Public prayer, in public gatherings…public invocations that were once commonplace, expected and even looked forward to by many at sporting events, meetings, and gatherings. These prayers have sadly become more ceremonial as we attempt to become tolerant and politically correct in all aspects of our society. But the question to every Believer is – have we begrudgingly accept a watered down expression of our faith in the public setting, thus compromising our faith for the sake of correctness?
Numbers 12: 6-8 ” When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal Myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord.”
Moses had a very unique relationship with God. When they conversed, it was direct and open, with no guessing what was being said between the two of them. God didn’t speak to Moses using parables or proverbs…but rather He spoke openly and honestly. And during these conversations, Moses gazed upon the brilliant manifestation of God’s glory.
Acts 10: 34-35 ” Then Peter began to speak: ‘ I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.’ “
Growing up, one of my favorite songs in Sunday School was, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” And He does…He loves every nation, every tribe, every person – in every far-flung corner of this world. We are all His children, and accepted equally by Him.
I Chronicles 14:15 ” As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.”
If the Lord has called you to something, He has already gone out ahead, preparing the way for you. He will not send you out unprepared, ill-equipped, or without instructions beforehand. Your responsibility when you sense His voice, is to move when He says, “Go!”.
Galatians 6:1 ” Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.”
“Restore him gently.” The word for restore means to repair a ripped fishing net. The word gently we usually think of meekness, but the Greek word for this was defined by Aristotle as, “Getting angry at the right time, in the right measure, for the right reason.” So to restore someone gently then means that we are able to return the person to a productive life…hating the sin, but loving the sinner throughout the process.
Jeremiah 49:11 ” Leave your orphans; I will protect their lives. Your widows too can trust in Me.”
Those who are fatherless…those who have lost a spouse, can take enormous comfort in this verse. The Lord defends and takes care of you. In Him, you will find compassion, mercy, and security…knowing that He will not only protect you, but rebuild your shattered life.
II Timothy 2:26 “…and escape from the trap of the devil.”
Why, Oh why, do we listen to him…that voice in our head with all the negative, derogatory, and horrible words? “You’re going to die from this…You’re not good enough to get that job…Nobody likes you…God has abandoned you in the middle of this mess.” Why do we even listen…we know in our heads that he’s lying, but the assault to our mind can be unrelenting and nonstop. So how do we escape him? In one word – Prayer. An ongoing, personal conversation with the Creator, enabling us to gain the true perspective of our life in Him. We don’t have to listen to the devil…when we can commune with God instead.
Amos 2:4 “This is what the Lord says: ‘ For three sins of Judah, even for four I will not turn back My wrath.’ “
The expression, “For three sins…even for four…” is a Hebrew numeric parallelism, the numbers are in fact poetic figures signifying that the people’s sins were many. As humans, we like to put sins in boxes and categories. Sins can be big or small – justified or not – politically correct – or what this modern culture is allowing currently. We also view sins differently depending on who’s involved…a movie star, a politician, a close family member, or our self. But to the Lord a sin is a sin…one sin doesn’t out weigh another…they are all totally equal in His eyes.
II Corinthians 4:10 ” We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”
It’s adversity that allows us to exhibit Christ’s life in us. If as Believers we never had any problems, but instead sat around the campfire singing Kumbaya all day, what example would we be showing to the world? Rather, it’s when affliction and misfortune come upon us that we can truly show Jesus living in and through us.
Mark 10:45 ” Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many.”
Most of us would rather be waited on hand and foot, than to care for the needs of someone else. But the Lord not only commands this, but exemplified the life style we are to copy…a life of servitude towards others. Ministering may not be glamorous, and rarely does it get recognition…but those who faithfully work behind the scenes, make the biggest impact in His Kingdom.
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