As we continue in this series, I want to cover another possible scenario in which we may feel that God has not answered our prayers, when we feel that he should have done so. Again, I need to say that being angry with God is evidence that we have judged God to be unfair, uncaring, or unfaithful. That judgment will eventually distance us from God and his people and often takes those who are close to us with us. If we are angry, it is important to examine the source and deal with it. So let’s look at another possible scenario that may have caused us to judge God and be angry.

A fairly common scenario is one in which we may have preconceptions about how God should answer our prayers and so miss out on the answer he does send. The answer may actually meet the need we have in a profound way, but because it doesn’t come wrapped in the paper or box we imagined, we turn it down. The classic example of this is the account of Naaman in 2 Kings 5. In this account, Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He is described as a great man but one who had contracted leprosy. He was informed that a prophet in Israel, Elisha, could heal his leprosy. So in an effort to impress the prophet, Naaman took an entourage of horses and chariots along with gold, silver and expensive clothes as gifts to the prophet. In expectation of a moment fitting his status, he proceeded to Elisha’s house.

When he arrived, he was extremely disappointed. Elisha did not meet him grandly and personally, but sent only a servant with the message to go dip in the Jordon River seven times and he would be healed. Naaman was infuriated. He declared, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the anime of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy…he turned and went off in a rage” (2 kings 5:11-12)!

In essence, he had imagined that God would answer his prayer in a certain way – one that honored Naaman and recognized his great value. He had imagined a very splendid, impressive moment when the prophet would heal him, but instead got instructions from a servant to go dip in a muddy river he disdained. Because God sent his answer in a different package than he expected , he left angry and unhealed. Fortunately, his servant convinced him to do what the prophet had instructed and he was eventually healed. He nearly lost out on his amazing blessing, however, because he wanted the prayer answered on his terms, rather than God’s.

God is always multitasking , however, and often wants to answer the heart of our prayer in ways that also accomplish other things. In Naaman’s case, he needed to humble himself before God could answer his prayer. Otherwise, Naaman would have left more prideful and arrogant than when he arrived. Instead, he left healed, humble, and grateful and was a better man and leader for the experience.

God has promised to meet our essential needs – ” our daily bread.” We may turn that promise into an expectation of making us wealthy, powerful ,and influential…which would probably distance us from God because the wealth and success would make us feel self-sufficient, connecting us socially with people who value power and recognition much more than a relationship with Jesus.

Not being wealthy or famous may be in our best interest but we may still become angry when we can’t keep up with the high rollers at the office, when “the deal of a lifetime” did not manifest, or when the lottery number “we heard from the Lord” did not pay off. When God determines to meet our financial needs in a way we did not imagine, we may feel as if he has let us down or doesn’t care about the thing we know would make us happy. Of course, our expectation is not always about money.

When he points us to the muddy waters of the Jordan rather than the mountain streams of Damascus, we may feel slighted and disappointed in many areas. This preconception of answered prayers “on our terms” may be about the perfect relationship, career, house, car, or some sort of fame or significance. I have known people that turned down jobs, relationships, and opportunities because what God may have sent them didn’t meet their expectation or “make their cut.” The less than perfect job or spouse may have grown into the blessing they had always wanted, but they were unwilling to consider that something a little less than they had imagined or felt worthy of might actually be the better answer to their prayers and real needs. In other words, when I pray for a car and imagine a BMW, perhaps, I should also be open to the dependable Ford me makes available, because when the warranty expires on the BMW, you may wish you had a Ford.

I’m not saying we should always settle or take the first thing to come along. We should, however, examine our preconceptions and “our terms” when the answer to our prayers and desires go unanswered over time. Has God actually answered our prayer in a way we had not imagined? Would our imagined answer to prayer actually be in our best eternal interest? Have we asked God how we should pray in response to a need or desire we are feeling? It is often wise to pray for the “what,” but let God deal with the “how.”

Again, if we are angry with God, is it because we believe he owes us something he hasn’t actually promised? Is it because we haven’t detected the “spiritual trap” woven into the thing we are asking for? Is it because the things we have imagined for ourselves flow out of the flesh and not the spirit? When we do pray with expectation, let’s do so with an open heart that allows God to answer the need that is reflected in our request, in a way that is unexpected but has our best interest in mind. God is a good father. Hw will way every request and answer in a way that meets our true need more profoundly than we can often see or understand. That is when we simply trust that God loves us enough, to not give us every desire of our heart.


Next Week: We may be unaware that Satan has obtained some legal right to oppose God’s answer to our prayers and will continue to oppose the answer until the legal right has been removed.

As we continue this series on why people find themselves angry at God, I want to mention that disappointment may not be the same as anger. There are times when I have prayed for something and was disappointed that God did not answer that prayer as I had desired or imagined it. However, I continued in my belief that that God is good and faithful and that his decision not to answer my prayer at that time was still in my best interest or in someone else’s best interest. We only become angry when we feel that God has wronged us or betrayed us. It is in that moment, that we judge God as being untrustworthy, unfair, or uncaring. That is the position that puts us in spiritual danger because the moment we decide that God cannot be trusted, we cannot have faith in him and we are saved by grace through faith. In fact, in several places in the book of Numbers, God declared that Israel treated him with contempt because they had not believed him when he said he would give them victory over the tribes and even the “giants” in Canaan as he had promised. Distrust is unbelief and unbelief is an attitude that will distance us from God and his blessings if not dealt with.

The second reason I listed that may cause us to we be angry with God is that we may fail to recognize that many of God’s promises are conditional and, perhaps, we have not yet met those conditions. A quick look at Deuteronomy 28 will reveal that it is always God’s desire to bless his people. He lists a bevy of blessings that he wants to bestow on Israel, but the promise begins with the condition that Israel continue to be faithful to him and that they would be careful to keep his commandments. The conditional statement takes the form of, “If you are careful to… then I will.”

As I mentioned in my last blog, God is a good parent and will not reinforce sinful behaviors with quickly answered prayers and showers of blessings, because to do so would convince us that sin is not an issue and, therefore, would place us in danger. I have seen far too many believers live as if God’s commands didn’t matter. Whether it was in shady business dealings, a sinful relationship, continuing substance abuse, a “little pornography,” or years of anger and verbal abuse heaped on a spouse or a child, many believers justify themselves in those actions or believe that God’s grace will cover those behaviors even without confession and repentance.

John instructs us when he says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). God does not require us to be perfect before he blesses us, but he does expect to be sensitive to sin, confess it as such, and repent so that the sin does not begin to affect our relationship with him or give Satan a legal right to afflict us. Dealing with sin as a believer is not automatic, God tells us to confess our shortcomings on a regular basis or our prayers may be hindered. Typically, when we fail to confess sins, it is because we don’t really want to give up the sin. That is nthje attitude that damages our relationship with the Father.

Another condition for answered prayers is found in James. “You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (Ja. 4:2-3). Sometimes, we don’t receive what we want because we simply do not ask. It is possible to hold an entitlement attitude toward God. In a culture that tries to convince us that we are entitled to every good thing, we may simply believe that God should meet our every desire whether we ask or not. I do believe that God, as any good father would do, will bless us without asking for every little thing, but God also wants us to ask so that we do not forget the sources of our blessings.

An additional condition is also found in that passage. James tells us that if we only pray selfishly for ourselves, God may not want to reinforce that attitude either. We can certainly ask things for ourselves, but God wants us to keep the needs of others in mind as well as concerns for the kingdom of God on earth.

There are additional conditions throughout scripture. If you want to be promoted, you must humble yourself. If you want mercy, you must extend mercy. If you want to avoid judgment, you must not judge others. If you want to be trusted with God’s blessings, you must be a good steward of those blessings. I’m convinced that we often ask for things that we are not prepared to steward well…a promotion at work, a ministry role at church, a marriage that we desire, some significant financial blessing that we are seeking. God may not give us what we are not prepared to manage well because we would damage what he has given us or it would damage us until we have matured more in that area of our life.

So, when God has not answered certain prayers, before being angry with him, we may want to ask ourselves if there is a condition for the answer to our prayer that we have not yet met. Not every prayer falls under this category, but many do.

My wife Susan was telling me this week that she had recently encountered a number of people who had distanced themselves from the church and from God because they were angry with Him. Each of these were angry because something didn’t happen that they thought God should make happen or because something did happen that they believed a loving God should have prevented. Either way, they were angry because their expectations about God had not been met.

I think many of us, as believers, have been in that place at one time or another. Perhaps, we weren’t angry but we were certainly disappointed with God and left wondering if God even hears our prayers or doesn’t always keep his promises. I think enough people struggle with this human experience that I want to speak to it in more detail than I have previously.

Taking offense at God puts us in a very spiritually vulnerable situation. When we are offended with God we may fall into distrust and unbelief and stop praying, serving, fellowshipping with other believers and, ultimately, come into agreement with Satan about the character of God. That scenario is what caused Adam and Eve to be removed from the Garden of Eden and what caused an entire generation of Hebrews to wander in the wilderness for forty years, never to enter the promised land. Because of that, I will do this in a series of several blogs rather than just trying to speak to it briefly in only one.

In general, there are several things that may cause us to be mad at God or take up an offense against him when God has not fulfilled our desires or met our expectations. I will list eight of those here.
1. We may fail to recognize that God will not respond to a prayer that is asking Him to violate his righteousness or that would be a violation of his commands

2. We may fail to recognize that many of God’s promises are conditional and, perhaps, we have not yet met those conditions.

3. We may have preconceptions about how God should answer our prayers and so miss out on the answer he does send.

4. We may be unaware that Satan has obtained some legal right to oppose God’s answer to our prayers and will continue to oppose the answer until the legal right has been removed.

5. We may fail to understand the nature of free will in this world, and so are angry at God when someone has exercised their free will and hurt us.

6. We may fail to recognize that our own bad decisions are are keeping us from receiving what we are asking for.

7. We may not understand, that faith must still hold that God is good and righteous in all he does, even though we don’t understand why something happened or did not happen as we desired.

8. We may fail to recognize, that as a good father, God may say “No” to things that would eventually hurt us, even though we think it is the very thing that would make our life worth living.

Let me begin with reason Number One.

I have been in full-time ministry for a number of years and very little surprises me. However, on occasion, I have been surprised by the prayers that some believers have offered up and then been upset with God that he did not answer. I remember a very mature, talented Christian woman who was angry with God because he would not answer the prayer she was offering up night after night. This single woman came to me to confess her anger at God.

She told me that, in the past, God had answered her prayers quickly and clearly, but now he seemed to be ignoring her. She felt betrayed by his “indifference to her pleas.” I asked her what she was asking God to do. She explained that she had been having an affair with a married man who had a wife and three young children. She had been asking God to prompt this man to divorce his wife, leave his children, and marry her. She had been praying that for months but had seen no change in her “lover’s” hesitancy to leave his family for her and so was angry that God had not come through for her.

This was a woman who had grown up in the church and even taught Bible classes for her congregation. I asked her why she thought God should answer that prayer. Who answer was simple. “God wants me to be happy and that’s what would make me happy!” It never occurred to her that she was asking God to participate in her sin and compound the sin by prompting him to abandon his wife and children and violate the covenant oaths he had made when he married the woman. I was amazed that she had ever thought God would aide her in a clear violation of his will and his values…but she was angry that he had not come through for her. Another time, I had a single Christian man tell me that he was praying for God to help him “score” with the woman he was taking out that night. When I asked why he thought God might answer that prayer, he simply answered that he loved sex and he thought God would want to satisfy his “God-given” desires.

These are extreme examples but it is possible for believers to assume that God simply exists to make sure we receive what we believe will make us happy or satisfy some desire. There are, of course, scriptures that tell us whatever we ask for with faith, will be given. Mark tells us. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mk.11:24). Jesus declared, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (Jn. 14:13-14).These promises may seem like blank checks but they are not.

The problem is that we must take all scriptures about answered prayer together without isolating one fromm the others. A key scripture for understanding prayer is, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (I Jn. 5:14). The psalmist also declared, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Ps. 66:18).

One essential condition for answered prayer is that we ask things that are according to or consistent with God’s will. If we are asking God to enable us in a sin we cherish in our heart, he will not respond. He will not respond because, as a responsible parent, he will not reinforce behavior that puts our soul in jeopardy. Paul tells is in his letter to the Corinthians that “love always protects” (1 For. 13:7). Therefore, God will not participate in sin…not just because he is holy, but also because he loves us. When we pray, we need to be sure that what we are asking for is not contrary to the will and ways of God. Some are mad at God, because he didn’t give them what they wanted, even thought it was a prayer birthed out of sinful desires. Sometimes we need to repent rather than being mad at God. God wants to bless us, but sin robs us of blessings. We should pray for things that God desires for us, rather than what our flesh desires.

More on this next week.

If you are interested in approaches to natural health and healing, you will frequently come across articles on the need to detox the body. The idea is to use certain foods or formulas to remove toxins, heavy metals, etc. from the body. As we log significant years or miles on our bodies, we pick up toxins from the foods we eat, the air we breathe, and from the liquids we drink. Those toxins keep our bodies and our immune systems from working according to design and can eventually lead to serious health issues.

It is possible that mental toxins we pick up from our environment can have even more serious effects. A number of medical research findings suggest that seventy to eighty percent of all physical illnesses are related to stress, worry, and negative thinking. On tip of that, depression, anxiety, and suicidal risks are at all time highs in our culture. These issues are also related to our spiritual health.

The apostle Paul had an antidote for these mental. emotional and spiritual toxins that existed even in his lifetime. He wrote, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Phil.4:8)

In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul encourages us to evaluate and choose what we think about, what we ponder, and what we entertain on the big screen of our imagination.  In other words, be intentional about everything…especially your thought life. Everything we think about, focus on, or entertain in our minds leaves an impression on our neural pathways and on our soul. The theological term for intentional or prolonged thinking about an issue, a principle, or an experience is meditation or contemplation. Scripture mentions that mental/spiritual process frequently. That is a rarely used term in American culture. Maybe we relate it to eastern religions and yoga exercises, which are definitely not what I am talking about. It is, however, a very biblical concept. When Christians mediate, they are focused on the word of God and are not just emptying their minds so that any spirit in the neighborhood can enter. Christians invite only the Holy Spirit. 

Speaking of Isaac, the son of Abraham, we are told, “He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching” (Gen.24:63). Isaac had intentionally set time aside in the evening to meditate, to think about things, to mentally process his day and his relationships. After the death of Moses, the Lord spoke to Joshua and commanded him, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Jos.1:8). David prayed, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Ps.19:44; See also Ps.1:2, 48:9, 63:6, 77:12, 119:5, 143:5)

Meditation is a way to intentionally process experiences, expand our understanding of people and events, reinforce positive thoughts, internalize biblical truths, establish God-directed goals, and deepen kingdom values in our heart and mind. For the believer, it is a time set aside to hear the Holy Spirit lead us into truth and shape our life and character. It is also a great way to detox mentally and spiritually, after you have encountered hurtful people and slogged through a sin-soaked culture all day. What you think about most often, what you reflect on frequently, what you consider and process in your mind will rule the day in your heart.

The psalmists mention several things about which they frequently meditated: God’s creation, God’s wonderful and miraculous acts, their personal history with God – his blessings and faithfulness, the Word of God, and God himself. The apostle Paul would add, “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Phil. 4:8). The verb tense in that passage directs us to think about those things over and over rather than once in a while. Paul also insists that we “take every though captive” and make it obedient to Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 10:5).

He also tells us, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col.3:1-2). The writer of Hebrews layers on another dimension. “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess” (Heb.3:1). There may be more, but that is plenty to reflect on. Again, meditation is simply the act of intentionally thinking about, chewing on, reflecting, studying, talking about, praying about, etc. certain things you want to understand and deposit in your heart.

For us it is a dialogue with the Spirit, asking him to give us understanding, insight, revelation, and reinforcement of his truths and values in our life. In scripture, meditation seems to occur most often in the evening or during the “watches of the night.”   I tend to believe that the last things we focus on before falling asleep get the attention of our subconscious which continues to process those things during the night. If it is negative and disturbing news, we will process that. If it is pornography, that will roll around the subconscious in our sleep reinforcing its presence. If it is a scary movie, fear will exert itself in our minds.

However, when we invite the Holy Spirit to be involved in our sleep, we may receive truth and peace we have never recognized before. “For God does speak—now one way, now another— though man may not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds” (Job. 33:14-15). Listening to your audio Bible while you sleep can keep the enemy at bay.

Spending time in the evening reflecting on God, his truth, the goodness of Christ, his Word, etc. is clearly a God-given way to detox spiritually from all the contaminates we have encountered during the day. Satan spends the day trying to pull us away from the truth of God, twisting it, and enticing us to agree with him rather than the Father. Meditation helps to realign our thoughts and feelings with the Lord and in doing so takes away places where the enemy is searching for a foothold. So much around us that we hear, see, and read – even unintentionally – defiles the temple of the Holy Spirit. An evening scrub with meditation will help to keep that temple a place where the Spirit can rest without offense. Let me also say, to meditate, we should take small chunks of scripture to reflect on rather than speed reading ten chapters. Even fifteen minutes with the Lord just before sleep can pay big dividends. 

As I examine the life of Jesus, everything seems so intentional. I suffer from being right-brained. Structure and concrete goals are not my style. Intentionality gives way to random responses to things I encounter during the day. I want to “get in the mood” before doing anything introspective and the mood is elusive. I’m working on consistent meditation. Writing this blog is a form of that, but I want to lay in a godly habit of detoxing at the end of the day and inviting the Spirit to rule over my dreams and even the thoughts churned up by my subconscious. Meditation is one of God’s most powerful divine weapons (2 Cor.10:4) and can make a huge difference as we follow Him. Perhaps, you’ll join me. 

If you grew up in church, you probably know the Old Testament story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These three young Hebrew men were deported from Judea to Babylon after an invasion by King Nebuchadnezzar, and pressed into his service. Part of the Babylonian strategy of conquest was to take the young nobles, the best and the brightest, from a nation that had just been conquered and simply absorb them into Babylonian culture through education and training. They were actually given positions of significance in Babylon in an attempt to make them willing “citizens” rather than insurgents.

In Daniel 3, we are told that Nebuchadnezzar made a huge image of gold and required every person in Babylon to worship the statue at certain times. Of course, Jews who believed in only one God could not do so with good conscience and so the three young men refused to worship. They were reported and brought before the king who threatened to burn them alive in a furnace if they would not worship. Their response was, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” 

You know the rest of the story. Nebuchadnezzar was infuriated that these young Jews would dare to defy him. In a rage, he had the furnace stroked seven times hotter than normal and they were, indeed, cast into the furnace. However, Nebuchadnezzar saw them strolling around in the fire, unconcerned and unharmed, with a fourth party that was described as looking like “a son of the gods.” The astonished king called them out of the furnace. They had not been touched by the fire and even the smell of burning wood was not on their clothing. The king recognized that an angel had protected them from him, and was so amazed that he gave each of them promotions in his government and prohibited anyone in his kingdom from saying anything against their God.

There are dramatic moments like this throughout scripture in which men and women stood in faith against overwhelming odds. The obvious lesson is that, in many cases, the expression of faith will put us in a position that, if God doesn’t show up, we are toast. Think about it. Most of us pray for lives that are so ordered that we are never at risk, but where there is no risk, there is little opportunity to grow in our faith. If we do walk in faith, we will have moments when we will have to choose to trust God for good outcomes.

There are amazing moments like the one above recorded throughout scripture where faith clearly placed men and women in life-threatening situations. If God didn’t come through, they would be lost, destroyed, or cast out. What if it hadn’t rained after Noah spent years building an ark? What if God didn’t show up for Moses after he returned to Egypt where he had been a wanted man for forty years? What if fire had not come down on Mt. Carmel in response to Elijah’s prayer as he stated against the prophets of Baal?

Again, what we learn from a quick overview of scripture is that an act of faith nearly always makes us vulnerable to harm or loss. We also need to recognize that It’s not always in big dramatic moments like the ones just listed. The “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-7 is full of directives that have the potential to place us in harm’s way on a daily basis. If we love our enemy and turn the other cheek, will our enemy not see that as weakness and take advantage of us or bully us all the more? If we forgive those who have betrayed us, won’t we simply be reinforcing their bad behavior because they experience no real consequence from us? If we lend to others without demanding that they return what they borrowed, won’t we end up with an empty bank account or a vacant garage? If we speak well of others while they are speaking evil of us at the office, will we not be damaged? Won’t they ruin our reputation and undermine our position, even though we are innocent? What if we step out of a love relationship that is causing us to compromise our faith? Will there be another one who loves us or will we inevitably face a life alone?

Even the basic teachings of Jesus, put us at risk if we truly follow what he says. The only way to follow these commands is to believe that God will bless us, uphold us, and provide for us when we are attacked or taken advantage of because of our obedience. That simple expectation takes faith. Maybe we are not facing a fiery furnace, but we can face hurt, humiliation, and loss on many levels. To follow Jesus, often means that we can’t act in ways to protect ourselves but will have to make ourselves vulnerable while trusting God to protect us, reimburse us, vindicate us, and so forth…and on his timeline. Even tithing when inflation is rampant and we worry about our budgets takes faith. To give to the Lord can make us feel financially at risk. What will we choose?

Sometimes we are disobedient out of our flesh’s propensity for rebellion and stubbornness. But more often, I think we are disobedient out of fear that God will not be there for us if we put ourselves in a risky position through our obedience. Sure, we would like to think we would have the courage and faith of Elijah or Moses or David running toward Goliath, if the moment arose. But it is in the smaller moments of loving an enemy or forgiving your betrayer or refusing to speak badly of the one who is slandering you at work, that we develop the faith to tackle our giants.

The lesson is that every time we feel afraid, vulnerable, or exposed, we probably have a chance to step out in faith to see what God will do in response to our submission. It is in those moments that we learn that God is our rock, our deliverer, our provision, and our vindication. I believe the time may be coming soon when we will need more faith than we ever imagined, as the world becomes more and more hostile toward followers of Jesus. We will feel more and more pressure to compromise or to deny the truth of scripture in order to maintain our friendships, jobs, or even family connections. Perhaps, I need to begin to choose vulnerability over self-protection now, in order to prepare for a moment when I cannot protect myself by any means, but will totally have to trust the Lord if I am not going to deny the faith.

The good news is that the same God who parted the Red Sea for Moses, who gave Elijah victory over 800 prophets of Baal, who guided the stone from David’s sling, and who delivered Daniel from the lion’s den is the same God who watches over you. Let’s begin to choose vulnerability and risk in expressing our faith in the little things now, so that when we face our giants in the days ahead, we can remember, like David, all the times that God delivered us from lesser risks and believe that he will be is there for us, when much more is on the line.

Naaman is one of the most intriguing stories in the Old Testament. We are told in 2 Kings 5 that Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Aram. Aram was an enemy of Israel who raided Israel from time to time. One of the interesting statements in this texts is, “He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier but he had leprosy.”

First of all, it is interesting that God gave this man victories. We may assume that some of those were against Israel. Many of us think that God only worked through men and women of Israel, but there are several references in the Old Testament where God used gentiles and foreign kings for his purposes. At times he used them to discipline Israel, after Israel turned its back on God and worshipped idols.

In this story, we are told that he had taken a young girl from Israel in one of his raids and that she had become a household slave. She apparently was treated well because she had concern for Naaman and his condition. She told her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy!” Naaman’s wife apparently told him about the prophet and Naaman, perhaps out of desperation, told his king about the possibility of his leprosy being healed. The king blessed his venture and so Naaman set out to visit Elisha.

Being a great man, he took with him a significant amount of treasure with which to buy his healing. According to the text, he took 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of expensive clothing. At first glance, we might assume that he was going to honor the prophet with all of this, but perhaps, it was to display what a great man he was and to impress the prophet. In his world, great men only did favors for other great men, so he wanted to make a statement that he was certainly worthy of this healing he was seeking.

The text continues to say this about Naaman’s arrival. “So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, ‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.’ But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?’ So he turned and went off in a rage” (2 Kings 5:9-12).

I’m sure his arrival was impressive with his horses and chariots with him and his men dressed in their most impressive uniforms. Clearly, he anticipated that the great prophet would come out to meet him and acknowledge his name and fame and treat him with great respect and a touch of awe. Instead, he only sent out his servant. Even by our standards that would be rude, but in the light of mid-eastern hospitality in that day, it was an insult. You only sent servants to people you felt were beneath you.

On top of that, the servant told him to go dip in the Jordan River seven times, which was often muddy and probably smelled. And why seven times? What was the sense in that? Why not once? We are told that his response was rage. He had anticipated a grand moment when an impressive prophet would come to him, call on the namer of his God, the clouds would part, the sun would shine, and the prophet would wave his hand over the leprous spot and he would be healed. It did not happen that way, although healing was still offered to him. I take two lessons from this for us.

First of all, there are times when we have preconceptions about how God will answer our prayers that set us up for failure. We had a Healing and Prophetic Conference a week ago at our church. Clearly, many came hoping to be healed at the conference. As our speaker asked who had received healing after our healing prayers, many raised their hands. Not all, however, received healing in the moment. I’m confident that some of that number simply gave up on God’s supernatural healing because they had not experienced healing that evening.

Many came hoping to experience God’s healing in a dramatic and undeniable way. When that didn’t happen for them they went away disappointed and discouraged. However, much of God’s healing is not instantaneous, but is a process that bears healing in due time…if we do not give up believing. Our preconceptions, like Naaman can cause us to miss what God is actually willing to do.

I was a singles minister for a number of years, so I heard the bitter laments of many singles who wanted to be married but had not yet found the “right” person. Many single women told me that they were crying out for a good husband, but God was not answering their prayers! They felt cheated. However, after further discussion, they had already defined what a “good husband” looked like…tall, handsome, athletic, with a great job, a great sense of humor, and very spiritual.” Upon further discussion, I would also discover that some very fine men had asked them out, but they had not met the woman’s criteria and so she never gave them a chance. These women were asking for a good car but were imagining a Porche. God was sending them a more reliable Ford, but a Ford was not what they had in mind. So they rejected the answer to prayer for a good man and stayed single…and bitter.

Sometimes we miss an answer to prayer because we have decided on what that answer should look like and we are not willing to consider or receive the answer in any other form.

Secondly, God does not like to reinforce pride and arrogance. Naaman came to Elisha believing he would be healed because of his rank and reputation. However, only a servant came to meet him and then directed him to the Jordan. His pride almost cost him his healing. God responds to the humble, not the arrogant. If we feel like God owes us anything, we will probably not receive it. Most of the things we pray for should be seen as gifts of God’s grace, not what he owes us because we have done this or that or because we tithe or because we shared our faith once. If we try to persuade God that we are worthy of his attention and favor, we may not get very far. If we pray for something on the basis of his goodness, his love, and his purposes for our life, we will likely see those prayers answered.

Fortunately, Naaman’s servant had a good word for him. In essence, he said, “Hey, if he had asked you to go do something great – like go slay the dragon – would you not have done so? But he asked you to do something simple, so what have you got to lose? You have leprosy you know!” Naaman then humbled himself and went to the Jordan. When he had dipped himself seven times he was healed. There was no healing power in the Jordan. But there was healing power released from heaven to someone who humbled himself before God and did it God’s way. As we pray and believe, we may want to remember Naaman and simply be humbled and open to how God will answer our prayers because he loves us and how he answers our prayers is an expression of that love.

I’m convinced that the great majority of mankind struggles daily with the little voice that constantly whispers, You don’t matter and what you do doesn’t matter.” The exponential increase in diagnosed depression and suicide rates over the past decade would seem to confirm that theory.

When we feel that we don’t matter, we feel that we have no value. The rush to find alternate identities in today’s world is, I think, a clear side effect of feeling worthless and having no compelling purpose for our life. If I feel worthless as the person I am, perhaps, I can find worth in another identity or, at least, in a group with a strong identity that I might share. So, we see teens and young adults discarding the gender identity God gave them and opting for another. In a world where transgenders have taken on celebrity status, it’s no wonder that many young people are attaching themselves to that wave in an effort to feel special or revolutionary. The thought makes them feel as if they matter. The problem is that is doesn’t work..at least, not for long. Suicide rates for transexuals are much higher than the rest of the population. Gender is really not the issue. Trying to find value, meaning, and love is the driving force behind nearly everything man does or tries.

For those that don’t opt to try a new gender identity, it seems that many are attempting to find identity by partnering with political groups driven by a world view that those in their party have been cheated and abused by a world that makes it impossible for them to succeed or find happiness. There is a certain feeling of power that comes with anger, rage, blaming others, and burning buildings. For a while, that feeling of empowerment and belonging will bolster an identity, but it won’t last because it is all external. After a while, the “victim card” simply makes us feel more alienated and even more disempowered rather than valuable. After that realization, comes depression, medicating and, perhaps, suicide.

One off the great blessings of the gospel is the evidence that we do matter. Our life does have purpose. Someone loves us so much that he has invested everything in us, including the suffering and death of his own Son The problem is that many believers still feel worthless. I think that is because we can feel loved as a group, but not as an individual. What I mean by that is we think that God loves all of his children generically…as a group. It’s like when celebrities declare their love for all their fans…but wouldn’t know one if they bumped into them on the street. When I think of God loving the world…I may still feel like just a face in the crowd. That is why I need to know that God knows me and loves me as a unique individual and has invested himself in me and my personal destiny from before the foundation of the world.

I love Psalms 139. David wrote, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them” (Ps. 139:13-17)

We are so personally known by God that he was involved in our very creation. It seems that at the moment of conception, God establishes an identity in us. Yes…he chooses our gender but also our personality, our temperament, and our talents. Then, he shapes our purpose by establishing a unique future that fits the individual God has made us to be. It is impressive that God has taken the time to craft a future for us that will bless us and others, and has written everyday of that future in a book in heaven before we are ever born. That already is a huge investment of thought, time, and energy that God has poured into each of us individually.

In addition, one possible translation of the phrase,”How precious to me are your thoughtsS O God,” is “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! How vast is the sum of them.” Contextually, that fits very well with the David’s thought. God dreams us, designs us, creates us, and lays out a future for us even before birth. After that, he thinks about us all the time as any loving parent thinks about their child. Of course, the future that has been laid out for us is a “potential future” that depends on our decisions.

Not only that, but God is so invested in us and our individual lives, that he gave his only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our sins, so that we could fulfill his purposes for us and know his love forever. He has also had to chase down many of us who ran from him as prodigals if he were the enemy. Think about how much time, energy, and resources God spent keeping you alive until he could chase you down and draw you back to him. Angels have been assigned to you, hundreds of “divine appointments” have been arranged and orchestrated, and thousands of prayers have been answered. He has deposited his Spirit in you who has made you better and has delivered you from yourself and the enemy time and again. Jesus has even gone to prepare a place just for you and will come back and take you with him…and he will know your name without a roster or a name tag. He will know everything about you – all your hurts, hopes, and successes.

God has given us both identity and value in abundance if we will simply open ourselves up to him. Jesus said that the Father not only knows our name, but even the number of hairs on our head. Satan is the one who steals and hides our identity, and then coaxes us to search for it in every place but the only place we can truly find it. If we don’t know who we are, we should ask the one who made us rather than a world that has rebelled.

If the world had the answer, depression, suicide, and homicide would be on the decrease rather than the increase. War would be known only in history books. If the world had the answer, celebrities would be the happiest and healthiest people in the world…but as a whole they are miserable and insecure…medicating, overdosing, failing at multiple marriages, and still in desperate search of something that gives their peace and lasting meaning.

Identity is the key to a fulfilling life…knowing who we are and why we are is everything. If we read scripture with an eye to who we are in Christ, the realization that we are unique children of God – loved, valued, and known since before the creation of the world – will bring us into a place of worth and security that the entire world is desperately looking for. Only God can truly tell you who you are and why you are. Listen to him!

Few of us are ever aware of the provision and power that God offers us when we face impossible circumstances in our lives.  I admit that I am one who often misses it as well.

I love the story of Elisha when he was surrounded by the army of Aram in the small town of Dothan.  The king of Aram was at war with Israel. Each time he set an ambush for Israeli troops, Elisha would receive a word of knowledge from the Lord, warn the leaders of Israel, and the King of Aram’s plans would collapse. His initial thought was that a spy was leaking his battle plans to Israel but one of his captains convinced him that the prophet Elisha was the one informing on the King.

The King ordered a nationwide manhunt for the prophet who was to be found and captured.  Word got back to the king that Elisha had been seen in Dothan in northern Samaria and so he commanded his army to surround the settlement.  We’re told in 2 Kings 6, “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots surrounded the city. ‘O my lord, what shall we do?’ the servant asked.  ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ’O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Here is the lesson.  If God is for us, who can stand against us?  God is never taken by surprise.  When the King of Aram ordered the capture of Elisha, God had already made provision for Elisha’s victory. The servant was overcome by fear.  Given the chance he would have stolen away in the night and hidden in the hills. Elisha, having faith in both the power and the character of God, stood without fear and saw the provision of God that others could not see.

The Lord had already responded to the need of Elisha and his servant with the power of heaven poised to do battle on behalf of the man of God. The servant was terrified because he had no faith to believe that God would provide a way, even in the most impossible circumstances.  He could not see what God had already made available in this impossible moment.  Elisha, on the other hand, had faith that God would meet his greatest need and had simply been waiting t see how God would do that.  With that faith and anticipation, he could see the provision of God.  In this moment, it was the army of heaven poised to give Elisha victory.  

Apparently, God left the fate of those soldiers in the hands of his prophet who could have called on the angelic army to destroy his enemies.  Instead, he asked the Lord to strike the army blind for a season while he led them to Samaria where they were eventually released. After a demonstration of God’s power on behalf of his people, the text says, “So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory” (2 Kings 6:23).

We will all face our impossible moments when no strength or resource of our own will provide the victory we need. Failing marriages, children bent on self-destruction, financial crisis, advanced cancer, or the overwhelming loss of a loved one. We all come to moments when we feel as if we are surrounded by an overpowering force that we cannot stand against. In the moment, pray Elijah’s prayer for yourself, “O Lord, open my eyes that I might see!  Lord, show me by faith and by your Spirit, the power and provision that you have already made available to me for this impossible moment. For with you nothing is impossible.” In the kingdom of God, those who are with us are always more than those who are with them.

When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. Matthew 12:43-45

Jesus told this parable as a warning to each of us to constantly monitor the contents of our house…meaning our body, heart, mind, and our spirit. This individual had been demonized by one evil spirit. This was not possession, but one spirit that had been given a assignment against this man or woman. A single spirit typically works to undermine and distort one slice of our life through temptation and lies expressed in persistent or even obsessive thoughts and actions. The unrelenting nature of those thoughts is experienced as bondage. They will continue and typically get stronger until the spirit is cast out.

Deliverance or freedom is an amazing experience, but there is a danger that Jesus warns about. The “house” was vacated by the spirit and some semblance of balance and order returned to the persons life. However, the house was not filled with the word and the Spirit of God, so a spiritual vacuum was created. Because the spirit could not find rest outside of a body, he decided to go back and see if he might find a way back in.

To the demon’s delight, when he returned he found the house empty and the doors unlocked. So more entered in with him, and the person’s condition was worse in the end than in the beginning. I have seen that very thing happen to a few people who have come through our church and ministries. One young woman, especially, comes to mind. She was in her late twenties, sweet, attractive, accomplished and everyone loved her. On the outside everything looked in order, but on the onside she was tormented by insecurities and fear.

She decided to seek God and freedom from torment by going through Free Indeed, an 8-week class and a weekend of healing and deliverance. On the weekend she had some extreme manifestations, but was set free and found a peace she had never known. One of the things she had confessed to her group leaders was that she was in an intimate relationship with a man who was not a believer. She made a commitment to break off the relationship and seek God.

Eight months later she returned to attend Free indeed again. She had gone back to the relationship she had promised to leave and was now more demonized than before. Again, she experienced severe manifestations during deliverance, but was set free. Once more she promised to break off the relationship and serve God. Her group leaders tried to keep in contact with her but found she had gone back to the same man again. This time, however, when they did contact her, she was hostile and no longer had any interest in talking about the things of God. We have not seen her since. As her demonization increased, her desire for godly things decreased. Each time we fail to press into God after deliverance, the enemy gains more access than before.

When a spirit or spirits leave, we must fill our lives, our hearts, and our minds up with the things of God – worship, word, fellowship with other believers, service, etc., or we risk walking around around with an empty house or, at least a vacant room, where the enemy is glad to set up residence. Each time we fail to surrender parts of our lives to Jesus, the enemy gains a greater legal right to afflict us.

In the realm of spiritual warfare, half-heartedness or double-mindedness is a dangerous thing. As we try to stand with one foot in the kingdom of light and the other foot in the kingdom of darkness, we are at risk. There is a wide chasm between the two, so a person cannot keep their balance for long. Eventually he or she will fall. Jesus warns us over and over that divided loyalties are unacceptable. He demands every part of our lives too be surrendered to him. But, when we do surrender, he fills our rooms with the blessings of God’s kingdom.

We need to be cautious when ministering deliverance or receiving deliverance. It is not a game and a great deal is at stake. Sometimes people want to get rid of the torment a demon provides, but not the sin that gives them pleasure. The sin, however, is the open door through which the enemy enters.

Remember the incident in Acts 16 where a young woman with a spirit of divination kept following Paul around Philippi shouting that they were servants of the Most High God. Apparently, the whole thing was very distracting and was, perhaps, an attempt by the spirit to associate itself with Paul and Jesus.

At any rate, the text says that after many days, Paul turned and cast out the demon. Why would he not do that as soon as he encountered the woman? My guess is that he knew the woman might not surrender to Jesus and would then become a person with a vacancy that would be filled with many more spirits, so he restrained himself as long as he could, out of concern for her. We may need to use the same discernment when our first impulse is to set someone free.

So…if you are ministering deliverance, take time to explain the necessity of filling the vacancy with the things of God. Make sure the individual knows what that looks like and the risk of returning to a sin or a relationship that opened the door in the first place. Sometimes our desire to free someone from the enemy makes us rush to deliverance rather than preparing the person to maintain their freedom after they have received it.

Curses are a spiritual reality. Certainly, not everyone has a curse operating against them. In this life we all have tragedies, failures, and losses. It is the nature of living in a fallen world. But more of us than you think have curses operating in our lives and are unaware of it. The curse and the negative outcomes it produces will not go away on its own and has no shelf life. So…determining whether a curse may be operating so that we can nullify the curse is a prudent thing to do.

There are indicators that a curse is operating in the life of an in individual or family. Let me list some of those indicators briefly. You can find all of these in Deuteronomy 28-30.

• When a family or individual continually suffers business failures or financial lack, even though they are working hard and making reasonably good decisions, a curse may be operating. When you can never seem to get out of debt because another financial demand occurs each time you get close to your goals, you may be dealing with a curse. If you see the same pattern in your family line, it is a very strong indicator.
• If you experience patterns of chronic, lingering health issues that are difficult to diagnose, keep recurring, or that proven treatments don’t seem to manage, you may be looking at a curse. Again…if there is a history of such things in your bloodline, this can be a strong indicator.
• If you or your parents or grandparents struggle with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, despair, confusion, etc. when you have prayed, counseled, and taken treatments, there may be demonic influences operating through a curse.
• When there is a history of an inability to get pregnant or multiple miscarriages, this may also indicate a curse.
• When you see patterns of victimization in your life or family where you have been defrauded, passed over for promotions, taken advantage of, harassed, and so forth when you have acted with integrity and done the right things, a curse may be operating.

In general, when you recognize a repeating history of negative outcomes in your life or family line, that are not clearly results of your bad decisions or rebellion, you may need to address the possibility of demonic activity enforcing a curse.

To break or nullify a curse requires a legal transaction in the spiritual realm. The cause of the curse must be removed and then the enemy must be commanded to discontinue the harassment or oppression in your life. Proverbs declares, “Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest” (Prov. 26:2). The cause of a curse can ultimately be nullified through the the blood of Christ. However, we have to take several steps before the blood can be applied.

The basis of any curse being established against us is sin…either our own or the sins of our fathers. That sin must be submitted to the blood of Christ to remove it, so that the enemy cannot use it against us. For sin to be forgiven, it must be recognized, acknowledged, confessed, repented of, and renounced.

I continue to be concerned about how many “believers” are ignorant of God’s word and so are ignorant of their sins. Many believers let culture determine what is right or wrong and simply assume that God will agree with cultural norms. I’m often surprised at how many young couples in church are unmarried, but living together and have no idea that God would have an issue with that. Many believing men think that indulging in porn is not an issue as long as they don’t “act on it.” Believers are prone to make promises or commitments and then ditch them at the last minute because they got a “better offer” and think that breaking commitments or promises is not an issue with the Lord. We make judgments against others and feel no conviction because we feel justified in what we said or thought. We believe the cultural lie that same sex marriage is moral because it is tolerant and so we go along with the moral trend.

I could go on, but we need to be more biblically informed and train our consciences around the word of God rather than cultural values. We may also need to ask the Holy Spirit to inform us of issues we don’t recognize that are giving Satan a legal right to afflict us. King David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psm. 139:23-24) We need to pray the same prayer on a regular basis. Even if we are unaware that we are sinning, the sin still gives Satan a right to oppress us.

Once we become aware of something in our lives that is not aligned with God’s will, we need to acknowledge that it is sin and that we are responsible for our choices. Too many of us seek to excuse or rationalize what we are doing or blame others rather than simply owning it and confessing it. Any attempt on our part have “our sin” excused, gives the enemy an open door to attack us.

In conjunction with owning the sin, we must confess it…to God and, sometimes to others. If we have wronged others, we may need to confess that to them and ask their forgiveness. The key is found in 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The cleansing takes away the legal right of the enemy to attack us on the basis of that sin. However, unconfessed sin isa weapon the enemy will use against us.

There is also the heart-matter of repentance. Am I just saying the words or do I truly have godly sorrow for my failings and do I intend to do it God’s way from that point forward? Genuine repentance is required before forgiveness is released. In addition, Proverbs declares, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Prov. 28:13).To renounce means to declare publicly that you no longer support, agree, or have a connection with something or someone…in this case, the sin and the one who promotes sin. Publicly does not typically mean that we must renounce it in front of the church, but I do need to declare it out loud to God and to the spiritual realm if to no one else.

Once we have recognized, acknowledged, confessed, repented, and renounced a sin in our life or in our bloodline, we can declare verbally that the curse is cancelled and nullified by the blood of Christ and by his authority. We can then cancel the assignment of any unclean spirit that has been afflicting us and command it to leave.

The question remains, what if I don’t know the specific sins of my “fathers” or may still be unaware of my own sin? When Nehemiah was informed of the state of Jerusalem during his exile, he prayed to God that he would be given favor to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. He prayed, “I confess the sins we Israelites , including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees, and laws you gave your servant Moses…(Neh.1:6-7). He then went on to ask for forgiveness and favor in accomplishing God’s purposes for his people. Daniel also prayed this way regarding the sins of Israel. He said, “we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws…Lord, in keeping with your righteous acts turn away your anger and your wrath…hear the prayers and petitions of your servant” (Dan. 9:5,16,17).

If we specifically know our sin or the sins of our fathers, then confess them specifically. Repent on behalf of your bloodlines and renounce the sins. If not, pray as Nehemiah and Daniel prayed. They were essentially asking God to lift the curse that had been established against them for their sins and to bless Israel once again. We can pray in a similar way for ourselves, our family, and our nation.

In closing, we need to be aware of curses and take them seriously. The blood of Christ has more than enough power to nullify any curse. Indeed, Christ became a curse for us that we might be blessed. But curses aren’t dismissed automatically. We have our part to play through our own repentance and confession and even when the legal right of the enemy has been removed, you will still need to command these rebellious spirits to leave.

So there is the basic reality about curse and how to deal with them. Now that you know, get busy!