Chapter 9, Part 5

If you want to see the power of God at work in your life begin to pray for others. Intercession is prayer on behalf of another. We need intercessory prayer for this people. Do you love this people enough to pray for them. We do not need any more marches and other public displays for the enrichment of those staging them. We need leaders who are willing to go before God and plead for this people, just as Moses went before God and pleaded for his people. That is the true nature of prayer. Because this is a hidden calling it removes false love and pride, but it brings forth great fruit. Because it is not inclined to pride and boasting, it touches Gods own heart. The Word speaks of Job, and how it was not until he prayed for his friends that his blessings came. The LORD restored Job’s losses two-fold when he got out of himself and sought the well-being of others.[1] Get out of yourselves and pray for these young people. Pray that the LORD God will have mercy on us and return us to His holiness.

When you do pray deeply you must be ready for the silence. God always answers prayer. It is just not always how or when we would like, but He always answers. God answers my prayers in three ways: yes, no, and wait. The hardest one for me is wait. It is at wait that the true saints continue to pray more fervently while the “so-called” saints bring out their own plans. Do you not know that there is growth in wait, wait fosters a closer connection to God. Remember when you first met your spouse or best friend. There was always conversation. We could not stand the uncomfortable silence. Then you reach a level of comfort where that uncomfortable silence became comfortable. No one has to speak constantly and there is no discomfort or awkwardness. In some rare instances, there is a connection that does not require speaking on many issues at all, you just know. There is peace, an understanding that was not there before. No one has to say anything you just know. God so wants that level of comfort with us. If you are truly in His will you will not have to keep asking, you just know.

Prayer is for the developing of our relationship with God just like everything else we are called to do. Prayer begins as our feeble attempt to reach out to God through our will and desires. It usually begins with a lists of needs to be filled like a prescription at a pharmacy. It usually begins with me doing most if not all of the talking and little if any listening. It often begins as something we do infrequently and for short periods. For many of us, it is from a fear of not doing it right. If your heart is pure and your goal is the seeking of God, there is no wrong way to pray. If you are faithful in your heart, God will lead you into the type of prayer that He seeks. For many though, due to their hardness of heart they refuse to heed the leading of God. They know better than God how to pray.

Mature prayer changes from my laundry list of needs to a changing of my will. Instead of me praying a few minutes in the morning or before bed like a child we pray as though it were the breath of life. We will always be in prayer in some form. For some the need for speaking at all will disappear. They will develop such a closeness to God that the level of communication changes. They will present themselves boldly before the throne and utter not a word. The Spirit will pray for them. The apostle Paul spoke about how the Spirit prays for us because we do not know what to pray. The Spirit makes intercession for us to the Father.[2] The Christ spoke of God being a spirit and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth.[3]

Those praying to God for solutions will not last long in prayer. That is not the purpose of prayer, it is to bring a oneness with the Father and in that oneness are all the answers to all the questions. Are we seeking God in our prayers or are we seeking a rubber stamp on our own plans and agendas? How do we respond when God does not respond to our prayers as we believe He should? Prayer is never a destination we arrive at, it is a lifelong journey. As our journey continues our prayer life should exhibit changes. It should grow and mature as we grow and mature. We should not spend time with God because we have to, but because we want to.

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[1] Job 42:10

[2] Romans 8:26

[3] John 4:24

Chapter 9, Part 2

One of two things has to be taking place. Either we do not believe that God has the power to prevent us from sinning or we believe it and either do not care or will not allow that power to work in our lives. In order for this power to work we have to allow it to work in our lives, allow being the optimum word. We must cooperate with the Spirit to not only stop us from fornicating but every other sin that we are caught up in. If we know that God has that power but refuse to allow it to work, then we will face the ultimate judgment of God. When we begin this relationship with God, we are given the Holy Spirit through baptism. God interacts with us through His Spirit. This is why Christ said there is one sin that God will not forgive, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.[1] If there is no Holy Spirit, there is no God.

The beginning of our turning away from the world and our sinfulness is turning towards God. Christ spoke of us having a personal relationship with the Father through Him.[2] That as the Father and the Son are one, so we are one with them. It does not say that they are the same person; it says that they and we are one. Christ told us how God even has the very hairs of our head numbered, sounds as though God already has a very personal knowledge of us.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

Christ beckons us to Him so that we may find rest from the troubles of this world. He calls us to fellowship with Him and the Father. In order to halt this epidemic of fornication and lawlessness we must have this relationship. None of the man-made solutions; conferences, and wisdom will stop it. Man’s solution is to hand out condoms and birth control pills, which is basically admitting defeat to the enemy. We refuse to use the power that God has so richly given us. We surrender to the worldly wisdom of psychiatrist and social workers, looking to the world to solve the problem of sin. Sin is disobedience to God; period. It is not like just saying no, it is in our very nature. There is no man-made solution for changing our nature. Man reforms, but only God can transform.[3] Man’s reformation is temporary; we reform to accomplish some selfish goal. To get a spouse back, to get out of jail, or to be healed from some dreaded disease. On the other hand, God’s transformation is eternal. When God begins to do a good work, He will not stop until it is completed.[4]

What is a relationship? A relationship is the connection between people. That relationship can be by blood, love, or friendship. Blood relationships, we cannot do anything about. We do not choose our families. Love and friends though, we decide.

How do I develop a relationship? The closest thing we have to the relationship with God in the material world is the relationship we have with our loved ones. Let us use the relationship we have developed with our spouses as an example of how to build a relationship. When you first saw your spouse or loved one what did you do. For most of us we began by talking to them. We then chose to spend time with them. Followed by us allowing them to get to know us, and our getting to know them.

Well in a very similar way, that is how we begin a relationship with the Father. We begin by talking to God or communing with God. I say communing because in truth you do not even have to speak to God. God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.[5] I go into this more in the prayer section. God is not impressed by our words, our eloquence of speech no matter how spiritual they may be. God is interested in our hearts. The true test of a deep relationship with God is not in word, but in deed. How often has someone told us they loved us only to disappoint us in their behavior later? We can make our mouths say anything. We want to be judged by our words and not by our actions. In our relationship with God, our words are meaningless. You cannot build a long-term relationship based on lies.

We should begin as a people to spend more time with the Father in true fellowship. We sometimes rely on those fleshly emotional outbursts as proof of our fellowship with God, but I would venture that in deep fellowship with God there are times of silence. We should look more for that type of worship and less to the type that excites our flesh. God is not swayed by our emotionalism; He is moved by our quiet obedience. The enemy has done a good job of distracting us with all the activities of this modern life. It is not the earthly pleasures that the enemy uses alone, he also uses our “churchly” activities. The harvest of the world is God’s, not ours. We pray to the God of the harvest.[6] The enemy in his cunningness has convinced many Christians that their many activities are needed for God to accomplish His mission. When in fact what God is seeking are people who will spend time in His presence bringing the concerns of others before Him. The work of man is for man. The work we are given is to give our lives meaning and to prepare us for our time with the Father. The work is designed to develop character and characteristics that we will need in His kingdom. We spend time with those we want to build a relationship with. Check your schedule. What you spend time doing is what you love, whether that be a person, place, or thing.

As you spend time with the Father you will begin to learn the true character of the Father. He will reveal Himself to you in ways you did not think possible. His Word says He will answer us and show us great and mighty things that we do not know.[7] If you want the Father to reveal Himself to you spend time with Him as His son did. Christ spent time with the Father alone and often. He remained in constant contact and dependence with the Father. Who knew the Father better than the Son and vice versa? In order for someone to get to know us we must be willing to open up and share ourselves with them. In addition, we must be willing to listen to them. When we meet our loved ones we could not do all the talking, we had to listen as well. Are you listening to the Father? In order to listen we must learn to quiet our minds and all the distractions of this world. The Father speaks in a still small voice.[8] He will not scream over the noise of this world. You should be willing to listen and seek Him diligently. The problem with many is that they require an instantaneous sense of gratification. The modern Christian knows little of discomfort, always looking for some sensory pleasure.

We love the noise, but not the silence. We enjoy the sensory pleasure of the music and the choir, but not the quiet of waiting patiently before Him. This true relationship is one, which can endure the silence with peace. The Word says be anxious for nothing.[9] Always, as much as you can be, be at peace within yourself. He who knows the Father knows peace, because the Father gives peace to those whose thoughts are on Him.[10]

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[1] Matthew 12:32

[2] John 17:21

[3] Romans 12:2

[4] Philippians 1:6

[5] John

[6] Matthew 9:38

[7] Jeremiah 33:3

[8] Samuel

[9] 1 Corinthians

[10] Isaiah

Chapter 9, Part 1 How Do We Break The Cycle?

How Do We Break The Cycle?

So how do we as a people begin the process of reversing this epidemic that has caused so much destruction and devastation in our communities? Can we stop what seems to be an insurmountable problem? Do we want to stop it? We in and of ourselves can not stem the tide of this epidemic, it will only be arrested by the supernatural power of God.

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds
on the things of the flesh, but those who live according
to the spirit, the things of the spirit.”
Romans 8:5

We who have been living after the flesh, how shall we now live in the spirit? We can not, without the power of the Spirit of God born in us through the death of our old nature or old man. It is this power of the redemptive work of Christ that frees us from the death sentence that we deserve. So what shall we do? We can begin to incorporate a few principals in our lives that can lead to change. A change that will not only benefit us, but more importantly our children. I pray that you will consider these principles with an open mind and begin to instruct others in their application. They are all spiritually based and come directly from the Word of God. I hope that they will help our people and our nation to turn back from the edge of the abyss that we seem intent on going over. If we want to live after the spirit there is work we need to be doing. Here are ten principals to developing a more spiritual way of life and hopefully a closer relationship with God.

1) Relationship with Christ

2) Prayer Life

3) Confession of Sin

4) Repent of Sin

5) The Word of God

6) Live in the Spirit

7) Change Thoughts

8) Resist Temptation

9) Fellowship with Believers

10) Marriage

I believe that if we as a people began to use these ten principals, we will not only stop this epidemic of fornication, but also the lawlessness that now permeates our communities. The time for doing nothing has passed for too long we have turned our backs pretending this was not a problem or a problem others had to fix. I once read somewhere, “How can one man lynch another man?” He cannot without the silence of other “so-called” good men. We can no longer be silent to this destruction. Our children’s very lives are at stake. Let us put aside our petty differences and come together with one voice to cry out against this tragedy.

Relationship With Christ
“But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in
that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8

Every time I read or say this verse my heart is overwhelmed with gratitude and conviction. When I could care less about God, when we were in the midst of our fornication, drug/alcohol abusing, adultery, lying, cheating, stealing, coveting, envying, murdering, and any of our other sinfulness, Jesus Christ died for us. This is the essence and beginning of our new relationship with the living God. We love Him because He first loved us.[1] All that we read, hear, and know about God is designed for one purpose. That purpose is to develop a relationship with God. Our purpose on this earth was and continues to be to fellowship with God. Did God need man to help the earth produce fruit? I think not, God wanted a species that He could commune with. It is no accident that we are the only species that aspires to know God. If evolution is true then show me the link between humans and the other animals. There should be some species that connects us to the rest of the animal world. As much as they try, the best they can come up with is the primates and they are a giant leap from man. Conveniently, of course there is not one, it has vanished.

Why is our relationship with God so important? The scriptures reveal that it is this relationship with God that gives us the power we need to overcome our sinful natures.[2] When Adam sinned, he not only broke his fellowship with God, but ours as well. We are born into sin and only God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ can overcome that sin nature. We can never do it ourselves. If we could there would be no need for the ultimate sacrifice. How many times do we tell ourselves we are not going to continue in a particular sin only to find ourselves doing it again. And it seems that the harder we try to stop doing it by our own power the more we do it. The apostle Paul says, “That what I want to do I cannot do and what I do not want to do that is what I do.”[3] Our Lord understood this by His being fully human and suffering temptation. Through His own temptation He is our supporter before God, the Father. That is why He said that the Father would send a Helper with power. If God has the power to raise the dead, does He also have the power to keep us from stealing, lying, and fornicating? Of course He does. So if He has the power why do we continue to live in this sinful state?

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[1] 1 John 4:19

[2] Luke 24:49

[3] Romans 7:19

Chapter 8 Part 4

The whole basis of our spirituality is not theological, but relational. The key not only to our eternal, but carnal lives is our relationship with our God, through our risen Savior, Christ. Our Lord said, “At that day you will know that I am in the Father and you in Me and I in you.”[1] He goes on to say, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”[2][3] Many churches in an effort to keep or attract new members are preaching what I call the “easy gospel”. What is the “easy gospel”? It is any gospel that does not include the need for followers of Christ Jesus to obey the laws of the Kingdom of God. Grace can never be preached excluding the obedience that it must produce. Our Lord preached many times that those who loved Him would obey Him.[4] Where is the obedience today? Today it is for many all sizzle and no steak. We want to sing and dance and get the emotional high without the true life change. We want to still be able to fornicate, go to the casino, and cheat in business and still proclaim to be good Christian folk. The “easy gospel” allows that. The “easy gospel” preacher does not care about the final destination of the flock only that the flock follows him. Our Lord spoke of the “hireling” who when confronted by the wolf leaves the sheep to fend for themselves, because he really does not care about the sheep.[5] Only He is the good shepherd, because He died for the sheep. Do not be fooled by this “easy gospel” it is not of the Lord. It is not Biblically based; it is some watered down version of someone’s imagination. We can wax poetically all day about the merits and morals of this doctrine or that one, but in the final analysis, it will be our obedience to the Lord that will determine our fate.

If you have departed from the way it is not to late to come back to the truth, to preach the true gospel of our Father’s Kingdom. The gospel that Jesus Christ and His disciples preached. Each of us is responsible for the doctrine that we teach, if the doctrine you are teaching is not based on the Rock of the Word you might want to reconsider teaching it. Ignorance will not be an excuse with God. He will still hold you accountable. Many preach about a Christ who only wants worship and adoration with no consequences for sinful behavior. He does not punish sin and certainly does not have any commandments. If this is the Christ, you worship or preach, you are following a false Christ. I pray that you begin to start a real relationship with the true Christ in the scriptures. Not some make believe Christ from someone’s imagination.

“If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good
minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith
and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.”
1 Timothy 4:6

We who love the Church should begin to bring back the true doctrines of Christ and preach them no matter what the cost. That begins with one temple, one soul at a time. We should once again preach honor of the temple of the Holy Spirit. To no longer defile the temple with fleshly desires. To keep the temple pure and not follow after the world. For the world leads the way to destruction and death, but true gospel leads to life. Let us seek after life, for this is the will of God for all of us. Do not be misled by this “easy gospel” that lulls many into a false sense of hope. Christ never said the path would be easy, on the contrary He warned of its difficulty. He likened it to carrying a cross daily.[6] How anyone can take this saying and conclude that following Christ is easy, is beyond my comprehension. We struggle daily against the ruler of this world and against our own flesh. Also, we have it hard because we live in a country where you turn on the television and see all of this “stuff” and all these “celebrities” telling you to buy this thing or that thing. They induce the covetousness that leads many to sin. If this indeed were God’s country would be setting so many stumbling blocks in front of our brothers? It is amazing how we are care so much about the unborn and so little about the children that are born. We love the unborn until they are born.

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[1] John 14:20

[2] John 14:21

[3] Galatians 1:7

[4] John 14:15

[5] John 10:12,13

[6] Luke 9:23