Month: October 2013

The Importunity of Prayer

Luke 11:8
“I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.”

One subject that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them about was the area of prayer. They said in Luke 11:1, “Lord, teach us to pray,…” They understood that the most important thing a Christian could learn to do is to pray. You may learn how to do many other things in the Christian life, but one thing you must learn to do is to pray. When I look at what Jesus taught them about prayer, I notice several things.

First, I noticed that you should pray when you have a need. In verse 5, Jesus teaches them about prayer by using a parable. He said, “Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;…” You will notice that there was a need for bread. This man had no bread to feed a friend who came to visit him late at night. So, he went to his next door neighbor to ask for bread.

Whenever you have a need, you should always pray. Some often wonder if the need must be a big need, and certainly we should pray when our needs are big, but we should also pray for every small need. Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” God has the resources to answer your need; however, you must ask him to supply it if He is going to give it. Whenever a need arises, your first response should be to pray.

I also noticed that prayer is never convenient. It was late at night when this friend went to his neighbor to ask for bread. It wasn’t convenient to ask at that time, but he had a need. It is never convenient to pray. You will always find that prayer is needed at the most inconvenient times. Don’t let the inconvenience of prayer keep you from praying.

Furthermore, prayer should not be a last resort, but it is a last resort. We should pray at all times, but we should also understand that praying is truly the last resort for every Christian. Though we often hear that we should not pray only when it is an emergency, if every prayer happens because of a need, then every prayer is an emergency. Don’t let the Devil shame you into not praying because you don’t want to make prayer a last resort.

Moreover, don’t give up when you pray. This man in the parable didn’t give up when he was told his need wouldn’t be met. Instead, he kept on knocking. Let me encourage you to keep on praying when you have a need. Don’t ever give up on a prayer. Prayers don’t always get answered immediately. This is why you should never give up. Pray until it is answered.

Finally, be precise in your prayers. When you pray, don’t beat around the bush, but tell God exactly what you want. This man in the parable said he needed three loaves of bread. That is very precise. When you are praying, be precise with God. He likes to show His power when His children get precise.

Friend, prayer always comes at an inopportune time. Don’t let the importunity of prayer keep you from praying. Take these lessons from this parable and keep on praying. There is a prayer you quit on; I encourage you to pick it up and start praying again.

You Don’t Get It, Do You?

Luke 5:5
“And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”

The disciples had fished all night to no avail. While they were cleaning their nets, Jesus walked by and told them to launch out into the deep and let down their nets, for He was going to give them a “draught” of fish. The word “draught” means, a haul. In other words, Jesus was about ready to reward their labor by giving them more fish than they could handle. Yet, Peter responded by telling Jesus he would not let down the nets, but he would let down a net. Peter didn’t get it. He fished all night under his power and it didn’t work, and now he had an opportunity to really cash in on a miracle of Jesus, but he only let down the net. That lack of faith in God’s power cost him many fish. That lack of obedience to God’s command caused him to miss out on seeing the full power of God. The lack of trust in the power of God caused him to miss God’s power working through him.

Many Christians make the same mistake that Peter made in that they try to patronize God, when God doesn’t need to be patronized. God doesn’t need your “I told you so” obedience. He needs you to trust Him that He can do something mighty through you if you will do it His way. Many Christians really don’t get it when it comes to God. God doesn’t do things according to man’s wisdom and understanding.

He does things the way He chooses. If Jesus had told Peter to bring his boat to land and let down the nets for a draught of fish, he should have obeyed even though it wouldn’t have made any sense because God always follows through on what He says He will do.

Do you find yourself trying to work out your own problems? The disciples had fished all night to no avail. By the way, they were professional fishermen, but they still didn’t catch any fish. Many Christians may have put as much effort into solving their problems as the disciples did to fishing, but they find their efforts produced nothing. You must understand that a work without God’s help will fail.

Moreover, God doesn’t solve your problems according to your understanding. When God tells you to do something, He is not expecting you to understand why He says to do something a certain way, you must trust Him that He can come through as He says.

Furthermore, the key to seeing God’s miraculous power in its fullest is complete obedience. Don’t be guilty of letting down a net when He tells you to let down the nets. Don’t be guilty of patronizing God by letting down a net. That is an insult to God. Whenever God tells you to do something in a certain way, then follow it completely and don’t try to include your own methods.

Whatever the problems are that you face today, God has the answer. That answer will only be found when you completely trust and obey what He tells you to do. When you do it like God tells you to, then that is when you will see God’s power in its fullest.

The Unaffordable Health Care Act

The-Unaffordable-Health-Care-Actby: Allen Domelle

I sat in my room on October 20 watching President Obama address the problems that the government website for the Affordable Health Care Act was having. As I listened, I was embarrassed to watch the President of the United States acting more like a salesperson trying to convince people that this is a good product instead of acting presidential. Giving out a 1-800 phone number for people to call if the website was not working and hearing him tell of two incidents where the Health Care Act helped lower someone’s insurance rate was nothing short of a salesperson selling his product.

There is no doubt that the Affordable Health Care Act is the pride and joy of this president, but to defend what has been going on since October 1 when the government website opened is shameful. The opening of the website has been nothing short of disastrous. He talked of the government as if it was a business. If the government were a business, then it would have gone under a long time ago.

What troubles me about this Affordable Health Care Act is how unaffordable it has become. According to usaspending.gov, the government spent a whopping $634,320,919 to build the healthcare exchange website that has been disastrous. Yes, you are seeing the number right, over $634 million to build a website. This caused me to immediately do some research to see the affordability of the healthcare website and its programs. Being that I have my own website, I thought this was an astronomical amount of money to spend on building a website. If you were to take 50 website developers and pay them $100 dollars an hour for 8 hours a day, and they worked for 365 days, you would spend $14,600,000 to build a state of the art website. The government could have hired 63 web developers for 40 years and paid them a salary of $250,000 a year for the $634 millions spent. Yet, the government spent $634 million to build a website that does not work.

I called some website developer friends to ask them if they could build the website for less than $634 million dollars, and in each case they said it would be far less to build a site than this. So, I did some research and found that the Four Seasons Hotel recently spent $18 million dollars to build a brand new website, and it works. Amazing!

In an attempt to defend the errors in the website, the president said that they’ve had several million people visit the site and fill out applications for health insurance. He even defended it by saying that Apple had a glitch in their recent release of their IOS 7 platform.

Again, I did some more research to see how many downloads Apple had to accommodate compared to the government website, and I found a large disparity. According to several sources, there are over 600 million IOS devices in the world, and to date over 438 million have downloaded the IOS 7 platform that is of far greater in download size than the information the government website collects. Again, Apple’s downloads had no glitch. Their site did not crash.

The President said in his speech that in spite of the problems with the government website, that there was “massive interest in the product.” According to healthcare.gov, there have been about 500,000 applications taken for healthcare. Of course, they have not disclosed how many of these applications have been approved. Yes, they have to approve these applications in spite of what the President has been saying. When you compare the 500,000 applications to the almost 314 million people in the United States, that means less than 1% of Americans have even applied. I would not call this “massive interest.”

Let’s look at this even further. According to healthcare.gov, they had 19 million unique visitors visit the website. That sounds like a lot, but when you understand what a unique visitor is, you will understand that 19 million people have not visited the site. I could visit the site in the room where I am writing this article, then go down the street and find a hotspot in a coffee shop to visit the site, and both visits would be a unique visit. As we know, people have been trying to get on this site multiple times which should tell us that there are far less than 19 million people truly looking into the site. When you compare the governments’ traffic to Apple, you would realize that the government only had 4% of the traffic compared to what Apple had, and the Apple website did not crash.

Friend, someone is going to have to pay for this. I am not talking about people in the government losing their jobs, I am talking about the $634 million bill that it took to build the site that could have easily been built for $500 million dollars less. This is gross negligence by the president and his staff at the least.

Luke 14:28-29 says, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,” This debacle of the government website has again given the United States a black eye in the world community. If this had happened in any other realm of business other than government, everyone involved would have lost their jobs.

It is time Christians wake up and stop giving this gross waste of the people’s money a pass. Instead of criticizing Senator Ted Cruz for standing up for the American people in his 30 hour filibuster, you should be thanking God that there is someone who has the courage to stand against government waste. Yes, it is a Christian matter when it comes to spending money, even for a government. It is time to take notice, see who is pushing this mess, and make them pay in the next elections. If the healthcare website is a debacle, then what does that say about the Health Care Act itself?

Allen Domelle is the editor of the Old Paths Journal which is more than just a Christian’s publication. It is an excellent place to learn how today’s headlines will forge tomorrow’s laws and statutes. Keep yourself in tune with what is happening around the world, as well as in your own backyard with our daily updates and devotionals.

Why We Err in the Ministry

Mark 12:24
“And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?”

In my lifetime, I have watched many good people spiritually go off the deep end. You could write a book about people who started out right, but they ended up in the wrong place. I’m not talking about people who were casual or weak Christians, I am talking about people who were leaders in Christianity. It is alarming when you consider that these people appeared to be some of the strongest Christians.

What is it that would cause “great” Christians to go astray? The verse above says, “…Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?” The word “err” means, “to go astray, be deceived or wander out of the way.” God is not talking about falling into sin, but He is talking about people who wander or go astray from the truth. He shows us there are two reasons why people err in the ministry.

First, they don’t know the Scriptures. Many people fall into doctrinal error because of a lack of knowledge of God’s Word. If you don’t know what the Scriptures teach, you can easily be deceived by a suave religious teacher. I remember years ago a friend of mine coming to me and telling me I needed to watch a video of a preacher who was teaching a new insight on doctrine. Of course, he didn’t feel what this video showed was against the Scriptures, but he thought this so-called man of God was explaining a doctrine that many misunderstood. I told my friend that I didn’t care what this video said, I was more interested in what the Scriptures teach. Today, this man is an atheist, and I’m preaching the Word of God. What happened? He didn’t know the Scriptures. You must study the Scriptures daily so that you don’t stray from what They teach.

Second, people err in the ministry because they don’t know God’s power. Part of this is due to the fact that they don’t know the Scriptures, but the other part comes from the fact that they just don’t understand the magnitude of God’s power. I find we live in a day when many people are looking for different ways to reach the lost because they say the methods of years gone by don’t work. The problem with this mentality is that people don’t know the power of God. Some of the greatest revivals in history came when sin was prevalent. We don’t need to change methods, we need to get to know the power of God.

The key to this whole verse is the word, “know.” This word means to experience. You will never know the Scriptures until you’ve experienced Them. You will never know the power of God until you’ve experienced it. Friend, having a head knowledge of the Scriptures and God’s power is not enough, you need to experience them by use. Put the Scriptures into use and watch them work. When you know they work, then you won’t be quick to go astray. When you’ve personally experienced God’s power working in your life and ministry by serving Him, then you won’t be hasty to try something different. The only reason people go astray is because they have never truly experienced the Scriptures or the power of God.

Let me ask you, do you know, or have you experienced the Scriptures or the power of God? Until you get to know these two things, you are a prime candidate to go astray. You may think you will never go astray, but you will unless you’ve experienced the Scriptures at work or personally known the power of God. I encourage you to stop looking for new methods and ways, and simply get to know the Scriptures and the power of God, for that alone is your only hope of seeing lives changed and influenced through your ministry.

Do Not Look for the Answer Until the Test is Over

Don't-Look-for-the-Answer-Until-the-Test-is-Overby: Dr. Bob Gray Sr.

John 13:7, “Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.”

Job 35:12, “There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.”

None of us can make it alone in life. None of us can keep on going alone in life. We need our God and we need each other. There is a great mistake being made in our Christianity in America for we have divided the laity and the so-called clergy too much in our nation. The truth is we have in each local church a man chosen to spend more time in the Scriptures and with God than the rest of the people.

However, the one who is chosen is weak himself. Preaching is one doubter preaching to a bunch of doubters attempting to convince all of us not to doubt. Preaching is an imperfect man preaching a perfect Book to imperfect people attempting to perfect them. Preaching is one weak man preaching to a bunch of weak people attempting to cause all of us to lean upon Jesus for strength.

So, the preacher comes as at best a man to preach God. When I preach on joy I do not have joy all the time, but I work at it and as a result I have joy most of the time. When I preach on strength I do not come as one that always has strength, but I know where to go to receive strength and I do go there most of the time.

I do not come to the congregation with all the answers, but I do come to them with a Bible that has all the answers. I have the same fears, doubts, apprehensions, temptations, and trials that the congregation has.

The Bible says Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are. The Bible says, “There is no temptation taken you such as is common to man.” Every testing I have you have and every testing you have I have. The great preachers of the past such as Jack Hyles, John R. Rice, Bill Rice, D. L. Moody, C. H. Spurgeon, Lee Roberson, and Billy Sunday were all human beings. To find fault in them is to find fault in you and the rest of the human race.

When I was in grade school we use to have schoolbooks that had the answers in the back of the book. We would grade others papers by going to the back of the book and look up the answers. When we would take a test I can still hear the teacher saying, “Don’t look at the answers until the test is over.”

Think about that? We all need to think about that. It is not time to look at the answers now in life while we are being tested. During the testing time it is not time to look for the answers. Why, because you will not learn anything if you get the answers before the test is over. I use to say to myself, “But that is when you need the answers the most.” However, the teacher would say, “You will not learn anything by getting the answers before the test is over. Wait till it is over and then look at the answers to find out how you did.”

Here we are today being tested and we want to know the answers. I find myself getting on to a plane sometimes saying, “Why?” I check into a hotel sometimes asking myself, “Why?” and I can hear my grade school teachers saying, “Wait till the test is over before you look for the answers.” All of us want the answers during the test, but the answers do not come till the test is over. The truth is none of us will learn anything. We must wait until the test, the trial, or the testing time is over.

John 13:7 Jesus said, “I’ll tell you hereafter” for it is not time now to tell you. It is not time to look at the answers. I pastored for 33 years and have been honored to be in the ministry going on 39 years and I knew the dear people God gave me to pastor. I knew their testing and I knew they were asking why just like I was asking why for all of us do it. They had their airplane moment, motel moment, and they all wept as we all asked why.

May I tell you what my grade school teachers use to say to us. “Don’t look for the answers until the test is over, because you will not learn anything by knowing the answers without the test.” There is no great merit in trusting God if you have all the answers. God wants you to trust him without the answers. God wants you to work your way through the problem. Once the test is over or the problem is worked through then you can look at the answers. Only then will “why” be answered, but we all are so prone to fuss at God telling him we want to know the answers now.

However, God says in Job, with Elihu speaking to Job, that Job was tested and asking God for the answers. He was asking why did my ten children die, why is my health gone, why is my wealth gone, why are my friends turning on me, and why did my wife lose her faith and loyalty in me. Job was asking God why? “There has to be an answer why all ten of my children died, my health is gone, my wealth is gone, my so-called friends have forsaken me, and my wife said, ‘Curse God and die!’ God why?”

Elihu comes to Job and says, “God is not interested in you.” Oh, Elihu you are so wrong! God is interested in Job and in every one of his people. God knows your name, your house number, your social security number, you blood type, your telephone number, your blood pressure, your height, your weight (ouch), your heartache, and your personal pain. You and I are not an uh oh with God. All of a sudden a cloud comes and the presence of Jehovah God appears to Job.

“Why God?” asks Job. Why my health, wealth, ten children, disloyal wife, and so-called friends who became disloyal. I can hear Job say to himself, “Wow! God is here and God is going to tell me why.” He heard the voice of God and God is going to tell him “why” he thought, but God did not tell him “why.”

In the 39th, 40th, and 41st chapters of Job when God came to Job he never told Job why one time. God said, “I want to show you something Job. Look at the streak of lightening across the sky. Can you do that?” Job felt that mighty rush of wind and God asked Job, “Can you do that?”

God gives him a display like no one could imagine. God shows his power, omnipotence, wonders, and creation, then He says to Job, “If I can do all of that then don’t you think there is a why?” “If tornadoes are my footprints, hurricanes my breathe, snow comes from me, I can cause the rain to come then stop, and I can put on a lightening show of electricity in the sky, don’t you think you could trust a God like me? Don’t you think Job, I have a reason for every thing?”

Why don’t we quit looking for the answers while the test is being given? Why don’t we just work through the problems? Why don’t we just work our way through the trials, tribulations, and tests? Why don’t we just learn some things? It’s not answer time for it’s trusting time. It’s time to trust God not to find answers from God. If you and I found the answers it’s not going to help us until the test is over.

God says to us, “Trust me.” When you can’t see your way through just trust God to guide you through. Tell God you do not need to know why because your God knows why.

LESSONS

  • We waste our time guessing at the whys or the answers
  • We may guess wrong
  • We may make a wrong decision based on a wrong guess
  • We cannot know the answer until you work through the problem
  • If we knew why in the middle of the test we would disagree with the answer
  • The testing time is more help to us than the answer time

Making of a Forerunner

Mark 1:7
“And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.”

John the Baptist is considered the forerunner of Jesus Christ. Before he was born, God told his mother that he would be the one who would prepare the way of Jesus Christ. When John became an adult, he did not run from this calling; instead, he embraced it and fulfilled it perfectly. He was the perfect forerunner of Jesus Christ.

Actually, every Christian is to be the forerunner of Jesus Christ. There is a world in which we live that needs to be introduced to Jesus Christ, and our job as a forerunner just may determine whether they will accept Him. It would be terrible if a Christian lived such a life that the lost wanted nothing to do with Christ. The world should be able to look at every Christian and see a perfect forerunner of Christ. Let me show you the makings of a forerunner by looking at the life of John the Baptist.

First, a forerunner must be willing to be the lone voice. Mark 1:3 says about John the Baptist, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness,…” He did not shy away from the loneliness that being a forerunner brings. He understood as a forerunner he would be the lone voice proclaiming the truth. If you are going to be a successful forerunner of Christ, then you must be willing to be that lone voice in a wilderness of sin. If you need a pat on the back for everything you do for Christ, then you will never be a successful forerunner. As a forerunner, many will never notice what you do. Many times a forerunner may seem to be unappreciated, but that is the job of a forerunner. Don’t shy away from being the lone voice because of a lack of recognition, but realize it is all a part of being a forerunner of Jesus Christ in the wilderness in which you live.

Second, a forerunner must be willing to be different. Mark 1:6 shows us how John the Baptist dressed and ate differently from everyone else. I’m not saying that you have to be strange to be a forerunner, but you must dress, talk and eat the way Christ would want you to do. Remember, you’re a forerunner for Christ, and He has a right to tell you to come out of the world and be separate so you can successfully prepare the way for Him to do a work in the hearts of those who need Him.

Third, a forerunner must not shy away from standing for truth. The reason John the Baptist lost his life is because he stood against the adultery in the life of his present day ruler. He lost his head for truth’s sake. Friend, you will never be a successful forerunner for Christ if you are not willing to stand for truth at all costs. Truth is not always popular, but as a forerunner you must proclaim it.

Fourth, a forerunner must point to Christ. The whole purpose of being a forerunner is to give all attention to Christ. If you must point to yourself and what you’ve done, then you will be a poor forerunner of Christ. Stop talking about all that you’ve done, and start talking about all that Christ has done. Your whole job is to always deflect any attention away from yourself and direct it towards Christ.

Are you a good forerunner for Christ? You live in a wilderness of sin, and those who live in that wilderness need someone to point them to Jesus Christ. I dare you to be that forerunner for Christ in your wilderness. You will find that being a forerunner for Christ is what it will take to change your wilderness for good.

Christianity’s Greatest Enemy

Matthew 23:13
“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”

If I were to ask you what or who is the greatest enemy of Christianity, I would no doubt hear that the Devil is the greatest enemy. There is no doubt that the Devil is at the top of the most wanted list in Christianity, but the greatest enemy of Christianity is pharisaical living. The greatest enemy of Jesus’ life on Earth were the Pharisees.

The Pharisees did more to destroy Christianity than anything else. I can say this because Pharisees have a form of religion. Sadly, many Pharisees are Christians themselves. Many times Christians take on the actions of Pharisees and don’t realize the damage they do to Christianity. In Matthew 23, God pointed out the attributes of the Pharisees.

The first attribute of the Pharisees is that they make Christianity something that it’s not. You see in the verse above that they put more requirements on people than the Scriptures did. You must be very careful that you don’t make your preferences a right and wrong. Just because you prefer something doesn’t make it right or wrong. The Scriptures determine right and wrong.

The second attribute of the Pharisees is that they portray something they are not. In verse 14, the Pharisees would destroy a person privately, but in public they knew how to look good. In other words, they knew how to put on the right actions so they looked good to people. Be careful that you’re more interested in how God sees you and not how others see you.

The third attribute of the Pharisees is that they are soul ruiners and not soul winners. Verse 15 shows they were proselytes and not soul winners. There is nothing wrong with trying to get people in a good church, but the greatest job of a Christian is to win souls. Are you winning souls?

Fourth, Pharisees wouldn’t use the altar. God shows us in verse 16-18 they didn’t see the need of the altar. Friend, the altar is your friend. Don’t be guilty of not using it personally and at church. Both altars should be used all the time.

Fifth, in verse 23, the Pharisees were guilty of sins of omission. A Pharisee may never commit “gross” sins, but they forget that sin is not just doing, but sin can also be not doing something they are supposed to do. You must be careful that you don’t allow the commands of grace to be omitted from your life.

Sixth, in verse 25, the Pharisees didn’t have a life of transparency. In other words, they lived two lives. They had a public life and a private life. The Christian life is not what you do in public, but the Christian life is what you do all the time. Always remember that God doesn’t judge your public performance, but He judges your life performance.

Finally, verse 27 shows the Pharisees had a deceptive adoration. They lifted up the prophets, but truly wanted nothing to do with what they preached. Many today will talk about great men of the past, but they don’t follow what they preached. It’s easy to say that you love the great Christians from the past, but it’s better to embrace their Christianity.

Let me ask you, as you look at this list, do you find any of these traits in yourself? Be honest with yourself as you look at this list, for you truly know what you are like. Pharisaical living destroys Christianity more than anything else because it repels the lost. Don’t let these traits have any part in your life.

The Enemies of Great Works

Matthew 13:58
“And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

Who wouldn’t want to see the great works of God? When I read about the great works of God in history, it creates a desire in me to want to see them in my day. When I was a boy, I heard how God provided finances in a miraculous manner. I heard how God came down and met in meetings in the past. I read how God performed miracles in the Scriptures. These things created a desire in my life to see God’s great works in my lifetime.

A sad statement is made in the verse above when it says that Jesus couldn’t do might works. Imagine, man handcuffing the hands of God. Imagine, the weak limiting Omnipotence. Imagine, the finite confining the Infinite. This seems impossible, but according to the verse above it happens. Though, as a child, I desired to see the great works of God, I see in the verse above that I can limit His works. In the Scriptures there are three clear enemies of the great works of God.

Unbelief is the first enemy of great works. In the verse above, Jesus preached in his hometown, but because they could not see Him as the Son of God, their unbelief caused Him not to be able to perform miracles. I often find there are times when our unbelief keeps God from doing great works. We have this thought in our mind that God would never do something, so we don’t even attempt to ask Him to do it. Do you realize that you are keeping God from performing great works when you don’t ask Him? You must be careful that you don’t let unbelief quench the works of God. Why is it that God can’t work through our unbelief? Because our unbelief causes us not to attempt something for God, and He chooses to work through people. Don’t let your unbelief cause you not to see the great works of God.

Little faith is the second enemy of great works. In Matthew 14:31, Jesus rebuked Peter for having little faith. While Peter walked on the water, he got his eyes off God and saw the waves, and it caused his faith in Jesus to waver. That little faith caused the great work of walking on the water to cease. Many times in our Christian lives we start out attempting something great for God, but then we stop because we are sidetracked by our faith. Somehow, in the midst of the work, something caused us to take our eyes off the mighty works of God. Friend, always remember that if God started to do a work through you that He won’t stop until it is done.

The third enemy of great works is a lack of vision. In Matthew 15:33, the disciples lack of vision kept God from feeding the crowd until He helped their vision. Don’t limit your vision of what God can do to your little world. Always understand that if there is a problem, then God has a solution. It doesn’t matter how big the problem may be, God always has the power to overcome any obstacle. Don’t let your lack of vision cause God not to be able to do great works through the lives of people and through ministries.

Are you guilty of limiting the great works of God? I’m afraid we are all guilty of this at times; however, we must not let it continue. There is something right now in your life that God wants to do, but these three enemies are keeping God from doing it. Always remember that when these three enemies show up, then there is a great work that God wants to do. These enemies are only keeping you from seeing God’s power. Don’t listen to these three enemies, instead have faith in God and trust Him, and you will see His great works.

Making an Impact in Your Youth

Making-an-Impact-in-Your-Youthby: Jonathan Painter

Whether you know it or not, the youth departments of our independent fundamental Baptist churches are indeed our “secret weapon” in the constant fight against Satan and his world. This is why I believe our youth is Satan’s biggest target in the battle. The teen department is where you’ll find energy and fire. I believe if our youth departments would turn their vision, their passion, their desire, and their energy towards the things of God, our nation would see a revival like it has never seen.

I fear that our teenagers are sitting back and waiting for the older generation to start a revival and then they will follow suit; yet, it is natural for the youth of a society to set the trend for the period. Just as the youth of America ushered in the rock music movement, and hippy fashion movement, I believe our Christian young people hold the key to ushering in a Great Awakening of this nation again. Now believe me, I have not lost my mind, I do not believe we need to hold national conferences and put thirteen year old young men behind the pulpits to preach. No, we will leave the “national pulpit” to more experienced and seasoned men of God. However, I do believe that the thirteen year-old can load his pocket up with tracts and take a New Testament in his hand, and then go out and tell someone about Jesus Christ. I do believe that a thirteen year-old can determine in his heart that he is going to seek the Lord, be holy and pure and establish a walk with God. There is so much a young person can do to stir-up a revival in this nation, if our youth would simply DO IT!

A Walk With God – If the teenagers in our youth departments want to spark a revival in America once again, then it must start with a walk with God. I am afraid we feel that we will only spark a revival if we can have our say in the national spotlight. Who cares about the national spotlight when God has the grace to give us our say before His throne in our prayer closet? The youth of America could spark a revival in their walk with God, not just filling up a devotional book, but literally reading and studying God’s Word to get something out of it. We could spark a revival if our youth would actually spend more than two minutes of prayer a day. We could see a revival!

Righteous Living – I could have written the whole article on this subject alone, but I will only touch on the subject. America needs to see a group of young people who fear God, and live like it! We need young men and ladies who dress right, talk right and walk with an upright heart. America is used to seeing rebellion in her youth, and she only sees swearing, lewdness, and sloppiness in her youth. If she could see a group of young Christian Americans who live life like they love God, then we could see a revival in our cities, and in our states and in our nation!

Soul Winning – It is about time that our independent, fundamental, Baptist youth took the energy that teenagers have bottled inside of them and use it to go out and win souls to Jesus Christ. It is one thing for America to see young people who walk with God, and it’s another to see them live for God. However, when a teenager has enough guts to proclaim his Saviour’s grace, that will leave an impression, and we will see a revival once again!

Jonathan Painter
Youth Pastor
Lincoln Baptist Church
Lincoln, NE

Temptation’s Finest Moments

Matthew 4:3
“And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”

I was recently invited to eat at a restaurant in my hometown. When my wife and I arrived at the restaurant, in their display they had all kinds of delicious looking desserts. After ordering my food and eating my meal, the waitress came and asked if we wanted dessert. Though I did not order dessert, it was heavily on my mind because of the display in the front. The display tempted me to have dessert.

Temptation is always the precursor to sin. There is no doubt that if a person is never tempted to do wrong, then they will never do wrong. That is why Jesus told us to pray in Matthew 6:13, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:…” Jesus understood that if we are never in the place of temptation, then we will never sin.

However, there are times when we cannot avoid temptation. That’s why we are told to ask God to “deliver us from evil.” Jesus was placed in a moment when temptation was present. Though He faced temptation, He overcame it. Always remember that the presence of temptation is not sin, but yielding to it is. In the Scriptures there are certain moments when temptation is at its finest. It is in these moments that we must beware so that we don’t succumb to temptation’s lure.

The first moment of temptation is when you are alone. In verse 1, Jesus went alone into the wilderness to pray. It’s interesting that Jesus was going to do something spiritual, but temptation showed up. You must always be careful of temptation when you are alone. It doesn’t matter how spiritual your reasoning is to be alone, temptation will show up. It is during the times when you are alone that you must be alert of temptation’s lure, and avoid them at all cost. Don’t let your alone times become the moment you step into sin.

The second moment of temptation is when you are weak. In verse 2, Jesus had finished forty days of fasting. You would think this was a spiritual high for Jesus, and it was, but temptation showed up at that moment. There are times when you are weaker than others, and in these moments you must beware of temptation. The weak moments are in times of sickness, when you’re tired, after days of fasting, when facing great trials and battles or when you are physically or mentally worn out. Watch out for these times when you are weak. You can be assured that the Devil will make sure that temptation will try to lure you into sin. Always remind yourself that temptation will lure you when you are tired.

The third moment of temptation is after great spiritual victories. In Matthew 16:23, Peter just made a great spiritual statement about the Deity of Christ. Right after he made that statement, temptation lured his flesh to make unwise statements. After every great spiritual victory, watch out for temptation. It is after great spiritual victories that our spiritual alertness is at a low. This is when the Devil will slip temptation your way. Don’t stop being vigilant when you’ve had a victory. Actually, you should remind yourself to be more vigilant after great victories.

These three moments are times when you must be at alert. Don’t let temptation destroy you during these times. Many people have succumb to temptation at these moments, and you will be no different if you are not diligent during these times. If you know to be extra alert during these times when temptation shows up, then you will have a better chance of being delivered from the evil that temptation is luring you towards.