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August 18, 2013

Pray BIG Prayers

We too often ask small-ly and only see small-ly. Heavenly Father wants us to ask for the BIG – prayers calling for His magnificent manifestation, prayers with answers that show forth His glory.

During our June visit to Tanzania, our team enjoyed the privilege of seeing many animals within the Ngorongoro Crater. Standing on the ridge, looking down into this vast volcanic caldera, is awe inspiring. The trees and animals appear little more than dot-sized. What a perspective! Is that God’s perspective of some of my prayers? I ask too little, believing for small things, when He desires BIG prayers – prayers that release His awakening, revival, and renewal.

Almost a century ago, E.M. Bounds pointed out the potential available, “[Prayer] lays its hand on Almighty God and moves Him to do what He would not otherwise do if prayer was not offered . . . Prayer is a wonderful power placed by Almighty God in the hands of His saints, which may be used to accomplish great purposes and to achieve unusual results.” (The Possibilities of Prayer, p. 29)

Are you tapping into to God’s power? You don’t have to be a preacher to experience supernaturally mighty results. God’s Word clearly states that “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16b NLT) Did you notice the choice of words “righteous person”? Not famous pastor or full-time-salaried minister – No! Are you a person ready to let your prayers be characterized by fervency and zeal?

Immediately after that bold proclamation, James lifts up the prophet Elijah as an example of prayer that gets results. “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.” (James 5:17-18 NLT) Elijah’s qualifications to pray seem pretty minimal. Human as we are. Not a robot, not an animal, just plain human. I am a human. You are a human.

Where are today’s Elijahs, interceding for God’s glory? Are you expecting the incredible supernatural intervention of God? I am inspired today to call out to the Lord. It’s time for all of us to pray BIG prayers!

“Whenever God determines to do a great work, he first sets his people to pray.” C.H. Spurgeon

  • This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14-15 NIV)
  • “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:22-24 NIV)
  • But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. (James 1:6-7 NIV)

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No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying . . . We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere. (Leonard Ravenhill, Why Revival Tarries, Bethany, 1959, p. 23-25)

April 28, 2013

Tithing still has a place in God’s Kingdom

Despite what you may have been told, tithing is mentioned in the New Testament. Yes, the New Testament standard for giving exceeds the legalistic limit of ten percent, but I think tithing is a place to start your life of generosity.

Jesus didn’t call for an end to tithing, but He did raise the bar. His followers cannot just check the tithing box and then go off and do whatever they want with the rest. Truly, God holds us responsible for all our income. Jesus challenged:

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. (Matthew 23:23 NLT)

In a recent magazine interview, Pastor Jeff Manion references Jesus’ call for justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23) as “relational generosity”. I was intrigued by his comments:

A person can be a financial tither but not be gracious in spirit. A generous spirit is cultivated by acting magnanimously; allowing small, insignificant insults to evaporate rapidly; forgiving faster; being gracious with individuals, whether it’s the person in the checkout line or someone taking too much of our time. That generous spirit is called relational generosity—financial generosity is a subset of that. A person who is staggering financially can grow in multiple areas of generosity, knowing that the financial area will flow out of the others. (“Developing a Culture of Contentment”, Leadership Journal, Spring 2013, p. 26)

Do you have a generous spirit?

Patti preached a great sermon “Tithe Consistently” this morning at Valley Fellowship as we finished the God Owns ALL series. You can hear the message online when you visit the media button at www.valleyfellowship.com. Below are some of the highlights.

Tithing (giving the first 10% of income to God) demonstrated the core of the Mosaic law – love for God and love for your neighbor (Lev. 19:18; Deut. 6:4–9; 26:10–15).

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40 NIV)

1. Tithing consistently helps me put God first. When God is first, He’ll take care of everything else. 

  • “The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives.” (Deuteronomy 14:23 LIVING)
  • “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33 NIV)

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2. Tithing consistently helps me learn contentment.

  • “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:12 NIV)
  • “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.” (1 Timothy 6:5-6 NLT)

3. Tithing consistently increases my faith in God. Some think of tithing as a duty, but really tithing is an act of faith.

4. Tithing consistently releases God’s blessings into my life.

  • “No good thing will the LORD withhold from those who do what is right.” (Psalms 84:11 NLT)
  • “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:10-11 NASB)
March 17, 2013

You Will Win!

Early this morning as I seeking the Lord, I felt strongly impressed to declare, “You will win!” I pray you will receive this message from the Father’s heart for you today. Please, grab hold of His strength. You will win.

You were born to be a winner. You haven’t been set you up for defeat; God has set you up for success. He prepared in advance for your victory. He wants you to triumph every time! God won’t abandon you. Don’t settle for defeat; God is not finished yet. Defeat is not God’s option for you. You will win.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

The obstacle in front of you has NOT taken God by surprise. God is NOT nervously pondering what might happen next. God is NOT looking at the problem ahead of you and concerned about whether or not He has the power to do something. God is NOT scratching His head wondering, “That’s a surprise! What I am going to do to work this one out?” God is NOT wringing His hands worrying, “What is the devil going to do now?”

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”  (Romans 8:28 NLT)

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“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37 NIV)

Through the cross, provision is offered for you to be more than a conqueror in every situation in your life. The enemy cannot win because the Victor lives in you. Jesus Christ paid the price for your freedom.  He gives you a share in His victory that has already been achieved. Tap into His strength. It is time for you walk confidently. Success is ahead for you. God desires that you accomplish what you set your hand to do. You will overcome through Christ. You will win.

“For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” (1 John 5:4 NLT)

Go forward in faith. Your faith in God enables you to bear hardship, to exercise self-discipline, to hurdle every stumbling block, and to persevere to the end. You cannot lose. You will overcome every snag, every struggle, every stumbling block. Victory is yours! You will overcome in His strength. Listen to God’s message, “You will win!”

January 21, 2013

4 Means to Master Abnormal Fear

In honor of the man who inspired today’s national holiday, I looked up some of Martin Luther King Jr’s famous sermons. I was particularly intrigued by one which uses 1 John 4:18 as the petal point for the message. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18 NIV)

The points below are condensed from Martin Luther King Jr’s sermon titled “Antidotes for Fear”. You can read the entire typed sermon at http://www.thekingcenter.org/archive/document/antidotes-fear#.

How to Master Abnormal Fear:

#1 Honesty:  “We must unflinchingly face our fears and honestly ask ourselves why we are afraid.” (p.3)

#2 Courage:  “Build dykes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.” (p. 6)

#3 Love:  “Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear; only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it.” (p. 8)

#4 Faith: “Faith in God provides the inner equilibrium needed to face strains, burdens, and fears that inevitably come.” (p. 13)

King concludes his address with an excellent utilization of epiphonema (using a striking or instructive summary comment to end a discourse): “Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. There was no one there.” (p. 13)

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