My Grace is Sufficient, Really? or
How to Capture the Grace of God
By Chris Massod©
Copyright © 2014 by Chris Massod
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission
of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations.
For permission requests write to
Christopher Joseph Massod
@ 343 E Main St., Ste. 712
Stockton, California 95202 or
3233 W Swain Road, Stockton, Ca., 95219
Printed in the United States of America
by Morris Publishing
ISBN # 978-0-692-36197-9
For book orders, questions or comments go to
www.CapturingTheGraceOfGod.com
Table of Contents
Introduction---------------------------------page 4
Chapter 1-Capturing God’s Grace---11
Chapter 2-Difference Between Salvation and Sanctification--14
Chapter 3-Saying and doing the right thing does not mean you’re doing it for the right reason--24
Chapter 4- Things that keep us from capturing God’s grace--40
Chapter 5 God desires a close intimate relationship with you--50
Chapter 6 Few travel the narrow road--57
Chapter 7 So how do we get rid of our selfish fleshly desires and travel the narrow road--69
Chapter 8 The battle between the flesh & the spirit--83
Chapter 9 What actually happens to us when we spend time with God--89
Chapter 10 My personal experience with spending quality time with God--92
Chapter 11 More stories of miracles and how
God uses us when we strive towards holiness--102
Chapter 12 Acknowledge His Presence--121
Chapter 13 Deliver us from evil--127
Chapter 1
CAPTURING GOD’S GRACE
Thirty years ago, when I was about 26, I was frustrated with sin in my life. So I started talking to God about my inability to stop sinning. I asked the Lord, “Lord I read in the bible somewhere (I wasn’t much of a bible scholar back then (well I’m still not) but I knew it was there somewhere) you say your grace is sufficient, but it doesn’t seem like it because I keep committing the same sins over and over. So apparently Lord your grace is not sufficient, it’s not working for me. His answer was very clear to me and I have never forgotten it and I have shared it with thousands of people since then. It literally changed my way of thinking, my way of life and my spiritual direction. God said,
“Chris my grace is like the rays from the sun. The rays come down from the sun and warm everybody (Mathew 5:45). The sun rays and the warmth from the sun are available to all. My grace is just like the sun, but it’s available 24/7, day or night. My grace is for everyone, good, bad or indifferent. Everyone can receive my grace in an instant. My grace can change you. I said, well if that’s the case why am I still sinning over and over. The Lord replied, “the problem Chris is that you don’t receive my grace”. I said “huh”? He continued, “ Chris, you are like the tin man from the Wizard of Oz (God always has to make it simple for me otherwise I’ll get lost). My grace is coming down upon you day and night but its bouncing off of your tin shield. It’s not getting in. CHRIS, YOU AREN’T RECEIVING IT! My grace just bounces off of you. My grace isn’t becoming a part of you so it can’t change you”. Wow this was an epiphany for me. I’m not receiving His grace. No wonder I’m still sinning. I said, O.K. Lord, if that’s true then that explains why I keep sinning.
So the wise person that I am I asked the next logical incredibly bright question: how do I receive or capture your grace (I mean if your talking to the Lord you might as well get to the bottom of it and keep asking, right). He said, “ it’s very simple, when you spend time with me, when you do charitable acts, little holes open up in that tin shield and my grace can begin to flow in and change you”.
That simple analogy changed my life forever. All we need is to spend time with God and His grace, His sanctifying grace can change us forever. It changes us from the inside out. From that point on I began spending quality and quantity time with God. The more time I spent with Him the more I wanted to spend with Him. I began receiving an abundance of God’s life changing grace. I literally began to feel and experience His grace. I grew in leaps and bounds in no time at all. More on this later!
Just so you know when I mention God’s grace, it means the same thing as God’s Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity). God’s grace or His Holy Spirit is powerful. Life changing powerful.
POINT:
God’s life changing grace is available to everyone. I capture God’s grace or receive His grace by spending quality time with Him. Emphasis on quality!!
Chapter 2
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SALVATION AND SANCTIFICATION
I’m going to share a little theology with you (very little). You may disagree and that’s o.k. You may be right, I may be wrong but don’t let our disagreement prevent you from reading on and miss the rest of the little pearls that God gave me. Please!!
Some of my Christian friends are opposed to this idea of spending substantial time with God. They somehow equate it with works and confuse sanctification (the process of becoming holy) with earning salvation. Scripture is clear you can’t gain salvation through works. It’s a free gift from God. He did all that was necessary for salvation all you have to do is exercise your free will and believe it in your heart and accept this free gift. And that’s true. Salvation is accepting the fact that Jesus died for you and your sins. You can’t earn this gift. You just accept what he did for you with a sincere heart and it is yours. However, a sincere heart means I believe and I will follow (obey) God (John 3:36) or pursue God and avoid sin. That will usually get you into heaven’s door. (though it appears (I’m not a theologian) you can lose your salvation too if you walk away from God or your heart isn’t in the right place, you refuse to repent, you stop pursuing Him (i.e. you’re not working out your salvation), you continue in your sin without sincerely attempting to avoid it or stop it, etc. See Mathew 7:21-24 and 1 John 5:16-17, Phil 2:12-13, 1 Cor 9:27, 2 Peter 2:20-22, 1 John1:6, Eph 4, Mathew 24:13). Well, that’s salvation.
BUT BUT BUT SANCTIFICATION is a whole different ball game. You see sanctification (the process of becoming holy) comes after you have entered a relationship with the Lord, after you have accepted Him into your life as your Savior, after you have acknowledged that you’re a sinner and that he died for you. Sanctification comes after salvation.
Sanctification is something you pursue because you realize what Christ did for you and you want to do your best for Christ. However sanctification requires works!!!! Yes I said it, sanctification, the process of becoming holy, requires work. Salvation requires no work but sanctification requires it. What work is required? It’s horrible, terrible work. You’ll sweat up a storm it’s so hard. Yes sanctification requires you to spend time with God (and exercise your free will to seek Him). O my gosh! I mean serious time with God. Listen you want a little relationship with God (a little bit of grace) then spend a little time with Him and see where that gets you. As my daughter Mary would say “good luck with that”. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously”. So if you sow or spend quality time with Him you will reap a quality, incredible, marvelous relationship with God. You will reap God’s grace!!
If you want a deep intimate relationship where you get prayers answered, where God changes his mind because of you then you need to put substantial but quality time into it (it will take some discipline at first but then it comes supernatural). It requires effort!!
Hebrews 12:14 says
“…Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy, without holiness no one will see the Lord”.
“Every effort” sounds like a little work to me. Hehe (as my oldest daughter Anndrea would say). Listen sometimes you just have to discipline yourself to do something and then it becomes second nature. It’s like lifting weights or eating healthy. At first it’s difficult, a pain, but as you stick with it, it becomes easier and easier and pretty soon you just want to do it because you can feel the effects.
My Christian friend was so opposed to spending quality time with God. I watched him and he never grew spiritually. For years I told him he needs to spend quality time with God (a minimum of one to two hours a day and hopefully more). But he kept giving me this answer “No it’s all about God’s grace. I don’t need to spend time with Him, it’s all about God’s grace.” He was afraid it would be considered works, or earning his salvation. I just wanted to scream at Him. YES it’s all about God’s grace but you have to GET HIS GRACE. You have to RECEIVE it. His Grace will change you but you have to CAPTURE it!!! You can’t just sit out on a beach in Maui, drinking pina coladas and expect to receive God’s grace. You have to turn your attention towards God to receive His grace. In fact you have to constantly turn your attention, your heart, your mind towards God to continually receive His grace. God’s grace is not a one time event. You grow in God’s grace (2 Peter 3:18 “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” and 1 Peter 2:1-2 “…be like newborn babies, crave spiritual milk, so that by it you grow up in your salvation”). Wow, think about how a newborn baby craves milk. Have you ever seen a baby or small toddler who is hungry. They can’t wait for that milk. In fact if you could ask a baby what they are thinking about I bet it’s about the next supply of milk. Crave means to “long for, yearn, desire, hunger, thirst or set ones heart on something”. Wow!! Are we doing that? Are you?
Well, out of the blue and after a few years, my friend said “Chris, you’re right, you have to spend quality time with Him to grow in that relationship with Him”. Whoohoo thank you Jesus!! He is growing by leaps and bounds now.
This isn’t brain science. If you are interested in having a relationship with someone, you can’t get to know them by spending one hour a week with them. You have to spend quality time with them; AND AND AND to maintain a relationship with someone you have to spend regular time with them (i.e. quantity, daily). Hello. Is anyone listening or reading? Daily quality time. It’s not even good enough to put time aside for Him if you’re answering your phone or responding to every text that comes in. We need to be reverent and give Him our one on one time. Shut your phone off. You can do it!! WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS that we can avoid (if you have a baby crying you have a baby crying). Listen you have to discipline yourself to do this. It will take a while but little by little you will desire to be with God and give Him one on one time!! Don’t you love what God did for you enough to do that?
Listen satan loves us to be busy and distracted. He does not want us to spend time with God. He can’t stand it. And again I say satan loves us to be busy and distracted. He does not want us to spend time with God. Do I need to say it again!!!
Why is it that everybody wants to accept the free gift of salvation but they don’t want to do what it takes to develop that relationship and then to love and serve God. C. S. Lewis coined this “Cheap Grace”. They don’t want to do what it takes to become this clean vessel, this clean funnel, so that God can work through you more and more. They just want the free gift to heaven. Like the get out of jail card in Monopoly, they want the get out of hell card and that’s it. They don’t want to strengthen themselves to work in the vineyard (God’s vineyard-the earth). But God needs you. The plan doesn’t stop with you being saved. Now that he has saved you, your job is to sharpen your tools (your holiness) and be about helping God save others!!
Don’t get me wrong. As soon as we accept God into our life he starts using us but to a limited extent. As we become holy (SANCTIFIED) he is able to work more and more through us. That’s the idea. Remember what Paul said “it is no longer I but Christ who dwells in me”. As we become saturated (I want to become inebriated) with Godly things we become more like Him, not only like Him, but he actually dwells in us more and more so that He is actually speaking to people through you. Yes, His Spirit can become such a part of you that He is touching people through you, talking to people, just using your voice, healing people just using your hands, etc. The goal is to get to the point where it is no longer I but Christ who dwells in me. This is the process of sanctification.
It takes us exercising our free will, to discipline ourselves, to set aside time with Him and seek Him with all our strength. It takes effort on our part. It doesn’t happen automatically. I wish!! Scripture is clear on this. James 4:8 says “…come near to God and He will come near to you...” Hebrews 12:14 says “…make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord”. Hebrews 11:6 “…He rewards those who earnestly seek Him”. Ephesians 6:18 says “…pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer”. Jeremiah 29:13 says “…you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”. Joshua 1:8 says “…meditate on the word day and night…”. 2 Chron 7:14 says “… if my people...humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land…”. It goes on and on, Acts 6:4 “…give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word”, 1Thes 5:17 “…pray continually…”. Well, you get my picture.
As you reverently spend quality time with Him you will receive more and more of His grace (His Holy Spirit).
What does this spending time with God look like. It is as varied as there are individuals on earth. I give examples and ideas later on about this but for the time being I’ll just say this; It’s reverently acknowledging God’s presence. It’s sitting quietly acknowledging God’s presence within you and outside of you (He dwells in you and He dwells outside you). It’s reading scripture then thinking about that scripture verse quietly with the Lord. It’s worshipping Him by singing. It’s worshipping Him in the way we live our lives. It’s worshipping Him by the way we treat others. It’s crying out to Him, “Help me Lord”, “Save me from myself O Lord”, “Save me from my miserable selfishness that keeps me from being a better vessel for you to use”. Well that’s a start.
My wife is a great example of what happens when you spend time with Him. Everywhere I go, people constantly tell me “your wife is so wonderful”, “she’s an angel”, “she’s so nice”, “you are so blessed to have her”, “you know you have a wonderful, incredible wife”. I’m always waiting for a compliment about me (the humble person that I am). You want to know what I hear about me. “You’ve really changed SINCE you met your wife”. “Since you met your wife, you’re much nicer”. Even my own mom, when I go pick her up for coffee or the movies, if Konnie, my wife isn’t with me, it’s “oh I thought Konnie was coming”. “O why isn’t she here”. I tell ya I get no respect. I am truly blessed with a wonderful, incredible wife.
I remember a few years back (probably about 20 years) I ran into some wonderful nuns that I knew from childhood. They just looked at me and said “O Chris you are aglow with the Spirit of God”. When you spend time with God (back then I was spending about 3 hours a day with Him), His grace, His sanctifying grace changes you.
My wife and I are not perfect vessels for the Lord to use but we are striving hourly to be the perfect vessel. This is what the Lord is looking for, those who are striving for holiness. Trust me it’s not going to come on its own.
I’ll share a little story about God working through even imperfect humans like myself (though we are striving to be holy). Recently I was in a Catholic service (we go to both Protestant and Catholic services, love them both and love the people) and God tells me during the service “at the end of the service tell that man in front of you, within one year he will begin to crave the word of God like never before”. Like a good servant I said “God I’m not going to do that, are you crazy”. I said what do you think this is a Protestant service (because that wouldn’t be totally out of character if it was in a protestant service or at least a Catholic charismatic service). His response was “Just do it”. I argued with Him for a while. I kept saying no way. I tried to get myself to believe that this wasn’t from God. Really, if it’s from God, I mean God shouldn’t be interrupting the service (hehe). I finally said “God if you want me to do that you have that man and me bump into each other or some other way meet after service”. (I usually know it’s from God because when I get a message from God I begin to cry inside, watery eyes, and I was) but that doesn’t make it much easier, I still gotta be brave and go up to that person with the risk of the person being offended, or worse think I’m some nut (well that would probably be true but I’m a Christian nut.)
Finally the service ends. I practically forgot about it. As I am leaving, almost at the door, there is a tap on my shoulder. Yes it was him. I couldn’t believe it. He says “Hey you forgot your sunglasses”. They were my daughters. She had forgotten them. I still didn’t tell him. The courageous man that I am. Then I go back into the church and use the restroom and I have this discussion with God in the bathroom. God says “Hmmm I held up my part of the bargain”. I said “Yeah I know but...”. “But nothing” he says. I said “God, does it really matter whether I tell him or not. I mean really God, whether I tell him or not, it’s still gonna happen”. He said “yes it will still happen but it is important that he knows I sent someone to him a year earlier and told him this would happen otherwise he won’t respond appropriately when I put this obstacle in his way”. God was saying Hey you’re a part of my plan, get to it. I said “O.K. God I get it, just have us run into each other again”. I really did ask Him to have this guy run into me again. I come out of the restroom. I wait in line to speak to the priest about the sermon and a few seconds later here comes this guy right behind me. So, I finally told him. I guess I should cooperate better.
But the point is this. When we are striving, making efforts to draw near to Him (James 4:8) by spending time with Him, He can use us in all different ways to bring about his kingdom. Listen we control how much God is going to use us by whether we are drawing near to Him or not. It’s determined by whether we are trying to purify ourselves with the grace of God (2 Tim 2: 20-24; Joshua 3:5). So if you want to be a vessel God uses to heal, to pass His Spirit onto others, to counsel, etc. then seek holiness by spending quality time with Him.
POINT: Sanctification comes after accepting Jesus’ free gift of salvation. Sanctification is the process of pursuing holiness. It’s a craving and a striving for holiness. God uses holy men and women in powerful ways. If we love God we should pursue holiness. We must be exercising our free will and set aside time with Him and to seek Him with all our strength.
Chapter 3
SAYING AND DOING THE RIGHT THING DOES NOT MEAN YOU’RE DOING IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS (THE HEART)
GROWTH IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WORKS
When I was growing up from age, well 0 to 16, I was going to church all the time but my head was somewhere else. You know what I mean. I was on the team but I wasn’t playing. I was a lawyer but I wasn’t talking. I was a doctor but I wasn’t seeing any patients. Well you get my point. My body was there but I wasn’t participating. My heart wasn’t into it. I was going through all the motions, saying the right words, standing when I was suppose to stand and sitting when I was suppose to sit, but that was it. My heart and mind were on what I was going to eat for dinner or what I was going to do later.
Currently, and for the last fifteen years, I go to both a Protestant and a Catholic service. I grew up Catholic and my wonderful wife is Protestant. Nevertheless, I am a Christian and she is a Christian. We love both services. We love both services because our hearts are in the right place, they are on God. I have to tell you there are wonderful Christians in both Protestant and Catholic churches. Many are sincere about their relationship with God and doing something outside the Sunday service to develop their relationship with God. But so many more are coming to church on Sunday and involved in ministry but they don’t really have a relationship with God. They don’t really know much about God. The majority are just going through the motions.
Please be interactive with this book right now and go to You tube or God tube and listen to the song “The Motions” by Mathew West. No!! Really Stop!! Go listen to that song, listen to the words. They will move you!! Come on, go!!
O.K. your not gonna do it so here are some of the words:
I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything
Instead of going through the motions?
No regrets, not this time
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life
'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything
Instead of going through the motions?
Songwriter(s): Matthew West
Copyright: Word Music Llc, Songs For Lulu
We can go through life doing the same thing over and over again but we’re not going anywhere. We’re not growing. It’s very sad. I see seventy percent of the people that go to church like this.
Then there’s a whole other group, both in Protestant and Catholic services that I call religion loggers (that’s my new word, hehe). They focus on other people and other denominations and what’s wrong with them but they never focus on their own faith or relationship with God. They try and get the sliver out of you and your denomination, before they work on their own Cedar of Lebanon (their own problems). God’s interested in developing a relationship with you!!!! No matter what denomination you belong to!! REALLY!!
Some of us Catholics (Christians) think they have a free ride into heaven because they are going to church every week and going to confession once a year (going through the motions). Some Protestants (Christians) think they have a free ride into heaven because they accepted Christ once in their life and they figure once saved always saved (going through the motions). So sad for both of my brothers and sisters that I love dearly. I’m not condemning but want to get us back on track. I don’t want my wife, my children, myself or you to lose your soul. Listen, even Paul was concerned about losing his own soul. You see Paul was going about doing the Lord’s business but he knew he still had to seek God and control himself. He said “…I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified (lose my salvation) 1 Cor 9:27 (NASB). Paul knew believing in Jesus was more than mere words. He knew it was a constant pursuit of holiness. Pursuing holiness is the constant battle of dying to our desires. We need to be seeking/striving for sanctification (and the main way we do this is through time with God which opens us up to receive His grace)!!
Church is a wonderful thing. The church leaders are great about getting people involved in different ministries. However, many churches haven’t focused on the most important thing which is growth in their relationship with God. The pursuit of holiness. The church assumes if we get involved it will help us in our growth with Christ. For some it does, but for others it gets them busy and they don’t know that doing things for “Christ” is not the same as having a personal relationship with Him.
For most they don’t even know you can have a relationship with Christ. So they get involved but they aren’t developing their relationship with the Lord. Why not? Because the church hasn’t told them they need to develop their relationship with Him, or the church tells them they need to have a relationship but they haven’t told them how to develop that relationship, or the church tells them and they know how but they refuse to spend the time developing a relationship with the Lord.
My point is just because you are in a ministry or doing something for God or going to church on Sunday does not mean you are “in like flint”. Let me show you what I mean with scripture.
Mathew 7:21-24
“Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform miracles. Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
OOOUUUCCCHHH. WOW!! Listen this is directed at Christians!!! I was in this group of Christians that this verse in Mathews describes, and if I’m not careful I’ll slip back into it. The sad thing is those people, in the scripture above, thought they were good Christians. They thought they were on the right track. Notice these people were using God’s name to deliver people from satan, to perform miracles and to give prophesy. They were in the church. They were in ministry in the church. But God didn’t even know them. Did you hear that God didn’t even know them. Wow!! No, really WOW! They were in it for themselves. They had knowledge of God but no personal intimate relationship with God. They were doing ministry for their glory, for their recognition, for their thrills but not God’s. They probably did what Paul said and accepted Christ into their lives but they never developed their relationship with God. They accepted salvation but never accepted Christ. They were after the gift of heaven and forgot the Giver of heaven. Man, that’s good and worth repeating. They were after the gift of heaven and forgot the Giver of heaven. They lost their soul while doing things of God, the exact thing that Paul warns against in 1 Cor 9:26-27. Developing your relationship with Christ is the MOST IMPORTANT part of Christianity
After accepting Christ into your life you must work on developing this relationship. Listen the church can only give you knowledge of God but it can’t bring you into a personal relationship with God. That’s why the church authority has to teach on the importance of sanctification and not just salvation and service. Service without a relationship with God is dead like faith without works is dead. That’s a test question!!
Listen God is not after people who say and do the right thing, because saying and doing the right thing doesn’t mean you’re doing it for the right reasons. Because saying and doing the right thing doesn’t mean you’re doing it for the right reasons. (Yes another test question). People say and do the right thing just to get someone to like them, or to look good. The Pharisees and Sadducees did the right thing. They followed the rules. If there was a rule to cross your legs eighty times before entering the synagogue they did it. BUT their heart was not in the right place. They did it all for show and tell. How many of us are in church singing the songs but looking around at other people (I know this because I’ve been there and catch myself there still, at times), or thinking about where you’re going to eat lunch or dinner or what game you’re going to watch when you get home. Listen, we need to pay attention when we are talking, praying, singing to God and reading the Word or listening to a sermon. It’s called REVERANCE. We don’t get any grace, any brownie points, any jewels in our crown for coming to church and looking good. Your heart has to be with you.
Have you ever been talking with someone but they are texting or looking around. You know their mind and heart are somewhere else. But they are spending time with you. They are going through the motions. This is what we do to God. Can you imagine being on a first date and treating the person you’re with like that. You would never do that because you want to impress them. So you give them your full attention. You attend to them, you listen to them, you treat other distractions as if they are less important than the person you’re with. You do it for selfish reasons because you want them to like you. This is how you want to treat God when you are spending time with Him. You need to treat God as the most important person at that moment.
A lot of people think their walk with the Lord is good enough. If they had to describe it with a temperature gauge most would say they are hot at times and cold at times. If you mix hot with cold what do you get, luke warm. Listen being lukewarm isn’t going to get us into heaven. God in Revelations 3:16 says I prefer you hot or cold not both. If you’re lukewarm I will spit you out of my mouth (that doesn’t sound pleasant for some reason. I’m pretty sure this is not a good thing!!)
God is not into you doing the right things he’s into you doing the right things with a right heart. He’s not into quantity either unless it’s with a good heart. He is only after one thing, your heart. A person with a good heart is loving, compassionate, merciful, sincere, gentle, patient, kind and all the fruits of the Spirit. These fruits come naturally, well, supernaturally, once you start spending quality time with God. God doesn’t care if you are mentally challenged and the only prayer you say is an Our Father and you repeat that a million times, as long as you do it with your heart. He’s not after intelligence, he could care less how good looking you are or how rich or poor you are. He doesn’t care if you’re the best preacher in the world that draws twenty thousand people every Sunday. He doesn’t care if you come to church in dirty clothes; the question is why are you there. Where is your heart? What is your heart thinking? All those other things are worldly things that keep you from God. He is after one thing-YOUR HEART (sincerity). A person with this heart doesn’t hold onto anger, forgives quickly, helps others, they are offended but refuse to offend back. They are merciful, charitable, meek, loving, kind, etc (the fruits of the Spirit).
A sure way of telling if your heart is in the right place is if you’re bearing much fruit.
John 15:5 “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you (that means obey Him), you will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing”
John 15:16 “You did not choose me; but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear-fruit that will last and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you”.
Galatians 5:22-25 (GNT) says the fruit of “the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, 23 humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have put to death their human nature
with all its passions and desires. 25 The Spirit has given us life; he must also control our lives (oh the Holy Spirit must control our lives; this is the trick
we’ll talk about later).
To drive home this point I’ll remind you of a scripture story:
Mathew 12:1-7(GWT) Then on a day of worship Jesus walked through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain to eat. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing something that is not right to do on the day of worship.” Jesus asked them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his men were hungry? Haven’t you read how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of the presence. He and his men had no right to eat those loaves. Only the priests have that right. Or haven’t you read in Moses’ Teachings that on the day of worship the priests in the temple do things they shouldn’t on the day of worship yet remain innocent? I can guarantee that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what ‘I want mercy, not sacrifices’ means, you would not have condemned innocent people.
God’s not into all the rules. You see His disciples were doing something on the Sabbath and there was a rule about it. But God’s not after the rules He’s after the heart. He knew his disciples had given their entire life to following Him. He knew their heart was right. He’s into merciful, loving people. Mercy comes from the heart. It’s how you treat people. God doesn’t want you to go to church because it’s the right thing to do, He wants you to go to church because you want to spend time with Him, because you want to fellowship with other believer’s, because you want to learn more. It’s how you treat others and how you live your life (from your heart). This is the kind of person God uses.
I like how John Bevere said it: Worship isn’t a slow song. Worship is HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES. Think About that. We sing songs to make God feel good. It’s as if we are saying to God “Look at me God I am singing praises to you, are you impressed”. We say “ O God you’re awesome, incredible, wonderful great” but during the week we are cheating on our taxes, stealing, getting drunk, being mean to people, unforgiving, greedy, lusting, being lazy, wasting our money on foolish things ($100 football or baseball or basketball game tickets) when your neighbor is starving, or walking by poor people, homeless people, etc. If we want to impress God we need to worship Him by how we live our lives. God doesn’t hear what we are singing, He hears our heart’s song. Our heart’s song requires no words. Our heart is expressed by being merciful towards others, forgiving, loving, charitable, kind, buying food for the homeless and unemployed, not walking by them and pretending they aren’t there, and on and on. I think you get the picture.
I like the statement about St. Francis of Assisi. He went around preaching the good news and sometimes he even spoke. You see he preached with His love. It was how he treated people. He didn’t have to use words because words are useless if the person saying them isn’t living a life from the heart.
Mathew 5:8 says “blessed are the pure of heart for they will see God”. My daughter use to have this bad habit of saying opposites. I don’t even get it out of my mouth and she says “No”! She doesn’t even know what I’m going to say. Or she waits till the end of what I’m saying and if the answer should obviously be No she’ll say yes. For example I’ll say “Mary, you’re eating too fast”. Her immediate response is “NO”. I’ll say “you’re tired”. She’ll say “No, exhausted”. She can’t use the same words that I use. I may be correcting her and I’ll say “Say I’m sorry” and she’ll say “sorry”. She won’t say “I’m sorry” because that would be exactly what I asked her to say. Sometimes I have to discipline her and say o.k. “you have to write thirty times “I will obey my dad”. She’ll write “I will obey dad”. She can’t write “I will obey my dad” because that’s what I asked her to do. So we’ve been working on this. She’s letting her head, her stubbornness get in the way. So now, after endless work (literally years), she won’t say opposites out loud. And I’ll compliment her and say “Mary you’re doing good, you didn’t say anything opposite”.
Her response is “Yeah but I did in my head”! You see the outside looks good but she is still saying it in her head. So she looks good on the outside (this is most of us) but the heart is not submitted to the Lord all the time. We are all like this to varying degrees. This is why sanctification or striving towards holiness is so important. Now to be fair to her in other areas she is awesome. She has given talks in youth group, she has great words for people and she prays over people all the time. She’s awesome!! She’s striving (striving is key) towards holiness and working on the strongholds (more on strongholds later).
Here is another example of how we can do the right thing but for the wrong reason or with the wrong heart. Hopefully, as you’re doing it for the wrong reason your heart changes and you do it for the right reason.
I can remember when I got home from work one night, about four years ago, and I just wanted to relax. But then I received a call from this person that we’ve helped out in the past. She had to leave this apartment she was living in right then and there. The person had kicked her and her child out. Where is she going to go? Yikes. First of all I was upset that now I have to go move someone at six at night and I hadn’t planned on it. Second I was concerned my wife (the saint that she is) was going to say we should let her stay here for a while. Stay here for a while! She hadn’t even said it yet but don’t think I didn’t know what she was thinking. Holy cow that would upset my peace, my quiet life. So I grudgingly got my shoes on, jeans on and started getting ready to go over there. I was not a happy camper, to say the least. You see I was doing the right thing but my heart was still laying on the couch. My heart was complaining. I wasn’t doing it out of love but out of obligation. I was doing it because it was the right thing to do. I wined and complained and then God whispered to me “I’d rather you not do it if you’re going to act like this”. He reminded me how much I have. By the time I was over there to pack her up my heart had responded appropriately and I was able to offer her to come live with us.
This is what I’m talking about. We have to be heart people. We can’t just go through the motions. We can’t just be in ministry in the church and at the same time you’re thinking about somebody else’ spouse. We have to be merciful, loving, kind, forgiving, gentle, meek, and mild. I know this is hard (I’m going to show you an easy way) but we don’t want to be like those in Mathew 7:21 where they thought they were going to heaven and come to find out God knew all about their thoughts even though their outward actions seemed good.
Just this morning God showed me a vision of the heart church. I created a picture for you originally but I couldn’t make it happen once this book went to print so I will explain it here as best I can.
In this picture, there are many circles. Each circle represents a different denomination, a different church. Within each circle is another circle. This inner circle represents those who call themselves Christians. Within this Christian circle is another circle called the heart. This represents those people who love God from their heart (they are sincere and striving for holiness). These people who are striving for holiness flow out of their denomination or church like a river into their community and society. This river of Christians are the ones who really represent Christ and His church. God flows through these people. It’s not the denomination that you belong to it’s whether you love God from your heart (i.e. are you forgiving, merciful, kind, loving, charitable, unselfish, meek, etc).
POINT:
-Pursuing holiness (developing your relationship with God) is the most important part of your Christian walk!
-If we want to impress God we need to worship Him by how we live our lives. Saying and doing the right things does not mean you are doing it for the right reasons. God is after our heart. Are we sincere?
-God doesn’t hear what we are singing (or saying) He hears our hearts song. Our heart’s song requires no words. Our heart is expressed by being merciful towards others, forgiving, loving, being charitable and kind, buying food for the homeless and unemployed (not walking by them and pretending they aren’t there) and on and on.
Chapter 4
THINGS THAT KEEP US FROM CAPTURING GOD’S GRACE
The God you worship every day probably isn’t Jesus
Capturing God’s grace is as simple as spending time with Him. The problem is nobody wants to put aside time to develop a relationship with God and receive His sanctifying grace. They are too busy using their time to satisfy their other god’s (not intentionally of course). The god of the internet, the god of the phone, the god of technology, the god of greed, the god of sports, the god of hate, the god of anger, the god of jewelry, the god of I got to look good, the god of unforgiveness, the god of jealousy, the god of control, the god of pornography, the god of lust, the god of alcoholism, gluttony (over eating), TV, laziness, pride, ego, etc. And of course all of these smaller god’s bow down to the god of You!! That’s right all these other things you do are to satisfy you (to satisfy ME!). That’s right I’ll say it again, we have all the other “god’s” in our life to satisfy the one true false god-YOU and ME! We are the one true god with a small “g”. We are a false god. We are an idol.
Selfishness or self-worship is one of the main things that keeps us from an intimate relationship with the one true God. You see we place more importance on ourselves than on God, so then we are worshiping our self. True worship of God sets aside our happiness to seek out God’s desires and will. Remember there shall be no other God’s before me. Remember that. Have you heard that before? It’s the very first commandment. It’s the one we break all the time. Worshiping ourselves keeps us from entering into a deep personal relationship with God. And a deep personal relationship with God is all He wants. It’s the only reason He created us!!! Yes, the only reason He created us was to have a relationship with Him.
We wonder why our prayers aren’t answered. Why people aren’t healed when we pray for them. It’s because we have to lay the foundation first. The foundation is making God number one in our lives. That means giving up our old desires or at least striving to overcome them with the help of God’s sanctifying grace. (Remember we are able to accomplish this by spending quality time with God. It happens supernaturally when we spend time with our one true God.)
Could it be true that God answers our prayers depending on who we are worshipping (ourselves, God or the other guy) and according to the sinfulness in our life? According to the scripture below if we don’t have idols then He will answer, but if we have other idols (false gods) then He doesn’t answer. You see we are asking God to do something for us but we haven’t really made Him number one in our lives. Basically, we are using Him for our own pleasure. That makes us a god. Using God to satisfy the YOU god. Wait for it. Think about that last sentence for a moment and you’ll get it. Wait for it! Wait for it! Bingo. If you’re praying to God asking Him to do what you want and aren’t setting aside time for Him and aren’t seeking what He wants then you are using God (yes using God) to satisfy you. So you are acting like you are the one true god but you’re not.
You see our hearts are unclean, there’s sin in our hearts. God hears our prayers but he’s not going to answer. If you think about it, if you want a dog to do tricks are you going to feed them treats all the time. No!! You give them a treat only if they do the trick.
Now should God answer your prayers when you’re out getting drunk? Should He answer your prayers when you are having premarital or extra marital sex and you know it’s wrong? Should he answer your prayers when you’re lying constantly, or keeping anger in your heart, or being unforgiving (when He has told you in the Our Father to be forgiving), or having a homosexual relationship ? I don’t think so. Let’s see I lie and God got me a new job. Whoohoo. I’m cheating on my wife and God got my teenager into this great college. I’m addicted to alcohol and God healed my arthritis. I don’t think so. He won’t answer your prayers because he wants you to repent first and deepen your relationship with Him. He needs you to cooperate with His sanctifying grace. He wants you to be at least striving for holiness and crying out for help.
James 4: 1-17 (NRSV) talks about this continual love for self.
Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? 2 You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet[a] something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, “God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says,
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
James is talking to the church and he is saying do you know why you are fighting amongst each other, because you still are battling within yourselves. Part of your self is still in love with the world (desiring material things, money, jewelry, pornography, pleasures, etc). Don’t have love for this world. That’s your problem. You’re double minded. Part of you loves the world and part loves God. Your prayers aren’t answered because of selfish reasons. You ask badly!!! You ask but you ask badly, for selfish reasons. Then he says YOU ADULTERERS!! What’s an adulterer? One who loves two people. You’re cheating on one. You have two gods and so you’re cheating on God with another lover, another god. We are giving part of our love to another god, the world or ourselves!!! Stop it, and then things will happen!! If you are a friend of the world you are an enemy of God. So submit to God only!! His desires and His will, not yours.
God says the same thing in the Old Testament, check it out. Ezekiel 14:1-8 (GNT):
Some of the leaders of the Israelites came to consult me about the Lord's will. Then the Lord spoke to me. “Mortal man,” he said, “these men have given their hearts to idols and are letting idols (false gods, like alcohol, pleasure, material things, money, hate, unforgiveness, etc)) lead them into sin. Do they think I will give them an answer? “Now speak to them and tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: Each of you Israelites (Christians in our case) who have given your heart to idols and let them lead you into sin and who then come to consult a prophet, will get an answer from me—the answer that your many idols deserve (this doesn’t sound good!) All those idols (phones, internet, money, television, material things) have turned the Israelites (Christians in our case) away from me, but by my answer I hope to win back their loyalty. “Now then, tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: Turn back and leave your disgusting idols (he’s talking to us people). “Whenever one of you Israelites or one of you foreigners who live in the Israelite community turn away from me and worship idols, and then go to consult a prophet, I, the Lord, will give you your answer! I will oppose you. (I was afraid of that!!) I will make an example of you (Yikes!!). I will remove you from the community of my people, so that all of you will know that I am the Lord.
(Author added the bold and italics, as if you didn’t know).
So we need to stop complaining about God not answering our prayers. We need to focus on becoming holy like our heavenly Father is holy (1Peter1: 15-16, Lev 19:1-2,). Then things happen. It’s not that you need to be perfect for God to answer your prayers but you need to be working (striving, craving) towards holiness by spending time with God (that gives you a sincere heart). I believe you can become holy like your heavenly father is holy, like scripture says. I don’t think Christ said anything that we can’t obtain. He said become holy like my heavenly Father and I believe we can get there. Certainly Mother Teresa did, Billy Graham, George Mueller and many others. Am I there? No but I’m working on it by spending time with God. Quality and quantity time!!!
There are other roadblocks to getting our prayers answered. Scripture is clear God doesn’t answer our prayers if we don’t forgive (Mathew 6: 14-15), if we don’t first seek the Kingdom of God (Mathew 6:33), if we are proud (James 4:6), if we aren’t obedient (Amos 5:23, 1 John 3:22), if we aren’t exercising self-control (1 Peter 1: 13-17), if we don’t respect our spouses (1Peter3:7), if we don’t respect and honor our parents, if we have habitual sin in our life and false idols (Ezekiel 14:1-8), if we judge others (Mathew 7: 1-50), if we doubt (James 1:6-7), if we ask with the wrong motive (James 4:1-3), if we don’t care for the poor (Isaiah 58:1-9, 1 John 3:17)), if we pray to be noticed (Mathew 6: 5-6) , and even in Amos 5:24 God didn’t even want to hear their worship because they were sinning and He refused to answer their prayers because they were in disobedience. Remember what God said in 2 Chronicles 7:14 says “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Wait a second. What did that just say? If my people pray, humble themselves, seek Him AND STOP SINNING then he will answer their prayers. We forgot about this or have we just ignored this scripture truth.
Don’t forget God hears and answers prayers of a righteous man (a man who obeys God) (James 5:16). Who? A righteous man. Is that a man who accepts Christ in his life, therefore he’s covered by Christ dying for us (Christ’s righteousness) and so he can go on sinning? No! He’s talking to Christians here who already have the righteousness from God supposedly. They already know Christ. If you only needed this initial righteousness that you receive from Christ why would he say this to them who supposedly already have it? He is speaking to Christians who have accepted Christ in their lives already. He’s saying now that you have Christ’s righteousness you need to act it out in your daily life by your actions. He’s saying that the prayers of a Christian who is seeking God, obeying His commandments, seeking holiness, confessing his sins, striving to walk in integrity, who honors his mother and father, who respects his spouse, who treats his children properly, who has no doubt, who has reverence for God is a righteous man and is the one who gets his prayers answered. It’s not enough to receive Christ’s initial righteousness, now you need to live it out. Righteousness or becoming holy is a process.
NOTE:
I realize that God is God and He can do whatever He wants and He does. God may answer your prayer even though you are addicted to drugs, that’s his perogative. He may answer your prayers even though you won’t forgive your mother, that’s up to Him. I know he answers prayers of new believers even though they are still in sin. He even answers prayers of those who don’t know Him or that hardly know Him. However for Christians who have been on this walk for a while, if we aren’t striving to clean up our act, striving for holiness, then most likely we won’t be getting many prayers answered. 2 Corinthians 7:1 says “let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence”(because we love Him)! 2 Tim 2:21 says “those who cleanse themselves” will be useful to the Master. I want to be useful for the Master, don’t you?
POINTS TO REMEMBER:
-Our worst enemy is ourselves. We spend so much time worshiping ourselves, that we fail to spend quality time with God and this prevents a deep personal relationship with God.
-We can’t hang onto anger, hate, unforgiveness, disrespect our spouse, our parents, ignore the poor, etc and expect God to answer our prayers.
-God answers prayers of those who are seeking Him, craving Him, desiring Him, and not themselves.
-God answers prayers of a righteous person, one who is striving to remain pure.
(If we spend quality time with God His Spirit will resolve these issues for us)
Chapter 5
GOD DESIRES A CLOSE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP YOU
Once you begin to get rid of your idols (or at least striving to), by spending regular quality time with God, and begin to enter into this deep deep personal relationship with God, anything goes. Listen, people who have an intimate relationship with God get their prayers answered. In fact they can actually change God’s mind. Yes that is what I said, they can change God’s mind. Some of you may say “why that’s blasphemy” while others are saying “Hey I thought I was taught God never changes”. God’s nature never changes but as you can see below He can and will change His mind because of the prayers of people who have an intimate relationship with Him.
Listen when Moses didn’t come down from the mountain for forty days or so, the Israelites decided to build a golden calf to worship. God got a little cranky, yeah I mean angry, and decided to destroy the Israelites but Moses intervened and said, Hey Lord cool your jets man, don’t forget you love these people, you rescued them from the Egyptians, don’t destroy them now (of course I’m paraphrasing a little). God even said to Moses “leave me alone so that I can destroy them”. But Moses wouldn’t leave Him alone. Moses interceded and God changed His mind and did not destroy them. Did you hear that God CHANGED HIS MIND. Why? It’s because Moses had a deep personal relationship with God. God listened to him. Exodus 32:1-14. Read it for yourself:
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses (they had known him for years and now they call him this fellow Moses, so sad!!) who brought us up out of Egypt (yes rescued you from the hands of the horrible Egyptian rulers) we don’t know what has happened to him.” Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol (this isn’t sounding good) cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool (bad move!!). Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt (bad bad idea! I hope God doesn’t see this!)” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry (this is partying if you didn’t know, drunkenness and a lot of sex going on). Then the Lord said to Moses (Moses had been up on the mountain kickin it with the Lord. Spending time with Him. I think he was up there for 40 days. We need to spend serious time with God and He will begin to talk to us or we will be able to hear what He is already saying to us), “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. (This idol is no different then the idols we have that I mentioned above) They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people (Listen if God calls you a stiff-necked people you are in big big trouble). Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them (God is more then cranky at this point! My daughter the teacher would say “you think”!). Then I will make you into a great nation.” But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God (Moses starts intervening and begging God to relent from destroying the Israelites). “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
So God chose not to destroy the Israelites because he loved Moses because Moses had an intimate relationship with God. Moses was just up on the mountain with God alone for over forty days. We think we’re doing good if we spend 10 minutes with God. Listen Moses went away for forty days and spent intimate time with God. He was leading the Israelites out of Egypt and these people were complaining all day long to him but that didn’t stop him from getting away and spending time, quality time with God. So no matter what is going on in your life, get away to your back bedroom, backyard or get away for a weekend and spend time with your God. (You don’t want God calling you a stiff-necked person, do you)?
Don’t forget we are talking about having an intimate relationship with God. The incident I mentioned is not the only incident in the bible where men or women had such an intimate relationship with God that He changed His mind. There are many. You can look them up if you like. Quickly, I’ll mention a few. In Numbers (16:46-48) and Wisdom (18:21) God started a plague to destroy all the people but Aaron and Moses interceded immediately and God stopped as soon as they interceded on behalf of the people. God spared cities because of David’s intervention (4 Kings 19:34). Elijah prayed there would be no rain for three and a half years and there was none. Then he prayed for rain and there was (James 5:17-18). Finally because of Hezekiah’s prayers God added fifteen more years to his life and spared his city.
The good news is we too can build this deep personal relationship with the Lord where He listens to us like God listened to Moses, Aaron, David and others.
God still intervenes and listens to His people. My wife and I have prayed and asked God to change the weather for us for a few hours while we are at the beach, having a picnic or something else that requires a change in weather and nine out of ten times it happens within a few minutes. (let’s make it clear, I’m not saying my wife and I are holy (well she is) but we are earnestly striving for holiness by shutting the television off, spending quality time with Him, giving to people in need, loving others, loving the unlovable, forgiving others, etc). God is after the heart people (doesn’t mean your sinless but your striving earnestly for holiness). So he still intervenes on our behalf.
Are any of you interested in this deep personal relationship with God or do you want to go on trying to figure out why God isn’t listening to you? Why he’s not answering your prayers? Listen God can’t wait to answer your prayers BUT he’s not going to answer us while you are deep into idol worship (self worship).
We want to be intimate with God. Right? This is our goal!! Unfortunately our relationship is usually only an acquaintance with God. As Kyle Idleman points out in his book “Not a Fan” you have to be more than a fan; you have to be a committed follower. Our problem is we don’t make the effort to build that relationship. Let’s change that!! We want a relationship where God can use us in a mighty way.
POINT:
-You can move God, even change His mind, when you are pursuing Him, when you are striving for holiness. Striving is the key word here!!
Chapter 6
FEW TRAVEL THE NARROW ROAD
Mathew 7:13-14, Luke 13:23-27
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few travel it. (another translation says “But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it.)
I believe this scripture verse is really saying that there is a right way to live for God and a wrong way. Doing the right thing for the right reasons is difficult, like the scripture says. Listen, it’s not easy to forgive those who have harmed you. It’s not easy to spend time developing your relationship with the Lord. It’s not easy turning the other cheek. God is saying, my way is not the world’s way. The world hates, the world is selfish, the world seeks revenge, the world doesn’t care for their neighbor or the poor. In Mathew 16:21 and Mark 8:33 Jesus was telling Peter and the others what will happen to Him; He will suffer and be killed. Peter says never Lord. Jesus says to Peter “you think as men think not as God thinks". God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55). We have to get this through our thick heads, this is stiff neck thinking. THE WAYS OF THE FATHER , JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE NOT OUR WAYS.
Listen when Christ was being beaten, He could have destroyed anyone and everyone but he didn’t; when he could have talked back, he didn’t; when he could have saved himself he didn’t; when he could have been rich he wasn’t; when he could have avoided suffering, he didn’t; when He could have come as a king, he didn’t; when He could have prevented his disciples from being martyred, he didn’t; when He could prevent all suffering and evil, he doesn't.
We don’t think like Christ. We don’t think the narrow road. We want to avoid all suffering. We want to give our children everything. We want to be rich. We think that’s the answer. We want material things to make us happy. We want to self-indulge. We would figure out another way for salvation instead of having our child die. Christ’s way is different. Humbleness is better than pride; forgiveness is better than anger. Christ says deny yourself. Deny your wants and desires, your goals and dreams. My point is we have to stop thinking as we are accustomed to because I think it’s synonymous with the way the evil one thinks. We have to train our self to think like Christ. To look for His way of thinking, His solution in every situation, especially every situation that’s stirs you up, i.e. gets you upset. Ask yourself what’s the narrow road here. As you start to spend quality time with our God you will grow in holiness and start to spot these situations and be able to go with the narrow road.
God is saying if you want to follow me I’m going to require that you be merciful to people even to those who have hurt you. I’m going to require you to forgive when they don’t say they are sorry. The narrow road is a tough road. Few travel it. Being a Christian is not just accepting Jesus into your heart but accepting Him as your Lord and Savior. That means following His ways, His teachings, His example of love (which included dying for others) and service. It even means we will surely suffer here. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says we will suffer many trials here. Luke 9:23-24 says if anyone desires to follow me take up his cross and deny himself. James 1:2 says consider all trials joy. 2 Tim 2:12-13 says labor like a good child and 2 Tim 2:9 says labor in the gospel.
The wide road is the easy road. It’s the wrong road in case you haven’t figured that out yet. It’s the selfish road. It’s the road with all the signs that say “what can I do to make me feel good today, tomorrow, next week.” It’s easy to go on this road. It really takes no effort. I love God’s analogies. They are so right on.
I mean think about it, if you are travelling on a road in a car and it was a super wide road, you can literally drive all over the place and it’s not a big deal. It’s easy to do. You could drive however you want. You could drive blindly and still be on the road. But compare that to a small one lane narrow bridge where there is a cliff on each side. With this narrow road you have to be very careful. If it helps, imagine you are walking over a bridge that has only enough room for one person to walk across. You have to be watchful (how you live your life, the decisions you make, your actions, etc.) You have to think a bit. You can’t just walk without looking. If a hawk or crow starts to dive towards you, while on this one person bridge, you can’t react but you would have to reflect and decide what to do. On the narrow road you have to reflect not react to situations.
The narrow road goes against our natural thinking. The narrow road isn’t normally the first thought that comes to you when you are in a situation. In order to travel the narrow road you have to be in constant contact with God so you will know what God’s way is.
A perfect example of this narrow road and wide road occurred several years ago when I went with my wife to visit her hundred and one year old grandmother, Nana (God rest her soul). She always gave people the benefit of the doubt. She was in a convalescent hospital. An orderly had to come in every day and change her bandages on her head (she had cancer that was eating through her skull and brain) and a bed sore. She shared with us how he changes her bandages and how he slaps her leg if she isn’t quick enough to lift her leg up when he says so. The next words out of her mouth were “He probably is having trouble at home or something” (she always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt). As soon as I heard that he slaps her on the leg, well I unfortunately took the wide road. I reacted instead of reflected. I called that orderly over to another room and let him know that I was not travelling the narrow road like Nana and if it ever happened again… well you get the picture. I’m sure I did it with love in my heart (hehe). My point is, God desires us to travel the narrow road and it is not easy. It takes lots of prayer and God’s grace. The narrow road would have been, pausing, praying about it, pulling the gentleman aside, asking about his home life and whether anything is wrong and is there anything I can pray for. And then somewhere during the conversation kindly ask him to make sure he is gentle with Nana. I’m getting better and better.
When things happen now we say “How would Nana handle that”. It really does help us to think of the narrow road.
I’m finally beginning to identify life situations for what they are and succeeding at following the narrow road. About a year ago an event happened in my life. It had the potential to be explosive and have a major impact in my life and my family’s life for a long time. It was caused by an overzealous third party that did not have all the facts. As a result of what the third party said and without getting my side of it (though he called me but I hadn’t returned his call yet), a fourth party prevented my daughter from doing something that she loves to do (I am intentionally not giving you all the details-she never knew this, she just thought there was another reason why she couldn’t do this particular thing). The worst part of it was this third party didn’t even go to my church and went to another denomination. My mind started thinking like satan right away. I thought of filing a lawsuit, sending letters off, starting a campaign to get people to stop donating (to his organization) all so I could punish this person. I fought off all those thoughts. I said no, I have to love through this. Then a funny thing happen. Within a few hours I realized this was a God thing. A God moment. An opportunity to grow, to get past hate, revenge and be merciful and loving. I knew that I knew that I had to love all parties through this. I did none of those things that I mentioned. But let me tell you, I was attacked with satan ideas constantly. I’d get in the shower and I’d start thinking what I could do to hurt them. I’d fight that off and say no I’m going to love through this. (These temptations would last 10-30 seconds then I would say “No I’m going to love through this”.) I’d be getting in the car and start thinking again. I fought it off for five days. Each hour it became easier and easier because I would remember it was a God moment. I even thought of telling my daughter what happened and who did it so that it would hurt their relationship (I didn’t want to hurt my daughter just the other person). But my spiritual side, my Godly side kept saying “ No, don’t hurt her, don’t hurt anyone, and don’t respond”. Just wait for it (as my daughter’s would say). I knew if I got through this I will have overcome a big spiritual hurdle in my life. Five days later it was resolved. I was so glad I didn’t say or do anything. The only person who knew was my wife. It was the narrow way. It was not easy but it helped to know and realize it was one of those situations that I had to choose the narrow road.
Alright let’s apply all this narrow and wide road stuff to more real life situations, shall we? Don’t just read these!! Think about them and what they mean. Ask God if that’s what He wants you to do.
- The narrow road (the unselfish and right road) is forgiving those who hurt us. In comparison the wide road (selfish and wrong road) would be hanging on to anger and hate.
- The narrow road (the unselfish and right road) is tithing and helping others with your money; the wide road (selfish and wrong road) is hanging on to your money and using it for things you don’t need.
- The narrow road (the unselfish and right road) is letting your spouse and others have the last say (that’s going to far, hehe); the wide road (selfish and wrong road) is always trying to get the last word in.
- The narrow road (the unselfish and right road) is being willing to change but the wide road (selfish and wrong road) is refusing to change.
- The narrow road (the unselfish and right road) is not going out and getting drunk with your friends the wide road (selfish and wrong road) is getting drunk with your friends.
- The narrow road (the unselfish and right road) is not going gambling but instead giving that money to someone in need. The wide road (the selfish and wrong road) is wasting that money on gambling games because you feel like it and it’s fun.
- The narrow road (the unselfish and right road) is dying to yourself- that is letting go of all of your dreams and goals and desires and desiring God’s instead. The wide road (selfish and wrong road) is trying to fulfill all your dreams and goals and desires.
- The narrow road (the unselfish and right road) is waiting for sex until after your married (ouch, I just lost a lot of you); the wide road (selfish and wrong road) is having pre-marital sex.
- The narrow road is getting a used car so that you have extra money to help your neighbor or relatives while the wide road is spending all your money on a fancy car so you can look and feel good (1 John 3:17-if you possess riches and you don’t help the needy, how can you say you possess God or love God-Wow!!).
- The narrow road is going to pick someone up and buying them groceries; the wide road is saying I'll pray for you (so that they’ll somehow get money to get groceries).
- The narrow road is refusing to go on expensive vacations and instead treating your friend who is having marital problems to a weekend getaway (or to spend that money on a car that your neighbor really needs). The wide road is to spend your money on expensive vacations because you deserve it.
- The narrow road is helping someone in need. The wide road is ignoring the needs of others.
- The narrow road is giving the beggar on the side of the road or street a few dollars and asking them their name. The wide road is complaining when you see them and assuming they’ve done something bad to deserve where they are at. It’s amazing how many people judge these people all because they don’t want to give .50 cents away (many people admitted this the other night in our bible study).
- The narrow road is stopping to say hi and chatting with an elderly person, or disabled, mentally ill or mentally challenged person but the wide road is ignoring them.
- The narrow road is taking a mentally handicapped person to breakfast or coffee every few weeks, or sending them a card every now and then or giving them a call (even become their friend). The wide road is never thinking about them or maybe praying for them instead.
- The narrow road is forcing and disciplining yourself to spend quality time with the Lord. The wide road is making excuses about why you can’t spend quality time with God.
- The narrow road is holding your tongue when you want to lash out or respond to somebody the wide road is saying whatever you want when you want to.
- The narrow road is patience, the wide road is impatience.
- The narrow road is praying and asking God for His will before you make a decision. The wide road is making a decision based on what feels good at the time.
- The narrow road is reflecting and seeking God before you react. The wide road is reacting in anger.
- The narrow road is loving someone even though they treat you bad.
You see all these things require some extra effort on your end. The narrow road requires effort. And guess what, when you help others you have less time to worship yourself. But the narrow road pays big big dividends for you and the person you are helping. I remember when I started getting very involved with church ministry thirty five years ago. The director of the RCIA (Right to Christian Initiation) asked me to take a handicapped person through the program. She explained I would have to go over to his house twice a week and go over the materials. This person’s name was Robert. Robert could not speak, he could only grunt out a word or two. He had cerebral palsy. I did this for eighteen months or so. I grew so much during this time. He loved to have me come over. Hardly anyone could understand what he is saying because it is a mixture of sounds and motions. But through the grace of God I could figure out what he is saying. He was baptized eighteen months later and received Holy Communion. (We did celebrate with a little champaign. Hehe) Robert has continued to go to church every week since that time, thirty five years later. He even goes weekly to a charismatic prayer group that I use to go to. He’s awesome. Coming into the church has changed his life forever and mine too. Robert is my friend. I love that guy!! That guy is committed to the Lord. I want his heart!!
What’s my point? Taking the time to do that was the narrow road. There weren’t too many people willing to do that. There was no glory in it. No one said great job Chris. You’re awesome. I’m so proud of you. But that didn’t matter. It was a heart thing and it paid big, big dividends for Robert and me.
Listen my friends-God has done great things for us by dying and allowing you a chance to go to heaven- what are we going to do for him today. 1 John 3:18 says you can’t just be a talker but you got to be a doer.
A lot of people keep planning on doing something for the Lord but they never do. When I get rich I’m going to do this and give more, etc. But God isn’t interested in tomorrow as much as he is interested in today. Remember the old widow in scripture that gave her last dime (mite). God said she gave more than all the others. Why, cause she gave now and gave from her heart. It was little but it was all she had.
This reminds me of my friend who told me that his wife and him weren’t tithing at that time because when they get to be sixty three years old they are going to retire and go to Europe and do a lot of missionary work and that will be their tithe. I know for a fact that they were very sincere. That wonderful lady died at fifty five. God’s interested in today. You may not be here tomorrow.
POINT:
- God wants you to travel the narrow road now!!
-When you travel the narrow road God does amazing wonderful miracles.
-When you start spending quality and quantity time with the Lord he will guide you on this narrow road automatically.
-On the wide road we think like man-we need to think like God.
-The narrow road causes you to reflect before you react.
-The narrow road requires unselfishness and effort.
-The narrow road is not normally the first thought that comes to your mind.
Chapter 7
WE’VE GOT TO SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH GOD IN PRAYER, WORSHIP AND MEDITATION ON HIS WORD IN ORDER TO TRAVEL THE NARROW ROAD.
OR
SO HOW DO WE GET RID OF OUR SELFISH, FLESHLY DESIRES AND TRAVEL THE NARROW ROAD?
As I have already said, you have to learn how to capture God’s grace or receive it. That was the other name for the title to this book “How to Capture The Grace of God”.
God’s grace is His Holy Spirit. If you have God’s grace you have His Holy Spirit. The way you receive more of His Holy Spirit or His grace is by spending quality time with Him AND a proper quantity of time with Him. Yes notice I said QUALITY time with Him. And I know I lost a few of you when I said QUANTITY. Hang in there you cheap grace guys (Remember cheap grace is accepting God’s gift of salvation and not wanting to do anything in return. Like the movie “Take the Money and Run”, a lot of you want to take the salvation and run). Let me tell you what quality time isn’t. It isn’t praising Him while you’re brushing your teeth, it isn’t praying to him while your mowing your lawn, it isn’t laying in bed and saying a two minute prayer right before you fall off into lala land. These are forms of prayer. These are leftover prayers. These are cheap grace gifts to God. It’s the same as saying “I don’t really have time for you God but I’ll give you this token gift of appreciation”. It’s giving God out of your leftovers. I got two minutes before I go to sleep so I’ll say a quick prayer to the Lord. Listen, if you want to develop a relationship with God it takes more than that. Developing a relationship with God is no different than developing a relationship with someone you’re interested in (like I said in Chapter 3 but repeat it for your benefit). You can’t spend five, ten or fifteen minutes a day with someone if you want to develop a relationship with them. You have got to spend a decent amount of time with them. Could you imagine taking a girl out on a date and spending fifteen minutes with them and then saying, “well I’m good, I got some things to do so I’ll talk to you later. In fact let’s do this next week same time, it was fun”. They’ll look at you like you’re some kind of nut. But that is exactly what we do to God. We give Him just a little time every week. You won’t ever get to know someone nor God by spending a few minutes a day with them. The scripture verse says “draw near to God and He will draw near to you”. A few minutes a day and once a week is NOT drawing near.
How come we can spend three hours watching a football game, watching T.V., or playing a computer game for five hours but not even an hour with God. Come on people of God.
I use to tell people to start with five minutes a day but now I say start with an hour. Yes I said an HOUR a DAY!!! Time is short. Make it happen. Put it on your calendar. Make notes. Get up earlier. Whatever it takes. Make a decision that you’re going to spend an hour a day with the Lord. Thirty minutes in the morning and thirty minutes at night at least. AT LEAST!! AT LEAST!! AT LEAST!! I MEAN AT LEAST!! DID I SAY AT LEAST!!
Try this: Sit quietly with Him; acknowledge His presence for ten minutes (more on this later I promise). Then get the Bible out and read until you find something interesting. Don’t just read the scripture. A lot of people read scripture but that’s not going to get you anywhere. Did you know when you just read scripture all you get is the story? It’s like getting a picture of the front cover of the book. It’s not until you meditate on the word of God that you start to get the hidden meaning that will blow your mind. Yes!! Blow your mind.
So find a few verses that tell a bit of a story. Then close your eyes and think about it for ten minutes. Imagine it in your head. Picture it. For example if you’re reading the verse about when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. Close your eyes and imagine Mary praying by her bed at the age of thirteen and the angel appears. Repeat the words the angel and Mary said. Think, think, and think. Ask who, what, where, when and why and how. Who was talking? What did they say? Why did they say it? Where did it happen? When did it happen? I wonder what the angel Gabriel was thinking when God picked him to ask Mary to be the mother of God? Was he excited, thrilled? What was Mary thinking when the angel appeared? Was she scared, excited or both? Could I respond like Mary responded? Would I be happy if God asks me to do something for Him? Am I happy when God asks me to do something? How does this scripture verse apply to me? Do that for fifteen minutes, 30 minutes an hour. God will reveal things to you you never knew.
God has shown me so much while meditating on the word of God. Like for example, the Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard (Mathew 21:33-41).
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
I always thought this was a Parable about how our Father (God) sent prophets to us and the prophets were killed or ignored and then eventually God sent His only son to earth and they killed him. But that’s not all of it. As I meditated on it God showed me that He is the Vineyard owner. I am the tenant. YES I’M THE TENANT. YES YOU’RE THE TENANT! God has given you and me talents, treasures and time that are on loan to us (this is the vineyard in the parable). Sometimes God sends people to us to collect on what He has given us (God’s share of the crop). He has freely given us many gifts. But we are just the tenants of those gifts (the crop). He has a right to send to us people that are in need. These people are friends, family and strangers. They may need food, money or some of your time or talent. We need to pay up when they come asking. When God sends us someone we need to be available to them. Look at the last verse “and He will rent the vineyard to other tenants who will give Him His share of the crop at harvest time”. If you don’t share what He has given you He will take it away and give it to someone who will!!!
I want to make sure you get this parable. God has blessed you with certain things. These things may be money, or some type of talent (singing, musical instrument, management, organizational skills, prayer, craftiness, good listener, etc) or maybe He’s made it possible for you to have some extra time on your hands. God, through His Holy Spirit or His angels, encourage people to come to you and ask you for help. Or God puts it on your heart to do something. Or God through a set of circumstances reveals to you that someone has a need. You are required to help them. Your time, talent or treasure is just on loan to you from God. He sends people to you to collect on what He has loaned you. DON’T miss this. It’s powerful. Take some time to meditate on this parable right now!!
Another example of how meditation on scripture opens you up to find the secrets. (John 2:1-11):
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b] 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” 11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
When I first read this story I never knew why he ended up changing the water into wine especially after He just said it wasn’t His time. Also He called His mother woman. At first it seems disrespectful. However as I meditated on this God showed me that even though it wasn’t His time He loved His mother so much that He was willing to change His timing because of His great love for her and His great honor for His mother. Then as I meditated on it another time God showed me that Mary never takes away from her son. She always directs people to Jesus. Like she said to the servants “do as He says”. She is always pointing to her son. She never points to herself.
Just the other day I was driving on a long trip to the coast. I was trying to meditate on scriptures dealing with after Jesus resurrected (with my eyes open of course). I was thinking about how Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw it was empty and started to walk away until she saw a gardener but didn’t recognize that it was Jesus. I was also thinking about the two who saw Jesus on the road to Emmaus and they didn’t recognize him until they broke bread with Him.
Luke 24:13-32
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
John 20:15-16
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
As I thought about this I asked God why couldn’t the women and men identify that it was Jesus they were talking to. God showed me that they were use to seeing Him as a teacher, as their leader and now He was just a gardener and traveler. And that He still comes to us in different forms now, as beggars, dying people, the disabled, etc and we still don’t recognize Him. Wow, that revelation opened my eyes to be looking for Jesus every day.
I could give you hundreds of these but it is not necessary. Once you start spending quality time with God He will reveal the secrets that are hidden in scripture. You can not be in a hurry if you want God to reveal His secrets to you.
After you’ve spent fifteen to thirty minutes in meditation on scripture then spend some time in worship. Put a song on and sing it or sing one in your head or out loud. Mix these around; they don’t need to be in this order. Maybe you like to acknowledge God’s presence, then sing, then meditate on God’s word. It’s all good.
Let’s talk about quality time again. If you are out on a date and while you’re out on this date you are answering your texts, checking the score on a football game, answering the phone, etc that is not quality time. Quality time is giving your full attention to that person. When you’re spending time with God have reverence for Him. Pay attention. Tell yourself I am going to pay attention. Be attentive. Don’t be slumped over in a chair. I refuse to lie in bed during my quality time. I’ll fall back asleep. You shouldn’t fall asleep on a date and you shouldn’t fall asleep on the Lord. Sit at a table. Turn the lights up!! Get in one of your not too comfortable chairs. Yes I said NOT too comfortable chairs. Get a bible in your hands. Sit with Him first thing in the morning. Sit with Him at night, not at the very end of the night but an hour or two before you’re totally exhausted. This way you’re not giving Him your leftovers (The time that is left at the end of your day). You don’t want God to give you His leftovers, do you?
It will take a while before you get use to it but it will come. Soon you will want to spend two hours then three hours. For goodness sake put away that television. Throw it out if you can’t limit your time. It is satan’s way of distracting you from having a real powerful relationship with the Lord. The last thing satan wants is for you to spend time with God. He absolutely does not want you to have a deep personal relationship with God. That scares him. If you had a great intimate relationship with God your prayers will start getting answered and satan would hate that. Not only do your prayers get answered but you are changed from a selfish, self-centered person to a giving, charitable, loving person. Transformed into Christ.
Remember satan goes roaming around you know. That’s what scripture says. Of course God is always present. But satan will come and haunt you and tempt you. But after he has you hooked into a particular sin he will leave because then he has you doing what he wants you to do. You end up in a stronghold. For example, when an elephant is just born they tie his leg with this very little chain to keep him from leaving his area. As he grows up they still keep a small chain on his leg. Why? He could easily break it when he is bigger but he doesn’t even try. Why? He has become accustomed to it. He doesn’t realize he can break free. He is in a stronghold in his mind. IN HIS MIND! That is what we get into. Satan gets us into some sin, like nightly television for three hours and then he leaves us. There we are for the rest of our lives on a diet of three hours of television and one minute of prayer at the end of the day. Listen, if this is you, you need to stop it right now. Your salvation may be at risk. Maybe it’s not television, maybe its Facebook, computer games, X-box, chatting in chat rooms, pornography, drinking, sports, jewelry, etc. Life is passing you by!!! Break this cycle. Get on your knees and cry out to the Lord, “SAVE ME FROM MYSELF O GOD!! Do it over and over till God delivers you from this stronghold.
Do you have problems with your emotions, with your anger, with a habitual sin, then get into prayer. Shut the television off. Just do it. My sister gave this a shot. She started praying every night and morning. It changed her life, her marriage. It started changing her life within ten days. Within ten days. Talk about power.
But the problem people have is they aren’t willing to spend that time to receive His grace. His Holy Spirit (His grace) usually comes in increments like bytes passing through the internet. We have to continue to go back to Him in order to receive more of His Spirit, more of His grace. I don’t care if you’re Protestant or Catholic, we’ve become lazy. We have taken the easy road. The easy road is acknowledging God is real and accepting that he died for you and then doing nothing else or very little to develop your relationship with the Lord. We need to stop it!!
POINT:
You have to give God reverent, quality time and sufficient time in order to develop a relationship with Him. You must get into the word of God. You must meditate on the word of God. When you do this His Spirit comes and dwells in you more and more. This presence forces out your spirit (or changes your spirit) and then you are able to overcome your selfish, fleshly desires. This presence of God’s spirit within us makes us more merciful, kind and loving people. The key is quality time with God.
Chapter 8
THE BATTLE BETWEEN MY FLESH AND MY SPIRIT Romans 7:19-25 (Capturing God’s grace will win this battle)
The flesh and the spirit. When we came into a relationship with God, either by accepting Him into our life and declaring we are sinners or by slowly learning more about Him, we have become aware of these two forces within us. One wants to do bad (our self, our fleshly desires always wants to do things to make me happy, self satisfaction) and the other wants to do good (God’s spirit that dwells within us and tells us to do good things). Yes, it’s the age old scriptural saying “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (actually weak is an understatement-the pull, the desire of the flesh is incredibly strong if we don’t gain self-control). Paul talks about this in Romans 7:19-25. My paraphrase- Paul says Hey what is going on here, I want to do good but I do bad. I am battling against myself. What the heck is going on? PAY ATTENTION RIGHT NOW!! YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THIS POINT TO OVERCOME THIS BATTLE. There is a part of me that wants to do good but there is this other part of me (the old part, the fleshly part) that is stronger and usually wins the battle. So for example, I know I shouldn’t have pre-marital sex with my girlfriend but it feels so good and I like it so I do it anyway. Or I know I shouldn’t go out drinking at the bars but it feels good and I get a lot of satisfaction from it and I feel good drinking and have fun so I do it. This can be over come but you must understand this is a battle between your old selfish ways and the new ways you are taking on because you have accepted Christ into your life. Many people think once you accept Christ into your life, that’s it, but it is only the beginning. The key is allowing God to fill you constantly with his Holy Spirit so that your spirit becomes His spirit and now His Spirit, dwelling in you, can overcome all temptation you will have. This is the process called sanctification. This point is critical to understand!!
I will say it again in another way. Just because we have accepted Christ into our lives does not mean our flesh doesn’t desire to do bad. In fact that hasn’t changed at all. What has changed is God’s Spirit now is dwelling in us and telling us that your old ways, your old desires aren’t appropriate. So then you have to somehow overcome this desire of the flesh to sin. You can’t do it by will power. That might work for a while but not very long. Imagine it’s a battle between two people. One person, Johnny, is stronger and always wins against Joseph because he’s stronger. The other person Joseph can’t overcome Johnny until he starts working out and building bigger muscles. Then he can overcome Johnny. So as we build up our spiritual muscles they overcome your fleshly muscles. As you spend quality and quantity time with God (by reading His word, meditating on his word, praising Him and praying to Him, doing charitable, loving, unselfish acts) you receive more and more of His Spirit which helps you to overcome your fleshly desires (you begin to build your spiritual muscles). What really happens is as God (His Spirit) dwells more and more in you he changes you so that you are less and less and He is more and more.
Many people in the church think all they have to do is accept Christ into their lives and learn a little bit about God and they can minister to others. These people are living in constant sin because they aren’t going through the sanctification process of becoming holy. They don’t even know it exists. They think it came with salvation. It doesn’t. That’s why we have youth ministers having premarital sex and ministers and priests and pastors having sex outside of marriage. Their flesh is still in control. Did you hear that YOUR FLESH IS STILL IN CONTROL OF MANY AREAS. You rarely see people who have complete self-control, and that’s because they haven’t spent regular time with God. You don’t see it often because it’s the narrow road. FEW TRAVEL IT: Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, John Paul II, It’s time to listen to scripture and follow the narrow path.
I don’t want to scare you. Wait a second, yes on second thought, I do. I scared myself so now it’s time to scare you. Mathew 7:21-24 says Catholics, Protestants, Episcopalians, Calvinists, Lutherans, Assemblies of God, Pentecostals and all others think they are doing good things for God (or they think the things they are doing are good) but they aren’t going to get into heaven. These are people that think they are Christians. But God says he doesn’t even know them. Are you one of these? I go to both Protestant and Catholic services and I know people in ministry and they are having pre-marital sex, they believe in abortion, they are addicted to material things, addicted to pornography, they have shopping addictions, etc. Just the other day my good friend (a Pastor) came into my office (he had been filled with anxiety for eight months) and told me about a youth minister (19 years old and the daughter of a Pastor) who was at camp (Christian camp) and talked the other girls into sleeping together. She too crawled into bed with a 16 year old youth. My Pastor friend was trying to report it to the district but they didn’t want it on their desk because they may be liable if they knew. They got angry with him for trying to report it. It crushed his spirit. He feared they would take his small congregation from him. Our churches are filled with people who accept Jesus as their Savior but haven’t done a thing towards sanctification. That’s why there is so much sin going on in the church.
God loves us, yes, but we must travel the narrow road. The narrow road is seeking God by spending quality time with him. We must be getting into His word, meditating on the scriptures, receiving the sacraments (if you’re Catholic), worshiping Him, etc; then His spirit drives out our sinful habits and sinful ways, then we can become useful vessels for our Jesus. Otherwise we start our relationship with the Spirit, when we first come to the Lord, but we are finishing our relationship by the flesh (Galatians 3:3).
Awhile back I was reading two to three books at a time and within a months time each one was saying the same thing: We worship God by the way we live our life. WE WORSHIP GOD BY THE WAY WE LIVE OUR LIFE. We worship God through our actions, by our love, by our mercy. Listen, anyone can sing a song to the Lord. Anyone can go to church Sunday after Sunday but it’s only those who commit themselves to daily prayer, worship and meditation on the word that receive God’s grace and become sanctified through God’s Holy Spirit. Then their lives, the way they live, become a holy sacrifice, a life of worship.
God is not into talk. It’s the least way we show God we love Him. Did you hear that!!! The least way, the smallest way we show God that we love Him is through words. God wants us to live holy and pure lives. In Amos 5:23, it talks about God not wanting to hear the people’s worship because the people were sinning. God desires righteous living not songs and worship. Scripture says he won’t listen to it if you’re not living in obedience. Ouch!
Let me drive home the point one more time and then the horse should be dead by then. Listen we all want to overcome addictions, sinful areas, etc. but we try with our will power and we fail most of the time. That’s because the addiction is attached to our flesh. Our flesh enjoys the addictions whether it’s the alcohol (to get a buzz), or the drugs (to get a high) or the pornography (to stimulate oneself), or buying things (to feel good), lying (to look good), etc. Our flesh is strong. That means the satisfaction that comes from the sin (addiction) feels good and that’s why we like to do it. There’s satisfaction, joy, happiness in sin (like I needed to tell you that). The flesh desires things to make us feel good. The problem is by allowing our flesh to satisfy us we continue this worship of ourselves. Satisfaction of self is self-worship. It’s that false god we put above God. It will keep us from an intimate relationship with God!! Why? Because the first commandment says to worship God alone not God and myself.
POINT:
There is a great battle going on in our being. Even though we accepted Christ into our lives that does not mean the battle ended. The battle just began. We will never win this battle without capturing God’s grace which changes us. We overcome this battle by spending quantity and quality time with God. As we do this we build spiritual muscles that eventually will overcome the fleshly desires.
Chapter 9
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS TO US WHEN WE SPEND TIME WITH GOD?
The key is to fill your spirit with the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. So as you spend quality time with God, He comes to dwell in you and He naturally forces your spirit out (your selfish, I want to feel good all the time spirit). As you spend time with Him through prayer, meditation, worship, listening, charitable acts, etc. you become more and more filled with His Spirit. Then your spirit becomes stronger and stronger because no longer your weak spirit but God’s Spirit dwells in you. No longer I but Christ who dwells in me. (Galatians 2:20). Sound familiar. Paul talks about that. As you get to know God, as you spend that time with Him, he naturally, I should say supernaturally begins to dwell in you more and more. Then as His Spirit becomes a greater and greater part of you, your spirit (now His Spirit) is able to overcome your fleshly desires so that you no longer want to satisfy your flesh but you want to be satisfied by things of God. John 6:26-27 says don’t labor over food that spoils, instead labor for the food that last forever, which Jesus will give you. You must keep up with spending quality time with the Lord if you want to keep receiving His Spirit. As you do this, His Spirit takes over and crushes more and more areas of sin. So initially God’s spirit may crush your desire for alcohol, then your desire to look good to others, then your desire to lie, your desire for pornography, your desire to cheat on your taxes, your desire for perfection, your desire for jewelry, etc. My point is it doesn’t all happen at once (but it can-God is God and he can do anything His incredible heart desires).
God recently gave me another analogy about what Paul was talking about when he said “no longer I but Christ who dwells in me”. Well I think it was Him. I’ll call it The Parable of the Popcorn. He said Chris, as you spend time with me, it’s like a bowl of popcorn. I said come on Lord a bowl of popcorn. Who’s going to buy this. He said shut up and listen. No he didn’t say shut up. (I love His analogies; they always clarify things for me like the parables). He said the bowl is you. The popcorn inside the bowl is your desires and wants, both sinful and not sinful. (For example love of money, alcohol, lust, anger, unforgiveness, impatience, a good job, a spouse, gluttony (love of food to the point of overeating) etc). Now there is a pitcher of water next to the popcorn. This represents God’s Holy Spirit. As we spend time with God this pitcher of water (The Holy Spirit) is poured into us a little at a time. Eventually God’s Spirit will fill us up and force out our old self (love of money, love of alcohol, lust, anger, unforgiveness, impatience, a good job, a spouse, gluttony). So all the popcorn will be forced out. So that slowly but surely it is no longer I but God who dwells in me.
Do you get this picture. Try it. Take a pitcher of water and pour it into a full bowl of popcorn (popped popcorn). As you pour it in, the popcorn gets forced out. Even some popcorn fight to stay in (like our addictions that want to stay in our lives) so that it becomes no longer I Popcorn but God who dwells in me.
I mentioned in the paragraphs above that there is even non sinful desires in the bowl of popcorn or in us. God’s Spirit forces out those desires too. Why is that? The idea here is to exchange all our desires, goals and dreams we have for God’s desires, goals and dreams for us. Some of God’s may be the same as ours but we first must let go of them in order for God to reshape and form us from the inside out.
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POINT:
As we spend time with God, our spirit becomes His Spirit. So that it is no longer I but God who dwells in us.
Chapter 10
MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH SPENDING QUALITY AND QUANTITY TIME WITH GOD
About thirty years ago (age of twenty five), God anointed me with His Holy Spirit. In fact when I was baptized at the age of one month I received God’s Holy Spirit. But it took twenty five more years before the Holy Spirit became activated in my life. It’s kind of like having a car and not driving it.
As I was growing up my wonderful mother use to go to church daily until she was no longer able to drive herself there. She did this for over forty years. I would go with her off and on. I would also wake up in the morning and she would be sitting at the table saying her prayers. We were required to kneel in the front room and pray the Rosary (meditate on the life of Christ). This wasn’t every night for my entire growing up years but it would come and go in seasons. I got the sense from her that spending time with God was important. But it never really had the one two punch until God’s spirit really began to move in me a few years later. But seeds were being planted. Seeds of God’s nature, God’s word, God’s plan for my life.
I went to college and then dropped out of college (after three years), I began drinking, partying and eventually met my ex-wife, Kim (God rest her soul). I got into law school and then married Kim (that’s a whole other story). I dropped out of law school after two years. I then opened a bar with my Uncle. Yes a bar. The only thing people came in there to do was drink. Imagine that. And they wanted me to drink with them and even buy my drinks, so I obeyed.
Well I got married and had a beautiful child named Anndrea. (She is 35 and an awesome teacher now). I eventually stopped going to church and continued drinking. I remember my mom even coming over and asking me “what the hell has gotten into you”. You know it’s bad when your church mom comes over and uses those words. I even had an old professor come into my bar encouraging me to get back to law school, making the motion of pouring drinks and saying “you going to do this for the rest of your life”. I never forgot those words. But in the meantime I had let the god of alcohol, drugs and the god of money begin to control my life. And of course all of those gods were serving ME. The main god in my life (The one we spoke of in Chapter 5). The god of ME. I am, we are, the biggest false gods that we have in our life. We worship ourselves instead of worshipping the true God. We forget the first commandment “you shall worship the Lord thy God and Him alone shall you serve.” Boy was I blowing that one.
Well Kim eventually didn’t like my new gods and found someone else to make her happy (there’s more to the story but this will suffice for my purpose here). I left and got a new apartment.
Well you think that would have woke me up but I just started partying more. Drinking, going out nightly and just plain being bad (we won’t get into the bad part)!! I finally gave up the bar.
I was broke. I was so broke that my buddy and I had to use the water from the waterbed to flush the toilet. We had not paid the water bill. (It only made sense, hook the hose up to the water bed and use it. However eventually the water ran out and the bed was obviously not too comfy). So I did what any grown man would do, I went to live with my parents.
I continued going out every night and drinking. I came home one night, from drinking my head off, at about 2 a.m. I was lying in bed and all of a sudden I started imagining hell and what it would be like (I was certainly well on my way. I had practically built a house there by now). I started thinking about the scripture verse that talks about hell. Mathew 13:50 “And throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” I have no idea why I started imagining all this (God inspired I’m sure). Hell didn’t sound like a good idea or good destination to be headed towards. I started crying and saying “I’m on the wrong road; I’m on the wrong road. I’m on the wide road, the road to hell”. Scripture says the wide road is easy and I have to agree it is easy.
Well I got on my knees and cried and cried and cried some more. I told God I wanted to change (at least I wasn’t hugging the toilet bowl and saying this). It was as if I had instantly become sober. I had enough alcohol in me to last a couple days I’m sure. But I felt instantly sober. I stayed there for some time talking to God and repenting and then I went to bed.
From that point on I made an effort to start spending time with God. I can remember trying to avoid the bars and other similar places. I started taking baby steps and would go over to the church and water the plants every day. Then I got involved in church ministry. I started going to church again. I still went to the bars, at first, but it was different. Instead of seven days a week I would go five days a week, then three days a week and then after several months I was not going at all.
But guess what, I still had sin in my life. I still had temptations that I would give in too. Not as much as before but still there. This is about the time that I asked the Lord in meditation, why am I still sinning if you say your grace is sufficient. This is when he explained to me that His grace is sufficient but I wasn’t receiving His grace (His Holy Spirit). As I explained in Chapter 2, God’s grace (His Holy Spirit) is available 24/7. All the time. When I’m awake and when I’m asleep. At night and in the morning. While I’m at work and while I’m sinning. God told me my problem was I wasn’t receiving His grace. He said as I spend time with Him (even as I do charitable acts) I begin to receive His grace. If I spend a little time with Him I receive a little bit of His grace (Holy Spirit). If I only go to church on Sundays and talk to Him for two minutes in the morning and at night I receive a little bit of His Holy Spirit. The key was clearly spending quality and quantity of time with Him. 2 Corinthians 9:6 is clear on this. If we sow sparingly we reap sparingly. If we pray little we gain little grace.
During this same period of time I began to read all about the church teachings and why they taught this and taught that. I read books written by saints and about saints. I read books on prayer and how to pray. Every spiritual book I could get my hands on I would read. First Catholic then I got brave and ventured into a few Protestant books. I noticed that all these books always spoke about spending time with God, especially the books about the saints. They all spoke of spending quality and quantity time with the Lord. I thought I had a new revelation from God but come to find out He had been teaching this to people throughout the ages. TIME WITH GOD EQUALS GRACE FROM HIM (quality, sincere heartfelt time).
So that’s what I did. I started to spend more time with God. Now it took a while. It’s not easy to sit with the Lord for that long. Our body and mind just aren’t use to that. I would get distracted. I would start to think of other things I should do. Then I read that you have to train, discipline yourself to spend this time with the Lord. You have to commit yourself to a time with the Lord otherwise you will always find an excuse. So I started making it a part of my day. First an hour, then two, then three hours with God. Slowly but surely the time I spent with God became more reverent and more attentive. I started to listen to Godly music from John Michael Talbot to Michael W Smith to Gregorian Chants to Amy Grant. Both Protestant and Catholic musicians.
I was praying part of the time (talking with God), then reading scripture part of the time, and then meditating on scripture part of the time (the Rosary). I would also sit in silence with the Lord for long periods of time. Before I knew it I was spending three hours a day in prayer. I can’t begin to tell you the difference it made.
I got to the point within three to four months that I couldn’t wait to get off work and sit with my Jesus. I started receiving incredible consolations from the Lord (these are gifts from God). An incredible joyful feeling that would come over me so much so that I couldn’t wait to get back into prayer the next time. It was that great of a feeling. It was the best high I had ever had and I’ve had a lot of highs (unfortunately). God started changing me. He started giving me a peaceful spirit. I started receiving the fruits of His spirit, peace, joy, kindness, gentleness, love, compassion, etc.
Now, I told you all that to share with you some things God has done through me but not to brag but to show you how God begins to use us as we strive towards holiness, as we spend time with Him and as we become more and more like Him. To become more and more like Him is what we want, right? That’s the bottom line, right? As we spend time with Him, our selfishness dies (or our desires and goals and dreams and our old gods are no longer our gods anymore) and God becomes more and more a part of us. So that it is “no longer I but Christ who dwells in me”.
So through the years God has given me many gifts (God has gifts for each and everyone one of us. Just ask!!!). For example I would go over to the church and someone would walk up to me and start sharing with me a problem they have and I would immediately know the solution. I knew it was the correct solution from God because as soon as I told them what to do they immediately knew it was the right thing to do. It was an ahah moment for them. In another situation I was chatting with one person and he was on fire for the Lord and he was trying to figure out how he was going to serve the Lord (he was very conflicted). He was talking about moving here and doing this and doing that. After listening to him for some time I asked him, “are you married” (he had never mentioned it the whole time he was talking). He said “Yes”. I said well first comes God and then the first ministry in serving God is serving your wife and then kids. That one little statement cleared up everything for him. He knew exactly what he needed to do now. These things were happening on a daily basis.
God can even give you words of knowledge for some people. For example I was praying over a gentleman named Bob Canton, and I received a word that this person would be speaking to thousands of people all over the world. To this day that gentleman is doing just that in the Philippines and in the United States. Now his ministry didn’t start happening for about ten years but it happened and still is. I have never received a word like that again about someone that would be speaking to thousands of people all over the world.
During this period of time I began working in youth ministry. I clearly recall God urging me to go to this person’s (Lori) work and bug her to go to this retreat we were putting on. It was called a Life in The Spirit seminar for teens. So once a week or so I would stop by and say “hey why don’t you come on this retreat”. After months of stopping by she finally said she would. Well she went. The retreat consisted of talks on God’s love for us, salvation, the gift of His Holy Spirit and then how to remain in this relationship with God. Saturday night there was a chance for people to come up and get prayed over. We had candles going and one of us gave a testimony about how God has changed us. Then teens are invited up for prayer if they would like. Some people came up and some people started praying in tongues (stick with me now, I know I just lost some of you) as we laid hands on them. A few others fell in the spirit (or another name is they got slain in the Spirit). Well this girl Lori, she was about sixteen at the time, and she sees all this going on and she starts yelling “they put something in the spaghetti, they put something in the spaghetti”. Like we had put some drug in the sauce. She ran out of there so fast she left her shoes behind (not really).
Well God had a plan for that young lady. He wanted her there for a special reason. She wasn’t going to get away that quick. Ten minutes went by and I and others are still praying with people. (In fact God gave me a word for another girl during this time that I’ll mention below in a minute). And here comes Lori curiously sneaking back in. She came up for prayer. We prayed over her and she was never the same. She gave up her weed and changed her life around. In fact a few years later she joined NET, a National Evangelistic Team of Catholic teens that go all over America sharing the good news about Jesus through skits and talks. That was twenty eight years ago. Her eighteen year old daughter was just accepted for that same team but in Australia. Lori is still on fire for the Lord. We are good friends today!
That same night God gave me a word when we were praying for another teen. God told me about her past and present situation and I relayed it to her and she was totally flabbergasted because she knew I had never met her before. She shortly, thereafter, became pregnant and was going to abort her baby. She called and we talked and God gave me the right words to say to her and she decided to give birth. She couldn’t stop thanking me for years and years and years. She eventually moved and I lost contact for twenty years or so. Just recently her daughter, the one she was thinking about aborting, just friended me on Facebook. I accepted her request and recently went to her graduation from college. God is so cool!!!
POINT:
If we are spending time with God He will use us in powerful ways to help others and change others. We become His laborers in the vineyard of broken and lost people.
Chapter 11
MORE STORIES OF MIRACLES AND HOW GOD USES US WHEN WE STRIVE TOWARDS HOLINESS.
I want to make it clear. I have not been an angel for the last thirty five years. I was not spending three hours a day in prayer every day for the last thirty five years. I would go for years doing that then I would slack off. Then I would get back on track. These super short stories below are mostly when I was spending quality and quantity time with the Lord.
Twenty five years ago I was driving home at night and there was a young lady hitchhiking. I thought my gosh this young girl is crazy, its night and someone is going to hurt her. I stopped and picked her up to give her a ride. I asked her where she was going and she says the truck stop. That was ten miles away. I started driving there. I said why are you going there. She said because I need grocery money for my children. I’m so dumb. I say, oh is there someone there that’s going to give you money for groceries. She said yes. I said Oh, o.k. I’m so dumb. As I’m driving God reveals to me yes there is someone there that’s going to give her money because she is going to prostitute herself there. OH!!!! I’m really dumb!! I asked her more questions and she revealed that she was going there to prostitute herself to make money for food. I said how about I take you to the store and we get a bunch of groceries. She could not believe it. She couldn’t believe I was willing to do that without receiving anything in return. We spent an hour getting groceries and then we took them to her place and we unloaded them. She cried and was very thankful. I told her it was God that saw her need. To this day I don’t know what has happened to that girl but it’s my bet I’ll see her in heaven and she will tell me how her life changed from that point on. Just like the next story.
I can’t even tell you the whole story (because I can’t remember) but I met this man named Ed about thirty years ago. He was having problems. We talked for some time. I gave Him a religious book. I never thought another thing about it until I saw him just a year or so ago (really 30 years later). I didn’t recognize him. He stopped me and reminded me we had met almost thirty years earlier or so. I knew he looked really familiar. He told me that our meeting and the book I gave him changed his life forever. I just saw him last week and again he repeated what he said, that it changed his life. Wow!! So cool!
Remember I’m not telling you this to brag but to let you know how God begins to use us as we spend time with Him, as we seek Him, as we draw near to Him, as we become more and more like Him.
Twenty five years ago I was involved in peaceful demonstration (Operation Rescue) or sit-ins at abortion clinics. We were saving babies from being killed. I was arrested at most of these. I had to do time for one of these. I spent five days in the Santa Clara County Jail. Those five days were some of the most exciting five days of my life. God did incredible things there. I won’t share everything that happened but just some of them. While there I got a kink in my neck. It was extremely painful and I had to go to the hospital (God set this kink up. I’ve never had a kink in my neck again). As one of the guards is driving me to the hospital I start sharing with him why I’m in jail. We chatted and before you know it he feels convicted and starts crying and makes a commitment to start his relationship with God again. That was totally God. Then while I am at the hospital a lady on a gurney motions me over and calls me father (a priest). I tell her I’m not a priest. She kept calling me father and asking me to pray for her. I kept telling her “no I’m not a priest”. But she insisted and kept calling me father and asked me to pray for her. So I finally went over to her and started praying for her. Listen I am in an orange jumpsuit that says Property of Santa Clara County Jail and I have a collar on to keep my head from moving. I guess God blinded her and made me a priest for the day.
After I was done at the hospital I was walking back to where I was suppose to be picked up and I run into this lady and her fifteen year old child. (I have to tell you I am not embellishing any of these stories at all). The fifteen year old was pregnant and was heading for an abortion. We talked, we prayed, we laughed and she made a commitment that day not to get an abortion. Remember I’m in that orange jumpsuit, who in their right mind would stop and talk to me. That’s God stuff right there.
That’s not even the end of the story. Every night at the jail, they would have bible study for the men. I would go every night. I found out there were four other guys from Operation Rescue there. The very first night eight guys showed up for bible study. The five of us decided to start spreading the word about the bible study. The next night twenty guys were present. The next night thirty five and finally about five hundred the last night (no that’s a lie, hehe, maybe about fifty the last night). The last night all five of us shared our testimony and many accepted Christ that night. The best part of all of it, those men heard testimony from a Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Assembly of God and we were all serving the same Lord (1 Corinthians 3:1-23 My paraphrase “Stop bickering amongst yourselves and serve the Lord”.). That’s God stuff right there!!
Some of these stories are crazy. Two of my sisters were in a big argument and had been for some time. We were at mom’s for a holiday meal. My one sister asked me to come to the room and talk to these two sisters. I went to the room. I listened for a while then I do this crazy bold thing. I told them I know this is crazy (and I really didn’t think they would do it) but I said God wants the two of you to turn around seven times then tell the other person you’re sorry. They said that’s stupid. I agreed it seemed crazy but I repeated God wants them to do this. They argued and said they weren’t going to do it. But to my utter astonishment they finally agreed to turn around but stated that they were not going to say they were sorry afterwards. I was shocked that they were even willing to just turn around. I still can’t figure out how grown women were willing to spin around seven times. But I said O.K. good enough. They spun around seven times. As they approached the seventh time they both simultaneously started crying. They stopped and hugged and made up. God is wild and crazy!!
These stories go on and on and even to the present day.
A few years ago my wife and I were driving to Tahoe at night. We were an hour and half from Tahoe and it started raining and snowing (I hate the rain and snow when I’m driving). I was nervous and getting scared. My wife said let’s pray. We prayed and almost immediately it stopped snowing and raining until we were 10 minutes from Tahoe.
Another time I had invited five buddies of mine to a men’s retreat. As we were driving there, at night, it started snowing heavy. We started praying and out of nowhere (I kid you not) a snowplow appears in front of our vehicle. It snowplows us right to our exit. God is soooooooo cool.
I know a person who had held onto anger for decades because someone did a horrible thing to them. They could not forgive them. Then through a set of incredible circumstances they watched a movie about God. During that video they received the grace to be able to forgive this person. This person’s whole demeanor changed after that. They became a happy, joyful person to be around. That’s God stuff right there.
A few years ago my wife and I helped someone buy a car. It’s used. A few months later it broke down. She took it to a couple of mechanics. Each one said it would cost between $2,500 and $4,500 and possibly more. I began to pray and decided to make some texts and calls to friends to see if someone knows an honest Christian mechanic. Then all of a sudden, as I’m driving in the car I keep feeling God saying “if anyone knows an easy solution to this problem it will be the mechanic at Ford (it was a Ford car)”. I hate those guys at the dealerships. It always costs $ 1,500 or more when you go in there and I just don’t trust them. But God insisted, if there is someone that knows an easy quick solution it will be the mechanic at Ford. So we take it to Ford. Lord have mercy. The mechanic calls me the next day. He said well it looks like this and that and it will probably cost a minimum of $ 2,500. I knew it!! But then here comes the God moment. He said BUT there is a slight chance that it’s all caused by the wrong oil filter and oil. He said it doesn’t have the original filter and synthetic oil that it came with. Reeeeeeaaaaaally, I said. How much is that? Well it’s on sale today for $ 29. Shuuutt up!! Well I didn’t say shut up. I said well let’s try it. Sure enough that was the whole problem. I have since spoken to many people and mechanics that know about cars and they say they have never heard of that before. Two years later that car is still running good. WOW! God is good!! The devil must have been in that old oil, hehe.
Just the other day I was coming up the elevator and a man asked me, what do you do? I said I am an attorney. He said what kind of an attorney. I gave him the answer I give everyone, a Christian attorney. Then I go on to tell him I handle CPS (Child Protective Services) cases, accident cases, bankruptcy cases, etc. He said “Oh bankruptcy”, I may need to talk to you. Three hours later he comes knocking on my door. He says he needs to file bankruptcy. I begin to ask him probing questions to determine if he can qualify. Shortly after he started speaking I realized he wasn’t in here for a bankruptcy case, this was a God moment, he was in here so I could teach him about Jesus. Come to find out he makes plenty of money but has an addiction to buying junk from that channel that sells things (he was retired and had no bills to speak of and had an income of $ 6,000 a month). To make a long story short, he knew the Lord but had gotten away from Him. We prayed together and I gave him some tips on how to stop his addiction (like get into prayer!!!). He agreed it was time to come back to the Lord. A God moment, look for them in your life.
Another day, maybe two months ago, my wife and I were hanging out at the house on a Saturday. Our old realtor friend (she found the house our daughter bought) just happened to stop by and dropped off a small candy-filled heart. It was her way of doing a little advertising. We got on the subject of God (imagine that). Her spirit was immediately open. She shared how she had given up on praying and going to church, etc. We shared our faith, our love and we prayed that she become on fire for the Lord again. She has since begun praying constantly to the Lord. She is now coming to our weekly bible study. Whooohoooo!
I love the story an old friend told me (Pastor Dave Shebly, God rest his soul). He said when he was growing up his dad said “son we are going to drive to Sacramento tonight”. They lived in Auburn. It was 10 o’clock at night. As they were driving he asked his dad what were they doing, where were they going. His dad said “I don’t know son all I know is God wants us to drive to Sacramento”. An hour later his dad pulled up to a house. Walked up to the door, knocked on the door. No answer. He waited a few minutes and knocked again but no answer. Finally he knocked the third time and a man opened it. His dad said to the man “God sent me”. The man started crying (so am I as I am retelling this story) and said he was just about to kill himself but told God if You’re real prove it to me. Wow!!! That’s what I’m talking about. God moments.
I met my wife fifteen years ago. After two months or so we started talking about her coming to work with me. This was really a ludicrous idea because I didn’t make enough money to pay her $ 2,000 a month, that’s what she needed to take care of her household. I had $ 4,000 in the savings. We prayed about this and felt God wanted us to do this. I could only afford to pay her for two months then she would have to go find another job if God didn’t come through. We did it. Immediately after she started working with me I found out there was a law passed (a year earlier) that required all minors (in Child Protective Cases) to be appointed an attorney. Well those were the types of cases I was handling so I got appointed to about fifty children within a few weeks time which increased my income to more than $ 2,000 a month. Wow. God is so cool. He had that law passed years earlier knowing I would need the extra income. My wife continues to work with me fifteen years later.
My daughter, Annie was involved in an accident a few years back. She received a very bad whiplash type injury. She was in pain for several months. We went to my mom’s house because she was having a type of prayer meeting and we weree praying the Rosary (or meditating on the mysteries of the life of Christ). We kneel for this. When my daughter got up twenty minutes later her neck pain was completely gone. She never complained about it again. That’s what I’m talkin about!!
When I came down with psoriatic arthritis fourteen years ago I could not go up and down stairs anymore, without great difficulty. So my wife and I started to look for a house, as I was currently in a two story. We looked at over two hundred houses. We finally came and looked at the house we are presently in but it was $ 35,000 over our budget. I told my wife and the realtor, in a joking way, if they ever come down $ 35,000 to call us. This house had everything we wanted. One story, 4 bedrooms, two baths, a pool, large backyard and in a great location. Three weeks later we saw another house not too far away from the one we really liked so I called on it. The price was way out of our range but she said “well what are you looking for” and I told her. She said oh there is a house right around the corner and they just dropped the price this morning $ 35,000. “Oh what is the address” I said. Sure enough it was that house. We called the realtor and she said I was just going to call you. God is good!!!
Forteen years ago I met my wife on a blind date. Two weeks after meeting her, I was sitting in my office with my feet up, and I hear in my heart “I have ordained the two of you to be together “. I called her and told her right away and we got married the next day. That’s a lie. I never told her what I thought God said. I’m sure that would have scared her away. I didn’t tell her until months before our wedding, which was eleven months later.
Here’s another God moment. Shortly after meeting my wife, we were on our third date or so, and we had just finished a movie and she asked if we could go over to Marie Calendars and grab a cup of coffee and talk, “I need to tell you something.” I said o.k. As we were driving over to the restaurant God revealed to me what she wanted to tell me. Once we arrived at the restaurant I went into the bathroom and wrote on a piece of paper what she wanted to tell me. I came out. We talked and she shared. It was exactly what was on the paper I had written down. I pulled the paper out of my pocket and showed her that God had already revealed it to me. It was a very private matter so I am not revealing what it was but she wanted to be completely honest with me. Another God moment.
Remember why I am sharing these stories. To look good, NO! When anyone starts striving to make God the center of their life by spending quality time with Him, He begins to work in our lives in powerful ways.
A few years ago the church was offering a men’s retreat. God kept telling me to invite these other men (5 of them). So I did. They all said no. I kept asking them every couple of weeks. One of them kept saying maybe. One week before I decided to stop by his house. He was outside and I said hey let’s go on this men’s retreat. He finally agreed. He hasn’t been the same since. Also on that same trip another gentlemen had said no but then I saw him one week before at the courthouse. I asked him about the retreat and he agreed and said that’s exactly what I need. His wife had just left him. All three other guys ended up coming. Even one decided the day before. All were changed in powerful ways.
One week ago someone called me and said “Hey I just sold my condo and I know you know people who are in need. I want to send you $ 6,000 and will you please give it to people in need. I said “No problem”. I thought about this for a while then I said “ Hey, I’m in need” so I distributed the money to myself and bought me a hot tub. Of course I didn’t do that. What really happened is within two days a person text me and told me how their car broke down and how stressful this was because of finances. I told her someone already gave me money for that. She was so grateful. I called another person up and said someone gave me $ 1,000 to give you. They cried and said “we were just talking about how we didn’t know what we’re going to do and then you called.” I distributed all the money to people in need. They were so grateful. They all cried when receiving the blessing. (obviously I told them it wasn’t from me but from someone that wanted to remain anonymous.)
A few years back I was in a trial. I am actually acting as a guardian ad litem instead of an attorney in this case. The trial was almost over and the judge was in the process of making his ruling. We were trying to get services for my client so she could reunify with her child. She was using drugs and had a history of emotional problems and the psychological report said she would have a real hard time caring for her child alone. To make matters worse, the psychologist didn’t believe reunification services would help. The judge began making his decision and he said I’m sorry the evidence shows that you don’t have a right to have services and he started to explain why my client didn’t get to reunify with her child. As he was giving his ruling I am quietly, but not silently saying “come on God even now you can change this judge’s mind and offer services. Come on Jesus you can change his mind right now”. (I felt I was suppose to say it out loud to witness to the attorney who was an unbeliever). As I was praying this for the fifth time the judge paused for a long time and said “well I’m going to take a chance”. Unbelievable! That mother is still with her child right now and doing well. A God moment for sure.
to your question or request on the 9th day. This was a prayer or novena to the Holy Spirit. My question was whether God wanted me to go into the priesthood. On the 9th day of this Novena I received a phone call from my ex-wife telling me her husband had left her a week ago and she didn’t know where he was. She could have called any of those other days but she called on the 9th day. Well this was the answer. I couldn’t go into the priesthood if my daughter was not in a secure family setting. Then one year later I sensed that my daughter (5 years old) was not safe in the setting with my ex-wife. I started praying daily “God if it’s not safe for Anndrea to be at her mom’s please remove her”. Three weeks later my ex-wife called and said “I don’t think it’s safe for Anndrea to be here she should come live with you”. Come to find out she had started using drugs with her new boyfriend. I went and got her immediately. She has lived with me ever since until she was twenty seven years old. A God moment.
In a six month period we gave a substantial amount of money away. At the end of that period somebody gave us the same amount. The next year we gave double. The following year someone gave us double. Unbelievable.
The other day I saw an old cousin, literally old (83), walk through the courthouse. I said hello to him and he then said “ do you handle accident case”? I said yes. He called me shortly thereafter. I spoke to him on the phone and I could tell it wasn’t a case I would be interested. But I knew God wanted him in my office so I told him to come in. He came in and he talked for two hours about the love of his life and how she left him (or her son made her leave him). He cried, we prayed. It was a God thing!!
A few years back my partners and I put in a bid for a contract with the state. The State responded and said our bid was too low. Yes, as unbelievable as that is, that’s exactly what they said. They told us that they wanted our group but they wanted to give us more money. They ended up giving us substantially more money than we could have ever imagined. That was a God thing!!
The day I met my wife, one of my best friends was coming into town. He said “hey, I’m coming into town tonight why don’t you come over to John’s house and play cards with us. I said “no I have my daughter, but thanks anyway”. When I had my daughter I never looked for a babysitter to go do something. I always did things with her. But for some strange reason (I can’t explain it to this day, other than my guardian angel or the Holy Spirit whispered in my ear to go), at the last minute I called my sister and asked her to watch Mary. I had never asked my sister to babysit before and never have I since. “Sure” she says. So I dropped Mary off and headed over to my friend John’s house. As soon as I arrived, my friend Steve was on the phone talking to Konnie (my future and present wife). He said “hey have you ever met my friend Konnie”. I said “no”. He handed me the phone. We talked for fifteen minutes and decided to meet for lunch on the following Tuesday. We met, we prayed, we are married eleven months later. We’ve been married for 14 years now. That’s God stuff right there!!
My daughter’s (Anndrea) brother was in a horrible accident (her other brother had died a few years earlier in a horrible accident). My wife didn’t really know him and I hadn’t seen him in years. We didn’t go see him for six weeks. I kept feeling that God wanted us to go pray with him. So we went. He had been in a coma for 6 weeks now. They said if he ever came out of it, he would be paralyzed from the neck down on his right side. He had had a major injury to his brain. We talked to the nurse and she confirmed that the prognosis was grim. No one was there. We anointed him with oil and prayed for forty five minutes. We left. There were obviously other people praying for him also (my daughter for sure). Three days later he woke up. Two weeks later he walked out of that hospital with no paralysis. He went back to school and is doing great. In fact he use to have an attitude and be kind of a jerk. God took that all from him. He is a very nice young man now. That’s so awesome! I just saw him in 2016 at his grandfather’s memorial. He told me he had accepted Christ into his life. God is awesome!!
Finally, my daughter Mary was born with an AV Canal defect (heart problems). She had an open heart surgery at eighteen months old. It was very successful. The doctors told us she would need another one when she turned eight or nine years old because the heart will continue to grow but the patch will not and so the leakage would get bigger and bigger. I prayed every night over her that she would not need that surgery. However at the age of ten years we were told she needed the surgery and she needed it immediately. I went in and talked to the surgeon who said we needed it immediately. As the surgeon was talking, God (though I didn’t realize it was God at the time) revealed to me that there was something not right (we had switched doctors because of location). I asked for all her records and video of her heart (echocardiogram). I contacted her original doctor at U C Davis and told him what was up. He said to send him everything. He contacted me one week later and said “I happen to be giving a talk at a conference last weekend and I showed Mary’s echocardiogram to all the doctors there. They all agreed that Mary does not need surgery. Mary is now twenty two and she still hasn’t needed another open heart surgery. That’s God stuff!!
Don’t forget the reason why I shared these events, because when we spend quality time with God, when we strive for holiness (even though we aren’t holy), God begins to get rid of our old gods, our old self and begins to dwell in us more and more. We become a cleaner vessel for Him to use. The vessel we are in, this body, this person, doesn’t matter. We can be in a wheelchair, have emotional issues, be old, be young, listen the vessel doesn’t matter. What matters is the inside of the vessel. Is it clean or not (are we at least striving for purity). Have you avoided sin? Are you living a pure life or striving to at least? Are you trying to be kind and generous, unselfish, forgiving and merciful? Are you respectful to your parents, your spouse? This is what God is looking for. Again I say God could care less if you’re rich or poor or handicapped. He doesn’t care what you look like or what you have, what’s happened in the past or your status in life. It’s the inside that He is after. Do you want to use a pitcher of water that is dirty on the inside? Of course not and neither does God. I know you think I’m making this stuff up but I’m not. Scripture says it. 2 Timothy 2:20-22 reads:
Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Do you want to be useful for the Master? After we die there are no more tears, no more suffering, no more pain. In fact, eyes have not seen nor ears heard nor has it even dawned on man what God has in store for those who love Him. For those who travel the narrow road, God has such great things planned for us. But once we’re in heaven our chance to serve Him on earth is over with. This is our only chance to serve Him!! THIS IS OUR ONLY CHANCE TO SERVE HIM!!! (test question).
About one month ago I was meditating on death and while meditating I had arrived in heaven and this is what God showed me. He greeted me. He hugged me with His divine hug. All the angels and saints greeted me. Then he showed me to my mansion. He said enjoy and relax for eternity. You will never suffer again, never cry again. You can come and see me whenever you want. You can visit anybody you want. Enjoy the ocean, the river and all that is here. It was beautiful. It was incredible. Then He began to leave. I said “but Lord can you tell me how I did for you while on earth?”. He said Chris don’t give that another thought. Enjoy. He started to walk away and I insisted he tell me but He wouldn’t tell me. Finally after my insistence he said “Well, Chris there was so much more for you to do. My vineyard is large and my laborers are few. I had so much more work to do. You were too busy enjoying yourself too often and forgot about me and the work I had for you”.
My meditation turned to sadness. This is the only chance we have to serve Him. After this it’s heaven forever (hopefully!!). I don’t want to choose the road where I do the least I can to get into heaven. I said, I don’t want to choose the road where I do the least I can to get into heaven. That’s not love of God. That’s love of self. That’s cheap grace.
POINT:
-Once you are capturing God’s grace on a regular basis He is constantly using you to bring about His kingdom of heaven to earth.
-Don’t do the least you can to get into heaven.
-This is our only chance to serve Him.
Chapter 12
ACKNOWLEDGE HIS PRESENCE- WALK WITH HIS PRESENCE
In a lot of services, the Pastor or Worship leader is asking God to come and be present. I think we have it all wrong. Scripture is pretty clear that God is present always and everywhere. He is omnipresent. So God is always present. The music leader or the Pastor should be saying “Let’s take a moment out to acknowledge that God is present.” He’s always present. He may manifest His presence in different ways like an overwhelming feeling of peace, or joy or by healing someone, but He is always present.
So the first thing I do now, whether morning prayer or evening prayer, is take from one to ten minutes and acknowledge God’s presence. I actually take a deep breath and exhale slowly saying “God is present”. My wife and children all do this now. We take another deep breath and acknowledge God is present. I have to tell you, I almost immediately can feel His presence. I don’t have to wait for Him to show up. He is always here. He is waiting for us to acknowledge Him. He waits and waits and waits. It is best to have silence as much as possible. His presence can be felt so much greater in the silence. So just for a helpful guide I have listed what I do most mornings:
-First you practice this and then teach it to the whole family
-Try to get your surroundings as quiet as possible
-Sit in a fairly comfortable chair but not too comfortable
-Get your hands and arms lying freely (not clasped together or anything)
-Blow all your air out gently then take a slow deep breath and hold it for 3 seconds
-Blow out slow and gently and say out loud but quietly “God” “is” “present” (if you prefer “Jesus is present”) (take 8-9 seconds to blow everything out slowly)
-Do this 5-10 times (it should take you 5 minutes or so if doing it right)
-After that take regular breaths and just say in your head now God is present.
-After 5 minutes or longer you can imagine being in a scene with God (maybe your sitting on a beach with Him, or snuggling on a couch with Him, or staring at Him on the cross as He looks down on you with love, etc)
-Enjoy that for as long as you like
-If you get distracted just repeat out loud or to yourself “God is present”
-If you have time, think of a scriptural scene and meditate on it. When I say meditate I mean visualize the scene in your mind’s eye and ask “Who is in this scene” then answer it. Then ask “what are they doing” and answer it. Then ask “what’s their purpose” then answer it. Let God’s Holy Spirit guide you in your answer. Continue with the questions: “Why are they there?’ “What is God trying to convey to me by that person being in this story”? “What is God trying to teach me”? “How does this apply in my life and who am I in the story”? Sometimes I just repeat the same question over and over while I sit with the Lord (until my attention is better and until God gives me an answer. For example I may say “Lord why didn’t they recognize you on the road to Emmaus; then I repeat it, “Lord why didn’t they recognize you”, etc). This helps me to keep my attention on my meditation.
-You can even ask the Lord a question that you’re wondering. Why do I like to do xyz (a sinful area in your life) when I know it’s a sin? Or what can I do Lord to stop doing this sin? etc
Always remember it is in our acknowledgement of His presence where we will experience His presence. It’s never that He left us, it’s that we forget to acknowledge His presence. Doesn’t that make perfect sense? Can you imagine if you only acknowledged your spouse one day a week, or only when you wanted something? What we want to do is get to the point that we start acknowledging His presence every minute of the day. He’s walking out the door with you. He’s riding in the car with me. He’s walking to the courthouse with me. His feet are walking with mine. The more we get to the point that we are acknowledging His presence, the more we become aware of His Presence and the more He becomes a part of our life.
Even acknowledging His presence before meals is a powerful way to start your meal. At our house, before any meal, we usually take about twenty to sixty seconds to acknowledge His presence. It’s so reverent. It’s a great way to take a deep breath and blow out all the stress from the day and just acknowledge His presence. We acknowledge His presence in silence. So it is completely silent for twenty to sixty seconds before we say our prayers for our meal. It’s just wonderful. You have to try this. We hold hands and I say “Take a deep breath and exhale and let’s first acknowledge God’s presence”. Then it is perfectly silent. His presence becomes known to us immediately. Then, when we have been reverent to God and acknowledged His presence, we say a prayer of thanksgiving for the food. We do this even when we have company and before our bible studies. It’s wonderful.
Another good way to get use to acknowledging His presence is find a short phrase you like. The old Desert Fathers started this a hundred years after Christ had died. Pick a phrase like JESUS I TRUST IN YOU, or just JESUS or JESUS IS PRESENT or use the phrase they used in the past: JESUS SON OF GOD HAVE MERCY ON ME A SINNER (they called it the Jesus Prayer). Every time you think of it say this phrase. You can do it gardening, walking, as you go to sleep, etc. Just say it over and over. Soon your spirit will take over and you’ll wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning and your spirit will still be saying it. It’s amazing. Now as you do this you are acknowledging God’s present. I truly like using the phrase GOD IS PRESENT (G.I.P). When I say this it immediately reminds me that God is here and I feel His presence.
The more we acknowledge His presence the more He becomes a part of our life. Listen, we are a work in progress (Phil 11:6) and we have to grow with the sanctifying grace of God (2 Peter 3:18). You see by acknowledging His presence we are opening ourselves to receiving God’s grace (which as you know is available 24/7). Can you believe that? God’s Holy Spirit is present all the time and as soon as we just acknowledge His presence we receive His grace (His Holy Spirit). As we do this over and over throughout the day His Spirit drives out our spirit and so eventually we will be able to exclaim like Paul, NO LONGER I BUT CHRIST WHO DWELLS IN ME. Whoohoo. Wouldn’t that be great? And, and, and as He becomes more and more a part of our lives He can and will, through us, impart the Holy Spirit to others (Romans 1:11).
Acknowledging His presence is the beginning of Walking With His Presence (WWHP). This is such a powerful statement “Walk With His Presence” and “God is Present” (G.I.P) that our bible study group texts these to each other during the week. A.G.P. Acknowledge God’s Presence. ICDATTCWSM = I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me (I haven’t sent this one yet but I’m going to send it off and see what they say). It is really quite helpful when you receive one of these texts. Wouldn’t it be great if all across the world people shared what these little phrases are, like they did with WWJD (what would Jesus do) and by texting these short abbreviations you can actually help someone through their day by reminding them of God’s presence.
POINT:
-We must get to the point where we are constantly acknowledging God’s presence.
-Acknowledge His presence before meals, before prayer and in your car while you’re working.
Chapter 13
GOD IS ALL KNOWING AND ALWAYS PRESENT/ SATAN ONLY ROAMS AROUND LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO DEVOUR (1Peter5:8) or DELIVER US FROM EVIL
When I first came into a deeper relationship with the Lord thirty five years ago I began going to Catholic charismatic prayer meetings. The people in the prayer group were wonderful people but they were talking about satan more than God. If there was creaking in the attic it was satan roaming around. If there was noise outside at night it was satan. If they were tempted and failed it was satan. Satan appeared to be around more than Christ. I clearly remember God telling me to tell those people to stop focusing on satan and focus on Christ. He said if you focus on me, satan will flee. Remember the scripture “greater is He that is within you then he that is within the world” (1 John 4:4). Scripture is also clear that satan is not always the one who is responsible and that most of the time it is our own flesh that desires sin so greatly.
Thirty five years later I am in a bible study and we were reading out of a book and guess what, satan is present more than God again. This satan guy is good. We give him way too much credit. That reminds me of a joke I heard just the other day. A man is attending a Christian conference and there are people inside sharing their stories about how much trouble satan has caused in their life. Story after story the same thing. Satan did this and satan did that. The gentleman decides to take a walk outside and lo and behold he sees satan leaning against the wall crying. He almost felt sorry for him. He said, “hey why are you crying?”. Satan says “because all those people are blaming me for everything wrong in their life and it’s just not true’.
Look, satan can tempt us but he is not omnipresent and all powerful like that book, we were reading, suggested. Remember scripture says he roams around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. It doesn’t say he is omnipresent. Only God is omnipresent. So satan roams. He isn’t always around. He may come and bother you and tempt you but he is not always present. He will tempt you and that’s all he can do and you have to make the decision to accept the temptation.
Many times satan tempts us and we accept the offer and become entangled in a sinful area which becomes a habitual sin (i.e. pre-marital sex, post-marital sex, pornography, alcohol, lying, cheating on taxes, hate, anger, unforgiveness, jealousy, etc). Then when satan sees that we are hooked he leaves. Remember what I mentioned in an earlier chapter about the baby elephant. When a baby elephant is born they tie him to a post with a very small chain or rope around his leg to keep him from running off. As he gets bigger they keep the same little chain on him. They do this even though he is much larger and can break it easily if he just pulls his leg away. Why? In his mind, he has been conditioned that he can’t get away. It becomes a stronghold in the elephant’s mind (a stronghold is false thinking that keeps you from growing in Christ). This same thing happens with habitual sin (committing the same sin over and over again). Once satan has us hooked and thinking we lost our free will, thinking we have to commit this sin, or has us addicted, he leaves and roams elsewhere. We begin to think we can’t get out of the sinful act. We say “O I am addicted, there’s nothing I can do.” I’ve been there trust me!! But that’s a stronghold or false thinking. As I mentioned in an earlier chapter, we have affections or love for sin and that’s why we sin. If we didn’t love it we wouldn’t sin. So we need to cry out to God for help. We need to ask God to give us affection or love for His ways and love for holy things instead. As we grow in our relationship with the Lord He will break these addictions or strongholds supernaturally through being filled with His grace (or show you how to).
Since we are talking about satan, I love the story about satan and Martin Luther. Martin Luther is asleep in his room. In the middle of the night he hears someone rustling around at the foot of his bed. He turns on the light and lo and behold it is satan at the foot of his bed. He looks and says “oh it’s just you” and he goes back to bed. As long as our focus is on Christ we don’t need to worry about satan. Yes he will tempt us but Christ will build us up spiritually so that temptation isn’t an issue.
Having said all that I do realize that satan does roam around and settles for a short while in our neighborhood (meaning by us). And he’s got nothing better to do then to try and drag us down with temptation after temptation. During these times, it is very helpful to ask God to send forth His holy angels to do battle against any fallen angels that are bothering us and to send those demons back to hell where they belong, forever. Then ask God to send forth His Holy Spirit to fill that void and remain forever. Sometimes you have to pray this over and over throughout the day and week. Self-deliverance prayers deliver blows to the devil and the more you repeat it the more blows satan receives. Eventually they will flee for good. A great book on this is “Deliverance from Evil Spirits” by Ralph Martin. At one point in my life I had to pray this self-deliverance prayer over a hundred times a day. It was very effective but sometimes it only lasted five (5) to sixty (60) minutes then I had to punch satan again (by saying the prayer again). My habitual sin had such a stronghold in my mind I needed to pray that prayer over and over again.
Some habitual sins have such a stronghold on us that we need to get on our knees and cry out to the Lord for an hour or two (my good friend taught me this): crying out and asking God to deliver you from this stronghold in your life. I also found it very helpful during the temptation to constantly remind myself that I am a Christian and my flesh does not rule my body but my spirit, the Holy spirit, controls my body and I can say no to this sin and I will say no. Repeat it over and over. My spirit is stronger and my flesh will not rule out. I can make the decision to do the right thing here and I will (then walk away from whatever the temptation is). I am in control of my flesh and desires. My flesh does not control what I do, my spirit does.
POINT:
God is always present. Satan is not!! Act like He is.
CONCLUSION
God is present wherever you are. God’s grace is available to us 24/7 (wherever you are). At any time of the day or night we can have contact with God. At any time of the day or night we can open a porthole into our soul and God’s grace, which is His Holy Spirit, can flood into our soul. The key to receiving God’s grace is to spend time with Him. Time With God Equals Grace From God (TWG=GFG). Spend a little time with Him and you receive a little bit of God. Spend more quality time with Him and receive more of Him. Sow sparingly reap sparingly. Sow abundantly reap abundantly. As we spend time with God, His Holy Spirit begins to change us. He begins to change our desires from selfish desires to charitable desires, from worship of self to worship of God. As this relationship with God develops He comes to dwell in us more and more. And as a result our vessel becomes cleaner and cleaner. As we become purified or at least strive for holiness God begins to use us more and more. We begin travelling the narrow road more and more. As we travel this road and as we draw near to God He uses us more and more to bring about His kingdom on earth. God is after loving and merciful people. His grace will get us there but we have to be committed to spending quality and quantity of time with Him.
Don’t let the business (busy ness) of life distract you from God.
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