James 1:5—If you lack wisdom

Posted by Admin on Sep 25, 2014 in James 1 | Comments Off on James 1:5—If you lack wisdom

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

Trials are like mazes. They have a beginning—and if you don’t give up—they have an end. Joy and endurance are keys to those mazes, enabling you to make it all the way through despite the time element involved. But in James 1:5, a third key is introduced—wisdom.

Rest assured, joy and endurance are both components of God’s wisdom. However, you can operate in joy and exert godly endurance—yet still lack the wisdom you need to navigate your trial.

That’s why James wrote, “If you lack wisdom, ask for it.” Your trial may be so tangled up that, despite your good attitude and hardy endurance, you still need help. Wisdom is what you need.  With that added key,  your joy can find the right path to take, and your endurance won’t have to work forever on this one task.

Don’t make the mistake so many others make. They think, “I don’t want to bother God with this.” What?!? The Word says He is intimately acquainted with all your ways (see Psalm 139:3). Don’t you think that if you were a bother, He wouldn’t take the effort to familiarize Himself with everything that you do and think? He already knows about your trial; He has the way for you to be delivered, and He wants you to ask Him for wisdom. If you were a bother, the Word wouldn’t tell you again and again to ask!

Ask God for wisdom. It’s that simple. James wrote that God gives it generously and without reproach. Generosity with wisdom is one of the Lord’s chief characteristics. He’s ready to pour out an ample share of it on you whenever you need it—but first you must ask. I think the Lord must scratch His head with how little we actually ask Him for wisdom. He’s so generous with it, but some of us act as if He couldn’t care less about our lives. Nothing is further from the truth!

God is a generous giver of wisdom, and He gives it without reproach. If God did reproach you for asking Him for wisdom, that would mean He disapproved of you for doing so. His reproach would indicate that your request for wisdom was a disappointment to Him. If He reproached you for asking Him for wisdom, that would mean He found fault in you for doing so. Do any of those scenarios make sense when you consider the great love He has for you? James made it very clear—God neither finds fault in you nor does He disapprove of you when you ask Him for wisdom.

What will happen when you ask God for wisdom? He will give it to you! Plain and viagra voor vrouwenprijs simple.

Ask Him.

Dorothy

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7, KJV

James 1:2-4—Consider it all joy

Posted by Admin on Sep 24, 2014 in James 1 | Comments Off on James 1:2-4—Consider it all joy

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

Joy. What comes to mind? Birthdays? Weddings? Babies? Promotions? Graduation? Winning the big game? When you first heard “Consider it all joy”, I’ll bet you didn’t think of trials, testing, or having to endure.

Yet James began his letter right off the bat with this attention grabber—“Hey, everybody! Get happy—trials are coming your way!”

Had he lost his mind? I imagine that the original recipients of his letter were struck by the oddness of his greeting. He was writing to believers who had already undergone persecution and the loss of fellow Christians to martyrdom, and the sting of trials and demonic harassment was anything but joyful. Fortunately, however, James had a method to his madness, and I’m sure that the first group to read his message took a close look—and a very sober one—at what he had to say.

And in his remarks about joy, trials, and endurance, James left a trail of breadcrumbs, so to speak, for his brethren to follow so they could find their way through any trial they might encounter.

Imagine a pencil and paper maze from your childhood. Remember those? They always had one starting point and one end point. James 1:2-4 can be mapped out using the same principle. The starting point is called “My Trial” and the end point is “Perfect and Complete, Lacking Nothing”.

An interesting thing about this “trial maze” is that it works for the full spectrum of tests—from the seemingly insignificant irritations to massive worldwide turmoil.

If you remember those grade school mazes, you are keenly aware of the fact that within them several paths interconnect and wind around in every direction, but only one path will take you from start to finish. How many times did you have to start over when you first accepted the maze challenge?

As a kid, after messing up dozens of mazes by coloring the wrong paths, I started scoping them out first before I actually touched them with pencil, crayon, or marker. When I was satisfied I had correctly deciphered the route, I then colored it in with confidence and rarely botched a one after that.

James helped his brethren scope out the trials they encountered—from beginning to end—in a similar way. He gave them the secret to making it all the way through the maze effectively, but they needed two keys. The first key was joy, and the second, endurance.

Key number one. The very minute your trial starts, James wrote, start thinking about it as joy. Consider it all joy. If you look at something as joy, you don’t grumble, pout, or complain. You don’t scream, cry, or smack people. You smile. You laugh. You rejoice.

Fortunately for both James’ brethren and all the rest of us, he didn’t leave us dangling with this thought—face your trials with joy—with no further explanation. Instead, he gave us a second key to use with the key of joy—endurance—and a promise: that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Joy is the very attitude that will undergird you as you apply endurance. Joy lifts you up and empowers you while its opposite—pouting, grumbling, complaining, screaming, crying, or attacking others—brings you low and destroys.

Joy is the force that enables you to sit back at the onset of an attack and think, “Hmm…there’s an end to this trial. Let’s take a look at this maze.” Joy empowers you to resist taking all the false paths that crisscross your trial—pouting, grumbling, complaining, screaming, crying, or biting off heads. Joy is the force that speaks to your heart, “Hey, this may take a while, but there’s a prize at the end!” And with joy leading the charge, the second key, endurance, can arrive on the scene, do her thing, and have her perfect work.

Key number two: Endurance is that force which doesn’t need to look at her watch every 30 seconds. Endurance doesn’t check out the other competitors around her to see if they are faster, smarter, or more adept. Endurance is the force that is willing to remain behind the pack, if necessary, in order to see God fulfill His purposes. Endurance doesn’t give up.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

It is God’s will to bring about a perfect work in your life. But you must first apply two keys whenever you encounter a trial: 1.) Consider it all joy, and 2.) Endure to the end. Then you will be perfect complete, lacking in nothing.

Are you ready for the next maze?

Dorothy

James1:1—James the bond-servant of Christ

Posted by Admin on Sep 23, 2014 in James 1 | Comments Off on James1:1—James the bond-servant of Christ

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. James 1:1

Much of Christian tradition holds to the belief that James, who wrote the letter in the Bible bearing his name, was a half-brother of Jesus. Although other followers of Jesus were also named James, here are a couple of Scriptures which support the belief that this author likely was the brother of the Lord:

Mark 6:2-3: “And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” The first of Jesus’ four brothers mentioned here is James.

Galatians 1:19: “But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.” Here the apostle Paul refers to the brother of Jesus, whom he identifies as James. Notice that this James was not one of the original twelve disciples, but Paul categories him with the other apostles nonetheless. Obviously, James—who along with the rest of Jesus’ family may have once thought that Jesus was in dire need of a family intervention (see Matthew 12:46-50)—not only became a believer himself, but also emerged as an apostle and a great church leader.

Another clue to James’ sibling connection with Jesus is found in the similarity of thought and style shared by the two. None of the other writers of the New Testament letters besides James express their ideas with such striking resemblance to the preaching found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. More than a few excerpts from James’ letter read like a sequel to the Lord’s well-known hillside message.

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…

James identified himself in this greeting, not as Jesus’ brother, but as His bond-servant and the bond-servant of God. By describing himself in this way, he was declaring to one and all that he had given himself over to the will of the Lord to serve Him and to advance His cause on the earth (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G1401&t=KJV). He did not wrap himself in accolades; he didn’t name-drop or pad his resume with his unique connection to his Brother, the Lord; he simply identified himself as a servant of Jesus.

… to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

Bible commentator David Guzik explains James’ audience like this: “To the twelve tribes: What James means by the reference to the twelve tribes is difficult to understand. Is James writing a letter just to Christians from a Jewish background, or to all Christians? Certainly, this letter applies to all Christians. Probably, James wrote his letter before Gentiles were brought into the church, or before Gentile Christians emerged in any significant number” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide_Jam/Jam_1.cfm).

As you read the Book of James, remember that James’ readership was largely made up of Jewish believers, indicating that they were very familiar with Hebrew laws and customs. But also remember that his readers were Christian; knowing this eliminates any excuse someone might come up with to weasel out of the more “toe-stomping” portions of this epistle.

It is my hope that you will enjoy this verse by verse adventure in the Book of James—but wear your steel-toed boots. James didn’t mess around.

Until tomorrow,

Dorothy

A prayer for American leadership

Posted by Admin on Sep 22, 2014 in Praying for America | Comments Off on A prayer for American leadership

I recently found this prayer I wrote four or five years ago. It’s even more timely now than it was when I first prayed it.

Father,

In Jesus’ name I lift up my government’s leadership. Lord, it is Your will that we, the people of the United States of America, have shepherds—president, senators, representatives, governors, and all other elected and appointed officials—who serve according to Your will. I believe that even as those who are teachers will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity [than others] (see James 3:1, Amplified Bible), those who lead cities, states, and nations will receive a stricter judgment and condemnation from You as well.

Therefore, Father, in Jesus’ name, I request that You pour out and surround the president, his staff, cabinet, and advisors with a profound and ever-increasing sense of accountability for decisions already made, for decisions being formed now, and for decisions yet to be conceived. I ask that the conviction of the Holy Ghost would overshadow the entire White House staff from the top down and the bottom up, gripping each one with an overwhelming sense of right and wrong, good and evil, so that every individual involved in decisions—past, present, or future—will be sobered and held accountable for each act, motive, choice, decision, direction, and initiative that does not please You or align with Your will. I pray that rest, satisfaction, pleasure, and enjoyment will escape them until they repent and make the changes necessary to conform to Your will.

Father, likewise, I ask that You move in the same way in the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Supreme Court, all governors, and in each state and city government. Pour out the strong conviction of Your Spirit upon every man and woman in leadership as they seek to implement their agendas. I ask that You shake those who are in violation of Your will and confront them by Your Spirit, gripping them with the reality of the sinister outcome of their decisions. May such profound conviction of sin be upon and within them that they cannot turn in any direction without being confronted by the evil implications of their decisions. Father, may they find no pleasure, satisfaction, or enjoyment in their favorite escape mechanisms until they yield to the holy pressure upon them to make adjustments, changes, revisions—and if necessary—to repeal past decisions and laws to which You are opposed.

Visit all these men and women in leadership, Father, in an abiding way—despite their present relationship with You or lack thereof—so that the consistent pressure and light of Your presence would be tangible upon them and around them at all times. Visit them with dreams and visions—custom-made for each one—to correct, direct, shake, shape, or tear down, to mend, repair, build up, or rebuild according to Your wisdom and purpose for each one in his or her position.

May no dark place be left unvisited or unaffected by Your convicting presence, Father—in the White House, the Capitol, in state capitols, and in city governments, both large and small.

May all men and women at the helm of leadership at all levels in this nation be held more accountable than they’ve ever been for their actions, decisions, and words—and may Your divine intentions and purposes take hold once again in this nation’s governance at all levels. May massive shaking, rearranging, and reshaping be accomplished throughout this nation according to Your purposes at all levels of government to bring about Your will and the original intent of this nation’s founders. May those who persist in defiance to that purpose be removed and replaced by men and women who love this nation and long to serve wisely with a humble heart.

Father, may the gripping conviction of truth so shake and increase than no one, whether leader or citizen, will be left unconvicted, unmoved, or undealt with. Bring all men, women, boys, and girls to the clear, face-to-face, wide-awake knowledge of Jesus Christ and His powerful and complete sacrificial redemption for each one, and may they come to know and embrace Him as their personal Savior, Deliverer, and Lover of their soul.

Bring forth the shaking and awakening, God, at all levels of this nation, and penetrate into every dark region and corner with Your unfailing presence and grace.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Tomorrow: Beginning a walk through the Book of James

A safer walk during chaotic times

Posted by Admin on Sep 19, 2014 in Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on A safer walk during chaotic times

Late in 2009 or in early 2010, the Lord gave me an acrostic to help direct my prayer concerning the upswing of chaos I was sensing in the spiritual/political realm. It is called “SAFER”, and it is an outline I used to pray for the Church during those turbulent times just four or five years ago.

I was searching through my “stacks of stuff” this week for it, and discovered two other items as well that I want to post here before we begin again a verse-by-verse walk through the Book of James.

One of the items was a prayer I prayed for government leadership during the time I wrote the acrostic. I will post it on Monday. This prayer is extremely pointed and current. I am thankful I found it again.

Today, along with the acrostic, I will post the other find—a long-forgotten dream which I had in 1995. I’m glad I wrote it down back then; I believe it is illustrative of our nation and even some among the Church in these very strange times we have entered.

July 5, 1995 Dream

Since September 11, 2001, I have experienced the same sense of alarm and frustration I felt in the dream with what I’ve perceived as widespread nonchalance concerning the decay and apparent coup in our nation. Of course, evil men and women have always attempted to co-opt this nation, but the in-your-face flagrancy of their behavior has been incrementally notching up ever since that fateful late summer morning in 2001. And as I’ve spoken with people since then about the alarming trends in the U.S., so often I have felt “blown off” or redirected by others to listen instead, to this prophet or that teacher. And yet, I know what I’ve been seeing in my spirit. A strange presence has been nosing through the grate as the nation—and the Church—has been largely aloof, unconcerned, or even charmed or intrigued by the reptilian entity gaining access at ground level.

I believe God has been seeking to gain our attention about this looming chaos, and many of us have basically told Him, “Later, Lord. I’ve got other things to attend to.” Or perhaps some of us attempted to block such warnings due to the extreme discomfort they aroused. Maybe a lot of us rebuked fear when we should have—like the boy David—run to the fearsome thing with our “insignificant” slingshot of prayer to deal a blow from which that giant could not easily recover.

Every morning I pray or read the Word in my cozy prayer room or at my kitchen table overlooking my tree-lined backyard, I make it a point to thank God for one more day of comfort, beauty, and security. As I sip my coffee, I am grateful for the simple things that mean so much…especially if they were to be suddenly stripped away. I realize that America’s two hundred and thirty-eight year run of prosperity, peace, and safety has been the exception in history—not the norm. I recognize the enormous sacrifice of life, finance, and reputation of generations now gone which was invested to secure for us the freedom to live as we do today. And I recognize that untold hundreds of thousands of hours of agonizing prayer prior to our nation’s independence and in the two centuries since have been clocked by men and women of vision, passion, and commitment to their Lord and His call—many of whom were never known as great people—and yet great and mighty in God they were, nonetheless. And I am eternally grateful for each and every one of them.

My desire—whether we’re in the last generation or not—is to be available and equipped to pray big prayers: binding and loosing, moving and shaking, confronting and confounding those forces of darkness that defy the will and ways of the magnificent One by whom we are called. I long to see stability and sanity to reign once again, and for that to happen, God must first have His way. Therefore, I will—and I must—pray.

For the Church to have a SAFER walk in increasingly chaotic times, I pray for:

S haking [unto]

A wakening [and seeing the state of the world as it really is]

F orsaking [personal and private follies, vanities, lusts, and distractions]

E scaping [the grip of outward forces—operating through the fear of man—that seek to control our words, actions, and behaviors]

R etaking [ground through prayer in the name of Jesus and a right understanding of authority in Christ]

May you and I be found in Christ—doing His will and confidently trusting in Him—for whatever time remains to us on the face of the earth.

Dorothy

The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. 1 Peter 4:7, emphasis added

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8, emphasis added

Public schools: The impact of godly parents

Posted by Admin on Aug 29, 2014 in Schools | Comments Off on Public schools: The impact of godly parents

Parents: You can have a huge impact on your child’s education, his or her peers, and the adults working with your child. Below are the stories of four moms I met in my career as an educator who powerfully impacted their children’s teachers, their classmates, and the parents of their children’s friends.

Mrs. I. and Mrs. S. These two women both had sons in my class, one year apart from the other. They decided the year Mrs. I’s son was in my room to start praying for the school, their sons’ classes, and the teachers on a weekly basis. They didn’t tell me about it until much later.

Things flowed so smoothly those two years; the fourth graders were almost angelically cooperative; they loved coming to school and learning, and the ease with which I was able to witness about my faith in Christ was astounding. I read several books aloud to both classes from the Chronicles of Narnia series, and one boy who had never been to church told me he had asked Jesus into his heart one night after I finished reading the last book in the series. (This book revealed that the beloved lion Aslan was Jesus in our world, and the class was amazed and insisted on talking about it at length.) I attribute the success of those two years to these praying moms.

Mrs. C. At another school where I taught, one of the moms who left a lasting impression on the entire staff was Mrs. C., a Pentecostal lady who always wore a dress, never wore make-up, and had long uncut hair. This woman poured love into her children’s teachers. She often wrote encouraging notes to us, made sure we regularly had cake or some other type of goody in the staff lounge, and let us know that she was praying for whatever needs we might have. My public school colleagues always looked forward to a visit from Mrs. C.; her kind, thoughtful ways disarmed the gruffest, most skeptical ones among them. One of my fond memories at that school was conference time with Mrs. C. She always set up her conference appointments at noon on conference day so she could bring lunch to the person who was her child’s teacher that year.  When I taught her son Matt, she brought a feast for me to enjoy during both the autumn and the spring conferences—lots of homemade soup, rolls, salad, and one of her mouth-watering desserts. Her kindness and servant’s heart touched everyone’s lives, Christians and non-Christians alike.

Mrs. H.  I never had the privilege of having any of Mrs. H’s three sons in my class, but her godly ways were well known among the staff and parents of the other children. She subbed in our building from time to time, and because she subbed for me, also, I got to know her a little better. One of the boys in her oldest son’s class, Thomas, had developed a life-threatening infection and was getting worse quickly. Mrs. H. organized the parents and others to pray round the clock for Thomas, and whenever his parents received more bad news, Mrs. H. was there to encourage them and pray for them. She fought the good fight of faith for Thomas and never wavered. Against all odds, Thomas pulled through and is now a healthy young man, full of life and ambition. His parents attributed Thomas’ recovery to the power of God working through the faithful prayers of Mrs. H.

Mrs. H, full of the love and grace of God, died suddenly in a car accident a summer or two after Thomas was restored to health, along with her two youngest sons and her teen-aged brother and sister, on their way to Six Flags. The outpouring of love and tribute for the four young people and the godly mother was torrential. Parents, teachers, neighbors, and kids were all impacted by Mrs. H, and their lives stand as a testimony to her authentic witness and abiding faith in her Lord, Jesus Christ. Though she is dead, yet her life still speaks. She has left behind an imperishable legacy.

Parents, you have so much more power riding upon your words and your life than you can imagine. Don’t be afraid of being yourself—a godly mom, a faith-filled dad—in the midst of what may be the less than desirable environment into which your child steps daily. You do make a difference—even in public schools—and armed with prayer, wisdom, and love, don’t be afraid to let your light shine on the teachers, children, teens, and other parents in your child’s life.

Dorothy

Prayer and a custodian

Posted by Admin on Aug 28, 2014 in Prayer Perspective, Schools | Comments Off on Prayer and a custodian

How do you know if you’re supposed to pray for a particular school or for the entire educational system itself? A rule of thumb I go by is to pray about whatever grabs your attention or interest or even arouses your anger. John Osteen, the father of Joel Osteen, wrote a book called The Divine Flow, in which he taught believers to recognize the flow of compassion within them for someone and then to follow that flow with prayer and/or action.

If you see kids walking to school and sense a tug of compassion, pray for them. As you pass a school, if it catches your attention, pray for the students and staff there. If you feel outraged at some of the news stories you hear or read concerning the educational system today, then pray. Let your life become one of standing in the gap before God on behalf of others. It’s really simpler than we have made it out to be—you don’t have to pray for hours and hours; just pray when your attention is drawn toward the subject, whether your feelings are positive or negative about the issue. As you do this, you will develop greater sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and you will increase in your capacity to pray. And fruit will start growing.

If you pray for a school, those who study or work there will be touched by God—whether you see it or not. You may be surprised in eternity at all the fruit that will be piled up because you prayed.

When you sense the Lord prompting you to pray for seemingly random people, don’t discount a single life for whom you pray; God wants to pull that person out of their sin and use them to His glory.

An old Pentecostal woman prayed without ceasing for her step-daughter Pat who worked as a custodian in my school district. Pat had been running from God and was living a life of full-throttle sin. She started cleaning in my building when she was near the end of her rope. Every time I worked late, we would talk as she swept, dusted, and vacuumed the room, and I could tell she was hungry for God. I shared the Word with her; she told me about her step-mom and how she knew she was praying for her. It wasn’t long until Pat received Jesus as her Lord, and the lifestyle changes happened immediately. Gone were the ungodly romantic interests, gone was the alcohol, and tobacco left a little bit later. Pat was an astonishingly authentic new creation, and staff members, who liked her to start with, were drawn to her all the more.

She confided in me after she was saved that she was desperate to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Her step-mom had told her she needed the Holy Ghost to live a life of power. With her step-mom on the family end and me on the school end, we talked and prayed and shared with her all that we knew. Still nothing. I told her to relax; enjoy God, worship and praise Him as she went about her way, and she would be filled with the Holy Spirit when she least expected it, sweetly and completely, with biblical evidence.

Not too long after that, one night as Pat was alone, cleaning my classroom, another Spirit-filled teacher stopped in to visit. As she and Pat prayed, Pat started speaking in other tongues. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and has remained filled ever since. And in my opinion, Pat became one of the boldest witnesses of Jesus that school has ever seen. The lives of teachers, secretaries, cooks, administrators, parents, and other custodians that have been touched by this one woman is an amazing thing.

So pray. Pray however you are led, because God will touch lives through your prayers in unexpected, interconnected ways. And if you pray for schools, don’t limit God—those prayers just might be the fuel God uses to pull a key individual out of darkness and to use him or her to further His work in this hour.

Keep on praying!

Dorothy