First of All, Pray: Blog
Bringing Biblical Truths to Daily Life
A shift in prayer direction
From Australia a call has come for believers worldwide to fast and prix levitra italie pray for America from April 30th through May 6th.
Because of that, I want to recycle several blog entries I wrote last year. At that time, God prompted me to shift my focus as I prayed for the nation. In short, I believe God showed me these four things for which to pray:
- Pray for people to know what to do.
- Pray for people to receive wisdom along with their knowledge.
- Pray for those people to receive the boldness to step out in what they know to do.
- Pray for those people to be filled with boldness to carry out their tasks to completion.
Written last year (second in series):
When I wrote my book First of All, Pray: Prescription for a Nation in Crisis, I had been engaged in praying for the United States for over twenty years, often about elections, the president, and national security. During those two decades, I experienced some vivid dreams in which I interacted with each of three presidents—our current one and the last two. The dreams were all instructive as far as praying for each particular man and from those dreams, I got glimpses into each man’s thinking, motives, and behaviors at the time. Along with that, I gained some understanding of the spiritual obstacles surrounding the office which affected the ability of each Chief Executive to make sound decisions.
In February of 2008, I had been praying every week with a friend over the phone for the presidential election in November of that year. We had been praying together on this topic since the beginning of that year, and on the second Saturday of February, the Lord gave clear direction concerning how to pray for one of the candidates. I shared it with my prayer partner, and she agreed. However, the Lord neglected that evening to indicate to me which candidate to whom He was referring; at that point in time, three viable candidates were still running—one Republican and two Democrats. Of the three, one of them I was not fond of; one of them I didn’t trust at all; and the third I really knew nothing about, so I had no feelings one way or the other about that person.
All that next week, I prayed over the instruction God had given me. Then, when unbecoming information came out about one candidate in the middle of the week (the one of whom I was not fond), I asked the Lord, “Is this the candidate You were talking about?” Crickets. Nothing…except a sense of the Lord rolling His eyes at me. I deduced from this that the candidate of whom I was not fond was not the one the Lord had indicated.
Before I prayed with my prayer partner the next week, I realized that the Lord was referring to the candidate about whom I had no opinion. My friend confirmed that she sensed the same thing, so with that, we prayed according to instructions about the little-known candidate throughout the rest of 2008 until the election and even up to the inauguration. (Suffice it to say that ever since the second week of February, 2008, I had prayed according to Mark 4:22 and Luke 12:2.) That candidate became president; but although the outcome did not turn out as we had hoped, the directive still stood and continued to influence my prayer for the President as he took on the duties of office.
Early in April last year the Lord dropped a “shift” into my heart concerning the way I was to pray for America. He showed me that quite a bit of the original prayer direction He had given had taken place. More would unfold as well, but now was the time to shift focus when I prayed for the nation.
Now my assignment was to simply pray for people to know what to do with the insight and revelation He was giving. The Lord wants to prepare men and order online cialis pills usa women for appropriate action, and He intends for all of that action to be covered by prayer—preferably before the actions take place so His will can be more perfectly accomplished.
Simple enough, right? Well, we are in the age of which Daniel prophesied—the age in which knowledge has increased and is continuing to expand exponentially (see Daniel 12:4). Therefore, although the charge to pray for humans to know what to do is easy enough, the Lord desires that His people not only pray big general prayers along this line, but He also wants us to be able to key in on specific groups and individuals by the Holy Spirit, according to the need, according to the moment, according to His will, and according to His prompting. And there are so many key individuals and groups in so many areas and walks of life, and the time is so critical that I believe the Lord wants all hands on deck, each one ready to pray whenever the Spirit of God drops His leading into their heart.
And I believe with all my heart that this shift in focus from God is not merely a have-to directive; it’s also a get-to directive. You and I get to participate with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in these outlandishly amazing times.
More tomorrow,
Dorothy
…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13
Praying for the US
A call has gone out for believers worldwide to pray and order au levitra fast for America. Those who have called for the fast have set apart April 30 this week through May 6. And the most fascinating thing about the call is this: it comes from Australia. Wise men and women across the globe realize that if the US fails in its unique global leadership role, the rest of the world will likely fall as well.
A year ago, in early April, I was minding my own business, just enjoying fellowship with the Lord, when He spoke something very clearly to my heart.
I posted what He showed me in a series last year, and I think it’s a good time to rerun it in preparation for the fast and during the time of prayer.
Before I do, however, I want to address an obstacle most of us face, not only when we reach out to the hurting people we meet every day, but also in living our day to day lives freely and unfiltered as generations of Americans have before us. This obstacle is the climate of “political correctness” in which we live. Another name for it would be “the fear of man.” It is that intense pressure that compels you to conform to the status quo, to not rock the boat, to avoid making anyone uncomfortable at all costs—especially if you long to inject Jesus or His Word into the conversation. The J.B. Phillips paraphrase of the New Testament describes this pressure from our “culture of correctness” as “the world around you squeezing you into its own mould” (see Romans 12:2, JBP). And, as the Apostle Paul urged, “Don’t let the world do that” (ibid).
The majority of believers are considerate and respectful to those around them; but due to our current climate, so many of us have become extremely cautious about what we say when it comes to our love for Jesus, morals, or biblical truth because we have been trained—steeped—in the consciousness of the new “right and wrong” in today’s culture. My witness might be “marred” if someone thought I had anything but acceptance toward societal standards and current trends, we may worry. Heaven forbid that someone would think I’m intolerant!
So here we are, in an age in which the power and wisdom of God are so desperately needed but are so defiantly “barricaded” or squelched. And since it is to this generation that we have been sent, we have a job to do—to boldly minister the power, wisdom, salt, and light of the gospel to all of them and to address the forces that seek to prevent this from happening.
All of us are called to be ministers of reconciliation (see 2 Corinthians 5:18), and all of us are called to stand firm against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (see Ephesians 6:12), praying for all men, for kings and vendita online di levitra all who are in authority (see 1 Timothy 2:1-2). Without prayer for all men, kings, and all who are in authority in conjunction with standing firm against all the strategies of the enemy, the ministry of winning men and women to God through Jesus Christ gets squeezed into a bland worldly mould, becoming a mere shadow of its original power.
I believe this is why God is leading so many of you to cry out to Him on behalf of the United States now. This nation has been wonderfully instrumental in sending out hope, help, and the gospel to people all around the globe throughout her history, and Satan hasn’t liked it one bit. Therefore, the enemy has planted a big bull’s eye on America as he strategizes how to squeeze this nation economically, culturally, politically, educationally, and militarily. His goal is to silence her spiritually, morally, and ethically, in order to render any ministry of reconciliation—whether a large operation or small—weak, fearful, tepid, ineffective, and eventually extinct.
And so, I asked God last year if I could share the prayer directive He gave me then, and I received the go-ahead. His instruction is simple and allows you the lee-way to proceed as you feel led. This is not a “V-line of geese” type of prayer where one leads and everyone else follows; such prayer has its place, but our current situation in this nation requires all hands on deck and around-the-clock readiness, each one alert to pray about whatever drops into his or her heart at any given moment. (It’s that critical—a small blip on your “radar” prompting you to pray as you go through your daily routine may change the course of history: it may thwart a massive attack; it may save millions of lives; it may correct a huge error of judgment on the part of national or world leaders in the nick of time.) Your prayer can be private, quiet, short and sweet; it can be corporate, impassioned, and of long duration. Whatever, God wants to use all of us to affect the United States of America in prayer, and He’s ready for us to pray those prayers on her behalf.
If God has an assignment for you and me in prayer for this nation, then doesn’t that signify that He wants to answer that prayer as well? It is my hope that you will be encouraged to pray bold prayers for the United States of America. I believe that He is not through with us yet. Obviously, the Australians don’t think He is. 🙂
Stay tuned,
Dorothy
“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11-14a
James 5:19-20—In closing: Concerning those who have strayed
My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20
- A believer is capable of straying from the truth.
- Other believers have the capacity to turn him back to the truth.
- The reward is in the knowing:
- If you turn someone from error, you will save his soul from death.
- You will cover a multitude of sins.
A believer is capable of straying from the truth. The bulk of James’ letter deals with the straying capacity of believers. On one hand, his letter is a warning to avoid detrimental lifestyle choices, and on the other, it is a corrective rebuke to those who have already entangled themselves in carnality. Because of this, I think of the book of James as a reality check.
Other believers have the capacity to turn straying ones back to the truth. Much of this letter deals with the tongue. The capacity to slip with the tongue seems to be the greatest area of vulnerability among believers. Therefore, James closes his letter by reminding his readers of the correct stance to take concerning those who have strayed from the truth: Seek to turn them back. Don’t spin your wheels by incessantly analyzing their falls and flaws with others; go to God and seek Him for their restoration. Make it your mission to win them back through prayer and godly behavior and words.
Don’t let it be said that you preferred dissecting your brethren to seeking their deliverance.
The reward is in the knowing. Let your greatest reward be this: Knowing that by your love, prayer, and self-restraint someone was restored to fellowship with Jesus. Knowing that someone is now blessed and living for Christ because of your prayers and refusal to belittle, bemoan, or besmirch them when they behaved badly is reward in itself.
…he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death…
Instead of broadcasting his error, you sought the Lord so he would turn from his error. And you obeyed God as you interacted with this one. As a result, he did not run further away from the Lord but was wooed and won back to Him by your steadfast, loving presentation of the Truth—demonstrated by both your words and your deeds. Because of your caring involvement, he has been spared devastating loss on that Day.
…and will cover a multitude of sins.
Though his sins stacked up like a pile of rotting carcasses, by of your gracious intervention, those sins have been covered. They no longer weigh him down or pollute the very atmosphere around him. They are buried and are no longer attached to him—or to his account.
It is fitting that James ended such a corrective letter in this way. As he closed, he refocused his brethren, ensuring that they would make adjustments among themselves with clean hearts and right motives.
I pray we embrace the wisdom in this short letter and be empowered to walk in it before the Lord for the rest of our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Dorothy
Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27
James 5:17-18—Elijah
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:17-18
Three key ingredients are typically found in effective prayer: 1. praying in the name of Jesus; 2. praying in faith; and 3. praying from a position of your righteousness in Christ as a man or woman who maintains a right heart toward fellow believers. (See yesterday’s entry on James 5:16; http://www.firstofallpray.com/?p=6405.)
James wrote that effective prayer “can accomplish much” and, according to the Amplified Bible, “makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]” (James 5:16b). He continued with this thought by citing the example of the effective prayers of the prophet Elijah.
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…
James did not connect the name of Elijah with his calling, “prophet”. He meant no disrespect; on the contrary, he highlighted Elijah as a model of an effective man of prayer. But James was not interested in titles or callings in this context; instead, he sought to draw attention to Elijah’s humanity—as a man with a nature similar to everyone else.
Why would James do this? Wasn’t the prophet Elijah a set-apart, powerful prophet of faith? Matthew Henry wrote, “He was a zealous good man and a very great man, but he had his infirmities, and was subject to disorder in his passions as well as others” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Jam/Jam_005.cfm, emphasis added). It is due to Elijah’s humanness that you can take courage through his example. You may not be able to relate to the prophet, but you can relate to another fallible human being. And James was saying, in essence, that powerful, effective prayer is available to everyone—not just for certain elite “holy men”.
…and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
Elijah came on the scene during a long span of corruption in Israel. King Omri had done evil in the sight of the Lord, and acted more wickedly than all who were before him (1 Kings 16:25). But after him, his son Ahab, who was on the throne in Elijah’s time, did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him—even more than his wicked father Omri (see Kings 16:30). Ahab not only walked in the sins of those who went before him, but he added insult to injury by marrying Jezebel, daughter of Sidonian king Ethbaal, whose name revealed that he was a worshiper of Baal. Ahab followed Jezebel into her family’s worship of idols and built a house and altar for Baal in Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. On top of that, he also made an Asherah—a goddess viewed to be the consort of Baal by the nations around Israel. “Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:33b).
Enter the prophet Elijah. Gripped with zeal for the one true God, Elijah confronted Ahab and said, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (1 Kings 17:1b). And so it happened—no rain for three and a half years.
Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
In the third year, the Lord told Elijah that it would rain. But there was some business to accomplish first. He was to face Ahab and the priests of Baal—despite the fact that Ahab had called Elijah a troubler of Israel—and confront them about Baal worship (see 1 Kings 18:1, 17-19).
1 Kings 18 chronicles the confrontation between Elijah and the priests of Baal. God displayed His mighty power while at the same time He exposed the impotence of Baal as a testimony to Ahab and all of Israel that Yahweh alone was God. After Elijah slaughtered every one of the false prophets of Baal, he spoke to the king, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower” (1 Kings 18:41) when there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. The Bible reveals that Ahab did as Elijah commanded, but Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees (1 Kings 18:42). And thus Elijah prayed—earnestly and with effectiveness, with undivided attention upon gaining his request from God.
Despite all of the spectacular miracles surrounding Elijah prior to that, he didn’t see the answer to this prayer immediately. As he crouched, praying, he asked his servant to check seven different times to look out over the sea in hopes of rainclouds approaching. “There is nothing” the servant replied six times (see 1 Kings 18:42-43).
But on the seventh check, the servant returned with this report: “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea” (verse 44). And soon, the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower (verse 45).
Remember, Elijah had a nature like the rest of us have. And as he listened to God and refused to waver, his prayers prevailed.
Like Elijah, as you seek to obey the Lord and follow Him in your life, refusing to waver in your prayer of faith—your prayers will prevail. The Lord is faithful.
Dorothy
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised). Hebrews 10:23, KJV
James 5:16—Environment for answered prayer
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another…
James described the kind of atmosphere in which prayers are more readily answered. This is the environment in which people of God feel safe enough to freely confess their sins to one another. This should be the environment found in every Bible study, prayer group, and church. However, when members carelessly toss aside concern for the dignity and privacy of others, that Christian circle is no longer a safe place for those who are vulnerable and hurting. In fact, it becomes unsafe for everybody involved until—you guessed it—the offending individuals wake up and repent. If you’ve had difficulty respecting the private concerns of others, take care of business right away. Humble yourself before the Lord and confess it to Him. Don’t be guilty of undermining the safe environment in your fellowship. When you continue in careless discussion you—not those about whom you gossip—become the weak link in your group.
…and pray for one another…
In a safe, privacy-respecting environment, praying for one another comes naturally—and it brings supernatural results. In such an environment, men and women look out for the interests of others, not merely their own (see Philippians 2:4). Whether praying for someone else face to face or on your own, your genuine, heartfelt prayers of faith—saturated in love—pave the way for the power of God to take over. In such an environment, both leadership and members take their stand in prayer, opening the door for an atmosphere conducive to breakthroughs and miracles.
…so that you may be healed.
This is the environment where healing becomes common place. Broken, diseased bodies are healed, and tormented minds are delivered from bondage. Instead of being dismissed as having little faith, those who remain long in a weakened condition are encouraged and lifted up in faith and love before a God who is ever-present in times of trouble. Instead of being pounded with impatient Bible instruction, those who are still believing for their healing are honored for their gallant stand of faith. This is the environment in which people can be healed.
The effective prayer of a righteous man…
What is effective prayer? Much has been written and preached on this subject by men and women of brilliant, effective faith. In their instruction, these individuals have gone into great detail to depict what effective prayer really is. In fact, in the next verse, James himself depicted such prayer by using the example of the prophet Elijah.
But I want to stick with this verse—verse 16—and the two preceding verses (…he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up...) to discover a little bit about effective prayer.
Effective prayer will always contain these three ingredients:
Effective prayer is prayed in the name of Jesus. It is because of Jesus’ substitutionary death that you have the right to go before God with boldness in the first place. You pray in the name of Jesus because you are His. You pray in the name of Jesus because His name is above all other names, and in Him all the promises of God are yes and Amen (see 2 Corinthians 1:20).
Effective prayer is prayed in faith. The eye of faith is less upon:
- me
- my execution of the prayer
- my faith
and more upon:
- the Father who sent His Son to die for me
- the resurrected Lord in whom all of the promises of God are Yes
- the Spirit of God who quickens His Word to my heart
Effective prayer is prayed by a righteous man or woman. All who are in Christ have been made righteous, yet to piggy-back on today’s title, “Environment for answered prayers “, consider this. The man or woman who endeavors to maintain an atmosphere of safety within their fellowship by keeping private the concerns of others is living out their righteousness in day-to-day reality.
…can accomplish much.
Such genuine respect for the dignity of others combined with the prayer of faith in the name of the Lord is the hallmark of the true Christianity. The body of believers who pray this way—in faith, in the name of Jesus, and with godly respect for one another—will be able to accomplish much through their prayers. The Amplified Bible declares in this verse that the prayers of such individuals will make “tremendous power available, dynamic in its working”.
Dorothy
Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. James 5:16, AMP
James 5:14-15—A word to the sick
Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. James 5:14-15
Is anyone among you sick?
Sickness. Its oppressive grip was rampant in James’ day, and despite today’s “miracle” of modern medicine, it remains one of humanity’s most vicious foes. In contrast, the topic of healing is all over the Bible, and the good news is this: God specifically saw fit to include your healing and mine in the atoning work of Jesus.
The fact that sickness still stalks the earth in our time does not negate the truth that the apostle Peter so eloquently shared in his first letter, borrowing from Isaiah 53: “…and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Matthew’s gospel also borrowed from the same chapter: “When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases’” (Matthew 8:16-17). The bottom line is this: By the wounds of Jesus you were healed, just as you were saved due to His atoning death and triumphant resurrection. You access both—healing and salvation—the same way: By grace, through faith in Jesus (see Ephesians 2:8).
So what do you do if you are sick, and despite praying, you just can’t seem to shake it? James gave clear instructions.
Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him…
If you’re sick, it is very appropriate to request prayer from the leadership in your church. In fact, James wrote “he must call”, lending urgency to his instructions. Don’t neglect that important aspect of church life if you are struggling with symptoms. Sure, see a doctor; but get the big guns of pastoral prayer behind you as well as you seek your healing.
…anointing him with oil…
Why oil? Oil represents the anointing of God, and it is a tangible, physical sign to you of your stand of faith. If symptoms persist or come back, you have a point of reference from which to position yourself; you can declare to your body, your mind, the devil, and the Lord: “I called for the elders of the church and they prayed over me, anointing me with oil in the name of the Lord. I’ve done my part, and I’m sticking with it. God, You are faithful to stick with Your part, and devil, in the name of Jesus, you must stick to your part—to flee from me. And good news, body—you get to stick with your part—to be wonderfully healed, you blessed thing!”
…in the name of the Lord…
When the leaders pray over you, they will pray in the name of Jesus, that name which is above every name. At His name, every knee must bow; every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (see Philippians 2:9-11). And it’s not just physical knees that have to bow—every spiritual knee must bow as well. You hold fast to His name; those symptoms are subject to the name of Jesus, and to His name they must bow.
…and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up…
Much has been said about the prayer of faith. One thing that the prayer of faith was never meant to be is a club to beat you over the head with as inadequate or defective when your prayers are yet to be manifested. No, that’s the devil’s scam; don’t dance with him to that tune.
A note about symptoms—they come and they go. I am learning not to ask my symptoms if I am healed. I have all the information I need on the topic straight from God’s Word. I know that the Lord is the Healer; I trust Him to work mightily in my mortal body as I look to Him. Again—don’t be afraid or ashamed to seek out a doctor; just make sure you also get the full-force of the Word and the prayer of faith behind you with every symptom you face.
The Lord is in the restoration business. The prayer offered in faith is designed to restore you and raise you up. Don’t shy away from receiving prayer for your body due to fear that it won’t work; it is written that the prayer offered in faith will restore you. Again, don’t ask your body if that prayer is working—take God at His Word, and trust that He’s working inside of you. When you are raised up out of that sickness, He will get the glory—and you’ll be the picture of health.
…and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
God is so good. Sometimes—but not all the time—we bring sickness on ourselves with unwise or ungodly choices. Here’s the good news: if you have committed sin—even if your actions opened the door for you to get sick—that sin will be forgiven you. What wonderful relief! The powerful one-two punch of this kind of prayer is that you get to watch the door slam shut on both the sickness and the sin—and you get freed from both.
Are you sick? Don’t hesitate any longer. Call for the elders of the church and have them anoint you with oil in the name of Jesus. That prayer, offered in faith, will restore you—and the Lord will raise you up. And bonus—if you’ve committed any sins, they will be forgiven you.
Dorothy
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases…Psalm 103:2-3
James 5:13—Pray. Sing.
Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. James 5:13
No matter your shape or condition, go to God. Whether you’re hitting rock bottom or are happy as a clam, make it your practice to look to the Lord—for help or to praise.
Is anyone among you suffering?
Are you suffering? Be honest about it—many times Christians don’t like to admit when their circumstances are too much for them. As a result, they neglect finding the help they need by pretending nothing’s wrong. However, God is intimately acquainted with your stress, pain, anxiety, frustration, shame, and fear. He not only knows all about it but also understands how it grew to be so enormous. He knows more about it than you do yourself—and He knows how to bring the remedy and solution into your situation. Why live with the knots in your stomach, the sleepless nights, the crying jags, or the fits of frustrated rage any longer? Are you suffering? You must pray.
Then he must pray.
When you’re facing incredible frustration, agonizing stress, or unbearable heartache, the last thing you should do is “not bother God”. Bother Him! He knows the number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30); He knows when you sit down or rise up; He scrutinizes your path and your lying down, and He’s intimately acquainted with all your ways. Even before you say a word, He knows what you’re going to say (Psalm 139:2-4). He knows more about you than the NSA (they may read your emails, but they can’t read your heart—that ability belongs to Him alone!), and He loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). He’s on your side, and He has all the answers—along with the power and desire to bring those answers to you.
Is anyone cheerful?
Much of what is written in the Bible concerning our day-to-day lives is to equip you to stand fast in the Lord during troubles and tests of all kinds. However, you’re not always in the middle of an intense trial, and this little phrase in James’ letter acknowledges that fact. Do you feel great? Are things going well? Have you just experienced one of God’s blessings? Is it hard to wipe that smile off your face? Then there’s an app for that—a “James app”:
He is to sing praises.
Sing. Sing to the Lord. Sing praises to Him. Make singing to Him a practice every time something wonderful, sweet, kind, or merely pleasant happens to you. Give Him the glory—He is so worthy of it. You don’t have a decent singing voice? Join the club! Sing to Him anyway. Sing songs that you know and songs you make up—sing about the specific blessing He’s given you. It may sound funny to others, but you’re not singing for them—it’s to the Lord on High that you lift up your voice.
Moses spoke to a people on the verge of entering into great blessing. He said, “When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:10, emphasis added). Singing to the Lord is a tremendous way to bless Him.
Moses went on to explain why it is so imperative to prioritize blessing God. He said, “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God…otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them…and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (see Deuteronomy 8:11-14).
You bless the Lord so you don’t forget all that He has done for you. You sing praises to Him so that you don’t take His kindness for granted. And there’s something about singing to Him—your heavenly audience of One—that is deeply personal, vulnerable, and intimate. What a way to draw close to Him! What a way to minister your love and appreciation to His heart!
Are you suffering? Then pray. Are you cheerful? Sing praises. Your God is with you in tight places, and He’s the Architect of your breakthrough and blessings, as well. He never fails.
Dorothy
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8a
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. John 6:37
James 5:12—Do not swear
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment. James 5:12
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath…
Jesus said something very similar to this in the Sermon on the Mount: “…I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil” (Matthew 5:34-37).
The Lord said, “Make no oath.” James said, “Do not swear.” Both of these words, “oath” and “swear”, are the same Greek word, omnyō, which means “to affirm, promise, threaten, with an oath” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Jam&c=5&t=KJV&ss=1#s=1151012).
Why would this be such a big deal to the Lord and other writers of the Holy Scriptures? Does He not want us to make promises or enter into covenant with others?
I believe the central issue here is integrity. People often “swear to God” or “on a stack of Bibles” or make oaths of outrageous declarations such as I swear on the life of my firstborn. If you swear to God and do not fulfill your promise, your oath is meaningless—you can’t make God do a thing about your ill-conceived oath. He doesn’t answer to you! If you swear on a stack of Bibles and don’t follow through, your oath does not change one letter in the Word—your oath is meaningless. I swear on the life of my firstborn. Oh, really? So you’re ready to lose the life of your kid if you don’t follow through? If anyone falls for that, I have oceanfront property near Ferguson to sell them. And how about my personal favorite, Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye? That was an oath I often swore throughout my childhood. I broke most of those oaths but never stuck a needle in my eye—and I’m still alive to this day. Lord, help us!
…but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no…
James started this verse with the words, Above all. Above all, have integrity in yourself. Don’t enter into a pattern of outrageous swearing by or on anything. Instead, let your “yes” mean “yes” and your “no” mean “no”. And then follow through. Others will start seeing you as reliable and trustworthy, and you will earn the reputation as a man or woman of your word. You won’t need to swear extreme oaths to gain someone’s trust.
…so that you may not fall under judgment.
Again, why is the prohibition against swearing or making oaths such a big deal in the Bible? James answers it this way: so that you may not fall under judgment. I know from my vast history of crossing my heart, hoping to die, etc., that I rarely kept my promise. And if I was so quick to break my promises, I surely wouldn’t keep my flamboyant oaths any better. I may have promised to keep your secret about who you liked; I may have uttered cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye; but if I felt like telling your secret to someone else the next day, all bets were off—I told. And then I made them swear to secrecy. I no more hoped to die than the man in the moon! And forget sticking a needle in my eye! Without knowing it, I put my little blonde girly self under judgment.
Do you realize that adults are very often no better? We may not use the same juvenile terminology, but we are capable of swearing and making oaths, nonetheless. Oh, but the Lord knows my heart, we think flippantly; and then we spill the beans on someone who had entrusted us with their deepest concerns. Ouch! This pains me to write; but I get the feeling that so much of the stuff that we brush off as innocent conversation is—in reality—quite destructive. I include myself in that assessment.
What should you do if you’ve ignored the warnings of Jesus and James and find yourself in a bind with something you’ve unwisely sworn or promised? Psalm 15:4b says this about the man of integrity: “He swears to his own hurt and does not change.” You swore it; you stick with it—even if it hurts. That’s a big reason I believe the Lord is so adamant about oaths—He knows they are typically extreme, often hasty, and He wants to protect you from having to face the painful outcome. Whether it’s the agony of following through with a nearly impossible oath or the prospect of being judged for your lack of integrity—it’s best to avoid swearing and making oaths altogether.
What do we do? We practice integrity. We practice being slow to speak. We check with the Lord before answering. We listen carefully to Him and develop the ability to recognize when we’re starting to run off at the mouth. We practice saying “yes” or “no”, period—no oaths; and we back our yeses and nos with action.
The Lord takes us seriously. May we take His concerns seriously, as well.
Dorothy
O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
- He who walks with integrity
- and works righteousness
- and speaks truth in his heart.
- He does not slander with his tongue
- nor does evil to his neighbor
- nor takes up a reproach against his friend
- in whose eyes a reprobate is despised
- but who honors those who fear the Lord
- he swears to his own hurt and does not change
…He who does these things will never be shaken. Psalm 15:1-4, 5b
James 5:11—The impact of endurance
We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. James 5:11
We count those blessed who endured.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Because of your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, you are blessed, before, during, and after every trial, despite the outcome. It’s a standard feature of your new birth. But there is something uniquely remarkable about the man or woman who endures to the end under hardship, oppression, false accusation, or outright persecution. God counts all of His children blessed; we count those who endure blessed. Faithful endurance seems to crank up the “bless-o-meter”.
I think it has something to do with the thing called grace. Those of us who know the Lord are aware of how abundant His grace toward us is. We were saved by grace; we remain saved due to the sustaining continuance of His grace. Without His grace, we would all be, as my pastor often says, “burnt match heads”. When we fall (I’ve lost count of the spills I’ve experienced throughout my life), God’s grace is there to pick us back up, dust us off, clean us up, soothe our wounds, and put us back on the path. But as James wrote in chapter 4, verse 6, “But He gives a greater grace.” Those who have endured through thick and thin have learned the secret of accessing God’s greater grace. And that sets them apart from the pack.
You have heard of the endurance of Job…
No one in their right mind would want to swap places with Job—at least during a certain two years of his life. The things that happened to him over a short period of time and then lingered while so-called friends accused him of bringing it all on himself would have driven many of us to complete hopelessness and despair, to the point of—like Job’s wife advised—cursing God and dying (see Job 2:9).
This woman viewed the very beginning of Job’s two-year stand of endurance—and despised him for it. In the same verse she raged , “Do you still hold fast your integrity?” Don’t be surprised if others mock your desire to stand fast in the Lord when under an attack. The natural way is to give up. The carnal method is to ditch the Word and get mad. The fleshly thing to do is to wallow in self-pity. And yes, Job was tempted to do all of the above—and even dabbled in a bit of it, too—but he kept coming back to his first love, God. After approximately two years, Job emerged from his ordeal. But not until he had endured the following:
- Sabeans raiding all his donkeys and oxen and killing all of those servants
- Chaldeans raiding all his camels, killing all of those servants
- His oldest son’s house collapsing on top of all of Job’s children in a huge windstorm, killing every one of them
- Being covered in painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head
- A foolish, antagonistic wife
- Three friends who told Job that he brought all of this on himself; they were pushing him to accept the blame for what he didn’t cause
A fourth man, Elihu, witnessed the escalation of all of the accusations as Job and the other three clashed against one another. When he had heard quite enough, he stepped in in an attempt to bring order and stop the blame game; and then the Lord spoke. He set Job straight: “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me!’” (Job 38:1-3).
The Lord then arrested the finger-pointing of the three friends as well, saying to one of the men, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has” (Job 42:7-8).
… and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings…
“The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold… The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys. He had seven sons and three daughters… In all the land no women were found so fair as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers… And Job died, an old man and full of days” (Job 42:10, 12-13, 15, and 17; emphasis added).
…that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
James wrote, “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12). The Lord is with you in the midst of every difficulty. As you choose to cling to Him and tune out the voices—both from others and yourself—to “curse God and die”, you will be strengthened by His mighty power to access His greater grace—the grace that will power you across the finish line.
Enduring to the end is rarely ever pretty. It is gritty, sweaty, agonizing, often lonely, very often tear-drenched, and in extreme cases, bloody. But the end of endurance is this—the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
Listen to the prophet Jeremiah who endured nearly constant persecution at the hands of those to whom he was sent: “Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:21-23).
Don’t give up. Run your race with endurance; when you have finished your course, you will receive the crown of life. We count those blessed who endured. You are called to be in that company.
Dorothy
A lesson from Gideon
The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Psalm 145:15-16
Gideon has a personality like Barney Fife. That cat virtually sniffs with cockiness around his feline siblings, nosing his way into anyone’s food bowl whenever he pleases–even the bowl of his 19-pound brother. You see, it’s not the size of the cat that counts; it’s the size of the attitude. Gideon has attitude in spades.
But like Barney Fife, underneath Gideon’s bluster lies a great big scaredy cat. Just sneeze when he’s snoozing sweetly next to you, and up he leaps with a start, wild-eyed with terror, scrambling for cover. The mighty Gideon is first to flee with a knock on the door or the roar of the vacuum. You get the picture.
And Sunday morning before church, God used this little red cat to convey profound spiritual truth to me.
I stumbled out of bed that morning feeling like a cross between a corpse and an empty Hostess cupcake wrapper—surely the result of that humongous piece of caramel apple pie I devoured on Saturday. I ached in more places than I didn’t, and as I groped for coffee it dawned on me that God was somewhere out there…and that He wasn’t aching.
The cats, certain they would starve to death, demanded immediate attention. I obliged, feeding the girls upstairs in the kitchen, and separating the boys from each other in the basement.
They grew up eating the same thing in the same room, playing musical chairs with their food bowls—every meal, all meal long—until every bite was gobbled up. No big deal—no one starved—and I was free to do my own thing.
But now the boys both have special needs. Rowe eats specific food for urinary tract health support, and Gideon was diagnosed a few months ago with failing kidneys—as a result, he’s on a strict low-protein diet. His health and telltale behavioral issues have improved, but I hover like a hawk—he’s convinced everyone else’s food is much better than his. Frustrated with his pickiness and insistence that he search out everyone else’s bowl, I quickly learned that he would eat his food if I fed it to him with a plastic spoon. Now all I have to say when he ignores his dish is, “Wanna spoon?” and there he is, basking in the attention—lick, lick, lick. Chew, chew, chew. Shake, shake, shake—crumbles of cat food flying. And then lick, lick, lick all over again. He milks it for all it’s worth.
That morning, I was absent-mindedly aching and thinking that it had been way too long since I’d really dug into the Word as I spoon-fed my red menace. Minutes crawled by. And then Rowe wanted out of his breakfast room and Gideon wanted Rowe’s leftovers. And the girls wanted anything they could find flung around from Gideon’s mess.
After securing the leftovers for their rightful owners later on, I wrote in my journal, “I’m craving my relationship with the Word, Lord. I’ve gotta do that for which I was created—feast on Your Word and receive food and revelation by Your hand.”
And then it hit me: God wants me to become like Gideon! That cat didn’t just want food—he insisted that I spoon-feed him. He wanted his food and closeness with me. In the same way, God didn’t want me to ignore Him while I downed verse after verse, chapter after chapter (shaking off chunks of Scripture before I wolfed down some more)—that wasn’t the way He wanted me to feed on His Word. He wanted me to sit with Him—like Gideon did with me—and feed on the portions of Scripture that He saw fit to feed me by His hand.
Even though I get annoyed with Gideon’s “love of the spoon”, I am noticing great improvements in his feline quality of life. Gideon is a living example of how all of us should become in our relationship with the Lord and His Word.
And the amazing thing is this: God will never get annoyed when any of us persistently push in for closeness with Him while feeding on His Word! He enjoys it!
Gotta go—the cats are telling me it’s dinnertime.
Dorothy
…like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation… 1 Peter 2:2