Monthly Archives: June 2025

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SAY “AMEN”? – 3

Prayer, ,

In our previous meditations, we have set aside some misconceptions about prayer, especially those ideas that we must have special qualifications or that we must do certain things to get answers to our prayers.

Prayer is for all God’s children. God answers us because He is our Father. We don’t need to struggle to get answers, fighting off the devil and subduing God’s reluctance to answer us.

There is no need for us to pray long, wordy prayers because the Father knows our needs before we ask Him.

However, prayer does have some conditions that help us to understand the reasons for what we think is unanswered prayer.

Does God give us everything we pray for? If not, why not?

What are the conditions for answered prayer?

Hebrews 6:12 outlines two requirements that qualify us to inherit what His has promised…faith and patience. God tests our faith and patience by delaying answers to legitimate requests.

12] “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

God does not answer us according to our timetable. He is painting on a much bigger canvas, and He is also working on our character through tests and delays.

God also answers our prayers according to His will, not because we “wrestle” an answer out of Him.

1 John 5:14-15 NIV
[14] “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. [15] And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Now, let’s get back to the heart of New Covenant prayer. God has provided all the promises we need to cover every situation in life, and to provide for all our needs for godly living…physical, material, and spiritual. Jesus has done everything for us… to deal with our sin, to restore us to the Father, and to act as the mediator between us and the Father. He has also authorised every promise God has ever made so that we are fully equipped to live this life of union with God despite the ungodly world around us.

Did you get that? We live our entire lives as God’s children on God’s promises. Let that sink in! God’s promises are the “fuel” that drives the “engine” of our lives. There is a promise, a declaration, a statement of God’s will to cover every situation, in detail or in principle.

2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV
[3] “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [4] Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Peter summed up God’s will for us in one simple goal…

“…so that through them (His very great and precious promises), you may participate in the divine nature…”

… and one simple condition…

“… having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Everthing we are, do, and become, hangs on this one truth…what we do with God’s promises.

If we trust God, if we are willing to wait for His timing, and if we ask according to His will, prayer becomes very simple. If all of our lives are controlled by and lived out of God’s promises, and if God’s promises cover every detail of our lives, what us left for us to do?

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.

Did you get that?

God has simplified prayer to just one word… “AMEN!” He doesn’t need anything more than that! You see, the answers to all our prayers depend on what God has promised, not on our energy or efforts to persuade Him.

The rest of our time with God is about praise, thanksgiving, and worship!

So, when we really understand God’s strategy, how long does it take to say “AMEN”? You answer that question.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SAY “AMEN”?-2

Prayer, ,

So far, we have explored some aspects of Biblical prayer against the backdrop of the false notions that prayer is an office and a gift for special people…not true,

…that God only speaks to His prophets, not to all His children…not true,

…that prayer is about lengthy times of wrestling to get answers from a reluctant God…not true!

Now let’s explore what the Bible says specifically about “wrestling” in prayer.

Nowhere does the Bible teach us that prayer is about wrestling with God. On the contrary, Jesus taught His disciples that,

Luke 18:7-8 NIV
[7] “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? [8] I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Our Father is not reluctant to give us anything within the boundaries of His promises. He releases everything we need to us as we affirm His promises with a hearty “amen”, not a lengthy begging and pleading or explanations and instructions.

Matthew 6:7-8 NIV
[7] “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Prayer is also not about wrestling with the devil. Jesus did this for us at the cross. He exposed the lies that Satan uses to enslave us, the broken law and its penalties. He paid the debt for our sin and set us free from Satan’s power to live by His Spirit in us.

Contrary to the ides that Paul was addressing this kind of wrestling in Ephesians 6…

Ephesians 6:10-12 NIV
[10] “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

What is this struggle in which we are to stand firm? It’s not a fight! It’s a determined occupation of the truths on which we stand, against the enemy who use lies and deception to throw us off balance. It’s God’s Word that assures us of who we are, whose we are, and His salvation from sin and its power. Hence the emphasis is that we are guarded and protected by truth which operates in our minds and spirits.

Paul uses the same argument in 2 Corinthians.

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.”

The real struggle in life is not a struggle with powers outside of us but with the battle within, not only to survive but to reign over our own unruly hearts. Our greatest battle is not against people, circumstances, or the devil but against the evil desires that rage within us. Prayer is about overcoming the obstacles to real faith, the fleshly appetites and desires that shadow our every thought and move.

Galatians 5:16-17 NIV
[16] “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”

Herein lies our wrestling, learning to surrender, to submit, and to entrust our lives and circumstance to the perfect will of a loving Father. You see, until we submit to the Father in our darkest hours, our spirits will rise up in rebellion against the people who offend us, the constant injustices we face when our will clashes with the will of others, and even the circumstances that cause our struggle and over which we have no control. The flesh will demand revenge. Our desires will promote self above others. We will demand our own will above God’s will, even questioning His love and wisdom when stuff happens.

We will disqualify ourselves from receiving God’s answers because His passion for submission and trust clashes with our fierce independence. His will is to recreate us in the image of His Son, not to restore our comfort and ease, and to develop faith and persverence against all odds, not to give us our own way. Our will demands that our wants be satisfied. God’s will is that we submit to His discipline.

What do you make of this verse?

Colossians 4:12 NIV
[12] “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”

It seems that Epaphras, a fellow believer in the Colossians church, understood the nature of this wrestling, and identified with this church in his prayers for them. He wrestled, not with God or with the devil, but for them!

Can you see the difference? He understood that the sinful nature rebels against submission and obedience to God’s will. So, his prayers were directed towards victory over that struggle which would free the Colossian believers from the ravage ofcl self to become strong and mature by fully embracing God’s will. Perhaps, in this battle for their spiritual growth, he identified with their struggle, knowing and understanding the war that raged in his own heart.

To be continued…

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SAY “AMEN”? – 1

Prayer, ,

I’m still on the trail to discover the mysteries and intricacies…no, rather the simplicity of prayer in the New Covenant. Why is it that we humans insist on making complicated what God has made simple?

In our eagerness to pursue our lives of prayer, especially as we engage with the evil and corruption in the world around us, we have turned to human imagination rather than to the Word of God for His pattern? We put into practice, with great fervour, the ways we learn from others or the ways we imagine are God’s ways, and teach others to do the same.

People have created whole prayer movements based on the idea of calling orayer “spiritual warfare”, even calling their leaders “generals” or some such military title. These “pray-ers” have taught us to believe that they have a specialised office and more clout with God than others, and ordinary people look up to them because they have an anointing and office that is special, and we must come under their authority. They think they can teach us about prayer because they are the experienced “intercessors”, and we can even call on them in times of crisis because they get answers that we do not.

Is this the sentiment of Scripture? Do the writers of the New Testament teach us that God singles out special people to pray?

According to the Bible, prayer is not the prerogative or responsibility of a select few nor is it a spiritual gift or special calling. Everyone is called to pray.

Psalms 65:2 NIV
[2] “You who answer prayer, to you all people will come.”

1Timothy 2:8 NIV
[8] “Therefore, I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.”

Although this verse specifically calls on all men to pray, the rest of Scripture does not differentiate between men and women but assumes that all people pray.

1 Corinthians 11:5 NIV
[5] “But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.”

Apart from the cultural details, Paul assumes that women also pray and prophesy. In fact, from the perspective of God’s kingdom…

Galatians 3:26-28 NIV
[26] “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, [27] for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

From God’s perspective, cultural differences don’t apply in the functioning of His kingdom or affect our relationship with the Father.

Since prayer is rooted in the relationship we have with God as our Father, to pray is the most natural and meaningful way to relate to Him. We talk to Him and He talks to us as father and children. It’s that simple…or is it? Is there more to prayer that just talking to God?

We must also consider that all believers are prophets because a prophet is one who hears God’s words and speaks them faithfully to the people. Of the false prophets, God asks…

Jeremiah 23:18 NIV
[18] “But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word?”

God speaks to and through His prophets…

Amos 3:7 NIV
[7] “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.”

Are all believers prophets? Not all believers have the office of a prophet but God speaks to every believer through His Word and by His Spirit. Yes, every believer can hear God speaking and can respond.

James 5:16 NIV
[16] “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Are all believers righteous?

Every person in Christ is reckoned to be righteous, therefore, everyone’s prayers are powerful and effective.

God answers even one righteous person’s prayers, not just the prayers of one specially anointed intercessor.

Whether we pray for the world or for one another, God hears and answers our prayers.

The Holy Spirit helps us by praying through us, interpreting our prayers according to God’s will.

Romans 8:26-27 NIV
[26] “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. [27] And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

Prayer, therefore, is not about us moving God or telling God what to do. Prayer is about a partnership between us and God, God and us, through which God accomplishes His will on earth.

Consider these verses from a heavenly perspective.

Revelation 5:8 NIV
[8] “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.”

Revelation 8:3-5 NIV
[3] “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. [4] The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. [5] Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”

Now, let’s get to the real issue for this meditation. I recently dipped into an old book on my bookshelf called “Kneeling We Triumph”, a collection of extracts from the writings of great saints of the past.

Always on a quest for insights into prayer, I anticipated a feast of information to enhance my own prayer life. I found, instead, according to my impressions, a book inploring readers to pray more and to pray longer because this is the way to become “more holy” and to move God more to answer our prayers. The writers, husband and wife, gave many examples of great saints like Charles Spurgeon or Hudson Taylor who spent hours in prayer, imploring God to intervene on their behalf for issues they were involved in. These men and also women, and many more, are examples, then, of effective prayer.

To me, this book presents prayer as a wrestling match between the pray-er and God, somehow mortals trying to move a reluctant God to do something in our situation, almost as though Jacob’s contest with the angel of the Lord at Peniel is the norm for effective prayer.

However, I wondered, is this the pattern in the New Covenant for us to follow when we pray, whether it be in times of crisis or in the ordinary course of our daily lives? Are we to spend hours in prayer, wrestling with God to get answers. Is this the basis on which God will intervene for us? Does God want to answer us, or is there something deeper, more….let’s call it “sinister” ….in our interactions with God? Is there something else that intrudes into our relationship with the Father that hinders our effectiveness in prayer?

To be continued…

REMEMBER?

Christian Life,

Thank the Lord for the gift of memory!

Can you imagine what it would be like to wake up in the morning to a new day without no memory of yesterday? How could we learn?
How could we ever know friends and family? How could we speak, converse, connect with anyone, go anywhere? It would be impossible to live any kind of normal life without memory.

Old age has played a trick on some members of society. We call it “senile dementia” but it’s actually a form of inescapable imprisonment, locked into a fuzzy mind that remembers nothing and comprehends very little. What a cruel blow to people who have done so much and could still have so much to give!

How did memory happen in the first place? Did we evolve from animals who have limited memory to humans who have a seemingly limitless capacity to remember? Is that possible?

I choose to believe that God built into our humanity the miracle of memory that acts as a kind of adhesive that connects us with our past, our present, and everything around us, including the people in our world. Memory is like the collagen in our cells that holds our cells together and keeps our systems running smoothly.

Memory can be a vital asset but sometimes a liability if we do not choose to use it wisely. Yes, we do have a choice. Memory is like a bank, a place where we keep valuable memorials of the past safe. We store our money in the bank and only draw from it when we need it. So, too with memory.

We have the “petty cash” part of memory that keeps our day-to-day lives going, our functions and relationships, for example. Then we have the memories we keep in “safe deposit”, the ones that we don’t think about every day, the ones that are useful to keep us in touch with our past but also which we call up for specific purposes.

We can’t erase things from our memory but we can choose not to dwell on them, especially if the things we remember cause us to be bitter, resentful or angry so that we always have a, reason to blame others for the way things are now. We have the ability to choose to be the victims of our circumstances.

Some people live out of their victim mentality to the extent that their present is crippled by their past. They can’t move on. They view everything now as dark because of what someone or something else did to them years ago. They have chosen to remember what they should forget and forgotten what they should remember. They are prisoners of their past.

The Apostle Paul chose a great philosophy to live by.

He had a goal for his life…to please God, and a way to do this… all his past achievements which, so he thought, were enough to gain God’s favour.

Philippians 3:6 NLT
[6] “I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.”

Then he made a great discovery that changed his life.

Philippians 3:7-9 NLT
[7] “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. [8] Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ [9] and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.”

So, Paul changed course. He pressed the” delete” facility to every memory of his past achievements. He chose to forget everything he once done for God, and to remember what Jesus had done for him.

Philippians 3:13-14 NLT
[13]” No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Paul decided to stop looking over his shoulder at what he thought he had achieved and to keep his eyes on what lay ahead. This way of living helped him to forget his failures as well as his” successes” and to focus on the prize.

What a way to live! When Paul kept remembering what Jesus had done for him, he had every motivation to keep going, no matter how difficult the way ahead, because the prize was “out of this world”.

When we choose to forget the harm and the hurts, they pale into insignificance. The angry scowl changes into a smile of gratitude and anticipation of all that God has promised, and we keep running like crazy because there’s a great prize ahead, and guaranteed because He holds the prize and He is waiting for us.

1 Peter 1:7-9 NLT
[7] “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. [8] You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. [9] The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.”

So, dear reader, I think it’s time to get our memories to work for us. Like our money kept safe in the bank, but available whenever we need it, lets draw on those memories that witness to God’s goodness and faithfulness. Let’s remember, with gratitude, the promises of God, and let’s run the race of life with patience and perseverance, always looking to Jesus who is the beginning and goal of our faith.

ONE!

Apologetics, ,

John 17:20-23 NIV
[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— [23] I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

The Bible is shot through with the evidence of “echad”, the onenness that is everywhere in the universe and that echoes the “echad” in the divine Trinity.

Many religions try to deny, ignore, discredit, or argue away God’s “echad” by accusing us of worshipping three gods. No, the Bible never says there are three Gods. The Bible declares that there is one God, revealed in three distinct persons. In a sense, “God” (with a capital, “G”) is a species, just as “man” and “animals” are separate species. In the species, “God”, there are only three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and in the fellowship of the three persons, they are one. There is never conflict or dispute. They are one in essence, character and purpose.

The Bible speaks of another “god” species but they are not “God”. They are spirit beings, created by God, to manage the nations in God’s behalf. He called them “gods”.

Psalms 82:6 NIV
[6] “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ “

Deuteronomy 32:8 NIV
[8] “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel (Hebrew – gods).”

The “sons of God” are identified as angels or spirit beings who were present at creation…

Job 38:4-7 NIV
[4] “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. [5] Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? [6] On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— [7] while the morning stars sang together and all the angels (elohim bene…sons of God), shouted for joy?”

…and to whom God gave the responsibility to rule the nations under His authority whom He called His “divine counsel”.

Therefore, the idea of “god” in Scripture does not belong to God alone. Gods are beings who have power and authority, but the God of Israel, the God of the Bible is the supreme God and sovereign over the gods. He has all power and all authority.

Now, let’s, get back to the Trinity.

The Bible describes God’s character as love.

1 John 4:16 NIV
[16] “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. GOD IS LOVE. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

Since love has no meaning apart from an object, how can God be love if He has no one to love? Before He created humans to love, God was still love. He could only express His love within the Godhead if there were more than one person. When we speak of “God”, we are essentially referring the three persons who make up the Godhead or Trinity. The persons, who make up God have names… God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each is a separate person, distinct but equal, and each relating to the other in perfect love and harmony.

Hence, Jesus prayed…

John 17:22 NIV
[22] “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—”

During His life on earth, Jesus functioned as a son. He took on the role of a son, and a representative of all humanity, to fulfil the law and to usher in the new covenant.

After His victory over sin and death, the Father elevated Him to the status of “Lord”, the Supreme Authority in the universe because of His submission and obedience as a son.

Philippians 2:8-11 NIV
[8] “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! [9] Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Never once, during His time on earth, did Jesus ever do anything apart from the Father and without the Holy Spirit. His constant testimony was…

John 10:30 NIV
[30]”I and the Father are one.”

John 8:29 NIV
[29] “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”

Jesus challenged those who opposed Him…

John 8:46 NIV
[46] “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?”

The Father gave the Spirit to the Son at His baptism…

Matthew 3:16-17 NIV
[16] “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

…God in three persons, together in that sublime moment, preparing the Son for His mission on earth.

Jesus testified to His dependence on the Holy Spirit…

Matthew 12:28 NIV
[28] “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Before He returned to the Father in heaven, Jesus promised His followers that He would send the Holy Spirit from the Father to be with them and in them and to continue His work through them.

Acts 1:7-8 NIV
[7] “He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The Book of Acts is the historical record that tells the story of the Trinity at work through people to bring heaven to earth, the Kingdom of God to the hearts of those who would believe in Jesus.

Could there be any more convincing evidence from the Bible itself that God is in three persons, distinct and separate, yet perfectly one in all they were, said, and did?

No, Christians do not believe in three Gods. We believe in one God, revealed in three persons, perfectly one…echad…in essence and function, in love, in unity, and purpose, to restore those who believe in Jesus to unity and oneness with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, in answer to Jesus’ prayer…

John 17:20-21 NIV
[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

…the greatest testimony to the truth that Jesus came from the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit to restore humanity to God.