Well-pleased with insults

Posted by Admin on Jun 26, 2016 in Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on Well-pleased with insults

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

I like to enter into discussions on various topics—including cultural issues—on Facebook, and use it as an opportunity to share a biblical perspective.

Be on the alert

Posted by Admin on Jun 12, 2016 in Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on Be on the alert

I wanted to share on my blog something I posted today on my Facebook page concerning the horrible mass shooting early this morning at the Orlando, FL nightclub:

Each one of my friends here on FB is an individual, interesting, and very unique person in the way you think, believe, live, and approach—or don’t approach—God. I respect each one of you and am glad to be linked up with you in whatever capacity we can connect despite our differences in thinking, believing, living, and approaching—or not approaching—God.

That said, I want to share with whoever reads this something that gripped me this past Thursday afternoon. I had just worked at my church’s vacation Bible school (called JUMP) and was walking along the huge strip mall in Chesterfield Valley, thinking nothing in particular except perhaps how I had just blocked a bevy of 8^th graders from jumping line ahead of some 7^th graders at the inflatable Bouncy House maze. Of course, after 22 years of teaching 8^th grade, I felt right at home bossing around the big guys and gals with a smile on my face.

So there I was, minding my own business when I sensed the Lord command me, “Be on the alert!” I looked around, saw nothing out of the ordinary, and went into quiet prayer/probe mode—my habit when it seems as if the Lord wants to give me specific direction. After a short time I knew He wasn’t indicating any immediate danger; He was letting me know that real trouble was brewing for the near future in various places and was about to spill over. I was not to allow my spirit to cruise on “sleep mode”; He was requiring me to enter a more alert, focused, “antenna up” prayer mode.

I remembered this when I heard of the Orlando nightclub attack this morning. My gut feeling is this: Many places—whether gay bars, churches, synagogues, shopping areas, sports venues, concerts—whatever—are being scoped for targeting. I’m certain that is what I was sensing from God.

What do we do? If you, like me, are a believer, don’t allow yourself to go into “sleep mode” spiritually. Let the Holy Spirit lead you—or restrain you—as you go about your daily life. Might He direct you to cancel fun plans? Yes, if He knows something up the road could place you in danger. Is it possible that He would lead you to pray for someone or something for which you have no affinity? Yes. Perhaps you are the one He will prompt to pray—and another gruesome attack just might get thwarted. Be yourself, live your life, but keep your spirit primed and ready to hear from God so you can pray or change direction at a moment’s notice.

If you don’t view yourself as a Christian—whether you’re not entirely sure about God or you’re fairly convinced He doesn’t exist; whether you hope He’s real or just don’t want to be bothered, do this for me, anyway—as a friend. If you ever get a “funny feeling” about something—perhaps an event or a place, a setting or a person—and you feel sort of uneasy, then back off. Change plans. If you must continue on that pre-arranged path, at least be on the alert. I want you to live out your life and do your thing as only you can do it.

As you probably suspect, I’m praying for you. I believe that no matter who you are, what your worldview may be, or where your life has taken you, you are loved by God, He sent Jesus specifically for you, and He has a plan for your life. For that full plan to take place, you’ve got to be alive—hence, this warning:

Be on the alert.

Dorothy

In the face of disaster

Posted by Admin on May 13, 2016 in Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on In the face of disaster

…Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to seize them. 1 Samuel 23:26b

It didn’t look good; in fact, it was going from bad to worse. David, through no fault of his own, had riled the head of the government. He was being targeted for termination. The reason? Jealousy, pure and simple.

David had gotten some “breaks”; he’d made a lucky shot that brought down a giant; and now the entire nation was drawing to him. David’s new “privileged” status infuriated the king. David must die. Soon.

Several attempts to snare the man hadn’t succeeded. Even the king’s own son favored David and gave him a head’s up on the king’s latest scheme to do him in. David packed his bag and went into hiding, from wilderness to wilderness.

While bugging out in the hills of Ziph, the inhabitants ratted him out to the king. He escaped to the wilderness of Maon; the king found out; and soon David and his men were surrounded by government assassins. It didn’t look good.

In the middle of this mess, David turned to God. Psalm 54 was conceived in that tight place.

“Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your power. Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen against me and violent men have sought my life; they have not set God before them” (verses 1-3).

David went to the Source; he didn’t embellish his need; he stated his case plainly.

“Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul. He will recompense the evil to my foes; destroy them [silence them] in Your faithfulness” (verses 4-5).

Instead of withering in fear, David proclaimed the Lord as his helper and sustainer. Instead of obsessing over the evil done against him, he looked in faith to the One who would silence those who were seeking to silence him.

“Willingly I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good. For He has delivered me from all trouble, and my eye has looked with satisfaction upon my enemies” (verses 6-7).

David, surrounded by those who sought his death, stood firm on the unseen Bedrock he had grown to trust. In the face of certain doom, David proclaimed that his hope and future was in God: I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord.

He defiantly declared his end before it happened. He has delivered me from all trouble, and my eye has looked with satisfaction upon my enemies. He chose to see salvation rather than defeat. I believe he would have uttered those words with his last breath, if need be.

First Samuel 24:26 sets the scene for this Psalm: …Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to seize them.

And then, a seemingly unconnected interruption: But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid on the land.” So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of Escape (verses 27-28).

David was delivered—not by a mighty sign or wonder; not by the power of his own bow or sling; not even by a spirit of confusion sent upon his enemies—David was delivered by a distraction!

• The king sought to kill David
• David hid
• David was ratted out
• David was surrounded
• David prayed
• David was delivered.

Whatever you are facing, remember that nothing—not jealousy, nor hatred, nor even governmental might—can squelch or defeat the one who fixes his faith on the living God.

Dorothy

This is the victory that has overcome the world: even our faith. 1 John 5:4b

Skim away the dross

Posted by Admin on Apr 27, 2016 in Everyday Observations, Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on Skim away the dross

Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the smith. Proverbs 25:4

I was reading Proverbs 25 recently and paused on verse 4: “Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the smith.” I asked the Lord to remove any dross that might be present in my life…and then I got nervous for a couple of reasons.

First, dross is made up of impurities —non-silver particles that mar the value of silver. In my life, dross is anything I’m involved with or putting up with that’s not pleasing to the Lord—and I realized that I may have more dross tucked away than I bargained for! Was I really prepared for all the minor—and major—overhauls this dross-removal prayer may have initiated?

Second, the way in which those impurities are removed from silver is to super-heat the metal until it is molten hot. Only then can the dross be skimmed off the top.  Did I really want to undergo the fiery crucible indicated by this verse to remove soulish impurities from my life?

I read further in the Proverb as I pondered this, and I noticed several instructions and warnings. And it dawned on me—many of these were dross-removing instructions! If I followed them, the dross would skim right off. And as for the warnings—they were perfect dross-identifiers. I didn’t need to undergo fiery trials to remove the dross from my life—I merely needed to heed the Word.

I found the warnings—dross-identifiers—extremely helpful and eye-opening. Here are some:

Do not reveal the secret of another (vs. 9). Don’t open the door to trouble by telling someone’s secret to others. If you are a secret-blabber, you need to get busy with dross-skimming.

Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely (vs. 14). If you try to build yourself up in the eyes of others by stretching the truth about your gifts, talents, abilities, or accomplishments, you have some dross to get rid of.

Like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor (vs. 18). If you lie about someone…or stretch the truth to make them look worse than they are, you’ve got dross. You can’t be a pure vessel until it’s dealt with. This means you need to repent of it and ask for forgiveness from God. In turn, He will likely tell you to apologize to the one you lied to AND the one you lied about.

Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble (vs. 19). Follow through with your commitments to others…including those who have no ability to enhance your resume. When you are untrustworthy or unfaithful to your word, you have some undealt with dross marring the purity of your integrity.

Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda is he who sings songs to a troubled heart (vs. 20). As well-intended as your cheery songs may be, someone who is going through difficulties may view your upbeat treatment as a curse rather than a blessing. “Well, I just don’t want them to go around in the dumps,” you may say; but if you’re not sensitive to the Holy Spirit in the situation, you may find that your “ministry” is more self-serving than it is other-serving. If others tend to wince at your upbeat input when they are going through troubles, make sure that what you’re offering isn’t just a bit of dross you’ve pulled out as a bandage so you don’t have to deal more directly with their pain. This isn’t an easy impurity to identify in ourselves, but it’s certainly a hindrance to Christ-directed ministry.

Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked (vs. 26). One type of impurity comes in the form of the fear of man. When you and I give way before the wicked—when we recognize wicked actions or attitudes overtaking boundaries set by God and do or say nothing about it—we have become like a trampled spring and a polluted well. How can we offer the pure water of life when we yield to the standards of wickedness set up to bring those we want to help into bondage? Are we willing to take a stand when it is unpopular to do so? Lord, help us.

It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory (vs. 27). When you search out your own glory, you tend to turn conversations back to yourself, your accomplishments, your blessings, and how God’s used you. Another verse takes it further: Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips (Proverbs 27:2). If you find yourself turning every get together into a showcase of how great (wise, spiritual, insightful, gifted, giving, ad nauseam) you are, chances are good that you’ve got some dross-skimming to do.

Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his own spirit (vs. 28). We all get annoyed at times. We all feel disappointed every now and then. Many of us have gone through a season or two in our lives when nothing goes right and storm clouds seem to hang over our souls. But if we lose utter control in the face of these things, we become like a city without protective walls. The good news is this: Even our own bad responses to trials can be treated as dross to be skimmed off and thrown away. Here’s how: Through all the messes, aggravations, disappointments, rejections and dashed dreams, you know there is an anchor. You know there is a Rock. You know there is a tower to which you can run and be safe. And knowing this—focusing on this—will bring stability to you when annoyances, disappointments, rejection, loss, or dashed dreams loom large. When your life seems to be going nowhere fast—or utterly falling apart—and you feel like you’re about to lose control, prepare to skim that dross by just saying to God, “I have no idea how You’ll fix this, but I know You are my anchor and my rock. I choose to run to You instead of losing control of my behavior or my mind right now. In You I find safety, relief, and comfort.” As you fix your attention on His ability and loving care, stability will start guarding your heart and will direct you in the way of peace.

The take away is clear: You don’t have to go through a gut-wrenching trial to remove the dross from the silver. All that’s required is for you to allow God to teach you from His Word, granting Him permission to meddle in your life, attitudes, and behaviors. He’ll show you the dross if you’re willing to see it, and He’ll lead you in the simplicity of skimming it off, once and for all.

If you wait for the fiery trials of life before you deal with issues, you are not only short-changing your growth, but you are also a fiery trial waiting to happen! Skim the impurities away now—as you become aware of them—and you will find you’ve become a vessel for the smith!

Dorothy

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:21

Fathers

Posted by Admin on Apr 11, 2016 in Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on Fathers

It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Luke 1:17; emphasis added

The forerunner, John the Baptist, was ordained by God to prepare the way of the Lord. Throughout church history, in times of spiritual drought, famine, and darkness, God has looked for men and women of similar passion and focus to once again prepare the way of the Lord. Every revival, renewal, reformation, awakening, and move that has poured out from Heaven upon a weary earth found its conception when some man, some woman, some child said Yes to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and entered into a targeted season of entreaty before God on behalf of others.

A bulk of the preparatory work of John in the days before Jesus entered His ministry involved three specific avenues: turning the hearts of fathers back to the children; turning the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; and to make a people prepared for the Lord. For anyone who wants to see God invade, change, and rearrange their culture, I believe that the “outline” John received from the Holy Spirit is still powerfully effective to use in intercession for any generation—especially this one.

…to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children…

So much has been said, written, and preached about fatherhood. Yet everywhere I look, I see children and teens suffering from negligent, abusive, or disinterested/absent fathers. And as those kids grow up, they do so without the tool chest that healthy fathering provides. Adults are living their lives bent in a way God never created them to lean, in great part due to the deficient and often inexcusable fathering they received. And unfortunately, many mothers have also fallen short as well.

Kids grow up scared, angry, or depressed into very troubled teens who make poor choices, and then they enter into a horribly dysfunctional adulthood where they find themselves scratching their heads—why am I so unhappy?—scared, angry, depressed. Then they produce children…and the sad cycle continues.

One irrefutable need in our generation is to radically overturn the fatherhood deficiency. Our inner cities ache for the stability of men of integrity. Our meth-pocked rural areas cry out for the steadiness of men of honor. And our suburbs secretly weep for men who value and live out their commitments to their wives and children in love.

Unless God intervenes, as Cher sang, the beat goes on. Therefore a key component to any awakening, move, or reformation of God is to transform fathers. Negligence, abuse, disinterest, and absenteeism must be repented of, one father at a time.

I can almost hear the Holy Spirit urging, “There’s hope! I will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children. But you, believer—take your stand. Pray. Dig deep. Intercede for the lost, broken, distracted, and wayward men of your generation who have turned—for whatever reasons—away from their families…from their kids. Pray that they will sense an irresistible pull toward Me, encounter Me face to face, receive forgiveness and cleansing, and then by the power of My grace, turn back to their children with humility and integrity…and restore peace, acceptance, safety, and love to their families once again.”

All of us have had a father. Many of us were blessed with good fathers. Far more of us have experienced a lifetime of pain in the short span of childhood due to irresponsible, irrational, or eruptive fathering. Is it any wonder why the first stated thrust of the forerunner in Luke 1:17 was to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children? Sweeping, irrefutable outpourings of the Holy Ghost must be accompanied by a massive move among fathers turning in humble love and repentance to their children. Deep wounds will be healed, bent lives will be straightened out and restored, and Jesus will be manifested openly as Lord once again—on city streets, in suburban neighborhoods, and in small towns, farming communities, and remote regions throughout the nation.

But first things first—Pray. May the hearts of the fathers be restored to the children.

Dorothy

Forerunning prayer

Posted by Admin on Apr 8, 2016 in Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on Forerunning prayer

It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Luke 1:17

For every move of God there is a “back story”.

John the Baptist played a key role in the back story to Jesus’ miraculous time upon the earth. His calling? To prepare the way of the Lord. To be a forerunner before Him.

Did you realize that the preparatory work of the forerunner didn’t stop with John? It’s a calling that has appeared in every generation ever since Jesus walked the earth.

This weekend marks the 110^th anniversary of the outpouring of God at Azusa Street which began falling on April 9, 1906. This move came upon those souls suddenly—but it didn’t take all of them by surprise. No, concerted prayer on the part of a couple of local black congregations combined with those of others, including a white man named Frank Bartleman. Fervent prayer preceded this iconic move of God; without it, the Azusa outpouring would have never happened.

When you read about the various moves, revivals, renewals, awakenings, and sweeping reformations, they share one commonality—forerunners in prayer. Often for months or years—even decades—before the first trickle of the miraculous begins to rain down, these intercessors labor in the shadows, interceding before God on behalf of souls.

Preparation for a move of God typically requires that someone intercede on behalf of men, and Luke 1:17 reveals three specific thrusts of such preparatory prayer.

• To turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children
• To turn the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous
• To make ready a people prepared for the Lord

Preparatory intercession occurs during times of spiritual drought. It happens during times of spiritual famine. It also takes place during times of chaos, turmoil, and trouble. It’s going on right now, and I fully believe that the Lord is seeking to enlist you and me in this work. Will we hear—and heed—His call?

For the next few blogs, I plan to put a magnifying glass upon each of the three thrusts of preparation found in Luke 1:17. Hope you’ll join me.

Dorothy

I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land…. Ezekiel 22:30a