News Flash!

Posted by Admin on Aug 1, 2013 in Victory over evil surmisings | Comments Off on News Flash!

News flash! I interrupt this series on revival to bring you an update on last week’s blog series. After writing the series featuring the dreaded devilish technique against Christians called Evil Surmisings, this author was targeted with that selfsame strategy by her adversary, not once, not twice, but three times within a few short days!

How could this be? you may wonder. Isn’t anyone who prays and studies the Bible like you claim you do too mature to be hit by such attacks? I respond, Only in their press releases, and mine haven’t been written yet.

Suffice it to say, rounds one and two hit me back to back, within seconds of one another. I was minding my own business, actually thinking about how good it was to walk in victory, when the first round hit. No biggie, I thought; what I just heard from those people wasn’t directed toward me. Then close on its heels, round two hit. Nope; I’m just imagining this, I said to myself.

And then round three hit hard and fast. Evidence! All my suspicions are undoubtedly dead-on! And that old knot in my stomach which had become a mere memory returned to my gut with a vengeance. Along with it came the old shame and fear of man.

Unfortunately, the bad news is this: you will be the target of evil surmisings—and all their hitchhikers—for the rest of your life on this planet until you finally get to fly home to the Lord.

The good news is this: you do not have to accept those thoughts or their tagalongs.

But, you ask, what about all that evidence you picked up by the Holy Spirit? Did I say it was by the Holy Spirit that I picked it up? To tell the truth, I don’t have a clue if what I sensed was accurate or not. And most of the time, neither will you in similar circumstances.

But don’t you need to protect yourself against the lies and disdain that might be rocketing your way? This is always the concern with evil surmisings, and the answer is…not necessarily. You see, suspicions are, even for the most spiritual man alive, still that—suspicions. They have no substance as far as you know. And along with the evil surmisings, launched by the prince of hell, are the whispered promptings of his “unholy spirit”: follow through, investigate, talk up your side of the deal just in case “those people” are seeking your ruin!

Do we not have a Helper, the Holy Spirit? (See John 14:16.) Has He not been summoned, called to our side, especially called to our aid, as One who pleads our cause before a judge? Is He not a Pleader, a Counsel for our defense, our Legal Assistant, and our Advocate? (See http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3875&t=KJV )

If I was wrong about “those people” and the motives of their hearts, would I not be guilty of judging them before the throne of God if I took to my own defense? And would I not demonstrate before the One with whom I have to do that I did not trust Him to fight my battles, if indeed a battle actually was in operation?

If I was correct in my suspicions, and I was the object of the disdain of others, even then—why should I fear? The Lord has fought similar battles for me while I remained silent; He is faithful to do it again (see Exodus 14:14).

The Lord provides for you a secret place where you can stay safe from the strife of tongues and the snares of the trapper. He surrounds you with favor as with a shield, and even if your enemy does seek to pit unsuspecting people against you, God can cause all things to turn around for your good if you love Him and are called according to His purposes (see Psalm 31:20, Psalm 91:3, Psalm 5:12, and Romans 8:28). You definitely have an unfair advantage, evil surmisings or not.

As for me, I choose to obey God, throw off the mantle of shame and fear which the devil seeks to drop upon my shoulders, and rejoice in the Lord.

God has your back. He is your sun and shield and gives you grace and glory (see Psalm 84:11). And evil surmisings—true or false—can’t stand long before you when you refuse to play along.

May God defend you and keep you forever from the strife of tongues and from falling for evil surmisings!

Dorothy

Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Psalm 20:6-8, KJV

Contention vs. revival

Posted by Admin on Jul 31, 2013 in Revival | 1 comment

Yesterday I introduced you to Winkie Pratney’s book, Revival. Something I read in it years ago stuck with me and changed the entire way I looked at differences between believers. I would like to share it with you.

George Whitefield, one of the revivalists Pratney wrote about, was used mightily of God during a key outpouring in American history. He preached his first sermon when he was 21 and continued without faltering throughout the British Isles and the American colonies until his death in 1770 at the age of 56. His style was described as the “preaching that startled the nation” (page 90). He spoke with authority, and said of himself, “I have not come in my own name. No! I have come in the Name of the Lord of hosts and I must be heard!” (page 92.) And heard he was. He typically preached twelve messages per week, and often spoke up to forty to sixty hours each week. The joy in which he walked was evident to all; one colonial woman said of his influence upon her, “Mr. Whitefield was so cheerful it tempted me to become a Christian” (page 96).

This man, who was used so powerfully by God to blast the message of the gospel to his generation, dealt with some of the same catty, factious, divisive forces that persist within Christianity in our time. Although he was a friend and contemporary of John Wesley, they did not see eye to eye on points of doctrine. Whitefield held to Calvinism; Wesley viewed the Armenian belief system as correct. In fact, at that time, many in the Church were sharply divided between these two branches of thought, and along with the division came bitter contention, criticisms, and smug judgments. Pratney wrote, “[Whitefield] had a deep humility, and broad charity toward others, loving all others who loved Jesus in sincerity. If other Christians misrepresented him, he forgave them; if they refused to work with him, he still loved them” (page 96).

One believer, more interested in controversy than in the furtherance of the gospel, asked Whitefield if he “thought he would see John Wesley in heaven.”

Whitefield replied, “I fear not. He will be so near the throne and we at such a distance that we shall hardly get a sight of him” (page 96). Something beyond anointed preaching and tireless endurance burned within Whitefield’s breast. The love of Christ that shunned partisan sniping permeated his life and ministry as well.

Are you willing to speak kindly of others despite doctrinal differences? Are you willing to forgo a juicy snide remark concerning a “rival” believer or ministry? Are any of us willing to set aside sectarian prejudices for the sake of keeping our motives pure before God?

These are the questions each of us must ask ourselves before the Lord. I am concerned that our generation will never experience the unlimited outpouring of God if true Christians refuse to lay aside suspicious attitudes and strife one against the other. Can we afford to continue in “me against you” and “us against them” mentalities at the risk of blocking the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon this dark generation? Whitefield didn’t think so.

May God help us all!

Dorothy

[The quotes from Revival are used by permission. Winkie Pratney’s ministry can be accessed at www.winkiepratney.com ]

Revival

Posted by Admin on Jul 30, 2013 in Revival | Comments Off on Revival

I read a book years ago with a message that was both ancient yet strikingly current. The book was Revival, by Winkie Pratney, published in 1983. The back cover asked:

• Are you disturbed by the apathy and despondency of people today?
• Do you wonder what the future holds for this immoral world?

It went on to say, “In an age where values are questioned, families are falling apart, and where quality is being replaced by quantity, there is an ever-growing need for a revival of the morals and beliefs of a more stable time.”

I agreed with it then; I agree even more now. These thoughts are more pertinent today than they were in 1983; without God’s intervention, our culture will continue to deteriorate at an alarming rate. Without divine interference, neither the best programs nor projects good men have to offer will be adequate to stave off the eventual collapse of our culture or return us to kinder, gentler days. We must have revival.

Pratney wrote about revivals, reformers, and revivalists spanning history from before the Great Reformation in the 1400’s up to the time of his writing. He wrote that “true revival is marked by powerful and often widespread outpourings of the Spirit.”  He also pointed out that in past revivals “many times preaching had to cease because the hearers were prostrate or because the voice of the preacher was drowned by cries for mercy” (page 16).

Quoting In the Day Of Thy Power by Arthur Wallis, Pratney shares concerning revival, “It is God revealing Himself to man in awesome holiness and irresistible power. It is such a manifest working of God that human personalities are overshadowed and human programs abandoned. It is man retiring into the background because God has taken the field” (page 17).

“Revival is periodic; evangelism is continuous,” Pratney quotes from an April 9, 1965 article in Christianity Today. “Revival will always vitalize God’s people…but revival is not always welcome. For many the price is too high. There is no cheap grace in revival. It entails repudiation of self-satisfied complacency. Revival turns careless living into vital concern…exchanges self-indulgence for self-denial. Yet, revival is not a miraculous visitation falling on an unprepared people like a bolt out of the blue. It comes when God’s people earnestly want revival and are willing to pay the price” (page 19).

It is interesting to note that the article in Christianity Today was written two years before a double-barreled blast of God’s intervention hit this nation. Both the Charismatic Renewal, starting among Catholic seekers and spreading into Protestant denominations, and the Jesus Movement, capturing disenchanted and disenfranchised young people for Christ by the tens of thousands or more, are said to have started in 1967, two years after the Christianity Today article was printed. Hunger for more than what they were currently experiencing in their churches and relationships with God was driving believers to seek God’s intervention in the mid 1960’s.

Pratney also warned, “Evil as well as righteousness can have a ‘revival’; there can be an unholy uprising as well as a holy outpouring” (page 21). Proverbs 28:28a declares, “When the wicked rise, men hide themselves” and Proverbs 29:2b says, “when the wicked rule, the people groan.” One strategy of the devil is to use intense widespread ridicule, derision, and scorn of godly values and faith in Christ to discourage believers from confidently persisting in prayer for a sweeping, mighty outpouring of His power and holiness. Satan accomplishes this through stirring wicked men, rulers, and ungodly popular thought to coerce believers to retreat in fear from voicing their convictions or confident profession of faith. Perhaps, they think, if we don’t ruffle any feathers and we just play nice, those who hate our values will simply forget we are here and leave us alone. However, such fear works to the enemy’s advantage; when good men are silent, evil increases and gains leverage. Like it or not, this describes our time.

That is why we need God’s intervention. As a friend of mine used to say, “The devil’s not playing wiffle ball.” We find ourselves facing the big leagues, now, ready or not. But we have a God who is ready to intervene in a big way for the asking. It’s time now to let go of distractions and fear for our own safety and reputations. It’s time seek the Lord on behalf of our nation. It’s time for a move of God.

[The quotes from Revival are used by permission. Winkie Pratney’s ministry can be accessed at www.winkiepratney.com ]

  oxycontin

Remove the dross

Posted by Admin on Jul 29, 2013 in Reflections in the Word | Comments Off on Remove the dross

“Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the smith.” Proverbs 25:4, NASB

“Remove impurities from the silver and the silversmith can craft a fine chalice.” Proverbs 25:4, Message Bible

“First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” Matthew 23:26, NIV

“Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something.” Matthew 23:26, Message Bible

The good news is this: “If a man is in Christ he becomes a new person altogether—the past is finished and gone, everything has become fresh and new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, Phillips).

If you are a new creature and your sin nature is gone, then two questions come up: 1.) Why do you still get tempted to sin? 2.) Why should you even be concerned about sin if everything has been covered by the sacrifice of Jesus?

To answer the first question, in Christ you are forgiven and your past is washed clean. Yet you have this thing called a soul, made up of your mind, will, and emotions. Although your soul is eternal, it was not recreated like your spirit was when you received Christ, and therefore is liable to make wrong choices. Your mind is to be renewed (see Romans 12:2) and your soul is to be saved by receiving God’s Word with a humble heart (see James 1:21). Philippians 2:12-13 says that you are to work out your salvation with fear and trembling; the good news is that God works inside you to help you to be willing to obey Him.

Why should you be concerned about sin? The Apostle Paul asked the same question. “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?” (Romans 6:1, NLT.) You can almost hear the apostle blowing a gasket as he answers his own question in verse 2, “May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (NASB.)

Your actions, thoughts, and words build your life. They also affect everyone around you, for good or for ill. You are accountable for the choices you make, the words you speak, and the thoughts you think. But because of your faith in Christ, the God to whom you will give an account is the same One who works within you both to will and to work for His good pleasure! He has rigged life in your favor! Only a mindset of rebellion, apathy, or self-importance on your part can gum up the flow of His wonderful grace on your life. If these attitudes arise within you, God is still present; He has not ceased to love you, and He will be ever-ready to work kindly within you to bring about repentance and change in your heart. Help with these destructive mindsets is just a prayer away.

Why exert so much attention on the topic of personal accountability when the world is spinning out of control? Perhaps if more attention had been paid to this subject, our world would not be in its current disastrous condition .

At the beginning of today’s entry the proverb states, “Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the smith.”  Impurities in silver decrease its reflective properties. Unconfessed sin in your life decreases your ability to reflect the Lord to a hurting world around you. Unchecked rebellion, apathy, or self-importance will block the clear leading of the Holy Spirit when you need it the most. As ungodly attitudes remain in your heart, they become weights to you, and life becomes burdensome, the call of Christ grows more and more faint, and the light that is in you becomes dim, hidden under a pile of flesh and unrestrained soul.

However, if you become aware of “dross” in your life, simply yield it to the Silversmith, and He will gladly remove it from you.

You were created in Christ Jesus to be a vessel for honorable use. Let God take away any dross cropping up in you, for it’s time for you to shine. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, KJV).

Let nothing cloud your light any longer!

Dorothy

Weekend: Delivered unto a life well-lived

Posted by Admin on Jul 27, 2013 in July 2013, Weekend | 2 comments

Our God is a deliverer. Throughout the history of the planet He has come on the scene to rescue those who trust in Him. His greatest act of deliverance happened about two thousand years ago in a little place called Israel. He Himself took on flesh and walked the earth, preaching a message of repentance and forgiveness, salvation and healing. And as many as received Him and believed in His name, to them He gave the right to become the children of God (see John 1:12).

There is nothing quite like knowing that you are not only forgiven and made brand new by the Creator of the universe, but also that He  has pledged never to leave or forsake you and to be with you always, even until the end of the age (see Hebrews 13:5 and Matthew 28:20).

How the God of all things can care about small, insignificant humans is beyond the comprehension of many of us. But He does. David declared in Psalm 18:35, “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and Your gentleness makes me great.” I imagine David was in awe of God’s amazing intervention on his behalf and that of his nation; but this verse reveals something even more amazing about God. When David praised God for His gentleness, he was extolling the fact that the Creator Himself, the Mighty One of the Universe, in humility, meekness, and an act of condescension, made him—insignificant David—great.

God rescues us. He delivers our lives from destruction. He saves our souls and welcomes us into His family. He is with us at all times and will continue to be right there until the end of our lives or the end of the age—whichever comes first! And to top it off, He gently humbles Himself to grant us greatness in our little time span.

But there are hindrances and obstacles to a well-lived life. And those hindrances don’t have all that much to do with whether or not your dreams were fulfilled the way you had hoped—no; such disappointments have less impact upon the quality of your life than you would imagine.

The hindrances and obstacles that must be conquered in the well-lived life have everything to do with the mind and attitude, beliefs and reactions, flexibility and resolve. Upon what do you meditate? What is your prevailing attitude toward work, responsibility, or others? What is your belief system—beyond your faith in Christ? Do you believe easily that He will cause all things to work together for your good, or do you think bitterly, probably not—nothing works out as I want? How do you react to stress? Do you seek Him and trust, or do you fly off the handle in fear, panic, or rage? Can you deal gracefully with changes in plans, whether short-term or long, or do you stew over the unfairness of it all? When options present themselves that violate your convictions, do you follow your conscience or do you fudge, just this once—it won’t hurt anything?

These are the things that determine whether your life is well-lived. Dreams fulfilled, desires met—those are icing on the cake.

This weekend, I urge you to spend some time with your Deliverer, Rescuer, Redeemer, Forgiver, Healer, and Savior. Pour out your heart to Him and allow Him to touch any encumbrance in your life that, if left untouched, would hinder you from having a life well-lived. Let Him do what He loves to do: to bring light to entanglements, to deliver you from hindrances, and to remove every obstacle that would disqualify you from having that life well-lived. Don’t put it off; He who saved you is delighted to bring you to full maturity. Remember, it is His gentleness, meekness, and humility directed toward and in you that will make your life, when all is said and done, not only well-lived, but great.

And, on that Day when you see Him face to face, may He look you in the eyes and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Happy weekend, happy life, happy eternity!

Dorothy

Defeating evil surmisings

Posted by Admin on Jul 26, 2013 in Victory over evil surmisings | 2 comments

Evil surmisings—unfounded suspicions about fellow believers—can plague the mind of even the most consecrated Christian. 1 Corinthians 10:13 spills a secret: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man.” Therefore, since evil surmisings qualifies as a temptation (of the mind more than the flesh), you can bet that you’re not the only one getting tempted to submit to such suspicions.

Evil surmisings come in an assortment of shapes, sizes, and colors, with one custom-made for you. These thoughts can be subtle—he’s so boring; he can’t possibly be used of God or blatant—I know she’s jealous of me; she’s operating in a controlling ‘Jezebel spirit’. The types and textures of evil surmisings are indeed without number.

How do you distinguish between an evil suspicion and the leading of the Holy Spirit? It’s usually not clear-cut at the outset, so from the get-go, the method of attack you need to take, of course, is to first of all, pray. Lift up the individual or group to the Lord; you even have permission to complain to Him if you must, but He will, nonetheless, expect you to come to the point where you will believe the best of them and let your faith work through love (see 1 Corinthians 13:5-6 and Galatians 5:6).

God is good and quite practical. He isn’t pleased when you are hurt; however, neither will He coddle you or entitle you to cling to your resentment. If you do feel entitled to your bitterness or hatred toward someone—an individual or an entire group—God’s not in that. You will find yourself stuck in one place without growth or further grace when you cling to the title deed of your resentment. Is that really what you want for your life?

What if the suspicion is actually the prompting of the Holy Spirit, warning you to avoid a certain business, fellowship, relationship, or endeavor? Whether the thought arises from the Lord or not, first of all, pray. The Spirit of God knows how to make clear to you the way in which you should go, and at times He will steer you away from people or places in order to protect you or to aid your growth in grace. When you recognize His leading and obey it, much hinges on what you do next. Will you continue in life, thankful for His direction, and refuse to entertain suspicions about the detour He prompted? Or will you use His kind re-routing as an occasion to badmouth and spread suspicions about a fellow believer or church?

Again, even if God reveals something to you as you follow Him, does that mean He wants it blabbed all over town or posted on Facebook? Does that mean you’ve become some sort of spiritual swami, given access to the secret intentions of others? Are you so impressed with your hearing from God that you think you are some kind of spiritual prodigy? As ugly as it sounds, these are some of the snares any one of us can stumble into after hearing from God. You must be alert, both coming and going.

God’s plan is to lead you and me throughout our lives. This is His idea of the normal Christian life. His will for you is to be shrewd in discernment so you can avoid pitfalls, distractions, and deception. But His will is also for you to be harmless as a dove and to walk in a high level of forgiveness, love, and respect for others (see Matthew 10:16).

You can live this way by refusing to yield to the lure of evil surmisings. Pray, forgive, and follow God. It’s your mind, and you have the right to take control of the mental strategies the devil has designed against you to pull you off course. Martin Luther said it something like this, “You cannot control the birds flying over your head, but you can stop them from building a nest in your hair.”

The degree to which you resist evil surmisings and choose rather to pray, forgive, and obey the Lord will also be the degree to which you will grow in accuracy and the clean discernment of God.

“…pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4b-5, KJV

Praise God for the defeat of evil surmisings!

Dorothy

Evil surmisings

Posted by Admin on Jul 25, 2013 in Victory over evil surmisings | Comments Off on Evil surmisings

We all mess up with our words at times, and none of us can claim a perfect track record with what we’ve said. The Bible underscores this fact. “For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well” (James 3:2). The Message Bible says it this way: “We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths.”

Because of this, the Psalmist prayed, “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).

Sometimes doctrinal differences become the topic of conversation between you and another believer. This doesn’t have to spin out of control into strife. We all have  differences with one another–sometimes on points of doctrine. The apostles held rational discussions concerning  serious deviations in doctrine that were being preached when the Church was in her infancy (see Acts 15). By tackling these issues head-on, they were able to be proactive, and they brought clarity to the confusion hitting the early Church.

However, discussion and debate without principled desire for truth and the genuine good of the other person will quickly deteriorate into selfish maneuvering to be right. The Apostle Paul showed great disdain for such wrangling about words. In 1 Timothy 6:3-6, he described the individual who flat-out refused to hear sound doctrine. “He is conceited and understands nothing, but has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words.” Envy, strife, abusive language, and evil suspicions permeate this kind of undisciplined, self-promoting wrestling match (see 1 Timothy 6:4).

But unfortunately, that’s not the only time envy, strife, abusive language, and evil suspicions crop up in the Church. When you think someone is wrong about anything, big or small, take it to the Lord in prayer and guard against suspicious thoughts gaining control of your mind, heart, or behavior.

Evil suspicions are also called evil surmisings in the KJV. When you surmise, you infer something without having sufficient evidence to support your suspicion. You come up with a conclusion based on unfounded feelings.

When you develop a “me against you” or an “us against them” mentality, there’s a very good chance you’re entertaining evil surmisings.

When you think someone doesn’t like you and you “know” what they’re thinking, there’s a good chance you are entertaining evil surmisings.

When you hear yourself saying things like they think they’re too good for me or they always ignore me, you are probably entertaining evil surmisings.

Entire fellowships have been destroyed because of evil surmisings spoken as fact. These juicy tidbits of suspicion have an uncanny way of undermining the lives of good, solid people. God does not take lightly the wreckage of lives devastated by even one whisper of evil surmising.

Stand against anything that would bring dishonor to the name of another believer. Don’t give the devil an opportunity with words of insinuation; refuse to be a party to promoting unsubstantiated evil surmisings, and flee from stripping a fellow believer of his or her dignity before others.

Run from the assumption that you know the thoughts and hearts of those around you. If you recognize you’ve fallen into this snare set for you by the devil, cry out to God for mercy and repent—the quicker the better!

None of us have lived a flawless life, including you. Therefore, instead of evil surmisings, give mercy, freely and from your heart. Make mercy your habit; make it your lifelong passion. You will never regret it.

“For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:13

“There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18