Very often we forget that the greatest heroes in the Bible typically began as those voted least likely to succeed in their graduating class. One of my favorites is Gideon. We are told in the book of Judges, “The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’ ‘But sir,’ Gideon replied, ‘if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.’ The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’ ‘But Lord,” Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family’ (Judges 6:11-15).

The context of the story was that God had indeed turned Israel over to Midian because of decades of unrepented sin and idolatry. Midian had totally oppressed Israel and had taken everything of value from God’s people including the crops they harvested. Israel had little food, less money, and no standing army or even a cache of weapons. In addition, during seasons of Israel’s rebellion, the Lord was often very silent and his word was heard only on rare occasions.

In the midst of that, Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press as he hid from the Midianites. An angel of the Lord appeared on the scene and opened the conversation with a strange statement. He said, “The Lord is with you mighty warrior.” Undoubtedly, Gideon must have thought this was a case of mistaken identity. As far as we know, Gideon had no military experience. He certainly didn’t view himself as mighty or as a warrior. His identity was that of a poor, insignificant man from an insignificant family.

Interestingly, he didn’t even bother to respond to the “mighty warrior” part, but simply asked, “if God is with us, then why are we in such a deplorable mess?” It was his way of saying, “Yeah. Right.” In his lifetime, he had not seen any of the miracles he had heard about when God brought Israel out of Egypt and into the “promise land.” He had not experienced the “milk and honey” of Canaan that God had promised through Moses. He had not witnessed great victories by the Jewish military as in the days of Joshua. All of those things must have seemed like bedtime stories or exaggerated legends from the past.

We are not so different. God tells us who we are in Christ. He tells us that we are children of the King walking in great authority. He tells us that he has given us power to heal, raise the dead, and cast out demons. He tells us that we each have great destinies in Christ. In essence, he tells us that we are mighty warriors and too many of us respond just as Gideon did. Our view of ourselves doesn’t match God’s declaration over us so we think, “Yeah. Right. I sure don’t see any of that in me and where are the miracles I used to ask for?”

The truth is that, at some point, we are all Gideon’s. God sees us differently than we see ourselves and begins to speak a destiny over us that we must choose to accept or reject. The question is always whether we give God’s word more authority than our feelings or past experiences.

The praiseworthy quality in Gideon was first honesty and second was his willingness to work with God on the proposition that he might be a mighty warrior who would eventually free Israel from Midian’s oppression. There are three things we must always keep in mind about our God.

1. God does not lie (Titus 1:2).
2. When God sends forth his word, it accomplishes his purpose (Isa.55:11) .
3. God calls things that are not as though they were (Rom.4:17).

When God called Gideon a mighty warrior, it was not flattery but destiny. The qualifier was that God would be with him. For God to be with us in a venture, we must exercise some level of faith. Gideon’s faith was a bit tenuous to start, but he took first steps. The first was to ask for confirmation that he was hearing from God through this “man” and not from some misdirected prophet or from the jumbled wells of his own imagination. God honored the request. The angel who had appeared as a man, touched a rock with his staff where Gideon had placed an offering. Both the offering and the angel disappeared in a burst of flame.

As you read the story, Gideon kept asking for more confirmations and taking next steps. In asking for confirmations such as the fleece he put out twice, Gideon wasn’t doubting the character of God but rather his own ability to hear God. God was willing to work with Gideon’s imperfect faith because Gideon was willing to take next steps as God answered his requests for confirmation. In the end, Gideon did become a great warrior through whom Midian was defeated and in the process saw the miracles of God he had only heard about before. God did not lie; his word did produce a mighty warrior, and what he had called out that did not exist before, did come to pass.

When God speaks our identity and destiny over us through his written word, through a whisper from the Spirit, or by a prophet, he wants us to believe enough to engage in the process. Take next steps and even ask for confirmation that we have heard him correctly. In the beginning, Gideon could only see himself as a man who was an insignificant son tin an insignificant family in Israel. Like all of us, he hoped for more but could just not see it with his own eyes. But God had planted that hope in him to be more and, at the right time. invited him to become more than he ever imagined. He wants the same for us and has promised to be with us.

Our part is to believe. Engage with God in conversations about what we think we are hearing or sensing and, at least, be willing to take the next step of faith as God prepares the way. So…mighty warrior…what will you do for Him today?

The axiom that “we should begin with the end in mind” seems to be simple common sense. If I begin a journey without the end in mind, I risk ending up in a bad place, driving in circles, or becoming the next Forrest Gump – simply running until dirt turns to ocean and then turning and running the other direction with nothing more in mind. And yet, many of us live that way when it comes to very important elements of our lives.

King David wrote, “ Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life”(Ps.39:4). David’s prayer is prompted by the knowledge that life goes by incredibly fast and that every day should be lived with great intentionality. He wanted God to remind him to live each day mindful of his priorities and purpose.
That would be an excellent prayer for us as well. In the end, what do you want to be able to say about your relationship with God, your spouse, and your children? What do you want to be able to say about the mark you left on other people and the world around you? What do you want to be able to say about how you fulfilled God’s purposes for your life?

By temperament, I am not wired to set concrete goals and stay on task. I can be a rabbit chaser and enjoy the chase. If I’m not careful, I can let daily circumstances and other people constantly set my agenda. When I do, my priorities suffer. Days and weeks can go buy without me investing in the most important things. If, however, I partner with God’s Spirit to think about how I want to finish my life or what I want my life (my marriage, my family, my ministry, my health, my finances, etc.) to look like in ten years, I can begin to lay in strategies that will get me where I want to go.

In my church, we talk a lot about being Spirit-led. Some believers think that the Spirit leads only with spontaneous and unexpected moments, as if long term planning and staying on course is not spiritual. Although the Spirit may reveal tasks on the spur of the moment, he is still the ultimate long-term planner whose priorities never waiver. Although, Jesus seemed to have days filled with spontaneous and unexpected moments, he always knew where he was headed and what his priorities were. First of all, he had to preach the gospel to the cities of Israel. On numerous occasions, Jesus would simply leave in the middle of a “successful meeting” while the crowds were clamoring for more and go somewhere else to preach because he had a clear agenda to preach to more cities and a limited amount of time in which to do so. At other times, he would leave the crowds who were hungry to hear more and go off by himself to refuel with the Father because he knew that the days ahead would demand that close relationship.

Eventually, he knew that to finish his mission, he would have to submit to rejection and accusation along with crucifixion and would have to do so with faith, love and forgiveness on his lips. He began the final three years of his life with two preparatory events: his baptism that brought the anointing of the Spirit and forty days of fasting in the wilderness. He and the Father began with the end in mind. The Holy Spirit and a disciplined flesh would be required to finish well and to fulfill his primary purpose in life. Knowing how he wanted to end his life, he received the things that would prepare him for the final hours. He did not dodge or resent the heat or the hunger of the desert nor the temptations Satan dangled before him. Those moments were strengthening him to fulfill his purpose. Even in the spiritual realm, a process of growth and development is by far the norm rather than a full-blown and immediate impartation of maturity and gifts. Gifts, positions, and opportunities that run ahead of character are dangerous.

King Saul was anointed by Samuel and made king over Israel in a short period of time. He had not been trained to be king or even a leader of men. His sudden responsibilities and power led to numerous disasters for himself, his family, and his country. Proverbs declares that the “earth trembles when a slave becomes king.”   That is true when the slave has not been prepared for a wise exercise of power, wealth, and leadership.

The very thing a person wants can destroy him or her if the individual is not prepared to steward those things well. Many people who have suddenly become wealthy through the lottery are prime examples. The very wealth they thought would make them happy destroyed their lives. The same can be true of us if we are given gifts or positions for which we are not prepared. Preparing ourselves for the use of gifts and positions of leadership avoids the disasters. Preparing ourselves for relationships we desire also avoids disasters. When we contemplate the end or the goal, we can “reverse engineer” what it will take to get there. We can pray into the goal, align ourselves with mentors, obtain training, and develop the character traits that we will need to succeed.

Too often, we just wait on the Lord to fulfill a prophetic word spoken over us, to supernaturally gift us, or to place us in a position of leadership without envisioning how we would want to lead, exercise the gift, or live out the prophecy. As a result, we don’t set priorities, equip ourselves, or develop strategies for growing into the vision we have for our lives. Too often, we neglect the most important priorities in our lives, thinking that we can focus on those later when we are not so busy. But life goes by quickly. David said, “ how fleeting is my life,” and when you hit the sixty mark you feel it going by at light speed. You also realize how little time you gave to the most important things because the lesser, non-eternal issues of life kept you so busy.

Let me encourage you to take time on a regular basis to think about where you want to be in ten years or even at the end of your life. What do you want your relationship with God and your spiritual life to look like? What do you want your marriage or your relationship with your children or your ministry to be like? How do you want to be able to describe your physical health or your finances? Even more importantly, what would God want those things to look like?

Once you are clear on the end product you want, its not that hard to know what you need to be doing now to get there. You might even get a small group of trusted friends together who begin to envision those things for their own lives and then each of you can encourage one another and keep one another on track over the next twelve months or a lifetime, while you consistently build some things into your life that will take you where you want to go and where God wants you to go.

Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18, KJV).

“Movements are always birthed by dreamers who first envision life as it ought to be and not as it is. Dreamers stir people’s imaginations, agitate their souls, and inspire their hearts. George Bernard Shaw expressed the dreamer’s attitude when he said, ‘Some men see things as they are and ask, ‘Why?’ Others dream of things that never were and ask, ‘Why not?’” Dreamers are the cultural catalysts, reformers, and history makers. In order for us to experience the fulfillment of the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’ (Mt.6:10), it’s vital that we begin to envision the world, not as it is, but as it ought to be” (Kris Vallotton, How Heaven Invades Earth, P.187).

I like what Vallotton says in this brief paragraph. It echoes the proverb I quoted at the beginning of this blog. Where there is no vision, people perish. The reason is that a vision for the future is what keeps us on course and what keeps us slogging through the muck and mire of everyday life. Most believers have a general vision for Christ’s kingdom on earth after his return. They look forward to the day when the heavens will split and Jesus will once again stand on the earth to judge the wicked while rewarding the righteous. After that, we will all live in health and prosperity for eternity. That is a worthy vision, but one that is out of our control. Jesus said that not even he knew the day or the hour of his return…only the Father knows.

But what about a vision that we can affect? What about a world in which entire nations are being discipled and leaders are actually governing with justice and righteousness? What about entire cities that willingly bow the knee to Jesus so that crime is almost nonexistent, divorce is the rare exception, poverty has been all but erased, and gifts of healing make the ER the least visited room in the city?

If you are not careful, you will immediately dismiss that vision as “pie in the sky” and not possible. And yet, would that not be God’s will on earth as it is in heaven? Did Jesus instruct us to pray for something that was not really possible or only possible in small, insignificant patches? Or did he expect us to carry a vision for massive changes in the earth before his return as we “make disciples of all nations.”

The power of a specific vision for the areas we can touch is that it focuses our efforts, our resources, and our prayers. Advancement is noticeable, measurable, and strategic. A shared vision unites and energizes believers. What if every church in a city shared the same vision and prayed into the same specific outcomes? As you think of a vision you begin to see the possibilities and begin to think of creative strategies to accomplish the vision. I love Bethel Church in Redding, California. It has a very clear vision for their city and even a sharper vision for their campus. They intend to evangelize their city and make it a city on a hill where Jesus truly is Lord from the City Council on down. They want their campus to become a cancer free zone in which any one with cancer can find healing there without exception.

I suspect that very few of us have anything but a vague vision for our life in the kingdom. If a life without vision causes people to perish, then living with a God-given vision should impart life. Sometimes I realize that my vision for serving God begins to get fuzzy and drift. When it does, my motivation wanes, my energy levels seem lower, my focus broadens, and my effectiveness slips. Recapturing the vision makes all the difference and if you have other believers in your life who share the same vision, the synergism of that is amazing.

We live in the Permian Basin – oil country. Years ago, the Western Company sold drilling rigs, oil field equipment, etc. and had an advertising slogan that declared, “If you don’t have an oil well…get one.” I think the Lord might say, “If you don’t have a vision, get one.”  It doesn’t have to be a vision for a worldwide ministry. It may simply be a vision for your ministry at your church, your family, or some way to serve your community. Ask God to give you a vision for your kingdom assignment. You may also find someone who already has a vision that the Holy Spirit causes to resonate in your heart. Then join with that person. Invest yourself and your resources in that cause. It will energize your life as you begin to partner with God to accomplish a dream given by him. Vision is the beginning of his will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

I just began reading a new book by John Bevere entitled Killing Kryptonite. I’m just a few chapters in, but it promises to be thought provoking. In the beginning of his book he is attempting to answer a question that many of us have verbalized or, at least, thought about. That question would be something like, “With the Spirit of God within us, with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead working out of us, with the amazing gifts of the Spirit and the authority of Christ resting on us, why does the church continue to appear to be so impotent against the works of the devil in the world around us?”

He says it this way. “In light of being his beloved, we should manifest unselfish character, unconditional love, joy unspeakable, peace that passes understanding, supernatural power, well-being, vitality, creativity, divine wisdom, keen understanding, supreme knowledge, and perceptive insight – and this list is far from comprehensive! Scripture promises attributes such as these on many levels, so again my question is, ‘Why aren’t we seeing this in either an individual or overall church level?’” (p.18).

I suppose we could offer many potential reasons, but John raises a possible answer that is worth considering. His answer is simply that the sin and compromise tolerated in the church makes us all subject to a curse and takes the strength and glory from the church that should be evident there. John points out that there are many reasons we have come to tolerate sin in a church that God calls to be holy.   The first is simply that we don’t want to confront sin because we want to avoid conflict or don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Another is that we want to give people time to grow spiritually…for years. Often Christians feel that pointing out someone’s sin to them is “judging” and we are taught not to judge. I also think a primary reason that we don’t speak out against sin in the church is that we have been desensitized to sin and are not as offended by it as we should be – not only in the lives of others but in our own lives.

Now let me be clear…Bevere is not talking about the weaknesses we struggle with or the sin we fall into and struggle against and hate in our own lives. He is talking about blatant lifestyles of sin that go unrepented – sexual sin, divisiveness, crooked business practices, etc. that people know are defined as sin in scripture but who will not repent.

These are the kinds of lifestyle sin that Paul points out throughout his letters and instructs the churches to withdraw the fellowship of the church from these individuals if they will not repent after spiritual leaders have gone to them, prayed with them, and encouraged them to deal with the sin in their lives. The most familiar of these cases was the man in Corinth who was living openly in sexual sin and who was coming to the church as if none of that mattered. Paul instructed the church, saying, “When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:4-5).

When believers read this today it seems so harsh and is almost shocking. Paul had two concerns with that man. One was that his own soul was in danger because of this blatant, unrepented sin and the other was that the man’s sin put the church in danger. In his book, Bevere reminds us of a biblical principle that as Americans we are typically unfamiliar with. It is the principle that not only does a man reap what he sows, but those connected to him will also reap the con sequences od what he sowed. The clearest Old Testament example is Achan. When Israel crossed the Jordan River and faced the fortified city of Jericho, God instructed them to take nothing for themselves from that city. It was “first fruits” and everything taken in the city would belong to God. After their great victory, they sent a small contingent of soldiers to take a much smaller city and they were routed. Dozens of men lost their lives and when Joshua asked God why he had abandoned them, God said that there was sin in the camp of the Israelites. A man named Achan had taken clothing and precious metals from Jericho and had hidden them in his tent. Achan and his family were put to death for what he had done while dozens of other Israelites became widows and orphans because of his actions. One man’s sin had caused God to lift his hand of protection off the nation.

We are typically quick to point out that the example given was under the Old Covenant and does not apply to the church. Bevere, however, raises an interesting point in Paul’s admonition to the church at Corinth about those who were treating the Lord’s supper with contempt. Paul said, “For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 11:29-30). An amplified version of this scripture might say, “That is why many among you are spiritually ineffective and sick and a number of you have died prematurely.”

When we read that verse, we tend to think that the weak and sick and dying were only those who were “eating and drinking judgment on themselves” by treating the Lord’s supper with contempt by their unloving, selfish treatment of other members of the body of Christ. Bevere suggests, however, that the sin of a few was afflicting the many. He quotes 1 Corinthians 11:21 as saying, “For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others….”   But then Paul describes those weal, sick, and dying as “many of you.” Some were treating the Lords supper with contempt but many were weak, sick and dying. The blatant sin of a few can rob blessings and strength from the others.

Remember, we are all members of one body. When one part is blessed, we are all blessed. When one part is damaged, we all suffer. The principle that what is done by one is attributed to others seems unfair to individualistic Americans, but the same principle allows the righteousness of one to be attributed to others who are in the same family. Take away the principle and the righteousness of Christ cannot be attributed to us.

So, Bevere’s point is that when the church forgets the mandate of being a holy bride and tolerates lifestyles of sin in the church, then the whole church suffers weakness, sickness, and premature death. That, he says, is why the American church is not thriving and flourishing as a whole. He also suggests that the solution to the problem begins with our concern about our own holiness before we begin to worry about everyone else’s. The point is that what one does effects every other part of the body for good or for bad. We are not “stand alones.” We are connected and should be concerned about righteousness in the church for the sake of the individual who is blatantly sinning and also for the sake of others. It’s something to think about.

God seems to be highlighting the power of words lately. It is an extremely important issue in the life of a believer. Because we are made in the image of God our words carry creative power. Because we have been given authority on the earth, our words set things in motion in the spiritual realm. The good news is that we can release blessings on the earth with our words. The bad news is that we can also release curses.

James has a lot to say about our words in his letter. “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be” (James 3:9-10). He instructs us to be sources of blessing at all times. We are to choose to speak life over ourselves and others whenever we speak. That is a simple rule but is one of those things that is much easier said than done.

Earlier in his letter he talked about how difficult it is to tame the tongue. He says, “When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell” (James 3:3-6).

In fact, if you were to read the entire letter of James you might get the sense that the tongue is almost impossible to control…even for those who try. Many of us who want to be obedient to the Lord have found that James is correct. We want to keep our mouths shut, we want to avoid critical speech and speak only life…but something else often comes out. However, God does not command us to do what is impossible to do. What we need to remember is that all things are possible…with God.

If we try to govern our tongue in our own strength we don’t have a chance. But with God, we can control even our tongues. David had a handle on what we can do when we partner with God in any battle. He proclaimed, “With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me” (Psm.18:29-35).

God revealed his ability to work with our tongues when Moses protested that he didn’t have the word power to speak to the ruler of Egypt. “Moses said to the Lord, ‘O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’”

…

Jesus told us that we also have another who will help us with our speech. “On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Mt.10:18-20).

So…if you have been struggling with your words and have not been able to be a source of life and blessing to all those around you, verbally submit your tongue to the Lordship of Jesus each morning when you get up. Ask the Holy Spirit to govern your tongue that day and give you the words to say in every situation. Ask the God who made your mouth to be with your mouth and teach you what to say. The transformation will probably be a process rather than an event, but keep placing your tongue under the Lordship of Jesus and the operation of the Spirit and you will see that God is very willing to lead you to victory over your enemy….even when the enemy is your tongue.

We know that prayer is essential in the Kingdom of God. John Wesley went as far as to say that God does nothing except in response to his people’s prayers. I won’t say that God does nothing without our prayers but I do agree that, perhaps, even the majority of things he wants to do will go undone if we do not ask.

Notice Paul’s emphasis on prayer in his letter to the Ephesian church. As he is closing out his section on the armor of God and spiritual warfare he writes, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should” (Eph.6:18-20),

In just a few verses, Paul requests prayers four times. He instructs them to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers. He asks them to continually pray for the saints (other believers) and he asks them twice to pray for him that he might declare the gospel fearlessly. Paul must have prayed for “fearlessness” on a daily basis but he thought it necessary to add the prayers of the church to his own as if his own prayers were not enough. We could add dozens of other scriptures in the New Testament that implore us to pray without ceasing because, other than faith, it is the most essential thing we can do.

But I will also say, as essential as prayer is, there are still some mysteries associated with it. If God already knows our thoughts before we ask, then why do we need to ask? If we pray once about an issue with fervency, then why do we need to keep praying since we have already lifted that issue up to God and he knows our heart about it? Why are some prayers answered overnight while others take years?

I’m not certain but I do have some thoughts. In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul spoke of strongholds of the enemy (2 Cor. 10:4). In Ephesians, Paul warns the church not to give the devil a foothold (Eph.4:27). In the book of Revelation, Jesus referred to Pergamum as a place where Satan had a throne (Rev. 2:13). In his letter to Ephesus, Paul declared that our battles are not “against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph.6:12). In the Book of Daniel, we are shown that powerful angels fight in the spiritual realm against powerful demons who oppose God’s will (see Daniel 10:12-13).

In these verses, it is apparent that there are footholds, strongholds, and varying levels of power and authority in the spiritual realm that push back against the will and purposes of God on earth. It is possible that the greater the power opposing God’s will, as expressed in our prayers, the more intense and prolonged our prayers will need to be to break through the opposition. There are some things that God will do for us, but most things he wants to do with us. He has given us authority as believers to defeat the enemy. Often, he waits on is to express the authority he has given us before he joins in the fight. Since our words carry authority and power is linked to authority, then each prayer may release power in the spiritual realm that assaults enemy strongholds. The greater the stronghold, the more intense and persistent prayer is required. I tend to think of enemy strongholds like ancient castle walls that we are assaulting. Prayers and commands are like catapulted stones that chip away at the walls until fractures appear, then cracks, and then, finally, the wall crumbles and falls and the enemy scatters.

When we minister deliverance to individuals, not every spirit comes out at the first command. Some have been there for decades or have been passed down through generations so that they are firmly entrenched and feel that the person belongs to them. Some spirits have a higher rank than others and some are just nastier than others – especially spirits of witchcraft. However, every time we command the spirit to leave or declare the word of God over the spirit, his position is weakened. Eventually, that spirit must come out but sometimes it may take several hours. We battle with commands issued in the name of Jesus and with the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit. Since deliverance operates that way, it may be that prayer operates that way as well. Every prayer is not targeting a demonic stronghold, but when it is, more prayer will be needed until enough spiritual power has been injected into the situation that the enemy’s defenses crumble. When we pray for salvations, for nations, for struggling marriages, for financial provision, and even for healing, many times the enemy has established strongholds that must be deconstructed before we see breakthrough.

There is also another possibility to explain the need for prolonged prayer as well. Dutch Sheets in his book, Intercessory Prayer, suggests that prayers are cumulative in heaven and when the spiritual mass or number of our prayers are sufficient, then heaven responds. He says, “Scriptures indicate that our prayers accumulate. There are bowls in heaven in which our prayers are stored. Not one bowl for all of them but ‘bowls.’ We don’t know how many but I think it is very likely that each of us has his own bowl in heaven. I don’t know if it is literal or symbolic. It doesn’t matter. The principle is still the same. God has something in which he stores our prayers for use at the proper time:  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 the saints (Rom.5:8).  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 the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 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 (Revelation 8:3-5). According to these verses, either when he knows it is the right time to do something or when enough prayer has accumulated to get the job done, He releases power. He takes the bowl and mixes it with fire from the altar” (Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer, Regal Books, p. 221-222).

Either way, God is often waiting on us to set things in motion with our prayers. He honors our authority as his sons and daughters and representatives on the earth by waiting for us to ask, declare, command, and pray before he acts.

There are many things going on the spiritual realm that we cannot see or discern. When we are praying according to God’s will, but are not seeing the answer manifest, the reason is not always apparent. Too often, however, I’m sure that we think God is saying “No” so we quit praying. But what if the answer is “yes” and the reason for the delay is that our prayers still need to release more power into the spiritual realm or they simply need to pass a tipping point in heaven so that the fire of God is poured out on the earth. Either way, we have been given a great responsibility for outcomes in the Kingdom that will be fulfilled in prayer as well as by our actions.

Prayer is essential. Persistent prayer is even more essential. In our instant society where we have lost the ability to stay focused for long periods, it is easy to pray a bit and then move on if we don’t quickly see the results. The biblical model is to pray with faith until we die, still expecting God to answer our prayers even though we have left the planet. We are to pray until we see the answer or until God releases us from the prayer. If we knew how essential our prayers are to the outcomes of the Kingdom, I believe we would be more diligent and persistent. One of the great lies of the enemy is that our prayers don’t matter and don’t make a difference. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you have become discouraged, keep praying. If you have laid down a prayer that you thought God had denied, pick it up again. Your prayers matter greatly.

How many of us in a moment of anger or frustration, speak hurtful words and then later brush them aside by declaring that we really didn’t mean what we said? There is something about the spiritual realm that holds us to the words we have spoken…even if we didn’t mean them. Genesis records a moment that illustrates this important principle.

As Isaac was aging and contemplating his own death, he felt it was time to speak “the blessing” over his older son Esau. The blessing was a huge part of the inheritance a father would grant his son. It closely resembled a prophetic word that the father would declare over the son and that God would honor. The things spoken by the father would surely come to pass in the ensuing years so it was counted as inheritance. The younger brother Jacob and the fraternal twin Esau had always competed. Esau was delivered first and was counted as the oldest. The eldest son on Jewish culture was always given a double portion of the inheritance with “the blessing” being part of that. Esau was Isaac’s favorite son because he was an avid hunter and outdoorsman. Jacob was the favorite of his mother Rebekah. When Rebekah overheard Isaac planning to speak “the blessing” over Esau after a meal of wild game, she conspired with Jacob to steal the blessing. While Esau was still in the field hunting, Jacob pretended to be his brother. Isaac was essentially blind in his old age and so the ruse succeeded.

Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.” So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”

After Isaac finished blessing him and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” “I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.” Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!” When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?” Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?” (Gen. 27:27-37).

The critical point here is that once the words were spoken, something was set in motion that Isaac could not retrieve even though the blessing had been fraudulently obtained. He might have protested that he didn’t mean to speak those words over Jacob, but it didn’t matter. They were spoken with the authority of a father and the words would be fulfilled. In a sense, Isaac was careless with his words. If you read the story he sensed that something wasn’t quite right but declared the blessing anyway. We too are often careless with out words.

Our mistake is that we think the spiritual realm is like the natural realm where words mean little and where we are rarely held accountable for what we say. The spiritual realm, however, holds us accountable for word we speak. We often speak words over others that can constitute curses in the spiritual realm. We say things such as, “I wish you had never been born. You’ll never amount to anything. No one will ever want you. You’re such a loser.” We often speak the same kinds of things over ourselves and, if asked, would probably say we were just upset and didn’t mean those things.

However, our negative words that we spoke intentionally or unintentionally can constitute curses and give the enemy a legal right to enforce the things we have spoken. Our words may be enforced by demonic spirits who delight in afflicting and oppressing individuals, families, churches, or nations to whom they can gain legal access. Our carless words can give them that access. That is especially true if we have spiritual authority over those about whom we spoke the words. That is never more true than when parents speak over their children.

Scripture repeatedly warns us about our words. A quick read of Proverbs will confirm God’s concern about what we speak. As believers, our words have authority. That is why we are instructed to always bless and never to curse. Jesus instructs us to bless even our enemies. One reason is because we are promised that we will reap what we sow. If we sow curses, we too will eventually reap the negative outcomes we have spoken over others. However, if we make blessing the constant flavor of our speech, those blessings will also return to us. We need to be sure to speak them over ourselves as well as others. “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit “ (Prov. 18:21).

If careless words are an issue with you, ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of your speech. Ask those closest to you to also make you aware of your words. This is not a little thing in the Kingdom of Heaven. “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Mt. 12:36). Be blessed by speaking a blessing.

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Satan Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.  Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?” …. The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer, “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’ ” So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice: three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.” David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.” So the Lord sent a plague on Israel and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. 1 Chronicles 21:1-3, 8-14

This is a tremendously instructive account found in both in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21. We don’t know the specific context, but something made David vulnerable to the promptings of Satan to have a census taken of all the fighting men of Israel. It would seem prudent to know what your resources were for war but this census was apparently prompted out of pride and a sense that Israel’s safety was in the hands of the military rather than in the hands of God. Something about the heart behind the census was offensive to God and so when the David overruled Joab and the census was taken, the judgment of God was released against Israel. So what lessons can be drawn from the account?

First of all, David knew that it was the Lord who saves not personal or even national power and might. Even as a young man he was convinced that it would be God who would deliver Goliath into his hands not his own strength or prowess. He knew by experience that God could guide a single stone and bring down a giant or a nation. We are told in several places that David was a man after God’s own heart. But here is the lesson. We also know that David could operate out of his flesh at times and not out of God’s Spirit. Bathsheba comes to mind and now the census of fighting men. The truth is that the best of us can be overcome by a moment of stupidity and at times the consequences can be overwhelming – especially for leaders. Joab was not a particularly spiritual man but David’s order was even repulsive to him. God often puts people around us to warn us of bad decisions. Because we know that any of us can be vulnerable at times, we should listen to their objections. If we know we are moving ahead by faith and the direction of the Lord we can ignore the objections but we must check our hearts and our motives when those close to us raise concerns. We may be acting our of selfishness, pride or simply ignorance.

Secondly, Satan will attack people and nations through their leaders. Satan didn’t just hate David but the entire nation because God loved Israel. That is why we must pray for leaders on a national scale and a local scale. We must pray for church leaders, business leaders, and parents who are leading families. Decisions made by leaders can bless or even curse those they lead. Leaders often loose sight of the fact that their decisions will greatly impact not only themselves but those they lead and love. Satan has the ability to blind our judgment. People begin to think that what they choose will only touch them and everyone else will be fine. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people justify divorce and declare that their children will be fine and will understand why they are divorcing their spouse for someone who makes them happier. That rarely if ever happens. David listened to Satan’s promptings and seventy thousand men died leaving many more widows and fatherless children. Leaders must guard themselves and their judgment by having people around them who will tell them the truth.

Thirdly, David made a right choice after having made a wrong choice. He placed himself in the hands of God rather that than in the hands of men. If David had maintained that mindset before, he wouldn’t have felt the need to number the fighting men because when they went to war they would entrust themselves to God no matter what the numbers. When we trust men for outcomes more than God, we will also end up with less than we could have had. My wife and I went to an investment broker one time who assured us that we were giving way too much money to the church by tithing and that we needed to stop that if we were ever to reach our financial goals. If we had taken his advice I’m certain it would have cost us blessings from God that will come through our trusting him more with our finances than a investment counselor.

Toward the end of the story, David was allowed to see into the spiritual realm where he saw an angel with his sword drawn over Jerusalem directing the judgment of God. David cried out to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? O Lord my God, let your hand fall upon me and my family, but do not let this plague remain upon your people” (1 Chr. 21:17).   The fact that David owned up to his sin, took personal responsibility for it, displayed godly sorrow, and showed more concern for the people than himself allowed God to extend mercy and withdraw his judgment. Those are the conditions for mercy in the Kingdom of Heaven. Too many leaders who have sinned never take responsibility for what they have done or find some way to justify or minimize what they have done to deflect their personal responsibility. In that case discipline continues while the penitent leader who is willing to be responsible finds mercy.

As the story continues, the angel of the Lord told the prophet Gad to tell David to offer a sacrifice on behalf of the people. David found a man named Araunah who was threshing wheat and offered to buy the wood he was using for the threshing sled and for the oxen he was using to pull it. Araunah offered to give him whatever he needed for the sacrifice but David responded, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing” (1 Chr. 21:24). David paid the man, offered the sacrifice, and the plague ceased.

Although animal sacrifices are not part of the New Covenant, the concept of sacrifice continues. It is the act of freely giving what you find valuable unto the Lord. Paul tells us that we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices unto the Lord (Rom. 12:1). We are also instructed to offer up a sacrifice of praise continually and that doing good and sharing with others is considered a sacrifice by the Lord (Heb:13:15-16). David established the principle. Our sacrifices of time, service, and even finances are still to be costly. When we give to the Lord it must not come from the leftovers that we care little about or only when it is convenient for that costs us nothing. David was a man who made mistakes but who also got it right in so many ways.   The Father gave us his best so we must give him our best. That is an acceptable sacrifice. Too many of us serve God if we have time after we have done everything we want to do. We give financially as long as our projects are funded first. We do only the things for God that we enjoy and turn down the requests that we don’t find fun or personally fulfilling. In acceptable sacrifice there is always an element of cost and washing feet as Jesus washed the feet of the twelve.

David is a great example of how to live and, at times, how not to live. I’m grateful for the transparency of David and the scriptures. My greatest take away from David is always that men can make huge mistakes but then turn back to God with all their hearts and be counted by God in the end as great men of faith. So often the proof of a man or woman is not whether they avoid mistakes but how they respond after they have totally blown it. Great lessons for us.

I’m continuing to review some of the ideas that were presented at a recent conference I attended in Raleigh-Durham, N.C, on the subject of healing the human soul. Much of the conference related to the science behind the directives that God has given his people for thousands of years. One of the big ideas that is coming out of recent brain research is neuroplasticity. The research now suggests that our brain can grow and be reconfigured throughout life. Up until a few decades ago, the “science” was that our brains and, thus, we ourselves, were fairly fixed by the time we reached elementary school and that we would essentially be that person for the rest of our lives. That notion has now been discarded.

This is a reality that believers always have always known. Scripture has made the possibility of personal transformation a hallmark of our relationship with God. The New Testament tells us that anyone in Christ is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). Paul calls on every believer to no longer conform to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of his or her mind (Rom.12:2). Even the Old Testament records God’s declarations that he would replace our hardened hearts of stone and replace them with new hearts containing the capacity to grow toward God’s will. “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them. I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 11:19).

The basis of all sin is a mind or heart that stands in opposition to the will of God and that has over time conformed to the thinking patterns and attitudes of the world. Let me quote Jim Laffoon on this issue. “The power of sin cannot be broken without the flow of God’s resurrection power and life. If we are to experience the change God desires for us in the face of such opposition we must activate both our conscience and the release of God’s power through our new nature. In Ephesians 4:17-19, Paul describes the internal darkness, ignorance, hardness, and lack of spiritual sensitivity that make the process of transformation so challenging. ‘So I tell you, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer lives as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding are separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity they have given themselves over to sensuality….’

As I mentioned in my last blog, thoughts or experienced that are repeated begin to form neural pathways that become stronger and more resistant to change as they are repeated. We have a phrase that we repeat often in our Free Indeed ministry: Whatever we agree with, we empower. Whatever belief we repeat, act on, speak, imagine, etc. deepens the rut of these neural pathways. At some point, these pathways will be so strong that we will become inflexible in our beliefs and attitudes which scripture calls hardness of heart. These deeply embedded belief systems are called strongholds in 2 Corinthians 10 and they may be such a part of us that we cannot even entertain other perspectives or values. At that point we may cease to be truth seekers because we believe we already have all the truth. That can be true for the religious as well. Our best arguments will not sway that person. At that point, it will take a supernatural intervention by God to blast them out of their mindset. Saul of Tarsus had that kind of mindset as he arrested and organized the stoning of Christ- followers. It took a powerful encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus to generate some plasticity in his thinking that eventually generated a transformed mind and a new identity as the apostle Paul.

As we come to Christ, unless we have been raised and spiritually nurtured in the home of believers, we must weaken, prune, or erase our worldly ways of thinking and develop new neural pathways that will contain the truths of God and the perspectives, values, and even emotions of Christ. The Holy Spirit will empower what we do but will hold us responsible for doing the things through which his power can be applied to our minds as we work to bring every thought captive to Jesus Christ.

Here are some helpful principles.

1. In order for a neural pathway to be pruned or erased, it is not enough to simply stop doing, thinking, or speaking something. We must do and speak something else consistently that establishes a new pathway. The more we reinforce that pathway, the more it becomes our default setting for life. That is where repentance, confession, and becoming doers of the Word come in. We must begin to speak the word of God over our circumstances. Our confession of God’s truth on a regular basis begins to develop the new neural pathway and diminish the old ones.

Meditation, memorization, reading the Word, writing the Word, hearing the Word, and speaking            out loud all accelerate the process and strengthen our new ways of thinking. Unless we do the work of storing up God’s Word in our    hearts, the old pathways will retain their strength and will still be our default  settings under stress. God told Joshua, “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” (Josh. 1:8).  To mediate means to chew on it, process it, discuss it, memorize it, etc. We must do the work to write God’s word on our hearts and to diminish the power of the old man or the old mind in our lives. Continuing to dabble in our old ways will  keep those worldly pathways alive and we will be live as double-minded  believers. Following Jesus has always been all or nothing.

2. We must monitor our environment to see what things in the environment reinforce our old pathways or reinforce our new neural pathways. One of the really interesting new concepts in brain research is the idea of epigenetics. This concept states that our environment affects our genetic makeup and switches on or switches off genetic predispositions that have come down to us through our family line. Again let me quote from the conference. “Through an understanding of epigenetics, we have discovered that the genetic template we inherit from our parents is radically affected in its expression by our life experiences.” That means that genetic predispositions toward addictions, homosexuality, obesity, etc. can be turned off by elements in our physical, social and spiritual environments including our internal environment where the Holy Spirit lives. Positive predispositions toward righteousness, spiritual gifts, mercy, compassion, music, etc. can also be turned on or suppressed by our environments. That is one reason that God warns us about the people we hang out with and where we hang out.Righteousness or unrighteousness can be genetically encoded and passed on to children which explains much about generational sin, curses, and even  generations of righteousness.

3. Another interesting confirmation that has arisen from new research is that our brain has more plasticity in the presence of God. Every act of worship activates the flow of the Spirit within us which apparently has an extraordinary effect on our physical minds. Practicing spiritual disciplines opens us up to the flow of God in our lives which powerfully facilitates even physical changes in our brains. Being in the presence of God also releases the neurochemicals that create a sense of peace, pleasure and well-being which serve to draw us back to God. Research confirms that even raising our hands above our heads (worship) releases these positive chemicals. I believe that speaking in tongues has the same positive effects.

In summary, the God who created us body, soul and spirit has accurately instructed us in the process of spiritual, emotional, and physical transformation by the power of his Spirit. Science is simply confirming the power that God has invested in our choices and in his Word and Spirit. We cannot take shortcuts. Consistent worship, mediation, confession, fasting, and the other spiritual disciplines over time are essential to our growth and change. We must also understand that once a week is not enough. God empowers the process but we must participate. Those who neglect these transformative disciplines will not experience all that God has for them.

Certainly there are moments when God changes us in a second – like the apostle Paul. I know people who have been sovereignly delivered by God from addictions and emotional brokenness but the continuing transformation of their souls and character has been a process. If we partner with God, he will change us even in the deepest recesses of our heart and mind. Science once again is finally catching up with the Bible.

Our spiritual life is governed by our view of God. It is important that we have an accurate view of his heart and his character. Isaiah is a fascinating book filled with prophetic declarations and insights into the heart of God. As you read through it you find a rhythm of withering judgments coming against wickedness alternating with prophecies full of hope and God’s kindness for the future.

In Isaiah 30, we find a prophetic warning issued to a rebellious Israel. You find phrases such as “’Woe to the obstinate children,’ declares the Lord, ‘to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; … these are rebellious people, deceitful children,, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction’” (Isa.30:1, 9). Isaiah paints a picture of a nation that was redeemed by God, brought out of slavery into a rich land and into a singular covenant with the God of Creation. This nation that was loved and redeemed had totally broken faith with their God, had ignored his prophets, and had made alliances with nations that served demons. Severe judgments were in the pipeline and headed their way – judgments by sword, plague, and famine. Isaiah and other prophets had warned them and yet they were ignored. This had gone on for decades. The holy wrath of God had been aroused and the God of Israel had made his case as to why his wrath was not only just but necessary.

Yet, in the middle of all that, we find the heart of God. Isaiah says, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. (Isa. 30:18). The idea that God longs to be gracious, yearns to forgive, and deeply desires to restore his relationship with his people is the opposite view of God that many hold.

Even many believers see God as angry, vengeful and just waiting to pull the rug out from under them. They see him as the angry, abusive Father that is quick to hand out punishment and who must be begged in order to receive a blessing. When we hold that view of God, we cannot pray with faith that always anticipates good gifts. We cannot draw near because we believe that being near to God is an unsafe place. We cannot believe his promises because we think he will search to find something against us so that he can withhold his blessings.

Yet, that is not God’s heart even toward the wicked. ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel” (Jer.33:11)? Those verses and many more like them were written under the Old Covenant. How much more is this true under a covenant established by the blood of Christ?

This seems so simple but apparently it isn’t. I continue to see men and women who have been Christians for decades still doubt the love of God and the goodness of God for them. They still assign the most hurtful moments of their lives to some act that God perpetrated against them as if child abuse, rape, the death of an infant, or a car wreck that took five family members were all moments that God orchestrated without any thought to the devastation that loss or trauma would visit on them for a lifetime.   We often shroud such sentiments in the cover of mystery. We say that we will only understand why God did such a thing when we get to heaven.

Many of us still have an inaccurate understanding of the sovereignty of God. We believe that because he is sovereign everything that happens in this world was his will and was caused by him. It is clear from scripture, that in his sovereignty he determined to limit the control he would exercise over this planet. He gave us free will and in doing so he took his hands off the steering wheel and put us in the drivers seat. His desire is for us to stay on the road and to drive safely and sensibly. But we can choose to ignore his urgings and drive recklessly. We can, by our own choices, end up in the ditch or injure others by our reckless driving. We can all be guilty of driving under the influence of sin. Not only that but once God handed the planet over to Adam and Eve to rule, their sin and rebellion released a curse on the world they ruled. That curse introduced death, disease, birth defects, war, addictions, etc. that create the pain we so often must endure. God is there to walk us through the pain but to eliminate the pain is this world would require the removal of our free will.

One of Christ’s primary purposes for his visitation of planet earth was to show us an accurate picture of the Father. John recorded a conversation between Jesus and Philip who had just asked Jesus to give him and the other apostles a revelation of the Father. “Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me’” (Jn.14:9-11).

When we look at Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we cannot imagine him taking a child from a single mother by killing the child. What we do see is him giving a child back to a single mother by raising that child from the dead. We can’t imagine him laying hands on someone and imparting advanced leprosy to a mother or a father of three small children. What we do see is him healing lepers and giving them back to their families. We can’t imagine him calling down fire from heaven to obliterate a rebellious village. What we do see is Jesus rebuking James and John for volunteering to call down fire on a Samaritan village for their unbelief.

In essence, Jesus told Philip that whatever he had seen Jesus doing for poor, hurting, broken, rejected, and demon-possessed people was exactly what the Father himself willed to do for them. However Jesus responded to prostitutes, crooked tax collectors, grieving widows, or thieves was exactly how the Father responded to them as well. Jesus simply put flesh and blood on the desires of the Father. Many of us need to receive that revelation as well as Philip. When we see Jesus as being one way and the Father being another, we have a schizophrenic view of the Godhead that we are trying to serve. How confusing can that be?

As you read through the Old Testament and see the judgments of God being released, you need to remember that those judgments were never God’s first choice. His heart was always for men to repent and live. His heart always longed to be gracious even to those who had been walking in wickedness and rebellion. Now that the holy wrath of God has been satisfied by the cross, we can certainly rest assured that the Father’s heart for each of us is always to redeem, to forgive, to bless, and to be gracious….even if we have been on a prodigal’s journey.

When we pray we need to have our minds fixed on the goodness of God and his desire to bless his children. That accurate view of God gives us faith for the answers to our prayers. The Godhead is not debating over whether to love us or be angry with us but is in total agreement that we are loved and that blessing and eternal redemption is the motive behind every response to our prayers. I freely admit that there are mysteries as to why some of our prayers seem to go unanswered. But it helps me to live with the mystery if I know God’s heart for me is the heart of a loving father who always wants the best for his son or daughter. If you still see God as the angry Father keeping score and eager to punish your every mistake, live in Christ will have no joy and little faith. Reconsider God. Ask the Spirit to give you a full revelation of the Father knowing that you can see him perfectly in Jesus. It will make all the difference.