Set For the Defense

The apostle Paul, while in prison, spoke of being in defense of the gospel. (Ph. 1:17) In the preceding book of Ephesians (though it was written later) he spoke of the whole armour of God that we should put on. How strange is it that when surveying the provisions given to us by God that the majority of the gear we don are "defensive" not offensive. Though the shield could be used as a battering ram, Paul stated that your faith should be used to quench the flaming arrows of the devil. Let's survey the armour provided to us:

Helmet of salvation
breastplate of righteousness
loins girt about with truth
feet shod with the preparation (readiness) of the gospel of peace.
shield of faith
the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God

Of all things, God has provided only one item as an offensive weapon, the Word of God. Many of you ministers, particularly the younger of this number may feel inadequately geared for this battle against principalities and powers. Yet it was the Word of God that our very Lord used in His own defense while in the wilderness facing temptation.
Perhaps what God desires for us to learn from this is very simply that a solid defense is just as formidable as the offense. Roman centurions would team up and form a nearly impenetrable wall. They could run over a garrison of soldiers with the momentum gained in this position.
God desires for you to be successful in the calling that He has placed on your life. Yet above all else, He desires for you to be a successful Christian as well. A preacher is only as strong as his Christian walk. A minister is only as mighty as his intimacy with Jesus. If we desire Apostolic authority in this last hour of mankind; we must come to the understanding that God has provided for you in salvation, righteousness, faith, the gospel, and truth all the defense you will need to succeed as a minister.
When the Roman guard donned his gear he was made aware by the weight of his armour the tremendous responsibility entrusted to him. Yet the armour was not only a reminder of his authority but his submission. If Rome no longer provided the helmet, or the breastplate - then the soldier was left vulnerable.
May the salvation given to you through the name, blood, and Spirit of Jesus - the righteousness imputed to you - the gospel that was delivered to you - the truth entrusted to you - and the faith imparted to you remind you of your "reasonable service" to the kingdom of God.
Being "set" in the Greek is the equivalent of the Hebrew word set. In the opening chapter of Genesis Moses said that God "set" the stars in their place. In the Hebrew, the word set means "to stay put; to remain until told to move or budge" The set defense of the gospel is given to Apostolic saints of God because of an unwavering devotion to God's Word. To remove any part of the Word of God is to cut our sword down to a shorter size. Yet, the Word of God is never cut down or trimmed. It is the same always. It takes a willing and devoted soldier to bear the weight of the Word of God. Perhaps this is why one of the qualifying factors for a bishop is that they must not be a novice. God will not place a rookie soldier in the place of a general or commander. God wants you to become battle experienced (battle hardened) against the enemy of your soul so that you can discern his workings.
Be grounded in the Word of God and you will be set for the defense of the gospel in the greatest of circumstances. God bless you and your ministry to be both productive and reproductive to His kingdom.

Perseverance: Maintaining Christian faith through the trying times of life

This is my first attempt to "blog". Several weeks ago I used this outline to teach the Adult Sunday School class at First Love Church in Texas City.
___________________________________

Eph 6:18
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints

Heb 12:1
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us,

Mic 7:8
8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.

• The difference between perseverance and determination is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't. ~ Henry Ward Beecher
• The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places. ~ Author Unknown
• When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." ~Author Unknown

• When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

PERSEVERANCE is defined by Holman Bible Dictionary as maintaining Christian faith through the trying times of life.

• There are two sides to perseverance: Physical & Spiritual
• The Physical side requires us to make up our minds we will follow God
• On the Spiritual side, we must determine to follow God despite what happens around us; regardless of what others may say, regardless of how others act.
• Having Physical and Spiritual Perseverance will provide you the strength to endure.
  

Gen 32:24-28
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
KJV

• Jacob was left alone – He could have easily ran away, but he was ready to push past the current dilemma
• Jacob wrestled – He had to engage in the fight – A Conscience decision was made to engage in effecting the outcome.
• The angel grew tired because Jacob would not let go – What we do physically will effect us spiritually. The angel (a spiritual being) had to take more drastic measures in order to get Jacob (a physical being) to let go, but even then, Jacob’s perseverance held strong. I will not let you go until you bless me!!
  

• Jacob’s Name change – No more a deceiver, con man, or liar, but he became a Prince of God

Consider this!!
Principles of Perseverance

• Perseverance means succeeding because you are determined to, not destined to.
• The difference between a successful person and others is not lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of determination.
  

Have the mind set: We will either find a way or make one.
One CEO said it this way: “We are determined to win the battle. We will fight them until hell freezes over, and then, if we have to, we’ll fight them on the ice”

• Perseverance recognizes life is not a long race, but many short ones in succession

• “Success consist of a series of little daily victories”
• Perseverance is needed to release most of Life’s rewards
• Answer these questions:
• Did the Wright Brokers ever quit? No!
• Did Charles Lindbergh ever quit? No!
• Did Lance Armstrong ever quit? No!
• Did Thorndike McKester ever quit? The reason that name does not sound familiar is because he quit.
  

• “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up” – Thomas Edison (a man who failed more than 1,000 when inventing the incandescent light bulb)

• Perseverance draws sweetness out of adversity
• The trials and pressures of life – and how we face them – often define us.
  

“I Don’t Regret a Mile” – Howard Goodman

I've Dreamed Many A Dream That's Never Come True,
I've Seen Them Vanish At Dawn
But Enough Of My Dreams Have Come True
To Make Me Keep Dreaming On.

I've Prayed Many A Prayer
That Seemed No Answer Would Come,
Though I'd Waited So Patient And Long
But Enough Answers Have Come To My Prayers
To Make Me Keep Praying On.

I've Sown Many A Seed That's Fallen By The Wayside,
For The Birds To Feed Upon
But I've Held Enough Sheaves In My Hands
To Make Me Keep Sowing On.

I've Trusted Many A Friend That's Failed Me
And Left Me To Weep Alone
But Enough Of My Friends Have Been True-Blue
To Make Me Keep Trusting On.

I've Drained The Cup Of Disappointment And Pain,
And Gone Many A Day Without A Song
But I've Sipped Enough Nectar From The Roses Of Life,
To Make Me Want To Live On.

• Giving up when adversity threatens can make a person bitter. Persevering through adversity makes one better.

• Perseverance has a compounding effect on Life
• Every successful person finds that great success lies just beyond the point when they’re convinced their idea is not going to work.
• Do the right thing day after day. There are no shortcuts to anything worthwhile.
• Dreams become reality when we keep our commitment to them.

• Perseverance means stopping not because you’re tired but because the task is done.
• “Success is a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired – you quit when the gorilla is tired” – Robert Strauss
• Draw from your reserves, and rely on your character, and keep going.

• Perseverance doesn’t demand more then we have but all that we have.
• “In every triumph there is a lot of try”

• Perseverance means more than trying. It means more then working hard. Perseverance is an investment. It is a willingness to bind oneself emotionally, intellectually, physically, and spiritually to an idea until it has been completed.
  

• Perseverance demands a lot, but everything you give is an investment to yourself.

The Five Enemies of Perseverance

• A Lifestyle of Giving Up
• A Wrong belief that life should be easy
• A Wrong belief that success is a destination
• A Lack of Resiliency
• “You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days you feel good” – Jerry West
• A Lack of Vision
• Prov 29:18 - Where there is no vision, the people perish
  

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A great reference is "Talent is Never Enough" by John Maxwell. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is in any secular or church leadership position.

Blessings

Eric Bolenbaucher

Unclaimed Miracles

2 Kings 6:5-7
5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.
KJV

God gave the young man in this Scripture a notable miracle. He caused an axe head of solid iron to swim upon the surface of the water. However, God did not stop here. He also spoke through the prophet Elisha in verse 7 and gave this young man the instruction that he needed to receive his miracle – “Take it up to thee.” In other words the Lord said, “I have given you a miracle, but you are going to have to reach out and take it. You are going to have to come part of the way to meet with your miracle. You are going to have to get your feet wet in the water to claim it.”

This powerful passage reveals to us an aspect of the miraculous. God will grant us a miracle if we need one. He will do the part that we cannot do – making the axe head float. But He will not do for us what we can do for ourselves, wading out into the water and taking hold of the axe head. Too many people expect God to not only grant them a miracle but to also pry open their closed hand and place the miracle within their grasp.

This goes against God’s nature. He does not force His provision and blessing upon the unwilling or those with tightened fists. He looks for the hungry, the thirsty, and they who are passionate about receiving from Him. God wants people who will not only ask for a miracle, but will also be willing to work for it. He will perform the miraculous for those that are willing to not only believe, but who are willing to mix works with their faith and get out of their comfort zone in order to receive it. Why would someone with closed hands or folded arms ask God for a miracle in the first place?

I wonder how many unclaimed miracles there are floating on top of the water of people’s trials. I believe there are untold numbers of promises and miraculous deliverances that God has already given to His people, yet they simply have not been picked up. The truth is obvious – we are not waiting on the Lord to come through for us, to heal us, to provide for us, or to deliver us. He is waiting for us to reach out and lay hold upon the miraculous that He has already made available.

Reach out and take what God has said you can have! Mix action with your faith! Wade out into the water and pick up your miracle that is floating on the surface! God has already done the work – the axe head is swimming. You just need to lay claim upon it.

Bro. Paul Nolan

Time to Pay Up

Our generation is in jeopardy of not realizing the value of what we have been given. We are living in houses we have not built, we are gleaning from vineyards we have not planted, and we are eating from fields that we did not plant.

1 Corinthians 6:20
20 For ye are bought with a price…
KJV

The Lord paid a price for us because we are most valuable to Him. He did so because it’s in His nature. His perfect love will not allow Him to be cheap about His purchase, therefore He paid for you and I with the highest payment He could give – His very life.

It is that aspect of God’s character that we must go after – the willingness to pay a price for something of value to you. Think about it, if something is valuable enough to someone, they will pay any price for it. Money is simply a means to an end. It’s what people to use get the “stuff” that they want. Therefore, when the desire for a particular thing is great enough, no price is too high. People will pay almost anything if they want something bad enough.

So what can we glean from that understanding? We can see that the value we place upon something is determined by how much we are willing to pay for it.

Ask yourself this question, have I paid a price for any of the spiritual heritage that has been handed to me? Have I paid a price for any of the foundation that I am standing upon? The answer will most likely be “no”. This is because it was the blood, sweat, and tears of the elders of past generations that have brought us to where we are today. We have been given a rich spiritual heritage.

We are blessed by truths that men have died for.

We attend a beautiful church that we did not build or pay for.

We have received opportunities in ministry because our spiritual forefathers have pioneered the way for us.

So what happens to our attitude about something that we have not paid for? How do we view things that have not cost us anything? With the help of God Almighty, we will not let slip the things that have been committed to our trust.

Look at the Apostle Paul’s admonishment to the church of Thessalonica:

2 Thessalonians 2:15
15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
KJV

The disciples paid a full price as well.

Luke 5:27-28
27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
KJV

Matthew 4:19-20
19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
KJV

The disciples left “all” to follow Jesus, and they did it immediately upon the call of Christ. The moment they heard the words, “Follow me”, they acted. They walked away from both family and careers to be used of God. This would not be the last time they would pay a price.

• Peter ended up being crucified upside down.
• James was killed with the sword.
• Andrew was crucified
• Bartholomew was beaten then crucified. Some say he was flayed to death by a whip.
• James, the son of Alphaeus, was stoned to death or was thrown off the Southeast pinnacle of the temple and landed 100 ft. below. History records that when they discovered that he survived the fall, they clubbed him to death.
• James, the son of Zebedee, was beheaded
• John was boiled in oil and when he did not die was exiled to the Isle of Patmos
• Judas (not Iscariot) was stoned to death
• Matthew was speared to death or killed with a sword
• Mark was dragged by horses through the streets until he was dead
• Luke was hanged
• Philip was crucified
• Simon Zelotes “the zealot” was crucified
• Thaddeus was stoned to death
• Thomas was speared to death
• Matthias was stoned and then beheaded
• Jude, the brother of Jesus, was killed with arrows
• Barnabas was stoned to death
• Paul the Apostle was beheaded

95% of the great heroes of faith that we read about in the New Testament paid for their ministry and their revival with their lives.

I read about the Apostolic forefathers from our modern times:

• Brush arbor meetings with sawdust floors

• Pentecost used to be on the “other side of the tracks”. People were laughed at, mocked, and ridiculed for being Pentecostal, Oneness believers.

• I’ve heard stories of C.P. Kilgore, James Kilgore’s father, taking his wife and 10 children with him to preach. They would sleep in old mechanic’s garages on pallets on the dirt floor between services.

• Or men like Mark Baughman, who evangelized in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Pulling into towns to preach with only 50 cents in his pocket. Preaching on street corners, or in tents, staying up all night praying, and working all day bailing hay in the heat, and then going to church to preach at night. They would walk miles to go to prayer meeting and have to come home in the dark without a car.

• Or Bro. Arthur Downing preaching with patches on his suit because he couldn’t afford a new one.

• These men had revivals without AC, or sound systems, or vehicles, or nice buildings. They had revival that was built upon personal sacrifice, prayer, much fasting, and a genuine outpouring of the Holy Ghost.

Our generation is a thankless one. We live in a time where people believe the world owes them something, and they walk around with that attitude. This spirit and attitude cannot be allowed into the church, and especially not into the lives and hearts of this generation of ministry.
There is some truth to the statement that you do not value something much unless you have paid for it yourself.

The best way for us to learn to value what we have is to begin paying a price for it…now. Because if we have not paid for something, that means we do not yet own it.

A Powerful Shout

Sometimes you just have to lift your voice unto God and shout with the voice of triump. The fervent heat of today's spiritual battles are no place for the weak and anemic. Christians that are more interested in the pleat in their pants and the starch in their collar, than in obtaining the Presence of God, will not last long.

The Sweet Psalmist sums it up perfectly in the 47th chapter of his writings...

"...Shout unto God with the voice of triumph." (Psalms 47:1).

People that have never been in a real spiritual battle will not understand this concept. Those that have never fought for their very life in the throws of spiritual warfare will chuckle at this principle and dismiss it as not necessary or as shallow and simplistic. But the truth of the matter is, a child of God has got to know how to lift his or her voice and shout for the triumph that God will bring!

In the heat of the fray, sometimes that is all you can do, but when that shout is directed unto the Lord of Hosts, it is enough. He will hear that cry and He will run to your aid. When the battlfield is bloody and the warfare is as Isaiah said in chapter 9 verse 5 of his book, "With confused noise and garments rolled in blood...", a shout can bring confidence back into the camp of God's people and strike terror into the heart of the enemy.

I have proven this truth in my own life time and time again. There have been moments when I have not known which way to turn and the pressure felt like it was going to crush me, but somewhere deep in my prayer closet or in a Holy Ghost filled church service, I was able to lift my voice to my Redeemer and cry out to Him. And the release that I sought for came, and the break through was granted, and the healing and the answer I needed was given. Onlookers may have thought my behavior was unneccessary, but I knew that a silent whisper of prayer with hands piously folded would not get the job done. I had to let out a desperate cry and proclaim unto God that I believed He would deliver me. I had to shout with the voice of triumph, even before I felt triumph or before I experienced triumph.

It is a dynamic we may never fully understand but we would be foolish to dismiss it simply because of so. Even the world knows there is power in the shout. Martial artists are taught to shout when they strike their foe. Armies lift their voice and shout when they charge the enemy. Sports teams shout when they storm onto the playing field. They all know that the human voice raised with passion and purpose lends power to the directive they are striving for.

God gave you a voice. Use it. Lift it up to Him and shout for the victory that He is sure to give you! Do not be intimidated by the size of the host of enemies before you. Do not let life's towering mountains strike fear in your heart. Shout unto God, with the voice of triumph! Shout when you are weary. Shout when it is dark. Shout when all seems hopeless. Shout in the sad times and in the glad times. The Captain of your Salvation will hear your voice and He will deliver you on the battlefield.

With a shout in my spirit,

Paul Nolan

The Proper Perspective on Prayer - Part II

Luke chapter 18 begins with the statement,

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end,
that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

Jesus preached prayer, and he practiced prayer.

In Luke 6:12 Jesus spent the entire night in prayer before choosing his twelve disciples. In Matthew 14:23 Jesus departs into a mountain to pray alone. After being baptized by John in the Jordan River, the spirit of God drove him into the wilderness for 40 days of prayer and fasting. We see him in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before the crucifixion praying for God’s will to be done, for the apostles, for the coming church, and even for you and I – those who would believe through the Apostles’ ministry.

Christ was all about prayer.

Men of God were all about prayer.

- Seth prayed in the book of Genesis and men began to call on God.
- Noah prayed and God instructed him to build an Ark
- Abraham prayed and gave him a promise and a people
- Jacob prayed and wrestled with an angel
- Joseph prayed and was elevated to the highest offices of Egypt.
- The Hebrews prayed and God raised up Moses
- Moses prayed and God parted the Red Sea
- The Israelites prayed and God gave them manna from Heaven
- Joshua prayed and the sun stood still for 24 hours
- Samson prayed and renewed his strength
- Deborah prayed and delivered a nation
- Gideon prayed and destroyed the enemy
- David prayed and defeated his giant
- Solomon prayed and found wisdom

And the list goes on and on.

Prayer is one of the most basic fundamentals of Christian living. It is our refuge, our medium for obtaining supernatural power in a natural world. It is our source for boldness to proclaim the gospel, Grace to face the toughest situations, and hope for a promised future. It is our means of communicating with an interested Father.

It is our way of life.

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” – Martin Luther King Jr. –

In part 1, we discussed what prayer is not. In this post we look at what prayer is.

A way to bring your mind and heart in line with God’s

In prayer, we surrender to God, making his priorities our own. While teaching the disciples to pray he noted the importance of submitting our preferences to his will.

“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10)

Prayer does not twist the arm of a disinclined God. Rather, it gives God permission to work in our lives and bring us in line with his thoughts, priorities, and desires.

God has given us free will. He will not force himself, or his desires, into our lives. We can not automatically assume that he will step into our situations and act on our behalf without our expressed invitation.

As David Bernard notes in his book Growing A Church

“Prayer does not change God’s attitude, but it changes our attitude so that we are ready to receive what God has planned for us.

Prayer molds and transforms us so that we are prepared to receive the answers that God wants to give us.”

In short, Bernard concludes, prayer gives us the ability to

1. discern God’s will
2. to do God’s will

Christ himself gave us an example of this when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:41-42)

We can come to God and ask him to move how we want him to, but in the end we must always leave prayer submitted to doing it God’s way.

When we get lost in prayer, truly lost in prayer, it transforms our minds and brings them in line with God’s mind. It brings our hearts in line with God’s heart. It makes God’s priorities our priorities. It makes God’s desires our desires.

Prayer is how we bring our minds, our hearts, our wills, and our priorities in line with God’s

It is also,

A way to die to your old nature so that Christ can be formed in you.

The apostle Paul made the statement.

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,” (Galatians 4:19)

The word formed means “to fashion.”

Prayer is a way for us to die to our old nature of sin so that Christ can be fashioned in our lives. Paul said, “I die daily.”

A daily prayer life will consistently kill the old man so that God can fashion us into the man or woman of God he has purposed for us to be.

Jesus told the disciples, “Pray that ye enter not into temptation.” (Luke 22:40). Every one of us will face temptation, but a consistent and daily prayer life will stop us from giving in to those temptations.

Paul told the Galatians, “This I say, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

Prayer has a way of keeping our spirits in subjection to the will of God, allowing us to walk in the Spirit of God and not after the manner of our flesh.

If you find yourself struggling with the desires of the flesh; that is a good indication that your prayer life is in a weak spot right now. Prayer, coupled with fasting, will crucify your flesh. It will bring your flesh under subjection to the spirit of God.

It will kill your fleshly, humanistic desires, and it will birth in you Godly desires.

To be continued.... Part III – Barriers to Prayer

The Proper Perspective on Prayer - Part I

Prayer is something we all know we need to do, but don’t always understand. There are many theories on prayer. There are many ideas on how to pray. Some people use the Lord’s Prayer as a guide; some use the layout of the Old Testament tabernacle as a guide; some free lance it and believe that prayer should be spontaneous and not planned.

Whatever your view point on prayer is, we should all agree that prayer is a necessary component in a Christian’s life if they are going to grow in Christ.

Doctrinally speaking…

There are three basic fundamentals to Christian living. As a child of God, you will not grow in God’s grace without these three fundamentals actively working in your life.

Church will give you a measure of growth. Weekly services will give you a measure of growth. However, if your life lacks these three fundamentals, then your growth will be greatly hindered if existent at all.

The first fundamental is the word of God. Without the word of God active in your life, you can not grow beyond the maturity level of a babe in Christ.

The second fundamental is fasting. Fasting is a way for us to crucify our flesh so that the desires and lusts of our flesh will pass away and God’s nature can be revealed in a greater light through us.

The third fundamental is of course, prayer.

But……

Before we discuss what prayer is, let us examine what prayer is not.

Prayer is not twisting God’s arm.

We do not pray to get God to do what we want him to do. It is ok to go to God with supplications and prayer requests, asking God to move in your life, but we do not go to God for the purpose of persuading him to act.

You don’t have to persuade God.

Who is sly enough in negotiating that they can be successful in persuading God? He knows every thought you think. Every word you say before you even say it. He knows the desires, the motivations, and the intentions of your heart.

Persuade – to prevail on someone to do something. To induce to believe, to convince.

Who can convince God of something? He already knows everything! Who can prevail on him and induce him to believe what they want him to believe? No one can.

Paul asked the question, “For do I now persuade men or God?” (Galatians 1:10).

Later, this same apostles declares

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come,

nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Prayer does not give us the ability to persuade and twist God’s arm. Rather, prayer persuades us that God’s promises are yea and amen!

Prayer persuades us that God’s truth is real. It persuades us that God’s spirit is real. Prayer persuades us, and brings us in line with God’s way of thinking.

Not the other way around.

Prayer is not winning brownie points

Prayer is not a mechanical process whereby we earn favors from God. Rather it is a way of communicating with God and maintaining our relationship with him.

You don’t win brownie points by praying. Some people approach praying as a points system. For every hour you pray, you rack up points in heaven. If you pray thirty minutes, you rack up lesser points, but points none the less.

I’ve talked to people who sincerely believe God is obligated to do what they want him to do because they have been faithful in prayer. They act as if their time in prayer has been storing up brownie points for when they need to cash in on a divine favor.

God will always respond to prayer. I believe God will be swift to answer the prayers of a faithful saint. However, praying does not win us brownie points.

This isn’t Chuck-E-Cheese; we don’t win tickets that we can cash in later. Prayer allows us to build a consistent relationship with God; a relationship through which God will move and God will respond. However, prayer does not win us points that we can use to purchase power from God.

Prayer is not working to convince God to do what you want him to do.

I’ve often heard people in the prayer room begging God to move for them. I’ve heard people at the altar begging God to fill them with the Holy Ghost.

I’ve heard people begging God to heal their loved ones, save their children, touch a need, and respond to their voice.

We do not have to beg God.

God is not some obstinate deity sitting on a celestial throne saying, “C’mon, let me hear you beg.”

When we pray we should approach God in faith, believing that he rewards those that diligently seek him.

To beg God for something shows a lack of faith. We are working hard to convince him to do what we want him to do because we don’t believe he will do it without our convincing him.

Another reason people tend to beg God is because their prayer life, and general walk with God, is weak and they feel that God may be upset with them, or that they don’t have the influence they need with God.

So, if you find yourself begging God to move,

stop and evaluate why you are working to convince God to do something. Is it because your walk with God is weak at that time? If so, repent for the lack of faithfulness and believe God is still as willing and able to meet your need as ever.

If you are working to convince God because your faith is low, pray for faith and believe that God will hear you because you prayed.

Prayer is not just communication.

Prayer is not your daily “tag in” with God. It’s fine to talk to God about what has happened during your day, your week, this year, etc.

However, prayer is not where you come to God and give a report of what happened today.

It is so much more than that.

It is the intimate communication between a God and his people. It is the loving conversation between a father and his child.

It is our opportunity to bring God into our lives, and it is God’s opportunity to bring us into his heart.


To be continued…. Part II – What prayer is.

An Eclipse of the Cross

Earlier today I had a discussion with someone on Facebook. For the remainder of this blog post I will refer to him simply as Don. Prior to this afternoon I had never really met, nor dialogued, with Don. Our history of interaction consisted completely of trading items while playing Mafia Wars.

At some point this afternoon Don took a quiz that asked him to express his opinion on homosexual marriage. Don is a supporter of homosexual marriage and made the below comment when publishing his post to his Facebook wall.

He said,

“How can any sane person in this day and age oppose two people being able to legally marry? If you do oppose same-sex marriage, why? Is it based on religious views or are you just a homophobe? If your views are based on religion, you are seriously misguided….”

I took the opportunity to explain to Don my views on homosexual marriage, as well as what the Bible say concerning homosexuality. Needless to say, he didn’t agree. In fact, he called the Bible a book of Bronze Age Fairy Tales. However, it wasn’t his blatant disregard for the word of God that caught my attention. Rather, it was what was revealed somewhat later in the midst of our discussion.

One of Don’s major arguments against Christianity was his perception of us as hypocrites who “cherry pick” scripture. He accused us of only following those passages which suit us. Later in the discussion he revealed that at some point he had been subjected to Christians whose response to the topic of homosexuality was basically “fags burn in hell,” “God hates fags!” He was put off from Christianity because of the attitudes of Christians he had come in contact with at some point in his life.

While the ungodly attitudes of those “Christians” do not justify his disdain for the things of God, his experience should remind us of one very important principle.

When propagating the message of Christ, it is extremely important that we exhibit the Spirit of Christ.

We must never forget that a good message will ALWAYS be eclipsed by a bad attitude. It doesn’t matter how “right” you are, if you present the truth with an ungodly attitude you will never draw a person to Christ. Rather, you will drive a wedge between them and God and create an even deeper chasm than what they currently experience.

The Bible tells us,

“By mercy and truth iniquity is purged:” –Proverbs 16:6-

The two work together. You can not separate them. Some believe that truth must be proclaimed with a hard demeanor and a firm brow. Such promulgation only serves to alienate the recipient instead of exalting Christ. We can not blame a person for rejecting our gospel if our presentation of it is tarnished by our ungodly deportment.

I don’t believe people who reject our doctrine always do so out of a hatred for holy things. Even if they do reject the gospel, this does not give us vindication to reply discordantly. Our response should always be with a humble and contrite spirit. Never one seasoned with harsh and unbridled tones.

In having this discussion with other Christians, it is often brought up that Christ himself showed an antagonistic spirit when he knocked over the tables of the money changers and called the Pharisees hypocrites and vipers. They argue that because Christ showed angry passion in his response to the blatant deformation of God’s law, then they are justified having more than harsh conversations with people today who show no desire for the things of God.

We must not forget however, that while Christ identified the Pharisaical spirit as poisonous and serpent like, he also responded to the Pharisees with compassion and truth when the opportunity presented itself. He met a Pharisee on the rooftop one night to proclaim the gospel. He reached into the heart of a venomous viper that was bent on the desolation of his people and turned him around on a dirt road on his way to Damascus. While Christ’s indignation was clear in scripture, we must not forget that his mercy is even more evident.

Paul makes the statement in Romans 2:1,

“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.”

We should not forget that if it were not for the grace of God, we would be the ones who were on the opposite side rejecting the gospel message. We have this truth because of the mercy of God. When we fail to exhibit that same mercy, we fall short of the very gospel that saves us.

We do nothing when we defend this gospel in angry voices. We do nothing when we respond to others with judgmental tones. We accomplish zero when we promote the word of God without the Spirit of God.

However, love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).

Paul asked the question, “What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?” –1 Corinthians 4:21-

Two verses before, he makes the following statement about certain men in the Corinthian church, “Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.” -1 Corinthians 4:18-19-

The Apostle makes it clear that the bad attitudes expressed by the Corinthian men toward him were a result of puffed up spirits. He responded by saying that he would not come in the same manner, but rather with love and meekness.

That is an example to us all today. Bad attitudes get us nowhere. They are the product of a puffed up spirit. Pride is the origin of such behavior, and as Christians we are called to interact with others in a meek and charitable spirit.

Many times simply being Godly toward someone when they are being ungodly toward you, can be the greatest defense of true faith. Their entire argument falls to the ground when they fail to push you into the mold they accuse you of already fitting in.

If they accuse Christians of being hypocritical and having bad attitudes, show them a good one and they have no where to go. Show them a bad one however, and you only solidify their misperception.

If that occurs, wherein is Christ glorified?

In closing I want to admonish us to make our conversations blameless. It is easy to get frustrated and ugly with someone who is so disrespectful toward the gospel we love. However, we must never forget that their disdain does not justify our unrestraint.

Show them love and you show them Christ. Return evil for evil and you further disaffect someone who God may be leading to a Damascus road.



In Christ & For the Kingdom
Joseph Castorina


Further Scriptures to study:

Romans 12:9
Romans 12:21
Romans 14:16
1 Corinthians 15:33
1 Thessalonians 5:15
1 Peter 2:12
1 Peter 3:16
3 John 1:11
1 Corinthians 13

Death Never Had a Chance

Here's a powerful thought for you. The Scripture quotes Jesus in John 10:18 as saying, "No man taketh it (His life) from me, but I lay it down myself." Normally when I view this verse I have looked at it from the point of view of God showing His love to us by choosing to lay down His life, and that can certainly be seen. However, if we look a little deeper we can see another aspect of Christ's splendor here.

When Jesus declared that no one could take His life from Him, He was showing His complete power over death. History records that Christ "should have" died on the whipping post. The scourging He underwent was more than enough to kill any normal man. The Roman's actually termed the punishment of scourging as "the half-way death" because when they were finished beating someone, they were half-way to the point of death. Jesus was beaten until his rib cage was exposed and His entrails were hanging out. He should have died...but...it was not time.

Jesus knew He could not accomplish the work of redemption by dying at the whipping post. He declared in John 12:32, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." Jesus knew that He had to get to the cross and die there in order to accomplish the work of redemption. So while He was being beaten on the whipping post, and while He should have died there, He told death, "Back off, I'm not ready yet. I'm not through with my work here", and death had to obey.

Through all of the suffering, the punishment, the abuse, the loss of blood, the extreme trauma to His body, Jesus Christ continued to press on and death had to continue to wait in the shadows because the Master had not yet beckoned it to come.

If we think that the mighty God in flesh was subjected to death by the whim or the choice of the angry mob and the cruel Roman soldiers, we are sadly mistaken. Through it all, death was simply a pawn in the Messiah's hand, and until His blessed and precious work was finished Jesus had no need for death and would not allow it to take Him.

So truly we see, no man took His life. He laid it down when He was good and ready, and three days later, He decided to pick it up again!