THE LURE OF HOPELESSNESS

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.  Genesis 16:2

         See what hopelessness has produced once it was verbalized?  Abram, who loved ‘hopeless Sarai’, empathized, then shared her hopelessness, then embraced her dangerous suggestion.  The thing that’s missing from all of this is prayer.  Sarai didn’t take her plight to God.  Abram, who listening to her crying, didn’t offer to make a sacrifice, build an altar, and get on his face with his wife.  They engineered a human solution and oh, how the world has suffered since.

         Unbelief, which leads to hopelessness, is a cancer.  It metastasizes like wildfire because the natural tendency of human beings is to rebel and wander in unbelief.  It goes against every natural grain in my being to have faith.  That’s why I must fight for it!  What little I have, I must guard with my life.  I must surround myself with others who are also fighting for faith because when I am my weakest and most vulnerable, they can pray for me and whisper God’s promises in my ear.

         There is a cross for every child of God to bear.  Though I can think someone else’s life looks perfect, it isn’t.  They also cry in the night about that thing that breaks their heart.  Over the nearly 60 years of my life, I’ve had more than a few say they wish they could be me, and live my life, thinking it’s nearly perfect.  I have laughed out loud, believe me.  I think to myself, “Really, you want to be me? Do you really want the story that has gone with the calling?  I don’t think so.”  All of us speak out of ignorance.

         The cross God has given me is mine to carry, not abandon.  Yet, I can spend all my energy trying to figure out how to engineer a solution to it.  Instead, I should submit to God and ask for the daily grace to carry the cross well.  If Abram and Sarai’s cross had been permanent barrenness; God would have carried them on the wings of faith.  The irony is, He promised them a miracle.  Deliverance was coming.  But in the difficult waiting period, they chose to walk in unbelief.  Hagar and Abram’s union would be a disaster.

           If you are about to enact a human solution to that which seems too crushing to bear, stop!  Either ask God to show you what to do and wait for Him to move or let us be like the Apostle Paul.  Though he asked for the thorn in the flesh to be removed, God did not do it.  Paul submitted, and through his weakness, He experienced the strength God gives.  So much so ~ that it became the focal point of His stories.  All His boasting was in the keeping power of Christ.

What will I do if some of my prayers are not answered the way I want?  I vow to be faithful, rely on Your grace, and speak well of you.  Amen

And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”  Genesis 15:16

If I had to pick one thing that has caused me to stumble over God, it would involve the question of why he waits so long to judge evil.  Those who are suffering at the hands of others cry out to God for deliverance.  The pain is unbearable.  The damage seems irreparable.  The thought of it having no end seems unthinkable.  God will do something, right?  I mean, God loves and promises to protect His people.

It’s difficult to explain God’s reasons thoroughly.  Who can know the mind of God?  But, some hints comfort me. This verse points at something weighty to consider.

The 400 years of Jewish slavery in Egypt are foretold to Abram.  God reveals that He will not bring them out of slavery until the iniquity of the Amorites is complete.  Amorites are the ones who possess Canaan, the Promised Land.  Their heinous sins will grow slowly through six generations.  There will be a limit to what God allows.  When their iniquity reaches the heights of notoriety, God will strike.

A couple of things I can conclude.  1. God does allow some evil to run a long course, and that decision can hurt His people.  2. He waits to judge because His heart is merciful and doesn’t want anyone to perish.  He gives all of us innumerable chances to hear His call and respond with repentance.  3. He allows evil to become blatant so that when He strikes, the message is clear about the consequences of sin.  4. With judgment, God’s power, justice, holiness, and glory are on full display.

As I reflect on my own life, I only understand a little of why God withheld justice for so long in hindsight.  I learned about the nature of evil.  The longer I suffered, the more wisdom became mine.  When I was released to live again, and abundantly, I could see that freedom came right on time.  It was a knowing in my spirit.  Many of my questions still remained, though.  But the real test was whether, in the middle of pain and unanswered questions, I could still say that God is good and does all things well. I had to say this by faith, with no visible evidence, and through many tears.

When you and I don’t understand, we can know that He does and has good reasons for how He chooses to rule.  In the end, heaven will reveal that God loved every one of us perfectly.

I pray right now for everyone who is suffering under the hand of evil.  Increase their faith.  Restore their trust.  Resurrect their cries for deliverance.  Oh Lord, judge the wicked and come to the aid of Your people.  Amen

ABRAM, GOD, ME & THE COVENANT

And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram.   Genesis 15:7-11

         God cut a covenant with Abram as a way to confirm the validity of all He had promised him. It was a blood offering, a blood oath. From that day on, there would be vows in place between God and Abram because of this ceremony. The ritual of cutting a covenant meant that each party was pledging all they were and all they owned to be forever available to the other person. Abram gave up all rights to himself and offered God the wealth of all he owned (exhibited by sacrificing the best of his flock for the covenant ceremony itself) as well as all rights to himself. He was no longer master of his own life but permanently put himself at God’s disposal.

            God did the same thing. He offered Abram all He was, all He owned; sharing the resources of heaven to lead, equip, and protect Abram. Who benefited most? Abram, for sure.

            A new covenant was cut at Calvary. Blood was shed again, except now it wasn’t the blood of animals, it was the blood of God’s own Son. When I embraced Jesus and came to God through the way of the cross, I took part in the covenant He offered just as tangibly as Abram and God enacted their ceremony. If I belong to Christ today, the covenant is firmly in place and this is what it means.

            Lord, I am completely yours. I give up all rights to myself and like Abram, I am listening for Your voice to lead me on my journey. All I am and all I have is Yours. I am at Your disposal for always.

            God’s response. And all I am is yours! All I have is yours. Continue reading “Abram, God, Me & the Covenant” →

OH, HOW I NEED A SIGN!

And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”  Genesis 15:7-8

         Because of Jesus’ harsh words in the Gospels about asking for a sign, I can wrongly conclude that asking for such a thing is displeasing to God.  But this story is just one passage in the Old Testament that proves God gladly gives signs.  The difference between an acceptable request and an unacceptable request is the kind of heart that asks.

         Abram had already believed God, so much so that God had declared him righteous.  The sign he asked for was a commemorative event that would forever serve to remind him that God’s promise would come true.

         An unacceptable request for a sign comes from unbelief.  You’ve heard people say such things.  “When God comes down here Himself to tell me, then I’ll believe it!”  With such statements, there is no humility, no trace of true searching.  The undertone smacks of blasphemy.

          If signs were evil, then why would God give Jesus as a sign?  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.  Is.7:14   When His people, in the context of relationship, looked longingly for salvation, God gave the best sign of all.  His only Son!

         Perhaps God has spoken to you about your future.  You know that God does not lie.  You know that God is a covenant keeping God.  You have been standing in faith, watching for the fulfillment of what He has promised.  But let’s face it, there are discouraging days.  We have an enemy who assaults us on all sides and undermines God’s character.  Our hearts can faint even though at the core of our spirit, we still believe.  We cry out to God for a sign, for a commemorative event that will strengthen our weakened hearts. God knows the deep weariness that plagues His people in the midst of their obedience.  He is the one who sent angels to minister to Jesus in the wilderness when He was depleted and weary.   He is the Father who rewards faith with signs and answered prayers.

You see where I’m fainting.  I hold on to you, in faith.  Would you give me a sign that will strengthen me for the long road ahead?  Amen

WHEN I’VE GIVEN UP!

And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.  Genesis 15:6

         Abraham believed God for what he didn’t have (an heir and descendants), for what he could never have without a gift from God himself.  That’s called faith. God was so overjoyed by Abram’s faith that he declared him righteous on the spot.  God made it as though Abram lived on the other side of the death of Christ and was wearing Christ’s righteousness.  No one but Abram in all of history, prior to the cross, was justified and declared righteous.  They rest of God’s followers made continual sacrifices to cover their sins but their sins weren’t removed from them until Christ died.

         This tells me, through story form, how much God prizes faith.  Am I believing God today for something I don’t have, for something I could never have without a gift from God’s hand?  Have I put everything on the line – waiting for God to move?  That is how faith looks.

         When I embraced Jesus as my Savior, I believed that He would forgive me and adopt me as His own.  These were things I couldn’t earn nor accomplish in any way for myself.  I laid everything on the line for what God promised to do for me.  That was my first great act of faith.  But my life is to be marked by daily acts of faith, incredulous acts of faith.  It’s tragic when I enter the kingdom by faith only to live the rest of my life in control of everything.  No faith required.  I miss out on miracles, passion, and amazement!

         God has rigged my life so that I would learn how to live by faith.  He has, through the fallen choices of others, afflicted me in ways that my survival is dependent on Him only.  I have been brought, and am being brought often, to the end of myself.  I must declare things hopeless without the move of God.  If I don’t have faith, I have nothing and will certainly live in despair.

         It was the mid-90’s when I put everything on the line.  I gave up on life and shut down.  It was a pivotal point as things crumbled all around me.  I could take my life, or curl up in a ball and live with a deadened heart, or cast my life upon Jesus and cry out for what I would never have without His intervention.  I’m so glad I made the third choice.

         If you’ve ever been to a Daughters of Promise Event, or a Prayer Mapping Event, you have heard me tell one story after another of God breaking through the fog of resignation and unbelief with one stunning miracle after another.  It’s not because I deserved it.  I didn’t.  It’s just that I serve a God who rewards faith!  I defend the character of a God who loves to do the impossible.

         I look again at my life this morning.  Where do things look hopeless?  Where have I languished for a lifetime thinking that nothing could ever change?  This is where faith is born.  I take my unbelief, speak God’s words over my dark soul, and cast all my hopes on Christ.  God is so pleased over unwavering faith that He greatly rewards it with one breakthrough after another.  Oh, how I wish we could share one-on-one today.

Faith is not rational.  It appears ludicrous to anyone watching.  That’s okay, Jesus.  Faith is a supernatural thing, fed on the diet of Your Word and Your grace.  Amen

A GOD WHO GETS MILEAGE OUT OF GIVING

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”  Genesis 15:6

         God loves to give.  He is not stingy, but extravagant! Even though I did nothing to deserve His love, His nature is to bless.  And when He gives a gift, it always means more than I can understand at the time.  If God has blessed you recently with something unexpected, be prepared to see many tentacles materialize.  God may appear to be giving one thing but that ‘one thing’ brings ‘many things’.

         God told Abram in Genesis 13:6 that his descendants would be as numerous as grains of dust. Now, He tells him that his offspring will be as numerous as the stars.  Are these descendants one in the same?  Not on your life.  The blessing God speaks over Abram keeps increasing exponentially.  The descendants related to the earth are the Jewish people who will come after him.  The descendants related to the stars are his spiritual seed; those who will embrace Jesus globally over the course of time.  Could Abram understand what all this meant?  No way.  All he could see was a Jewish line of descendants.  Even this taxed his faith since he and Sarah were no longer of childbearing age.

         There are so many personal stories I could share with you of how God gets mileage out of gifts He gives.  Here’s just one example.  In 2008, God spoke to me in prayer and told me to start training twelve women at a time in Prayer Mapping.  I really questioned Him to make sure I heard right.  How would teaching twelve be better than teaching large groups? Wouldn’t I be minimizing impact?  Yet God persisted in His message to me and gave many confirmations, even reminding me that He changed the world with twelve!  So I began to schedule several retreats a year with openings for only twelve to register.  This was done by faith since this also did not appear to be an economically sound decision for the ministry.

         What happened?  This small intimate group was impacted in a way that would not have happened in a large group.  The teaching was interactive and the women shared their lives authentically.  The breakthroughs they experienced, every single one of them, left me on a spiritual mountaintop the likes of which I had rarely experienced.  I left praising God for His blessing, not realizing that I had only just begun to see what the blessing involved.  Over half of that group of twelve went home to sponsor their own Prayer Mapping event.  The ministry of strategic prayer increased exponentially because when God gives a gift, He gets mileage out of it.

         What may God be asking you to do that makes no sense to you?  It looks like you will lose instead of gain?  Take this advice from a spiritual sister.  I have gone on to sponsor many events for twelve and each of them has had exponential results.  So, run and do what God asks.  Trust His nature.  He longs to be gracious and His arms are full of gifts just waiting to be released into your future.

Lord, the stories I am telling today aren’t even the end of all You still plan to give me.  I know You.  Each act of obedience brings an open ended blessing.  There is no King like you.  Amen

SO MUCH FOR PARADISE

So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.  Genesis 14:11-12

            What looks good to me may not be good for me.  When I choose something based on eye appeal, without the wisdom God offers, I will be a casualty of my ignorance.

            Abram had been generous.  He and Lot had stood overlooking the vistas of new land and a new future and Abram gave Lot first choice of where he’d like to settle.  Lot was not prayerful, did not seek God, and did not seek Abram’s advice either.  He grabbed the greenest and most promising land to the East (Sodom) and settled there.  He did not know the folly of making such a critical decision without prayer.  In just thirteen years, enemies would come in, conquer the land, and then take Lot and his family captive.

            Seeing how this story turned out, I can over-correct in the flesh and do the opposite thing.  I vow to pick the lesser of two choices, as a rule, to self-protect.  That is equally foolish.  The problem was not the lush land of Sodom.  The problem was Lot’s heart and his casual disregard of God.

            The take-away is this.  I must not let anything temporal control me. I can enjoy beautiful things but should hold them loosely.  Enjoy the things but worship God.   When presented with a job offer, one lucrative and one modest, I know that I will naturally be drawn to the one that promises wealth.  That being true, I also know that I can’t trust myself.  Only God knows if that option is good for me.  What I really want is His choice lest I become the likes of Lot whose perceived good fortune led him into slavery.

            What choices are you weighing today?  Who to marry, where to move, what job to take, where to move a parent with special needs, what church to attend…  The choice that seems obvious may be the wrong one.  The one without the glitter may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.  God is all too willing to reveal His secrets to any child who comes acknowledging that he is void of wisdom.

            One final thought.  Lot knew God had spoken to Abram and promised him a blessed future.  Leaving Abram at all, preferring to live anywhere else, was his greatest mistake.  I continue to make my company with those who walk closely with God and are under His blessing and favor.

I make such a mess when I live by my senses.  I can’t tell what I’m looking at, even though it’s pretty.  Oh God, protect me and lead me.  Amen

PLEADING THEIR CASE

I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. [About Sodom and Gomorrah] And if not, I will know.” Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?  Genesis 18:21,23

            To be the father of many nations in whom many will be blessed is surely a wonderful thing.  Who wouldn’t want the favor that comes with the calling!  But what it has required of Abraham has been far reaching.  The responsibility of becoming a well-rounded leader will take him, over and over again, out of his comfort zone.  He is about to become a mediator, like Jesus, for the righteous living in Sodom.

            To be a spiritual leader means, among many other things, to live a life of prayer.  It is to see another’s suffering and intercede.  The Holy Spirit will enable me to know how to pray for others.  Sometimes, I will sense that they need to be delivered altogether from pain.  Other times, there will be prayers asking God to make the pain productive.  And as in Abraham’s case, there will also be prayers for mercy, asking God to withhold deserved judgment.  Can God’s mind be changed?  Apparently yes.  Scriptures proves that in many cases, God’s hand was about to strike and inflict punishment because of sin and rebellion but He ended up withholding it because of a righteous man’s intercession.  A man or woman of God knew their place as a mediator.  They stood between the sinner and God and pleaded their case.  They repented for the sins of others and asked God to have mercy.

            Prayers take on profound overtones when I realize that I can pray for my family, my church, and even my nation in this way.  “Lord, stay your hand of judgment.  Give us more time.  There are more than ten righteous in our land.  Purify us.  Give us boldness so that we will draw the line of truth in the sand and bring others into the kingdom.  Please don’t judge.  Not yet.”

            Is this subversive praying against the will of God?  I don’t believe so.  Psalm 106 recounts an act of mediation made by Moses.  “They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.” 

            My prayers matter.  Your prayers matter.  Perhaps someone you love is about to enter a time of disciplinary action by God.  Consider today that we are all priests, able to mediate on their behalf.  We can be the catalyst to stay God’s hand, restore the breech, and prevent catastrophic consequences.

You set things up to need my prayers to intervene in the world.  Help me see the weight of my intercessory role today.  Amen

WHAT WILL WE DO WHEN IT HAPPENS?

Unless the Lord watches over the city [or nation], the watchmen stand guard in vain.” Psalm 127:1

         Many things have transpired that have caused me to write this today.  I’ve been dreaming all week about God’s judgment.  I’m weary and shaken.  I’ve also been reading headlines and watching the news.  I’m heartsick over the state of things and though I’m a Bible Teacher and have refrained from getting into anything that smells of politics, there is a line where the moral degeneration of society, propelled by the policies of government, reach a height that will bring nothing short of God’s judgment. Is it imminent?  Or will it be in one hundred years?  No one knows but God.   It sure ‘feels’ imminent enough that I’m asking myself, “What will I do when it happens?”  Here are a few things that are haunting me from just this week.

• Cindy Gallop is crusading to show sex in a softer light through her movement called Make Love Not Porn.  Her goal is to provide a website where children and teens can see real people, in relationship, making love. Children can ‘see it all’ and her crusade is seen by many as morally lifesaving.  (Watch the clip on ABC News)
• Thousands took to the streets in San Francisco after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for gay marriages to resume.  To see who was celebrating was sobering.
• We have a president who, as an Illinois State Senator, was passionate about the legality of killing babies born alive after botched abortions. He fought for it tirelessly.  (This is the procedure that led to Dr. Gosnell’s recent conviction of first-degree murder.)
• A recent poll showed that 80% of children between the ages of 8-12 have seen a significant amount of hard-core pornography.

         Such a short list but isn’t that enough to make one grieve?

         I can tell you that there is a growing number of people, Christian leaders included, who are hand-copying scriptures, preparing for the time when we may have Bibles confiscated.  Continue reading “What Will We Do When It Happens?” →