Tag Archives: faith

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 22

Prayer, ,

EVEN MORE!

‭1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 NLT‬
[12] “And may the Lord make your LOVE for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. [13] May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.“

Such a happy letter! Paul has much to commend the people in the Thessalonian church. They responded to his message, believed the truth and lived it out among the pagans in their city.

Unlike the people in some churches, Thessalonians believers didn’t drag their pagan lifestyle with them into their new lives. Their love for one another was powerful evidence of God’s work of grace in them.

All through the ages, the ‘wheat’ and the ‘weeds’ in the world are left to grow together. When harvest time comes, Jesus said, the wheat and weeds will be separated according to their fruit. The true and the false may be difficult to differentiate as they grow but their fruit will eventually give them away.

So, Paul prays, whatever the Thessalonians believers were doing, do it even more. In this way, when harvest time comes, there will be no doubt about their identity and to whom they belong.

‭1 Thessalonians 4:1 NLT‬
[1] “Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.”

Paul’s prayer for the Philippians Church enshrines this thought.

‭Philippians 1:11 NLT‬
[11] “May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”

There is a particular fragrance, an aroma, about those who belong to Jesus, like the fragrance of freshly-picked fruit that identifies its kind.

‭2 Corinthians 2:15 NLT‬
[15]”Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.”

As we read through Paul’s letters of correction, instruction, and encouragement to different groups of people, qualities and characteristics begin to emerge that typify true believers.

‭1 Thessalonians 1:3 NLT‬
[3]”As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your FAITHFUL WORK , your LOVING DEEDS , and the ENDURING HOPE you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

‭Romans 1:8 NLT‬
[8] “Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your FAITH in him is being talked about all over the world.”

‭Colossians 1:4-5 NLT‬
[4] “For we have heard of your FAITH in Christ Jesus and your LOVE for all of God’s people, [5] which come from your confident HOPE of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.”

‭1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT‬
[13]”Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”

Faith, love, hope… the core qualities of believers in Jesus, evidence of the new life in Him, emerge from Paul’s writings. These are the fruit of our salvation.

The fragrance of these fruits pervade the atmosphere around us like sweet perfume. O, that the Lord would fill His people with the fruits of our salvation!

We have Paul’s example to follow as we obey his instruction to pray for all believers everywhere.

‭Ephesians 6:18 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.”

Whatever believers are doing that shows their true life in Jesus, pray that they will do it even more. There are spinoffs when we channel our energies into faith, hope and love,

“May he, as a result, make your hearts STRONG , BLAMELESS , and HOLY as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people.”

“… for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”

Isn’t this, after all, what we desire above all else, as God’s beloved children, to be strong, blameless, and holy when we stand before God, and to bring much praise and glory to Him? Our prayers will contribute to the quality of the fruit God’s children bear all over the world that make this possible.

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 6

Prayer, ,

FAITH – THE KEY

‭Hebrews 11:1, 6 NLT‬
[1] “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see….
[6] “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

We have already discovered that each person in the Trinity has a part to play in this work of prayer. However, to the place and work of the Godhead in prayer, we must add one more person to the circle and one more ingredient to prayer for prayer to be the most powerful way in which God works to fulfill His purposes in the His kingdom. We are that person and faith is that ingredient!

No human can figure out why God has chosen to work this way. We can only conclude that God is so magnificent in His love and grace that He has chosen both to initiate and to work through our prayers.

How does He initiate prayer? He either sets up situations that need His intervention in individual’s lives….personal needs, family issues, local or national situations, etc., or He reveals His intentions through His promises.

Take, for example, His promise to David.

‭2 Samuel 7:11-12, 16, 18, 25 NLT‬
[11]… “‘Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings! [12] For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong….
[16] Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’”…
[18] Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?…
[25] “And now, O Lord God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever.”

On the basis of God’s promise to David, David said the “Amen!” and God kept His promise despite the unfaithfulness of some of his descendants. God’s promise to David was eventually fulfilled when Jesus was born, son of David, to be the King of Israel forever.

Faith plays a pivotal role in our prayers.

‭Hebrews 11:6 NLT‬
[6] “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

Faithless prayer is one of the Bible’s impossibles. Without faith in God and His promises, prayer has no solid foundation. James says that, without faith, we are tossed about like a wave on a stormy sea.

‭James 1:6-8 NLT‬
[6]”But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. [7] Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

So, what is faith?

‭Hebrews 11:1 NLT‬
[1]”Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

The Bible’s definition of faith is not easy to understand. I think that faith is like this… Say I want to knit a garment. I choose my pattern and follow the instructions, keeping the picture of the completed garment in front of me as I work. If I stick faithfully to the instructions, my finished work should look exactly like the picture.

God’s promises are our hope, like the picture of our finished garment. Faith is like keeping the picture in view so that we make a replica of the garment in the picture. Faith is anchored to our hope, what God has promised, the unshakeable assurance that God will do what He says. Without this trust in the reliability of God’s Word, we are doubting God Himself, thinking that He might be lying to us. How can He respond to us if we don’t trust Him?

Therefore, without faith, prayer becomes nothing more than empty words.

This brings me to an important part of our hope. Hope, the picture of the finished ‘garment’, is provided by God’s promises. If we don’t have a promise, we have nothing on which to anchor our faith. Our prayers, if we have no promise on which to base our hope, are like shooting in the dark.

How important, then, that we soak in God’s Word so that we learn His ways. Then we will understand His will and learn to pray with Him to achieve His purposes.

‭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.”

‭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.”

LIFE LESSONS FROM JOSEPH, GOD’S MAN FOR THE HOUR

Christian Life, ,

What deep spiritual lessons we can learn from these men who paved the way for us, too, to participate in God’s great salvation! Although they had none of the resources or the distractions we have to grow strong in their walk with God, they can teach us many lessons about faith, perseverance and integrity because they lived out their encounters with God.

Abraham became a man of great faith. Through many tests and failures, he learned to place his unshakeable trust in the God who called him into an unknown future. So well had he learned his lessons, tenderly supervised and guided by the loving hand of God, that Paul could write of him in his latter years,

‭Romans‬ ‭4:18‭-‬22‬ ‭NLT‬
[18] “Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” [19] And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. [20] Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. [21] He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. [22] And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.”

What a worthy example to follow!

What have we learned from Jacob? In all his foolish dishonesty and manipulation, one quality in Jacob shines out. He never gave up on what he wanted.

We would have condemned him had he wanted wealth, fame, or success. However, like the Apostle Paul who focused all his energies in everything he did on ONE THING, Jacob, likewise, set his heart on his “one thing”.

‭Genesis‬ ‭32:24‭-‬26‬ ‭NLT‬
[24] “This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. [25] When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. [26] Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

The outcome was name-changing, life-changing, and enduring. From then on, Jacob’s descendants bore the name of that encounter, “children of Israel.” “Children of God’s Prince!” Sadly, though, his descendants did not live up to that name. They betrayed the nature of that change to “Prince with God” by selling their souls to false gods.

Oh that we, God’s children would be worthy spiritual descendants of those who clung to their hope.

Joseph, God’s man for the hour, had a shaky beginning but adversity wrenched him out of his privileged position and set him on a path to a life of integrity and powerful God-awareness that shaped his destiny and the destiny of those who came after him.

Joseph chose to view his suffering from God’s perspective rather than from a narrow, “poor-me” attitude. Sorely tempted by a beautiful, scheming woman, he responded,

‭Genesis‬ ‭39:6‭-‬9‬ ‭NLT‬
[6]”Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, [7] and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. [8] But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. [9] No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

Joseph’s integrity and God-awareness protected him from the claws of a wicked temptress. How easily he could have lost his way through a moment of stolen pleasure!

But Joseph’s God-awareness was much more than a protection against a moment of weakness. It was a guiding star in his attitude towards life.

How easily Joseph could have used his position to punish his brothers for their cruelty to him. Instead, he recognised that his dreams were being fulfilled by the faithful God he had come to revere.

‭Genesis‬ ‭42:8‭-‬9‬ ‭NLT‬
[8] “Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him. [9] And he remembered the dreams he’d had about them many years before. He said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.”

Instead of punishing his brothers for their wickedness, he chose to put them through rigorous testing to see whether their hearts were changed or not. How could he do that? What lay behind the tests?

‭Genesis‬ ‭50:15‬ ‭NLT‬
[15] “But now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became fearful. “Now Joseph will show his anger and pay us back for all the wrong we did to him,” they said….
[18] Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said. [19] But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? [20] You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. [21] No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.”

What shaped Joseph’s attitude towards his brothers? Once again, his God-awareness coupled with his integrity. He was determined to do the right thing.

What a way to view life’s adversities! Joseph discovered, long before Paul wrote the words, “God works in all things for the good of those who love Him, those who are called according to His purpose.”

Put together the hallmarks of these three great Old Testament saints and we have a recipe for a life pleasing to God. Like Abraham’s unshakeable faith in a faithful God, faith puts us in line for great miracles that form part of His great redemption plan.

With stickability like Jacob’s determined purpose to be part of God’s plan, we, too, will lay hold of God and never give up until He bless us. Jacob clung to God’s promises like a drowning man clinging to a lifeline and God blessed him!

Perseverance will get us the promises God has given us.

‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭NIV‬
[12] “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

However, faith and perseverance must be backed by integrity of life and a God-awareness that is willing to look past the present to a future crafted by God for us.

‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:16‭-‬18‬ ‭NIV‬
[16]”Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. [17] For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. [18] So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Only then will the life lessons taught by these men have great value for us beyond reading the stories.

LIFE LESSONS FROM ABRAHAM – 1

Christian Life, ,

At the end of our journey with Abraham, we can learn valuable life lessons to apply to our own faith walk with God.

Let’s begin with the most significant lesson of all, Abraham’s faith. Abraham’s decision to believe God’s promise of many parts; (a son, a nation, a homeland, and a legacy for the whole world, which God reiterated to both Isaac and Jacob, and ratified with a blood sacrifice ceremony and with the sign of circumcision when he was a barren old man), put him into the state of righteousness with God. This is the same criterion and requirement for everyone who aspires to participate in God’s kingdom.

After his choice to believe God’s promise, Abraham’s standing in God no longer depended on his performance but on the righteousness credited to him because of his faith. He would always have a credit balance in his relationship with God, guaranteed by his faith in God’s promise.

‭Romans‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭NLT‬
[13] “Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith…
[16] So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.”

God treasures faith in Him and His word more than any other human response to Him.

‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭NLT‬
[1] “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see…
[6] And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

‭John‬ ‭6:28‭-‬29‬ ‭NLT‬
[28]”They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” [29] Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

Unbelief is what dishonours God the most because unbelief declares that God is a liar. Unbelief produces all the evil behaviour that reflects rebellion against God’s person and standards.

‭John‬ ‭3:18‭-‬19‬ ‭NLT‬
[18] “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. [19] And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.”

Evil deeds, then, are the fruit of unbelief, and unbelief will bring God’s judgment down on the heads of all who dare to call Him a liar.

It was his standing in grace that Abraham received by faith that brought him into the intimacy of friendship with God. Abraham did not claim this friendship for himself. God drew him into this intimate relationship because Abraham also lived righteously. It was God who expressed His confidence that Abraham would not only live a righteous life but also lead his family to follow his example.

‭Genesis‬ ‭18:17‭-‬19‬ ‭NLT‬
[17] “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked. [18] “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. [19] I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”

What a legacy for those who are declared righteous because of their faith! If every godly parent would follow God’s pattern, God’s kingdom in our hearts would spread and flourish in our communities.

To be continued…

DIARY OF THE FATHER OF FAITH – 1

Bible Study, ,

What was it about Abraham’s life that qualified him to be a friend of God and the forefather of God’s chosen nation, Israel?

‭James‬ ‭2:23‬ ‭NLT‬
[23] “And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.”

We could explore many of Abraham’s character traits that endeared him to God, but one stands out above all others, his faith.

‭Romans‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭NLT‬
[1]” Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God?
[3] For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

We can learn much from Abraham about the kind of faith that sets up a strong and enduring walk with God. So unbreakable had the bond between God and Abraham become that God based all His merciful dealings with Abraham’s faithless descendants on His covenant promises to Abraham. Despite Israel’s stubborn refusal to obey God’s instructions, He was merciful to them, repeatedly forgave their sin, saved a remnant in times of punishment and exile to continue His faithfulness to Abraham.

‭Exodus‬ ‭32:13‭-‬14‬ ‭NLT‬
[13] Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’” [14] So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.

Where did Abraham’s journey with God begin? Abraham was originally a citizen of Ur, a city in Babylon notorious for its idolatry. “Babylon” on the Bible represents the world system with all its wickedness and determined rebellion against God.

‭Genesis‬ ‭11:1‭-‬2‬ ‭NLT‬
[1] “At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. [2] As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.
[4] Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.” [5] But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. [6] “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! [7] Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.” [8] In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. [9] That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.”

It was not from Ur that God called Abraham away, but from Haran, an ancient city 480 km northeast of Canaan, in modern eastern Turkey. Abraham’s father, Terah, relocated his family, including his brother’s son, Lot, from Ur to Haran and lived there for years before his death.

‭Genesis‬ ‭11:31‭-‬32‬ ‭NLT‬
[31] “One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. [32] Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.”

After Terah’s death, God called Abraham away from Haran to a land He would show him in due course. To Abraham’s credit, he obeyed the Lord, but not fully, because he took Lot with him when God told him to leave his family behind. Lot eventually proved to be a hindrance, yet God even used Lot to teach Abraham great prophetic truths as we shall see.

How did Abraham know where to go? We are not told but, somehow, he set off in the right direction, moving south towards Canaan. The journey must have taken many months, travelling with all his servants, livestock, and possessions, setting up camp at night, and breaking camp again whenever it was time to leave.

Did these months of travel give Abraham time to contemplate God? Paul tells us, in Romans 1, that God can be known from a diligent observation of the natural world.

‭Romans‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭NLT‬
[20] “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

Did this time on the road give Abraham opportunity to secure his commitment to the God he recognised in the world around him? What did he see, or hear, as he gazed into the night sky above, unspoilt by city lights? What did the stars tell him of God’s plan of salvation?

‭Psalms‬ ‭19:1‭-‬4‬ ‭NLT‬
[1]”The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. [2] Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. [3] They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. [4] Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.”

So, Abraham’s journey towards becoming the Father of Faith, begins with a natural journey from Haran to Canaan. There is no record of God’s communication with Abraham, apart from his call to leave Haran…

‭Genesis‬ ‭12:1‬ ‭NLT‬
[1] The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you….
[5]”… He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan.

… until he arrived in Canaan. Only there did God speak to him again.

‭Genesis‬ ‭12:5‭-‬7‬ ‭NLT‬
[5b] “When they arrived in Canaan, [6] Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. [7] Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.”

Abraham’s first recorded act of worship was to erect an altar to the Lord where he camped at Shechem.
From there on, he set up altars wherever he camped, perhaps as a sign to the resident Canaanites that he acknowledged God’s presence in the whole land.

To be continued…