Weekend: Delivered unto a life well-lived
Our God is a deliverer. Throughout the history of the planet He has come on the scene to rescue those who trust in Him. His greatest act of deliverance happened about two thousand years ago in a little place called Israel. He Himself took on flesh and walked the earth, preaching a message of repentance and forgiveness, salvation and healing. And as many as received Him and believed in His name, to them He gave the right to become the children of God (see John 1:12).
There is nothing quite like knowing that you are not only forgiven and made brand new by the Creator of the universe, but also that He has pledged never to leave or forsake you and to be with you always, even until the end of the age (see Hebrews 13:5 and Matthew 28:20).
How the God of all things can care about small, insignificant humans is beyond the comprehension of many of us. But He does. David declared in Psalm 18:35, “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and Your gentleness makes me great.” I imagine David was in awe of God’s amazing intervention on his behalf and that of his nation; but this verse reveals something even more amazing about God. When David praised God for His gentleness, he was extolling the fact that the Creator Himself, the Mighty One of the Universe, in humility, meekness, and an act of condescension, made him—insignificant David—great.
God rescues us. He delivers our lives from destruction. He saves our souls and welcomes us into His family. He is with us at all times and will continue to be right there until the end of our lives or the end of the age—whichever comes first! And to top it off, He gently humbles Himself to grant us greatness in our little time span.
But there are hindrances and obstacles to a well-lived life. And those hindrances don’t have all that much to do with whether or not your dreams were fulfilled the way you had hoped—no; such disappointments have less impact upon the quality of your life than you would imagine.
The hindrances and obstacles that must be conquered in the well-lived life have everything to do with the mind and attitude, beliefs and reactions, flexibility and resolve. Upon what do you meditate? What is your prevailing attitude toward work, responsibility, or others? What is your belief system—beyond your faith in Christ? Do you believe easily that He will cause all things to work together for your good, or do you think bitterly, probably not—nothing works out as I want? How do you react to stress? Do you seek Him and trust, or do you fly off the handle in fear, panic, or rage? Can you deal gracefully with changes in plans, whether short-term or long, or do you stew over the unfairness of it all? When options present themselves that violate your convictions, do you follow your conscience or do you fudge, just this once—it won’t hurt anything?
These are the things that determine whether your life is well-lived. Dreams fulfilled, desires met—those are icing on the cake.
This weekend, I urge you to spend some time with your Deliverer, Rescuer, Redeemer, Forgiver, Healer, and Savior. Pour out your heart to Him and allow Him to touch any encumbrance in your life that, if left untouched, would hinder you from having a life well-lived. Let Him do what He loves to do: to bring light to entanglements, to deliver you from hindrances, and to remove every obstacle that would disqualify you from having that life well-lived. Don’t put it off; He who saved you is delighted to bring you to full maturity. Remember, it is His gentleness, meekness, and humility directed toward and in you that will make your life, when all is said and done, not only well-lived, but great.
And, on that Day when you see Him face to face, may He look you in the eyes and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Happy weekend, happy life, happy eternity!
Dorothy
Read MoreWeekend: A Tale of Two Deliverances
The sword of the Spirit is a powerful offensive weapon given to every believer by the living God. This sword is His Word and is exercised under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Not one word or syllable of God’s Word is devoid of power, and when initiated by the leading of the Holy Spirit, it will surely hit the bull’s-eye and accomplish what God intended it to do.
God is able to quicken His Word to the heart of the newest believer, and when that Scripture is prayed or spoken with faith, it will achieve God’s purpose.
I’ve learned a bit about the utilization of God’s Word as an offensive weapon through the years, often by trial and error.
The main thing I’ve learned is that when I am confronted with impending trouble or disaster, I must lean heavily upon the Spirit of God. He always has a way of escape for me; my job is to check in with Him to find out what it is. If I mechanically press the “Gospel button” of my choice, then I assign myself as the one in charge of how I’m rescued, not the Lord. When I am facing sudden danger, I must let Him lead. Let me explain by presenting to you this Tale of Two Deliverances.
Deliverance Number One
Many years ago, I was handing out tracts with a group of friends outside of Busch Stadium, home of the baseball Cardinals. In front of Stan “the Man” Musial’s statue, a friend and I were talking with a scraggly young man who was standing with his back to the curb. A strange look came over his face as he leaned in toward us and snarled, “Have you ever considered that you would be martyred for your faith?”
Up from my insides, I spoke the words I heard: “At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:11 and 12 just filtered up from my spirit and flowed out of my mouth! The sword of the Spirit was in operation.
But the next thing that happened left my friend Cat and me with dropped jaws. The man, leaning into us and threatening one minute, collapsed backward the next, onto the hood of the car parked behind him at the curb. Some of the guys in our group approached us just then and asked if we wanted them to take over. Cat and I, who were punching each other in the thigh in shock—that really happened? left the fallen man to the guys.
Deliverance Number Two
God has been good to me and has gotten me out of a lot of dangerous–and potentially deadly–situations. Another time He helped me did not play out the way I thought it should. You see, I was in awe of what He had done for me in front of Musial’s statue, and I decided that the Scripture that rose up within me that night was my secret weapon. Philippians 2:11-12 is amazingly wonderful, and every time I read it, I think about how God displayed His might that night at Busch.
One 4th of July, three of us were returning from a city-wide fireworks display. Traffic in the park was bumper to bumper, just inching along, and we had the windows rolled down. A young man in the park, all liquored-up, was screaming into the grid-locked traffic, “ROCK AND ROLL!!!” He and I caught eyes, and he yelled at me, “DO YOU LOVE ROCK AND ROLL?!?”
I looked at him out of the passenger window, and as he approached the car, I said, “I love Jesus.”
He lost his mind. Cursing, he grabbed me and attempted to pull me out of the window. Ah hah! I thought. I get to use my secret weapon again! and I quoted Philippians 2:11-12 as he continued to yank away. Instead of letting go of me as I expected, he became even more enraged and pulled harder.
Hmmm….this is not good, I thought, and quietly listened to the Holy Spirit within me to hear what to do next. With the upper half of my body being wrenched out of the window, I began to pray in tongues out loud, looking him in the eyes as I did so. I don’t know who was more shocked of the two of us, because he instantly let go and jerked away in disgust.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrgggghhhhh!” he bellowed. “You’re WEEEEIIRRD!!!!” And off he fled into the night. I squirmed back into the car, but not before he poured the rest of his beer on my head and the windshield.
My Take Away
As I reflected on the two tales of deliverance I experienced, I started to realize something. God doesn’t necessarily perform according to our script!
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.” If God has a variety of gifts, ministries, and effects, would He not also undertake deliverance for us in a variety of ways? Indeed, God never changes, and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever; but He works out His wonders in a multitude of ways. The key here is: He does work wonders for us.
Your job and mine is to trust, ask the Lord for help, listen, and then obey whatever He shows us to do.
May God show you His wonderful delivering power as you hold fast His Word, listen for the leading of His Spirit, and lean heavily upon Him.
Dorothy
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Weekend: The axe head principle
I like to share encouraging testimonies of God’s mighty deliverance on the weekend. However, this weekend, the mighty hand of God may just want to reach into your heart and give you a Holy Ghost tune-up to recapture His vision for your life.
Have you ever lost your confidence? Has your peace lifted from you? Has the fire in your belly gone out? A look into the life of the prophet Elisha may help you to reclaim any missing components of your Christian walk.
Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth with a Mission (YWAM) was the first person I heard to share this teaching—the Axe Head Principle—pulled from 2 Kings 6. The lesson he taught has stuck with me throughout my life.
A group of young prophets were building a home for themselves when one of them lost an axe head. It flew off the handle as he was chopping down a tree and landed in the Jordan River. To make matters worse, he had borrowed it from someone else. This young man called out to Elisha for help.
“Where did it fall?” Elisha asked. The young man took him to the spot and Elisha cut off a stick and threw it in. The iron axe head floated to the surface and was recovered.
I don’t know about your experience, but according to my vast scientific knowledge, iron does not float. And according to some Christians’ life experiences, once things start going south, they never get better.
However, scientific law sometimes has to take a back seat when God comes on the scene, and the downward spiral of your life must halt and reverse when God throws in a stick.
Let’s imagine that Elisha was still alive and visited your home. You might tell him that you lost your confidence in God, your peace left you, or your fire died out.
He would respond to you just like he did with the young prophet. “Show me where you last had your confidence.”
You would then walk him back to the spot where you last moved in confidence. (This principle, of course, also works for peace, joy, freedom, the fire of God, etc.)
There he would throw in a stick and you would recover the missing fruit in your life.
But, Elisha is not here. The Holy Spirit is, however, and He is more than capable of walking you back through the past few days, weeks, months, years—even decades, if need be—to help you discover when you last had the peace of God operating in your life. And instead of a stick, He will stir those waters with the cross of Christ.
Right after the time in your life when you last experienced the peace or confidence of God, what changed? Did you involve yourself in something that went against the heart and purpose of Jesus? Was it something you never really dealt with? He’ll show you if that’s the case, and He will give you the grace to quickly make it right. He wants you reunited with that confidence, peace, and fire more you can imagine. (Kenneth E. Hagin used to say that it only took about five seconds to truly repent—you repent, and then, with trust in God and obedience, you get right back on the course He’s set for you.)
Perhaps you never violated your conscience with an outward act of disobedience. Maybe you neglected doing something that the Lord had directed you to do. James 4:17 says, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Did you drop off on your time in the Word or fellowship with God? Did you clam up about your relationship with Christ for fear of what people might think? Did you neglect to forgive someone or to ask them to forgive you? Did you start harboring a grudge against a pastor, a church, a friend or a family member? The Holy Spirit will reveal to you how you lost that axe head, and again, He will give you the grace to quickly make it right.
The Holy Spirit is always very clear when He convicts you. He reveals some specific thing that has been standing in the way of your joy or peace, gives you the grace to repent, and redirects you in the right path. That is how the axe head principle works.
On the other hand, the voice of condemnation is vague. You will feel bad about yourself for all your flaws and will want to beat yourself up. You will think you deserve to be punished for your sinfulness. This is not how the axe head principle works. You may think, as you bang your head against a wall, that you are searching for the elusive axe head, but you aren’t. You are beating yourself up, and the Holy Spirit is not in that. Stop it now!
If condemnation describes you, then you may have found the lost axe head after all! The axe head you misplaced is the knowledge that you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and that you are accepted in the Beloved! (Ephesians 1:6, KJV.) Pick that axe head back up, praise and thank God for it, accept His grace, soak in His great love for you, and get back on track.
How, where, or when you lost the axe head is not the main issue. The main point here is that God wants all obstacles removed so you can pick that axe head back up, rediscover your inner “lumberjack”, and press on in Christ, free and clear, for all you are worth!
Here’s to recovered axe heads!
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” Jude 24-25
Read MoreIndependence Weekend: Why I pray for America
Hope you had a safe and blessed Independence Day. Since it is a holiday weekend, I will be taking the rest of the weekend off from my blog to celebrate the freedom this nation still enjoys (and by the grace of God, will increasingly embrace and defend).
I wanted to repeat a portion of what I wrote on June 12. This is because it is my passion to inspire you to continue to take your place before God on behalf of our nation, standing in the gap wherever He places you and in the manner in which He leads you. No one is a non-essential partner in this massive prayer initiative; you just have a differing role to play and a custom-made way in which He uses you. And you do have a role; you are used before the Throne of God in a unique, perfect-for-you approach. This nation needs you to refuse to back off in prayer on her behalf.
This is why I pray for America:
As I look at my nation, I must pray. It’s in my DNA; it is built into the very fabric of my relationship with God. When I see obstacles in my nation, I am challenged by my rich heritage to stand my ground and trust God. I feel I owe it to the Founders who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to guard, nurture, protect, and defend the fledgling nation. I owe it to Charles Finney, D. L. Moody, William J. Seymour, Billy Sunday, Aimee Semple McPherson, and all the rest, both known and unknown, who took full advantage of their American liberty to pour out their lives for the cause of Christ. I owe it to my dad, who although he never claimed to know God intimately, was willing as a young man to risk his life in the service of a country which guaranteed that his daughter, yet to be born, would bear the sacred right to lead her own life, speak openly, and worship God freely without fear.
I must pray. I must pray the Word of God over my nation. I must seek her deliverance when evil threatens her. I must stand my ground even if it takes the rest of my life. I can do no less, so help me God.
God bless you and God bless the U.S.A! Don’t give up on her!
Dorothy
Read MoreWeekend: Like lambs to the slaughter
I returned to Grenada the summer of ’88, thrilled to be back on the exotic Isle of Spice. This time I stayed in the in-town house with several of the young missionaries I had worked with the summer before. The house was on a major thoroughfare, and early every morning when I awoke to roosters crowing, I rolled over in bed and watched out the window as folks walked on the road below me, carrying huge bundles on their heads and leading goats and cows through the town.
The kids were all still there and ready to greet me for another summer of smiles, adventure, and stories about Jesus.
My favorite Rastafari, Michael, was there, too, with dreadlocks grown one year longer. He spent some of his time in the jungles behind his home, cutting down coconuts, almonds, and other free foodstuffs, but the rest of the time he was eager to discuss anything that crossed his mind. Of course, our conversation always turned to Jesus and Michael’s own spiritual quest. But not too long after I arrived in Grenada, he grew increasingly concerned.
You see, I landed in Grenada during the fever heat of preparation for the biggest event of the year, Carnival. It happens all over Latin America and the Caribbean and is somewhat similar to Mardi Gras. In Grenada, it is held in August and when I arrived, the big day was almost here.
Michael told the YWAMers that he’d heard scuttlebutt that some of the men in the village resented the Christians’ involvement in the Carnival parade. They didn’t appreciate the large cross and banners about Jesus that the team would be bearing through the streets of Sauteurs on their special day. And there was talk of trouble.
After discussion and prayer back at the house, the team decided to participate nonetheless, but the visitors would remain back at the base. I breathed a sigh of relief, not wanting to deal with potential danger. However, my relief was short-lived; Kim, one of the young leaders there, pulled me aside and told me that she wanted me to join them because I knew how to pray. Here we go, I thought.
Carnival morning arrived; our banners were ready, the cross was waiting, and its bearer was poised for action. We gathered for prayer before we joined the parade.
Filtering up from my spirit were words from Isaiah 53:7. “Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.”
I froze. I’m not saying that, I told myself. That can’t be God! I couldn’t shake the words, though, and quietly prayed against them, hoping they weren’t from God. And then one of the YWAMers spoke. He said, “Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.”
Great, I thought. Now I’m going to go home to my dad in a casket! I’d better start praying. NOW!
We joined the parade and our banners rippled in the breeze while the cross-bearer took up the rear. We were singing from Psalm 149. The lyrics were:
“With the high praises of God in our mouths and a two-edged sword in our hands,
We shall launch an assault on the portals of hell and against us they shall not stand.”
To my left, a man covered from head to toe in tar and black grease (a jab-jab costume—one of the main get-ups for Grenadian men during Carnival—representing to them the devils from hell), grabbed up a boulder from the ground and with a roar, ran straight for the team with the boulder hoisted high. I started praying fast and furiously in tongues, bypassing the courtesy of asking if such praying might offend anyone who believed the gift had ceased to exist with the Apostles. (Something about getting attacked by a man in grease and tar makes one forget her manners.)
Next thing I knew, the man threw himself into the banner right in front of me, boulder gone from his hands, as the Grenadian women carrying the sign lowered it and then lifted it back up, greasy but intact. We continued with our song:
“Singing praise, praise, praise to the Lord; praise, praise, praise to the Lord.
Praise, praise, praise to the Lord, for the battle is in God’s hands.”
The next day, we walked to the spot where the jab-jab went berserk. There was the boulder, smudged with his tar and grease, and so heavy I couldn’t lift it. That stone would have caused a heap of hurt to one of us! But why had our muscular jab-jab dropped it?
We didn’t have to wait long for the answer. Later that afternoon one of the village women stopped by, and in her beautiful Caribbean accent told us quite a tale. She had just returned from the beach where she encountered the jab-jab lying on the shore at the edge of the waves, letting the surf break over his shoulders. She laughed at him, reminding him of his outrage the day before.
He said to her, “Those Christians made me so mad! They were ruining Carnival! So I took a big rock to hit them, but when I picked it up and ran, my shoulders, back, and neck went into cramps. I could not hold the rock! I had to drop it, and here I am, still in pain, hoping the salt water will help me.”
Like lambs we were led to slaughter, but the Lamb of God, that great Shepherd of the sheep, protected us from all harm.
“Now the God of peace, who brought back from the dead that great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, by the blood of the everlasting agreement, equip you thoroughly for the doing of his will! May he effect in you everything that pleases him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.” (Hebrews 13:20-21, Phillips).
Read MoreWeekend: Psalm 91
One of the most comforting and encouraging portions of Scripture for me is Psalm 91. As a young woman, I lived in this Psalm for nearly a year as I confronted alarming symptoms in my body. Some would say I dwelt on it too much because of what happened one evening when a few friends and I were taking a walk. A young man, about our age, approached us righteous babes and asked where we lived. Before my brain went in to action, my mouth declared, “I live in the secret place of the Most High. I abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Shockingly, the would-be “suitor” was not intrigued in the least by my pronouncement, and he wasted no time as he high-tailed out of there!
Psalm 91 has played a prominent role in the history of men and women who have experienced Divine intervention and protection in dangerous circumstances. Many of my personal acquaintances have themselves received strengthening comfort from this Psalm as they watched God come through for them in unsettling predicaments.
In her book, Hand on the Helm (© 1977), Katherine Pollard Carter retells a story she discovered in her research about a young Texan who enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
This young man and his mother had made a pact with each other before he shipped off that they would both pray Psalm 91 at the exact same time every day so he would be kept safe “under the shadow of the Almighty”.
His mother later shared a letter he had written to her from his ship. The vessel, he related, had been in battle mode, under attack from both air and sea. With American anti-aircraft weapons continually firing and every one of the ship’s battle stations in full operation, a torpedo was launched from an enemy sub, quickly approaching for a direct hit.
The Texan began praying Psalm 91 and realized that the hour he and his mom had agreed to pray had arrived. Fear left him, and as he quoted the psalm, he watched as the torpedo “seemed to go crazy”. Instead of the certain direct hit, it pivoted around in the water and abruptly changed direction, just missing the bow of the ship. No more enemy torpedoes were launched; soon the American vessel was alone in the sea, without an enemy in sight. As the sailors inspected their craft, not a nick or a scratch could be found. They had just experienced the protective coverage of God under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91 (NKJV; Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”