Misunderstandings and assumptions

It's easy to get an idea in your head about what someone is like.  Overhear a comment, and your imagination assumes even worse than what was told.  Then that assumption spreads to others, and you know how it works... you hate it when it happens to you, but have you ever considered that you might be doing that towards God?

The Word of God is living and active, which means it's deep.  It's constantly speaking ancient truths that are also exactly what we need in each current situation.  But we miss so much of it because we assume that we already know what it says.  But we don't.  No matter how much we dig, there's always more, and often God blows us away with deep things that were staring us in the face all along, and we never realized it.

One person in the Bible that I never thought much of, was the disciple Nathaniel.  Philip, his friend, was excited that Jesus had called him to follow him.  Philip ran up to Nathaniel as he sat under a fig tree and exclaimed that he had found the one that Moses had prophesied about.  When Nathaniel found out it was Jesus of Nazareth, he asked, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

So right there, I didn't like the guy very much.  He was just sitting around under a fig tree, and when he was called to follow Jesus, he insulted Jesus' hometown, basically stating that no prophet could come from such a worthless place.  I pictured him as lazy, and rude, but somehow Jesus was merciful enough to call him to be his disciple.  I have also heard it said that he must not have been much of a disciple, because the Bible never mentions him again.  But this living and active Word of God has shed some new light on this little known disciple of Jesus, giving me a whole new view of him.

Fig trees were used as shade, often planted in the gardens of Jews of the Bible, for them to have a place to go and meditate on God.  Nathaniel was most likely there under that tree, praying and seeking God.  He was a good Jew, who earnestly wanted to see the Messiah come to save his people.  We know he is a good Jew, because Nathaniel was already walking up to Jesus with Philip at his side, to meet Him for the first time.  So even though he questioned Nazareth, he didn't just keep sitting under the fig tree, he got up to see if this could possibly be the Messiah.  Nathaniel must have had this thought on the forefront of his mind, otherwise he wouldn't have jumped up and gone with his friend to find Jesus.

When Jesus laid eyes on Nathaniel, he said something that few realize the importance of.  "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit." That's nice, we may think.  Jesus is saying that Nathaniel is a good guy, an honest guy.  But the Bible doesn't quote Jesus haphazardly.  There was a lot more to what He said than that.  The Hebrew word for "deceit," (so I am told) is the same word as the name, "Jacob."  So Jesus basically said, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no Jacob."

If you know the story of Jacob, who started out his life as a liar, a swindler and a deceiver, who ran for his life from his murderous brother, and had to learn the hard way how to trust God, you'll remember that one of the most transformative events in Jacob's life was when he wrestled with God.  He fought and demanded a blessing - and pleased God so immensely, that God changed his name from Jacob (deceiver) to Israel (one who fights with God).  So a Jacob was one who tried to force his own way to be blessed by the power of his flesh, while an Israelite, was the one who would wrestle with God to obtain God's blessings by faith, straight from His hands.

This changed all those assumptions.  He was sitting under a fig tree, meditating, praying, and seeking God.  When Jesus saw him approaching, He saw Israel, and not Jacob in him. Nathaniel asked how Jesus knew him, and Jesus told him that he had seen him under the fig tree.  What Jesus meant was He had seen how much Nathaniel had been longing and praying for the Messiah, and Jesus was pleased with how he had been wrestling with God for that day to come.  Nathaniel knew what Jesus meant, and immediately he responded with all of his heart, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God: you are the king of Israel."

None of the other disciples had seen what Nathaniel saw.  No one had proclaimed that right off the bat the way Nathaniel did.  He had been seeking, praying and striving in his spirit to finally find his Lord and Master, and there He was in front of him. Nathaniel didn't miss a beat to recognize his Messiah on the spot.  Though it's true that you don't hear any more of Nathaniel, church historians wrote about his missionary journeys to the east, and who gave his life for the gospel, a hero of faith.

If I'd never come to learn about these underlying aspects of the story, I'd still think of him as one of the 12 that could have done better, but just didn't cut it, the lazy guy who disrespected Jesus' hometown.

How about those odd people you hear about from a distance, those weird ones that don't do what you would, who say unexpected things that startle you.  They may be some of the best people for you to learn from, but more often than not, we prefer to just disregard them as not worth our time.  God Himself could be one of those "odd" people who is unexpected and even seems out of line sometimes.  He says shocking things and unpleasant commands, but if we don't look deeper and search Him and His words, we will easily just give up on Him and walk away.

I love Nathaniel now, (also called Bartholomew) and would love to see myself be a true Israelite, who wrestles with God. Whether or not his name got mentioned more often than others means nothing to God, who sees everything and everyone.  Getting a lot of press can be a good thing, but I'd rather be noticed by Him!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding Proverbs 3:5







 

The safety of a real dad

We were talking in the Inner Healing class today about how much fathers mean to us.  For those who grew up without a dad, or in a dysfunctional home, it’s a wonderful dream to imagine what it would have been like to have someone bigger and stronger stand up for you and defend you against bullies and problems and pain.  Many grow up with a roof over their head and plenty to eat, but have never known that sense of security that Daddy will always be there to protect and comfort you in his strong arms.  That ideal of a happy home with emotionally stable and loving parents, is what we were all created to enjoy.  But generations are going by with less and less children experiencing anything like that.

When the Bible talks about God as our Father, we don’t realize what a big deal that is.  When Jesus first started referring to God as His Father, it infuriated the religious leaders, it was so intimate and personal.  God had never been seen in that light before, and it opened the minds of the first century believers to even dare to consider that God wanted to be close to them.  A father?  A loving, caring, protecting father?  That was radical.  Radical to the point that the Pharisees considered it blasphemy.

But now, that phrase of “Our Father, who art in heaven…” sounds so old and stale.  People picture a grumpy old man, and most likely project on God, the dysfunctional father they grew up with.  Jesus’ revolutionary prayer, which connected the intimacy of a father to the immenseness of heaven, is now recited by many as a mere religious ceremony.

But if God really is the most loving and understanding Father, while being perfect and all powerful at the same time, wouldn’t you act differently if you knew you had this Father caring for you all the time?  If He told you not to worry about getting revenge on those who hurt you because He can take care of that problem better than you, wouldn’t you just relax and go about your business forgiving so that He could do His job?  If you really believed in what He told you, you would.  “You want me to forgive them God?  Okay, I’ll do it because you told me to,” and we’d happily know that our Father was taking that burden off our shoulders.  Forgiving our enemies would be such a relief!  (Read Romans 12 for the “Vengeance is mine,” passage.)

What if He told you that if you sacrificed your ego and learned how to serve others, even when they don’t appreciate you, that He would consider it an honor to Him?  Wouldn’t you want to serve as many people as you could because you knew He’d be so pleased that He’d want to bless you more?

Good parents – who are also a dying breed – know that kids who are motivated to do their best because they make their mom and dad so happy, are the ones who are the best behaved.  The kids who are motivated primarily by being criticized for messing up, are the ones who are the hardest to discipline.  They’ll obey out of fear for a time, which they can only sustain for so long, before they snap.  Now if we, who are evil, know how to give good things to our children, how much more will God give the Holy Spirit to us?  Those aren’t my words, they’re right there in Luke 11:13.

If our image of God is dysfunctional, how can we ever get close to Him?  Even if you never had a great dad or a happy home, deep inside of you, you have always longed for one.  You know how to picture the best dad you could have had.  Now multiply him by a million, and you’ll be a little closer to picturing how loving and amazing our Father is towards us.  If that feels strange to imagine, don’t worry about how it feels, just start acting like it’s true, because that’s a truth you can count on.

Perception is Reality?

Everyone has seen those lovely pharmaceutical commercials that advertise anything from decongestants to antidepressants, that have the best looking people in the the most beautiful gardens or walking along a beach, smiling in the sun with the wind blowing through their perfect hair.  The voice they use is soft, kind, friendly and caring.  It's all about this drug that just might be the perfect one for you to finally be happy, just like these people you see and hear on the ad.  And once they tell you how perfect you'll be, they start that familiar sounding list.  "Common side effects may include: fatigue, dizziness, weakness, feeling light-headed; tired or loss of coordination, nose or throat irritation; nausea, constipation, diarrhea, upset stomach; or headache, muscle pain. aggression, suicidal thoughts or depression..."

But all the while, the camera still shows the beautiful scenery, the smiling woman hugging her adorable children, and the music lulls you into a daze as the sweet voice reading off those horrible side effects, just becomes background noise.  Nobody wants to hear the yucky stuff, everybody wants to see the pretty stuff.  And as ridiculous as we know it is, these commercials keep cranking out these same old rosy looking ads and their sales skyrocket.  It's obviously all an illusion, but the ad companies know exactly what they're doing.  They don't mind investing millions in these ads, because they know they'll get billions back.  Human nature likes to be deceived.

There's a saying in the ad industry (so I hear, never been there) that perception is reality.  What people perceive, even if they know logically that it can't be true, they'll act upon it because it felt true at the time.  Coke is for the cool hipster crowd?  I want it.  Pepsi is blasé?  Ewww, get it away from me.  But on a blind taste test they rate equally in flavor.  It's all in the perception, all in the ad campaign.

So you know where I'm going with this... the devil is the best Hollywood producer/director/screenwriter/actor that ever was.  He knows how to create the most convincing perceptions that hit us at the core of our being.

A false perception could be:  Your future looks so bleak, no one seems to care about you and it feels like none of your hard work has been noticed or appreciated by anyone. You want to just walk out and you don't even know where you'd go.  But you don't see that just a few changes in your behavior, a few kind words, a show of support and encouragement could start the process to turn everything around.  Your family can be happy, your children can become loving and affectionate, and its all just waiting under the surface for someone to act by faith.  But the perception of bleakness is so heavy...

Or: You are doing so great. You are the best at your job.  You're so on top of your game, you have no idea how you keep getting better, but you do!  Don't get distracted with church or God right now, you're on a roll and you're too smart to mess up what you've go going.  But meanwhile your wife is drowning her depression in alcohol, and you can't see that your company is about to go bankrupt in the year to come.  But you know you're the man...!

The only perception that matters is God's Word. It's a mirror that reflects back upon who we truly are, and also what we truly can become. Some things we see make us ashamed of how proud and self-centered we are, but other things are so amazingly great and beautiful that we are even afraid to believe they could possibly be true.  If we have no standard for truth, we'll always choose our perceptions as reality, because we won't know better.  The Word of God has to be our foundation, to pull us back and give us the right lens to see the world through.

One of my favorite stories is of Elisha the prophet who was so close to God, he would know the plots and plans of the enemies of Israel before they had a chance to implement them.  He would report their plans to his king, so that the enemies plans were always foiled.  When the king of Aram found out about this prophet, he was furious and wanted to have him killed.  Stupidly he didn't connect the dots - if a prophet is being told my plans of attack by God Himself, what chance to I stand against him?  But he didn't ask that question and just marched out his armies to surround the little hut where Elisha and his servant were living.  The servant looked out the window at this huge army with hoses and chariots and full battle gear, waiting to chop off Elisha's head.  The poor guy was terrified, but Elisha was just fine.  Elisha had a totally different perception of what was going on that day.

Elisha felt sorry for his servant, and asked God to open his eyes.  Immediately the servant saw a sight he had not imagined.  Behind the armies of Aram, was an even greater army.  It was a massive army of angels that covered the hillsides with flaming chariots of fire.  Elisha sauntered out of his house, prayed for God to strike them blind, and the whole army of Aram went blind because of his faith.  He told them to follow him, and they had to stumble along as he led them to Samaria, into the stronghold of the king of Israel.  Now they were captives, and no longer attackers.  "Shall I kill them?" asked the king to his prophet.  Elisha knew that better than killing these men, would be to embarrass them.  So after removing their blindness, he had the king prepare a feast to feed them, filled their stomachs with delicious food, and sent them home like little lost boys.  Their perception of the people of God drastically changed that day. And they never attacked Israel again. THE END.

I Don't Wanna Fall Away From You

Lately I've heard a number of people voice this concern: "Things are going so well, God is blessing me so much, but there's something inside of me that worries I might slip up and lose it all.  I don't want to fall away, how do I not fall away?"

This is a good concern to have.  God blessing us with this amazing abundance of love and grace, is like putting a box of diamonds into the hands of a child. We know that it's precious, but we also know what fools we can be when our selfish nature takes over.  When we're close to Him, we never want to let that go, but once the slight drift away from His presence begins, we usually have no idea how far and how fast we can be diverted.  When we realize what we've done, so much damage has already happened, we fear that we can never return.  Those who go through this spiritual roller-coaster have not yet reached the point of truly becoming a new creature. They're on the way, but haven't gotten there yet.

Thankfully, God is tougher than we are.  His mercy is everlasting - those aren't my words, those are His!  True repentance pulls us right back on track.  We don't have to earn His forgiveness, like many medieval monks used to think, who would sleep out in the freezing cold, or whip themselves until they bled to make themselves worthy of God.  The only thing we have to kill is our pride and our rebellious spirit.  If we're ready to return to God, He is more than ready to return to us.

If you grew up in families that held grudges, that gave each other the silent treatment or ignored those that displeased the rest of them, it may be hard to imagine a perfect and powerful God who forgives with open arms.  In fact, none of us have ever met anyone with such a generous heart as God, but that doesn't mean we can't start believing that He welcomes us - all of us who are truly sorry for the many times we've rejected Him, and who truly determine that they never want to fall away again.

There's that tricky verse in Hebrews about how it is impossible for those who have tasted the heavenly gifts to fall away and be restored again.  That terrifies many into believing that they are a lost cause and shouldn't even bother asking God to forgive them.  But most likely, those who keep striving and falling and striving again, are those who have never really made it to true freedom in the first place.  That means there is a level of closeness to God that you can reach where you are transformed and sealed in Him.  The temptation to ever fall away is so diminished, that you would have to willfully choose it over the life of freedom that you enjoy with Him every day.  That would be such foolishness, but apparently there are some who have done just that.

So shoot for that transformed life, that new birth when you can say without a doubt that you are His and His alone. And though you never want to fall away from Him, that fear of being snatched out of God's hand can no longer consume you because you are safe.  

I used to listen to this song over and over in the early 80's when Keith Green was still alive and pounding out radical Christian music on his piano.  Someone put images to the song, and even included this passage from Hebrews at the beginning.  Listen and read through the lyrics.  These words should echo our prayer to never drift away from Him again.

Consider it All Joy

The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. ~ Benjamin Franklin

There are two extremes when it comes to American Christians.  Those who believe that suffering makes us more holy, and that we should dignify and exalt suffering by embracing it.  These people have a hard time praying for healing or miracles for themselves or others, or being bold in their faith for any request at all. Since they believe that God sees suffering as a path to holiness, it must be selfish to ask to have it removed.

Then we have the “God just wants me to be happy” people, who will bend and twist the Word of God to fit their lifestyle.  “God understands that I need a drink now and then, because He’s love.”  “God knows that when I don’t go to church I still feel one with Him everywhere I go, even when I’ve totally forgotten about Him, He’s always in the back of my mind, and that counts, doesn’t it?” “God knows that I didn’t mean to have that affair, since my spouse has been so mean to me lately… God understands… He just wants me to be happy…”

Funny that you can find these two extremes in the exact same people from time to time!  While chasing after happiness, a person can get sideswiped with a horrible problem, and then be paralyzed with doubt, unsure if this is something that God want’s them just to accept and learn a lesson from.  Fighting in faith is the furthest thing from their mind.

There’s a verse in the book of James that says we are to be happy when we experience various trials and problems.  That is not what we like to hear.  But because evil exists in our lives and in the world around us, there is only one way to rescue us from that evil – to use our faith and live close to Him.  To live close to Him means sacrificing our will, and doing His.  And most of the time it hurts!  And in the middle of the pain we’re supposed to consider it joy?  How?

Like pulling a splinter from the finger of a child, you hate to see them cry and squirm in pain, but they are being freed from a worse pain that could become infected and grow more harmful.  God has to rescue us from ourselves from time to time, through trials - that process of forcing us to reject our selfishness and choose Him.

Jesus says that He came to give us life, and life to the full, and that He became a curse for us.  But to have that life to the full, we have to surrender to Him, and in our usual stupidity, we prefer selfishness over surrender.   So to lovingly push us towards that life to the full, He allows us to go through things that are painful: discipline, misunderstandings, even attacks of the devil.  Yup, God hates the devil and all he does, but even when we become targets of the devil, God can turn it into an instrument for our good.  God doesn’t want suffering, but for us to be freed, we have to rise up against it and exercise our faith.


• God hates the suffering of His people
• Our hearts are naturally against God and self-centered
• For us to choose God, we have to fight against our own selfishness
• Fighting against evil in our hearts/lives by faith, sets us free
• Fighting keeps us alert to the attacks of the devil
• Fighting strengthens our resolve to serve God more
• Fighting is a sacrifice of selfishness, and sacrifice creates miracles
• Fighters are more blessed than passive believers
• Fighters in faith honor God

And because God loves us, because He wants us to have His life to the full:
• God allows trials and suffering, so we can learn to fight
• Suffering is meant to be overcome

For those who hang their heads without rising up in faith to battle against their problems, they may make it to heaven once they die, but they never find that life to the full that Jesus promised here on earth.  Considering it a joy to face trials, is to enjoy the fight, enjoy the knowledge that victory is on the other side.  Some trials last for days, others for months, and the one greatest trial for each of us lasts a lifetime: perseverance in faith until the end.  But the blessings and miracles and power of God we experience throughout the fight are worth it all.

Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.  James 1:2-4

Never Give Up!

Last November we began a challenge for people who wanted to take the risk of changing their lives in 40 Days.  Amazingly, a good bunch of people showed up and took on that challenge!  We are now beginning the last week of our 21 Day Fast, and refreshing your memories (for those who had joined us) of all we had taught during that time.  It's amazing how much we can learn and enjoy for a moment, and then forget when the routine of life drags us back to our old mindsets. 

So now the question remains, are you still in the fight?

Session 15 of the 40 Day Project

Certain things in life are worth fighting for, whether they take a day, a week, a month, or a year.  We began the 40DP with the purpose of seeing change within 40 days. Some of you have seen big changes already, others feel you’re on a solid path to change, and others can see that your mindset/outlook on life is now one that can produce change.  But one thing we all need to agree on is this: The Project will not end until we see what we set out to accomplish, a concrete, significant change in our lives. This means that we need to keep practicing the ideas that we’ve spoken about and keep insisting on the change that we want.

Right after God had performed the biggest, most spectacular miracle of Elijah’s life, Jezebel, the queen, threatened to have him killed within 24-hours, (1 Kings 19).  At this news Elijah made a days journey into the wilderness, came to a broom tree and sat down under its shade and said: “It’s enough, Lord. Take my life. I am no better than my fathers.”

God’s response was, “Get up and eat.” In other words, “Hey Elijah, it’s not the time to give up! There’s still much more for you to do.”

How could Elijah have fallen so far so fast? He went from the elation of a great victory to depression and total defeat.  He allowed himself to be knocked off balance, not by the Queen’s threats, but by unfulfilled expectations. He had hoped that the entire nation would respond to what he had done and turn back to God.  And when they didn’t, he sulked and became depressed.  Jezebel’s threat was the last straw. Words that he would normally laugh off, he took to heart and almost lost everything.

As with Elijah, our biggest obstacle is ourselves.  We want what we want, when and where we want it, and for it to feel the way we had imagined it would feel once we get it.  We want the victory to be so sweet that we can kick back and bask in the glory for awhile, because we earned it.  When we decide that we’ve done enough, but the results aren’t what we expected, we can emotionally “go on strike”, thinking that we are punishing the powers-that-be by showing them that we are displeased.  But who is punished when we give up?  Who suffers? We do. We rob ourselves of the miracle we need because our emotions speak louder than reason.

This feeling of exasperation comes naturally to all of us, but persistence does not.  Two major questions need to be asked:

1.  Is what you are fighting for worth all the effort and faith that you can put into it?
2.  Would this victory create pride within you, or gratitude towards God?
If you know that what you desire lines up with God’s promises and would honor Him, then your goal should be full steam ahead, no doubts or turning back.

After asking those questions, three major points also need to be established:
1. It’s not up to you to decide when you’ve fought too much or too hard – God decides when you’ve had enough, and sees that your victory comes to fruition. (Remember, He is not a taskmaster, but gives us a light and gentle burden, even if your feelings are complaining that it’s all too hard. Don’t give in to your weakest link.) Matthew 11.30

2. The vast majority of blessings you gain in life, happen during the actual process fighting – LEARN TO LOVE THE PROCESS.  Your faith is refined, your bond with God is strengthened, your mind is enlightened, your discernment about good and evil is sharpened, joy and peace and strength begin to become commonplace.  You not only have your answer in the end, you are now a different person, and can handle much more than before.

3. Fighting will become a joy, a way of life that rejuvenates you, because you learn how to fight and win. This is when you are able to help not only yourself, but many others.

If you knew you were guaranteed to win every fight against evil and wrong, wouldn’t you keep going and never give up?  2 Corinthians 2.14 says that Christ ALWAYS leads us in triumphal procession.  That’s just one of many guarantees that God gives us over and over again in His word, that when we fight the good fight, we win.

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  James 1:4

I have not failed – I have just found 10,000 ways that do not work.  Thomas Edison


HOMEWORK:  No matter what you have seen happen in these past 40 Days, don’t give up, keep that positive inertia going.  Don’t take any set-backs or bumps in the road personally.  God is not turning His back on you, He is rooting for your victory.  Believe and you will see!

Mission Impossible

Enjoy Session 14 of last fall's 40 Day Project:



Christ wants not nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible.  C.T. Studd, missionary to China, India and the Belgian Congo in the late 1885

There are three stages in any great work attempted for God: impossible, difficult, done.  Hudson Taylor, founder of China Inland Mission, 1854

The word impossible carries with it a negative bent – something that cannot be done.  But Jesus is quoted five times as saying that nothing is impossible for God, for those who believe.  That automatically takes the word impossible out of the negative and into the positive.

One of our biggest obstacles to faith is not knowing what it is that God wants us to have or achieve.  It seems like such a hit-and-miss process of praying and hoping and waiting and sometimes getting a lucky break while other times just getting small hints that He still cares, even though He seems to do nothing about our most dire needs.  It’s hard to believe in the impossible when it appears that God has no interest in granting simple requests.

This is often because we are so deeply immersed in the limitations of this world that we can’t see reality for what it is.  Reality is not all that we see and feel around us.  There is a world far more real that is invisible, that manipulates, influences, attacks, torments, blesses, counterattacks and comforts us on a daily basis.  It is the spiritual world of both good and evil, of God and the devil. We live in this world of the invisible, but our minds are often so clouded that we barely recognize how it works and what is going on around us.   All we see is the corrupt and painful world that we were born into.

Those who see the impossible happen, are those who learn to “see through” the façade of our physical world and deal with the reality of God’s Kingdom that is accessible to us any time and anywhere we use our faith.  That means a difficult spouse who is unkind or insensitive, is not all that they appear to be externally.  Within them there is a confusion that is being manipulated by an evil presence.  They are under layers of negativity.  Our job is to bring out the true person that has been buried by the devil’s attacks, to cast out the evil surrounding them, and to help rescue them with love and compassion so their real self can be restored.

But few are able to see beyond the painful words and behavior of a loved one, to know that there is another presence there.  Most react in anger or hurt feelings when attacked.  They sink to the level of that spirit, trying to reason with it, begging it to stop, or trying to punish it in some form or another by punishing the person, oblivious to the demon that is there.  They don’t understand that they are dealing with two entities at the same time.  The real person, and the spirit manipulating them.  Once that evil has been driven away, all the symptoms of its presence will leave as well, allowing the loved one to be who he or she was meant to be.

This also goes for problems on your job, in finding a better job, for healing, for obstacles in projects or family situations – for anything.  There is a spiritual world that surrounds everything physical that we see and touch.  When we start to recognize the presence of God and the presence of evil, and then deal with each situation in accordance with the spirit behind it, the impossible becomes doable.  It may take a struggle and often does, but with persistence, determination, and a stubborn faith, it goes from impossible, to difficult to done.

Look at the example Jesus gave of the poor defenseless widow who had been wronged and was ignored by the law.  She chose to defy the odds and be her own defense lawyer, and badgered an evil judge relentlessly.  She was the refuse of her society, but she conquered what she wanted by sheer determination.  This is the model that Jesus wants us to imitate when we pray.  We, the refuse of society, wronged and ignored, should badger God relentlessly.  Badger Him.  Expect the best of Him. Don’t accept anything less than the impossible.

Our society views believers, by and large, as kind, passive and oppressed.  Today’s Christians do their best to fulfill the moral code of goodness and charity, but have lost the fire of aggressive faith that brings about miracles.  Let’s reignite the fire of Peter, Paul, Silas, John and Philip to become those who defy the odds and do the impossible.