times. I am sure this is no new revelation to most people who love God and want to do His will. The world is an exciting place for the young and adventurist at heart. This is why John warns us of this great danger, "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2:14-16) Here the word of God is abiding in the young men to overcome the wicked one (not sure who the wicked one is certainly not the devil) , but John still directs them to, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." John even goes on to define those dangers in the world, "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." So too today. One thing for sure if we are running after the world we cannot be running after God. And for all of those seeker sensitive church leaders (which makes up the majority of churches today in the world) if the world is running after you God is not. I could go on and on, but I need to get to the heart of what I would like to share. Many popular world preachers and teachers in the church today say (so they can deceive you into giving more money to them) there will be a great end-time revival, well that is not what the Bible teaches, oh no. Paul in 2 Thessalonians tell us the truth so that we will be able to withstand the great deception and evil in the world "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3) You may need to read these verses again, but this time not the words in the brackets. "Let no man deceive you by any means: [for that day shall not come,] except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;" That is right not a big time revival, but a falling away. Let no one deceive you (on Christian TV) my brethren there is a "falling away" that is happening to fulfill God's word. I have seen this "falling away" from the start in the mid 60s with the feel good Jesus hippie movements that deceived people. In the 70s this deception continued with the word of faith movement "plant your seed (money) in my ministry and God will bless you" (thank you Oral Roberts and his ilk) into the 80s where the humanistic teachers (man is a god) started spinning their deception and outright lies. In the 90s it got worse with the prosperity teachers (giving to get), if a Christian God wants you to be rich, influential, and powerful. The message was for earthly riches (because I really believe they do not believe in our next life) and not eternal riches. And in the 2000s the deception (reached new heights) was mixed more with the truth (which stills makes it a lie) with the seeker sensitive message where everyone is welcome (no one gets offended) and accepted no matter what. Yes my friend there is a "falling away" going on right now and with the increase of comforts and technology it will be expedited faster and faster. Paul in his epistles again and again warns of this "falling away" so it should not take us by surprise lest we too be deceived. And strange as it may seem, whether we get deceived and fall away depends not on the deceiver, the devil, or even God, but on us. The "falling away" is here and has been here for a long time and yes God is here warning us of our fall. Make no mistake my friend God is shaking the tree not to see who He can shake out but, to see who is holding on to His unchanging hand. When we were at a Church in Greece after the service they had a time of eating before everyone headed their way. We were sitting at a table and a young lady came up to me and said, "Pastor Dave is that you?" I said "yes." And the lady said, "This is Monica, Koko from the Mission Bible School (Class of 2005) in Romania." Now I will be honest at first I did not remember her, but as she talked I began to pick up her voice. She said I made a statement during class that only with time has come true. She said I said, "In time you will see many of your class mates walk away from the calling God has on their lives." I remember making that statement. Koko thought, that would never happen with her class mates, but one by one many have walked away from God. Over the years many of the Mission Bible School students (that God is still using) have come to me and recited my words back to me and said, "your words were true' and began to name person after person who has walked, fallen away from their calling and God. Sadly I too can name people who were once walking with the LORD, but now have loved this present world and walk no more with God. Take heed my brethren.