Category Archives: Gifts of the Spirit

September 3, 2015 · 9:28 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (9/3/2015)

How many of us think it’s a cosmic coincidence that the top two movies in America right now – War Room and Straight Outta Compton – are stories about African-Americans and mainly acted by African-Americans?

The main plot in War Room revolves around an African-American women named Miss Clara who teaches Elizabeth Jordan (Priscilla C. Shirer) how to handle her anger and marital problems through prayer. The whole emphasis is focused on trusting God and His redeeming grace to change the husband, Tony Jordan (T. C. Stallings), and their hopeless family situations.

The story line for Straight Outta Compton deals with the rise and fall of the hip hop group N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes), which includes the gangsta rappers Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Easy-E, DJ Yella, and MC Ren. The group’s music reflects the youths’ anger and frustration through its X-rated lyrics, which glorified drugs and crime, put down women, and revealed a deep hatred of police.

Only the Lord could schedule two such contrasting movies to appear on the movie scene right now in America.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I ask that You move in the inner cities of America so that people’s minds are no longer controlled by their sinful natures, which leads to death, but are controlled by Your Spirit, which brings life and peace. (Based on Romans 8:6 NLT)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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July 27, 2015 · 10:50 am

Do We Still Cast Out Demons? (Part 7)

We Evangelicals major on talking about “being born again,” but do you know how many times our Lord spoke on this issue? Just one time. Period.

Yet, there are more than thirty instances in the four Gospels where Jesus cast out demons, gave power to His disciples to cast out demons, or taught about casting out demons.

Now, how is it that we Evangelicals can talk for hours about the importance of being “born again,” but yet, we draw blanks when it comes to casting out demons?

So that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes. (2 Corinthians 2:11)

Paul wrote the above verse in reference to a man who had committed sexual immorality with his father’s wife. The apostle recommended that the man be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the man’s flesh. Then, the man repented and Paul recommended the man should be accepted back into the fellowship.

But the important point is this: Satan has schemes and plans to destroy the effectiveness of us believers.

Okay, who benefits the most by us believers not being able to cast out demons? The Kingdom of God? Or the kingdom of darkness?

But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matthew 12:28)

It’s obvious that if we believers do not understand how to cast out demons, the kingdom of darkness rejoices at our ignorance. Why? Because our power and authority in Jesus’ name bows impotent before the god of this world: Satan.

Oh dear! What should we do?

(Continued in Part 8…if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

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July 20, 2015 · 10:01 am

Do We Still Cast Out Demons? (Part 6)

If you are like me, you read the Old Testament and are amazed at the prophets’ exploits.

Moses parted the Red Sea, produced water from a rock, and spoke words which opened up the earth to swallow Korah and his family. Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still and it obeyed him for a whole day.

King David, along with three men, stood in the middle of a field and defeated a whole army of Philistines. Elijah prophesied so it did not rain for three years; the prophet prayed fire down from heaven for a sacrifice and slew four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal; he killed two fifty-men groups of soldiers with fire from heaven; and he was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire.

Yet, Jesus said that John was greater than all of these prophets, but then He added:

“…but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John.” (Luke 7:28-b)

You see, unlike the Old Testament where the Holy Spirit came upon the prophets so they could do exploits and speak anointed words, the Holy Spirit lives in believers 100% of the time. The Helper never takes a vacation and is always ready to assist us. And unlike the Old Testament where the prophets had to obey the Law as subjects living in a theocracy ruled by God, we are born again as sons and daughters of the King who rules over the Kingdom of God.

As royal sons and daughters, we have all of the privileges of our King. In fact, the things He did, we can do, and even greater things than He did while He walked here on earth.

Jesus said that the least person in the kingdom of heaven has more royal privileges and power than all of the prophets in the Old Testament. What a powerful statement for us to believe and walk in today.

(Continued in Part 7…if you’re interested the full series to date can be seen here.)

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July 17, 2015 · 10:30 am

Was That the Voice of God or Daffy Duck? (Part 5)

Yesterday, I saw a photo on Facebook from a progressive website, showing eight potential Republican presidential candidates – Santorum, Cain, Kasich, Huckabee, Perry, Walker, Jindal, and Carson – with these words written in bold script over the photo: “Any politician who declares, ‘God told me to run for President,’ should have to prove it in court.”

The comments for the photo included the following:

“Fortunately, God isn’t telling us to elect them.”

“God is sure hedging His bets.”

“I think the only thing they need to prove is their sanity.”

“Some of these idiots truly believe God spoke to them.”

“God said that. She’s just messing with y’all.”

“God seems confused.”

“God likes the clown bus to be full.”

“They’re nuts and it’s actually their dogs who are telling them to run for President.”

“It’s not God they hear, it’s the man under the ground: Satan.”

(These were some of the reasonable comments, but there were many foul ones, too.)

If we think that we’ve heard the voice of God and then decide to tell everyone that God has said something to us, we had better prepare ourselves ahead of time. Because once we open our mouths, everyone will become a judge.

And this is actually scriptural.

Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. (1 Corinthians 14:29)

The Lord encourages us to seek Him to hear His voice, but at the same time, let’s also seek Him for His wisdom, too. You see, once we hear His voice, then we have to make decisions on what to do with what we’ve heard.

Do we keep His words to ourselves? Do we tell others? If we decide to tell others, how do we tell them? Do we say, “Thus saith the Lord?” And so forth.

My advice is to pray something like this ahead of time:

Lord, give me Your wisdom because it is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality or hypocrisy so that I know what to do with Your words. (Based on James 3:17)

(Continued in Part 6)

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July 13, 2015 · 9:00 am

Do We Still Cast Out Demons? (Part 5)

John the Baptist languished in prison and his spirit was at its lowest ebb. He sent two of his disciples to Jesus to inquire if Jesus was truly the Christ. Jesus answered by saying:

Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. (Luke 7:22)

Jesus did not give a four-point sermon on why He was the Christ, but instead, He pointed to His acts, demonstrating that the kingdom of God had arrived on earth. He was the King of Kings and the Head of the kingdom of God on earth.

The two disciples of John the Baptist were satisfied with Jesus’ answer and departed.

Jesus then spoke about John the Baptist and his ministry. He stated that John was the messenger who prepared the way for Jesus and He added:

“For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist…” (Luke 7:28-a)

You have to remember that Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, and all of the prophets were revered by the Jews. Thus, when Jesus ranked John the Baptist at the top of the list, His words flabbergasted and astounded every listener.

Yet, the second part of Jesus statement was even more amazing –

“…but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John.” (Luke 7:28-b)

When Jesus stated that the lowest member of the kingdom of God – the one who got in by the skin of his teeth – was greater than John, Jesus was not referring to a person’s eternal rank or position. This could not be the case because all of the Old Covenant’s prophets’ positions for all of eternity were already set in place by God’s word. No one can ever usurp their positions in the kingdom of God.

So, what was Jesus referring to when He spoke Luke 7:28-b?

(Continued in Part 6)

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July 11, 2015 · 8:22 am

Do We Still Cast Out Demons? (Part 4)

If we surveyed one hundred Christians and asked them, “What did Jesus preach?” All would answer that He preached the gospel.

If we then asked the same one hundred Christians, “What is the gospel?” We would then receive one hundred different answers, each having a part of the truth.

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14)

Jesus did not arrive on the scene, give an altar call, and ask everyone to repeat a sinners’ prayer. He preached and taught a life changing message: the gospel of the kingdom of God.

The Greek word euaggelion is translated into our English word gospel in most Bible translations. And the word gospel itself has been handed down to us from the Anglo-Saxon word godspel, which actually means “good story.” Today, we just assume that the word gospel means “good news.”

But what was the good news that Jesus preached? The kingdom of God.

Let’s look at an eyeopening incident, okay?

Jesus cast out a demon that had caused a man to be mute. The people were amazed, but the Pharisees stated that He did it by the power of Beelzebul (or Satan). Jesus turned their words around on them and said –

“If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?” (Matthew 12:26)

What a profound statement, but then Jesus went a little further –

“And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges?” (Matthew 12:27)

This was a “put-up or shut-up” moment for the Pharisees because Jesus knew the Pharisees could not cast out demons. They didn’t have the power. Thus, all of their followers could not cast out demons either.

Yet, Jesus did not leave us in the dark about casting out demons.

But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matthew 12:28)

(Continued in Part 5)

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July 10, 2015 · 2:17 pm

Was That the Voice of God or Daffy Duck? (Part 4)

Tina lined up the white cue ball with the black eight ball for a corner pocket. It was a straight on, can’t miss shot, with the game riding on the outcome. She slowly drew the pool cue back and then pushed it forward, striking the cue ball. It rolled across the green cloth, hitting the eight ball with topspin, sending both balls into the side pocket. She scratched, which meant she lost the game of spots and stripes to me.

“You’re so lucky,” Tina said, tossing her head back. “I hate making mistakes.”

I laughed, knowing luck played a major part in my victory because she was a more skillful player than me. The only reason I even played was to celebrate her nineteenth birthday after our lunch together.

“Well,” I said, “you had better get used to making mistakes if you’re going to walk in your calling and prophesy.”

Her blue eyes narrowed.

“No, I don’t have to make any mistakes.”

“Oh for sure,” I replied with a grin.

“No, I don’t have to make any mistakes. All I have to do is study the Bible, pray, and obey the Holy Spirit. If I do that, I can prophesy without ever making any mistakes. I know I can!”

I laughed and she slapped me on the shoulder. We returned our pool cues to the rack and left the Iowa State University Student Union’s poolroom. (Excerpt from The Hunt for Larry Who by Larry Nevenhoven, an Amazon eBook.)

Another big hindrance to hearing the voice of God is fear.

What if we make mistakes? What if we listen to the wrong voice? What if we end up following a cult? What if? What if?

Fear paralyzes Christians. It forces us to make the biggest mistake of all, which is doing nothing.

Such love [agape] has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love. (1 John 4:18 NLT)

What are some other problems for hearing the voice of God for ourselves?

(Continued in Part 5)

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July 8, 2015 · 10:24 am

Do We Still Cast Out Demons? (Part 3)

What did the Jews do when a person was tormented by demons?

Now the Spirit of the LORD had left King Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. Some of Saul’s servants said to him, “A tormenting spirit from God is troubling you. Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will soon be well again.” (1 Samuel 16:14-16)

In Jewish theology, the scholars believed that everything came from God, even tormenting spirits. They had very little insight on Satan and the kingdom of darkness. Thus, soothing music was sometimes used to stabilize a tormented person. This was, in fact, the reason David was first introduced to King Saul.

The Jews also had exorcists who traveled from town to town. These men were basically fortune tellers, conmen, and magicians who put on a show and received money for their services. Spells and enchantments were uttered by them to heal sick people and to cast out demons.

It’s interesting to note that these exorcists did use a name to command the demons to leave people. As stated by Josephus, the historian, the name used by the exorcists was supposedly that of Solomon because the king wrote a book on magical healing and exorcism.

“In the name of Solomon, we command the demons to leave you!”

How successful were these Jewish exorcists?

A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” (Acts 19:13)

Obviously, the income for the Jewish exorcists had dropped quite a bit when Jesus and the apostles arrived on the scene. To compensate for their losses, the above group quit using the name of Solomon and began using the name of Jesus in their exorcisms.

What then happened to the seven sons of a leading Jewish priest named Sceva is one of the funniest stories in the Bible:

But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered. (Acts 19:15-16)

Why did this happen to the seven sons of Sceva?

(Continued in Part 4)

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July 7, 2015 · 10:35 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (7/7/2015)

Slum in Manila
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We all think of J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, as a mighty man of faith, but that’s because we can look at his accomplishments on the mission field. Yet, in the mid-1800’s, he was considered a radical and an oddball by other missionary societies who even warned their people to stay away from him.

Why was Taylor considered a radical and an oddball?

Because he dared to evangelize and do missionary work in China far differently than the accepted practices of the other missionary societies.

Not long ago, a biographer said of J. Hudson Taylor:

No other missionary in the nineteen centuries since the Apostle Paul has had a wider vision and has carried out a more systematised plan of evangelising a broad geographical area than Hudson Taylor. (Ruth Tucker)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, raise up hundreds of radical oddballs for Asia who dare to trust Your ways and are willing to ignore the accepted practices of our day. Pour out Your anointing upon them and set them loose in the various nations of Asia.

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for prisoners in Asia, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Why Asia?

1. 4.4 billion people live in Asia.

2.. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)

3. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.

4. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.

5. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)

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July 3, 2015 · 8:01 am

Will God Judge America? (Part 3)

Israel made quick work of conquering Jericho. Then, it was off to fight a little dot on the map named Ai, but the army of Ai proved to be a formidable foe. The Amorites killed thirty-six soldiers and forced the Israelite forces to retreat from the hills.

The defeat melted the Israelites’ courage.

Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, didn’t call a staff meeting and rake his generals and field commanders over the coals for their inept combat skills. That would have been a waste of time because Israel’s success depended on the Lord. Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth in front of the Ark of the Lord, along with the other leaders of Israel. They humbled themselves and put dust on their heads.

“Why, O Lord, have You allowed this to happen to us? What shall I say about our defeat? What will You do for Your great name?” cried Joshua before the Ark.

The Lord replied:

“Israel has sinned and they have transgressed My covenant which I have commanded them…Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.” (Joshua 7:11, 12)

Joshua aggressively searched for the sin in Israel’s midst and radically removed it. The Lord then helped Israel turn Ai into a heap of rubble.

So, how does this scriptural example compare to the actions of American Christians in reference to abortion, illegal immigration, terrorism, national debt, and so forth?

“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 will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

2 Chronicles 7:14 is one of the most mentioned scriptures in America since January 22, 1973, the day Roe vs. Wade became law. Every Evangelical preacher and ministry leader has proclaimed the verse over and over again to their followers as if it were the answer for America’s problems, but is it really the answer?

No, not the way we have used it!

Yes, the scripture is a divinely inspired verse for believers. And yes, we are supposed to humble ourselves and pray, but we’ve omitted an important part of the verse: seeking His face. We need to seek Him and ask the same questions that Joshua asked: “Why, O Lord, have You allowed this to happen to America? What shall we say about our defeat? What will You do for Your great name?”

Why did God allow this to happen to America? Why? Why? Why?

To add even more insult to our wounds, Norma McCorvey (aka Jane Roe) is now a Christian and has admitted to perjuring herself in the Roe vs. Wade case. Her lawyers fabricated the figure of 10,000 female deaths each year due to botched abortions, The number was less than 100. Plus, the pro-abortion Supreme Court justices (especially William O. Douglas), knew they had no constitutional precedent, and thus plotted to “finesse” the issue.”

Roe versus Wade became the law of the land because of lies and deceptions by the plaintiffs and the Supreme Court Justices.

So, why did God allow abortion and the other judgments to fall on America? What horrible sin have we committed that has led to 60,000,000 aborted babies?

(Continued in Part 4)

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