Monthly Archives: April 2024

PRAYING ALWAYS – 20

Prayer, ,

Ephesians 6:18-20 NLT‬
[18] “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. [19] And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. [20] I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.”

There are two principles we need to examine in Paul’s final words to the Ephesians church.

  1. Pray in the Spirit for all believers everywhere.

How can it be possible for us to honour this instruction? We live in a world population of billions. It’s impossible for us to keep track of what’s happening to God’s people everywhere, so how can we pray intelligently for them?

Let’s go back to our previous principle to guide our praying. “Pray the pattern, not the problem.” It does not matter that we know little or nothing about the church in general. God has given us the pattern for His church – maturity.

‭Ephesians 4:12-13, 15-16 NLT‬
[12] “Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. [13] This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
[15] Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. [16] He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

We have two requests in this passage, for leaders to function in their gifts, and for the body to come to maturity in Christ.

If this is God’s pattern, then, it is also His promise and His intention… for the whole church, everywhere, and for every leaders and every believer, even if we don’t know them. How do we pray for them? We say “Amen!” to God’s promise and “Thank you,” for His answers! Since the Spirit and the Word are intimately connected, there is no better way to ‘pray in the Spirit’ than to pray God’s word.

‭2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT‬
[20] “For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”

No long recital of problems or giving God advice! Simply, “Thank you for your promise. Do as you have said.”

  1. ‭Ephesians 6:18 NLT‬
    [18]… “Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

This second principle is the one we often neglect. Stay alert! Alert for what? For Satan’s tactics. Where do you think the devil or his minions are when we pray? Sitting around waiting for us to finish? I don’t think so? He cannot be in the throne room with God but he can wait outside, looking for an opportunity to trip us up.

‭1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT‬
[8] “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. [9] Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

Why does a lion roar? The male lion roars to guard his territory and to warn off opponents. He does not roar on the hunt. We need, therefore, to be alert in those times and places where we are subjected to temptation. Somewhere, a lion roars. He’s not on the hunt, he’s proclaiming his territory. If you trespass there, you will be attacked.

The lion is an ambush preditor, hiding under cover, silently waiting for an opportunity to pounce on unwary prey. Satan’s best opportunity is the time when prey is preoccupied with other things, especially when they are either feeding on the world’s delicacies or wrestling with some trial or trouble.

Perhaps our greatest danger comes in those times when we are being harassed or tormented by some form of suffering. In Peter’s day, it was persecution from unbelieving Jews and pagan Gentiles. At these times, when God’s enemies are against us, we are tempted to turn back or to retaliate in some way.

Peter urges us to be alert at these times so that we and all our fellow believers do not compromise our faith in Jesus. We have opportunity to grow stronger. Let’s be alert enough to recognise the source of temptation and to hold on tightly to the one in whom we believe.

When we are made aware of the suffering our fellow believers are going through in other parts of the world, our tendency is to pray that the testing will stop. Paul asks his readers not to pray like that. If Christians are suffering, God is allowing it for a purpose.

“I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.”

How, then, are we to be alert and pray for our fellow believers in the face of danger? Paul says, “Be alert to the danger but don’t pray against it. Pray for courage, perseverance, and boldness to continue preaching the truth, no matter what.”

This is not about safety and security. This is about obedience to the task in the face of danger, trusting God for the outcome.

TO FIGHT, WE STAND – 19b

Bible Study, ,

Ephesians 6:10-11, 14-17 NLT‬
[10] “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil….
[14] Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. [15] For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. [16] In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. [17] Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

How do we deal with these situations that challenge our faith in God? We often become shaky in our trust in Him. Usually, our instinctive response is to retaliate. We want to do to others what they do to us. We want to punish others for our pain. That’s the old nature wanting to take charge.

The question is…”Who is behind this response?” Though Satan wants us to fall AGAIN, God wants to teach us how to overcome our instinctive, ungodly reactions.

Instead of acting before thinking, it’s time to stop and assess the situation. “How do I handle this one?” Run, fight, or stand my ground? Run is not an option. I cannot outrun the devil. Fight is not an option. Satan is far stronger than I am.

Our only and most powerful option is to stand. Like the way we are taught to face a wild animal, we must stand still and face the enemy. All very well, but how do we stand? Our battle ground is in the mind, remember? It’s our thoughts that are under attack. What we think will direct what we do. It’s our thoughts, then, that must be marshalled to stand against the attack.

Again, the issue is truth versus lies. The enemy’s most potent weapon is deception. He tries to convince us that we are on our own. We must deal with the situation our own way. “God doesn’t love us. He’s against us. He doesn’t care. Look what’s happening to us. Is this the way God shows His love to us?”

“Who do I believe, God or the devil?” Adam faced the same dilemma in the garden of Eden! The devil’s lie… “God is not to be trusted. Do what I tell you.”

The truth is… God and you are partners. He has delivered you from the power of darkness. He has clothed you in His salvation. He has covered every part of you with His armour, His Word. You have His Spirit in you. He has armed you with faith and truth. Your weapon is truth. The devil cannot stand in the presence of truth.

Stand, therefore, in the truth.

It’s not your circumstances that are the problem, it’s the way you deal with them that will enable you to trust or cause you to doubt. The devil is out to get YOU, through your circumstances.

Paul said, “Change your perspective. Change your attitude.” Spiritual warfare is not “taking authority over” or “praying against” the people or problems you are facing, which are both unbiblical ways to deal with tests. Spiritual warfare is about taking a stand against our sinful desires and responses by believing the truth of God’s grace. By believing the gospel of forgiveness and salvation from sin through Jesus, we have power to overcome our old nature with the help of the Holy Spirit in us.

Overcoming temptation, then, is not about will power. It’s about faith in the One who promised. We resist by standing on the truth of God’s Word.

‭James 4:7-8, 10 NLT‬
[7]”So, humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Come close to God, and God will come close to you….
[10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.”

Our battles are real. The outcomes depend on what we believe and what do with God’s promises. The victory us ours if we believe and stand on God’s Word.

TO FIGHT, WE STAND – 19a

Bible Study, ,

Ephesians 6:12 NLT‬
[12] “We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

Some leaders in the modern church have thought up and taught some crazy ideas about spiritual warfare based on their own understanding rather than on the clear teaching of Scripture.

  1. False teachers teach the wrong war zone.

Their emphasis is on circumstances, not on the battle in our inner man. In the Old Covenant, the people of God had to fight against the ungodly people around them who led them into idolatry. They were instructed to exterminate the Canaanites, to protect God’s people from their evil influence.

However, nowhere are we told, in the New Covenant, to fight against the people or the difficulties we face in this world, especially the bad things that happen to us through people in the fallen world we live in. In fact, Jesus assured His disciples that trouble in this world is inevitable.

‭John 16:33 NLT‬
[33] “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

When we try to fight against people or circumstances, we are fighting the very instruments God uses to hone our faith in Him.

‭James 1:2-5 NLT‬
[2] “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. [3] For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. [4] So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. [5] If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”

We don’t need weapons to fight against the people and circumstances God is using to strengthen our faith and endurance. Quite the opposite. We need wisdom to understand and co-operate with what God is doing.

Paul took the Corinthians to task for using the law to fight injustice between themselves.

‭1 Corinthians 6:7 NLT‬
[7] Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated?

Does this advice sound like ‘fighting the enemy’?

Paul, himself, tried to escape hardships. He begged God to take them away but God said “No!” because hardships were the very things He was using to teach Paul to rely on His grace. Paul’s response should alert us to the folly of fighting ‘the devil’ in our circumstances.

Paul acknowledged that Satan was in the mix, tempting him to react from his old nature,

2 Corinthians 12:6-10 NLT‬
[6] If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message,
[7] even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud….”

But…

[8] “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. [9] Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. [10] That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul learned that, though the tests came from the devil, often through ungodly people, God was using them to expose the real war zone inside himself. So, he could explain to the Galatians that the struggle was between the old nature still in him and the Holy Spirit who was his new master, not between him and humans.

‭Galatians 5:16-17 NLT‬
[16] “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. [17] The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”

  1. False teachers teach the wrong weapons.

Again, they use Scripture to endorse their incorrect solution. Take, for example, Paul’s explanation about ‘pulling down strongholds’.

‭2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV‬
[3]”For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. [4] The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. [5] We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Some translators miss the point by inferring that the strongholds are in the people who are warring against us. For example,

‭2 Corinthians 10:3-5 CEV‬
[3]”We live in this world, but we don’t act like its people [4] or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God’s power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments [5] and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people’s thoughts and make them obey Christ.”

However, if this was what Paul intended, he would be contradicting himself because he stated clearly, in our Scripture today, that we are NOT fighting flesh and blood.

If we are fighting a war against people, how is it possible for us to change the way other people think and act towards us by some magical use of words like, for example, ‘taking authority over’ or ‘praying against’? Is this the power of God working through us?

Paul specifically declares that we are not fighting against people. Our struggle is against the spiritual forces in the world that are out to influence us aganst God because they cannot influence God who is their real enemy. How do they do that? By playing on the old nature in us that pulls us towards sin.

The battle zone is not in our circumstances. It is in our minds. Thoughts and beliefs produce actions and behaviour. We cannot magically change what other people think but we can change our own behaviour by thinking and acting according to God’s thoughts instead of in our own.

The old strongholds of error and unbelief can be demolished in us only as we are ‘transformed by the renewing of our minds’.

‭‭Romans 12:2 NLT‬
[2] “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

The power to change other people lies in our godly response to the way they and circumstances treat us.

‭Luke 6:35 NLT‬
[35] “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.”

Jesus followed His own instruction. He absorbed into Himself every evil act against Him without retaliation and even prayed for those who killed Him.

‭Luke 23:34 NLT‬
[34]”Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.”

‭1 Peter 2:22-24 NLT‬
[22]”He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. [23] He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. [24] He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”

God’s mighty power lies, not in our attempts to change other people, but in our own transformation, bringing our unruly spirits under the Holy Spirit’s control.

‭Romans 5:17 NLT‬
[17]” For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.”

To be continued…

CHILDREN, OBEY – 19 b

Bible Study, ,

Ephesians 6:1-4 NLT‬
[1] “Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. [2] “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: [3] If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

Although Paul addresses children first in the family dynamic, it is the parent, especially the father, who needs to understand the goal towards which his fathering role is moving. Without a goal, raising godly children becomes a game of hit-and-miss, a minefield of mistakes resulting in conflict and rebellion.

We see this ‘warfare’ between parents and children in the best of families simply because parents are not aware of their role or goal in their children’s lives and because children have no idea what they are to become and why discipline must be applied to reach the goal. This battle of wills results in anger, resentment, and disharmony on both sides. Children believe that they have equal say in the choices and decisions they make. They think that they are little ‘adults’!

So, Paul clearly states the only goal of parenting… obedience. Why is obedience to parents so important? Obedience to authority is part of the cycle of life and is the only way to experience harmony in the home and in society.

We have increasing lawlessness today because the emphasis has shifted from submission to authority to the demand for ‘rights’ for everyone, including children and animals! Basic rights are good and must be protected but not at the expense of submission to legitimate authority.

Children will never know ‘the fear of the Lord’ until they learn, first, to respect and submit to parental authority and, later, to all other authorities. The fear of the Lord is the supreme purpose of obedience. As a child matures in knowledge and understanding, he must transfer obedience from his earthly father to his heavenly Father. He must learn this lesson early if he is to continue the cycle of harmony in his future family and in the families of his descendants.

There are two essential requirements for a child to grow up in a happy and secure environment; boundaries and blessing, both of which will protect him from insecurity… boundaries from foolish and destructive behaviour, and blessing from mistrust in himself and those he must respect and honour.

Parents set the boundaries, not their children, to protect children from self-destruction, not to restrict or prohibit them from growing by experience. Children learn from the consequences of their behaviour, both good and bad. Protecting them from consequences will rob them of the lessons that follow in adulthood. A life without consequences in early childhood leads to the dangerous mindset that nothing will happen to them regardless of what they do.

A father’s blessing reassures the child that he is accepted, affirmed, and adored in his father’s heart. This ‘blessing’ gives the child the confidence to face life against the backdrop of his family, knowing that he is accepted and loved for who he is, not for what he does.

We see the best example of a father’s blessing and the personal security it produced, in the life of Jesus. Before He ever stepped out onto the stage of public ministry, He needed two vital strategies.

  1. He needed confidence in the Father’s confidence in Him.

He received that blessing from the Father in an audible voice at His baptism, and that affirmation secured His passion to please the Father in all He said and did.

‭Luke 3:21-22 NLT‬
[21] “One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, [22] and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

‭John 8:29 NLT‬
[29] And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.”

  1. He needed a strategy to fulfill His mission as Saviour of the world.

His strategy was cemented in His soul when the devil tempted Him to act independently of the Father. He chose to place Himself under the authority of the Father and His Word.

‭Luke 4:4 NLT‬
[4] But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’”

He chose to obey the Word of God in every situation because of His confidence in the Father. Therefore, He could testify repeatedly,

‭John 5:19-20a NLT‬
[19]… “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. [20] For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing….”

‭Hebrews 5:8-9 NLT‬
[8]” Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. [9] In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.”

Obedience to parents, then, although it cuts across their natural bent towards evil, is the children’s pathway towards obedience to God’s Word and the promise of a long life, in the Old Covenant. Though this promise may not apply in the New Covenant because longevity is not necessarily part of God’s purpose for the individual, God sets obedience as a priority in every part of a person’s life.

The devil’s strategy, from the beginning, was to separate us from God’s authority and get us to act alone. This trend is cemented in a child’s life if he is allowed to get his own way.

Obedience to authority does not begin in adulthood. It begins when a baby takes its first breath. Authority applied lovingly, consistently, and purposefully, will achieve its goal. Godly children who honour their parents by showing respect and submitting to their authority, are the only building blocks of a stable society.

We see the painful consequences in our society where children have no active fathers in their lives and are left to plot their own course in life. The need for acceptance and belonging is so strong that, without the blessing of a loving father, even gangsterism is better than nothing.

DISCIPLINE AND INSTRUCTION – 18a

Bible Study, ,

Ephesians 6:4 NLT
[4] Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.”

Parents, unfortunately, even in the church, have lost God’s pattern for parenthood in the chaos of human ‘wisdom’. The Bible gives clear direction for fathers and mothers to raise godly offspring.

Take the book of Proverbs, for instance, written by Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, which is full of details that help us understand the nitty-gritty of parenthood. From Solomon’s instructions, we glean the nature children have from birth. We also learn how to deal with their inherent rebellion and waywardness.

No child is a blank page at birth.

‭Proverbs 22:15 NLT‬
[15] “A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness, but physical discipline will drive it far away.”

Every child is born with an ‘old nature’ inherited from Adam, that has a bent towards sin. David acknowledge this trait in himself.

‭Psalms 51:5 NLT‬
[5] “For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.”

Without wise intervention, a child will inevitable go the way of his fallen nature.

‭Proverbs 29:15 NIV‬
[15] “A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.”

Every child is also born with a moral compass – conscience, written on the heart. Together with the basic knowledge of right and wrong comes the guilt that follows deliberate deviation from the right way.

A parent’s role, then, is to alert the child to the wrong he has done, to point to the right way to obey what his conscience (God’s Word) teaches, and to apply appropriate discipline so that the lesson is learned.

Since the father is the head of the home, the leader and example for his family, it falls on him to carry out the role of teacher through instruction and discipline.

How often fathers abdicate from this charge and only father biological children. They leave their wives to train the children, which inevitably fails because mothers cannot marry their role as nurturer with the more difficult role of disciplining unruly behaviour.

It takes a mature man, secure and confident in his relationship to his heavenly Father, to treat his children as the Father treats him. Love is the atmosphere in which fathering happens. Fathering, in turn, is not about inconsistent and emotional reactions to bad behaviour. It’s about patiently and consistently guiding the child, using discipline and instruction, towards the goal of true sonship, i.e., obedience and submission, in preparation for sonship in God’s family.

Without a clear goal in view, the path to adulthood becomes a battle ground of wills and a place of tension, insecurity, and unhappiness.

Parents need to find the difficult balance between overindulgence which cements a child`s inherent selfishness and too-strict control whidh robs him of security and confidence.

Here are two simple rules to help parents on this tortuous journey.

  1. Apply discipline to rebellion, not immaturity. A good rule of thumb from Larry Chritianson, “The Christian Family”, “The rod must be the first recourse, not the last resort.” In other words, children must learn to obey the first time a parent speaks, not at the end of a conflict.
  2. Make decisions for young children, decisions with them as they grow older and understand issues better, and guide them in their own decisions as they move towards young adulthood.

Happy parenting!

To be continued…