SAVE ME FROM THE LIONS!

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8, ESV).

As a boy in Sunday school I was always amused by the lessons that were presented on the flannel-graph board. Some of you reading this don’t know what flannel-graph is; it is the low-tech teacher’s aid of the previous century. One of my favorite flannel-graph stories was “Daniel in the Lions’ Den.” Daniel’s friends had already had their “trial by fire” and Daniel somehow missed out on that adventure. So as not to let Daniel fall into a pit of insecurity and introspection, God let him have his own adventure but with lions instead of fire. In my Sunday school classroom, Daniel, his friends and the lions kept falling off the flannel-graph board and landing on the floor. We were a tough crowd and we were very amused when Daniel and his friends spiraled to the floor like helicopters.

In the book of Daniel, we read that he is promoted to be one of the three top leaders in King Darius’ kingdom. Daniel 6:3 explains that Daniel had “an excellent spirit in him” and the king was considering turning all the authority of the realm to him.

Daniel’s promotion and what the king was considering did not sit well with others in the government and they began to plot to discredit him. However, try as they might, they could not find fault with Daniel (6:4). The conspirators decided to try an end run and trick the king into signing a decree that would have Daniel destroyed. The conspiracy was this: The jealous bureaucrats went to the king and said, “All the leaders and counselors of the kingdom feel that no one should be allowed to pray to any god or man other than you for thirty days. If anyone violates this law, then they should be thrown into a den of lions.” The flattered king signed the decree, not knowing he had been lied to and that he was sentencing his friend Daniel to death.

Daniel knew that an evil conspiracy had been formed against him and he had a choice to make. He could alter his lifestyle, stop praying forever, stop for a while, pray quietly in secret, or continue to do what he knew was right. The choice Daniel made says a lot about who this man was, the character and integrity of his life, and the importance he placed on his relationship with God.

Daniel changed nothing about his life. Upon hearing of the decree arranged by the conspirators, the Bible says that he went home and prayed and worshiped just as he had always done (6:10). Daniel was dragged before the brokenhearted king, who I believe realized that he had been tricked into signing a decree that could not be changed. Daniel was thrown into the den of hungry lions, but not before the king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you” (6:16).

After a sleepless night, the king rushed to the lion pit. He knew what had happened when the three Hebrew young men had been thrown into the fire and he seemed anxious to see if Daniel was okay. King Darius shouted down into the pit, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God been able to deliver you?” Daniel shouted back, “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths” (6:22).

What does a story like this have to do with us?  It is doubtful that any of us will ever have to face a pit full of hungry lions.

I think this story has more to do with the symbolic illustration that Peter presented in 1 Peter 5:8: “The devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

 In Psalm 91:13 we read, “You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.”

The picture being presented here is that the lion and the snake are the challenges that will come at us as we walk out our journey of faith. In addition, this verse establishes our authority to use our walking shoes to tread on the devil and his emissaries.

The word “tread” has a richer and more vibrant meaning than just walking. It conveys the image of a warrior marching and literally trampling his enemy under his feet.

King David understood and moved in this authority. Before David was ready to go into the Valley of Elah and face Goliath, he had to face a lion and a bear. As God gave David the victory over the lion and the bear, his faith began to grow. When he walked out to face Goliath, the testimony of God’s faithfulness to give him triumph over the lion was ringing loudly and clearly in his spirit.

We will not face many Goliaths in our life, but over and over we will face the challenges of life, the lions that God has given us the authority to tread upon because He has told them to be quiet. Psalm 22:21: “Save me from the mouth of the lion” (ESV). 

Time to take a walk!

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS JEALOUS?

Several weeks ago I wrote an article entitled, “The Comforter Has Come!” Jesus was talking to His confused and bewildered disciples about the coming and ministry of the Holy Spirit.

In the days just before Calvary, the disciples were bewildered and didn’t understand what was happening. Into this time of confusion Jesus introduced the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He said to them, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper/Comforter” (John 14:16, NKJV). We, too, are living in a confusing and anxious time. If any group of people ever needed the comfort and help of the Holy Spirit, we do! A new iPhone, iPad or Twitter account is not going to help us through the increasing confusion of the days ahead — but the Holy Spirit will.

The word “helper” or “comforter” is paraclete, a Greek word meaning “one who is called to someone’s aid” or “one who advocates for another.” Generally, the word speaks of one who acts in another’s behalf as a mediator, intercessor, advocate or encourager.

Jesus told the confused disciples that He was requesting the Father to send “another comforter.” The word "another" means "an additional one of the same kind," indicating the ministry of the Holy Spirit would be a continuation of the ministry of Jesus.

James 4:5 gives us a unique look at the ministry of the Holy Spirit to us and His desire to encourage and bless us. “Do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously’?”

The first part of the verse has been difficult for scholars to explain. It seems to refer to a Scripture that James references. Remember, at the time James wrote this letter, the Scripture that was referred to is what we know as The Old Testament. The New Testament letters and accounts were just being written. The difficulty is that there is no single Scripture that uses the wording in James’ quote. What we do know is that the entire Old Testament expresses God’s zealous desire to bless and watch over His people. It broke His heart when Israel was disobedient, would not listen, or turned away from Him. I believe that what James was referring to was that the whole of Scripture is a testament to God’s great love, God’s jealous intent for His people.

James then applies that understanding of God’s jealous love to the Holy Spirit and His work in us. “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously.” The Amplified Bible puts it this way: “Do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love?”

Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest translates this verse: “Do you think that the Scripture says in an empty manner and to no purpose, The Spirit who has been caused to make His permanent home in us has a passionate desire to the point of envy?”

I think it’s difficult for many people to understand that God’s Spirit is jealous over us. Much of the confusion is over the contemporary use of the word and the Hollywoodish idea that jealousy is always evil and deranged.

There is a negative side to jealousy but the word also means “zealous vigilance.”

So, why would James use this unusual wording to describe a part of the Holy Spirit’s work in us?  Was he proposing that possibly the Holy Spirit, at times, feels like a jilted lover?

Many in the church today acknowledge the Holy Spirit but most of the time they pay Him scant attention. Even in the Pentecostal church, which is my background, it is rare to hear teaching about the Holy Spirit.

Here is a list of most of what Jesus has said the Holy Spirit will do us and this list does not include the gifts and fruit of the Spirit:

·         He will empower us — Act 1:8

·         He will comfort/encourage us — John 14:14-21

·         He will guide us — John 16:13

·         He will reveal things to come — John 16:13

The Spirit zealously desires (yearns) to operate at full efficiency in us. I am not advocating some weird lifestyle where people wander around talking gibberish about off-the-wall, wacko prophecies and then crediting their bizarre behavior to God. I’m talking about sane, successful, Spirit-full people who are being used of God to effectively minister to people and expand His kingdom. These are people who have learned to honor and cooperate with the Holy Spirit and He elevates their level of effectiveness in the kingdom. Kingdom efficiency and church growth methods are worlds apart — one is born of heaven and the other is flesh-driven!

The Spirit is yearning for us to the point of jealousy because He knows what resources are available, through Him, for every child of God. The Spirit is zealous because He knows what potential we have and what we can become. He is vigilant because He knows how to lead us out of the quandary, the dead-end situations we are in, the difficult circumstances we face, into the fullness of our God-ordained future. The Holy Spirit is not jealous of us; He is jealous for us to be all that the Father has destined for us.

The Comforter has come! Have you made Him welcome?

YOU JUST NEVER KNOW!

Today is a rather emotional day for me for two reasons. One, in my hands is a copy of a book that Carol and I worked on for over ten years entitled, God is Faithful. The book is finally in print! The second reason is that the author of the book, David Wilkerson, died one year ago this week (as I write this). Carol and I were friends with Brother Dave, as he liked to be called, for nearly five decades.

About ten years ago while I was having my morning prayer time, an unusual thought crossed my mind: “If any contemporary writer is similar to Oswald Chambers, it is David Wilkerson.” I had read Oswald Chambers’ classic My Utmost for His Highest as a part of my devotional reading for many years. I loved the book, not because I agreed with everything that Chambers said but because he very positively provoked me to think about my relationship with God — and I need that.

Later that day I sent a brief note to Brother Dave outlining what I understood I had heard in prayer and suggested that perhaps he should think about doing a devotional book. Several weeks later I got a phone call from Barb Mackery, Carol’s sister, who was David Wilkerson’s administrative assistant for over forty years. Barb told us that Brother Dave was interested in the idea of a devotional book and asked if we could pull together a few examples to let him see what we envisioned the book would be like. We gleaned some material from his past writings, sent them to him, and then just left it. Actually, as far as we were concerned, that was the end of the matter.

 

But then — you just never know!

Several months later we got a call from Barb and she told us that Brother Dave wanted to see a daily devotional book developed. My response was, “That’s great, praise God.” In the back of my mind I was shouting, “Lord, I’m glad I was listening when You were talking. I was a little concerned that it was the pizza from the night before talking to me.” I guess my voice sounded a little incredulous because Barb then said, “You don’t seem to get what I’m talking about” and I responded, “Get what? I’m happy that a book is going to be done.” Barb continued, “Yes it it. And Brother Dave wants you and Carol to do the book!” Now that really floored me! I had never thought of doing something like that.

 

You just never know!

We started in on the project and, to put it mildly, finding 365 different devotional thoughts was a very interesting challenge. Carol and I worked on the project as we had time from our other work and ministry projects. We submitted the devotionals for Brother Dave’s approval a few at a time and finally, after many months, we had developed 365 devotionals from his original writings.

 

We finished our work, presented it to Brother Dave, and waited to see what the book would look like. Every few months we would check on the progress and each time the response was essentially the same, “All the material is in Brother Dave’s hands. It’s on his desk.” Finally, after several years had gone by, I told Carol, “That project is dead . . . I guess my idea was stillborn!”

 

But then — you just never know!

I think it was about five or six years after I had that thought in prayer that Barb told us they had not found a publisher they were happy with, so they were going to use the materials and begin a daily devotional blog that would be available on the Internet.

http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/view/devotions 

When she shared that, I sensed a release in my spirit: “Somebody’s going to read that material after all,” and I felt really good about it. I immediately went to the blogsite and subscribed to have the devotionals emailed to me daily.

 

In December of 2009, Carol and I were having lunch with Brother Dave and Gwen, just catching up and visiting. Brother Dave mentioned that nearly 125,000 people per day were reading the devotionals. I was wonderfully surprised at the large number and that the number of readers was growing.

 

But then again — you just never know!

At David Wilkerson’s funeral early last May, Carol was talking with the young woman who oversees the devotional Internet ministry. She told Carol that the devotionals are now translated into 15 languages and in addition to 125,000 who have the devotionals sent to their email address, thousands more visit the blogsite daily to read the messages.

Why am I telling you this? It is certainly not to focus attention on myself. If somehow that’s the way this has come across to you, please believe that is not my intent. What I am trying to say is how astounded I am at the potential for fruitfulness and favor that exists in one act of obedience. When the Word of God or the Spirit of God leads us to do something, our positive response to that leading is pregnant with possibilities.

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word [obey my teaching], and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23, ESV). One act of obedience releases the power and presence of God. Jesus is talking about people who have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. His promise is that the presence of God, the blessing and fruitfulness of God, will rest on obedient believers. How will that fruitfulness manifest itself?

You just never know. That is fully up to Him.

After Brother Dave’s death, Chosen Books came into the picture as publisher of the book, entitled God Is Faithful, with the vision of releasing it on the first anniversary of his death. The book should be at your local Christian bookstore or, even better, you can order it through David’s organization, World Challenge. Their contact information is below.

www.worldchallenge.org