Category Archives: New Christians

October 29, 2019 · 5:08 am

First the Blade (Chapter 17)

First the Blade 

© 2019 by Larry Nevenhoven

Chapter 17

Building Mustard-Seed Faith (b)

The next morning, when I arrived at 8:30, Dad was pacing back and forth in the parking lot. His neon yellow tie hung at half-mast on his white shirt, his top shirt button remained unbuttoned. His gray suit coat draped the blue and white sign in front of the handicap parking space. A scowl etched his lobster-colored face. He was boiling.

“Jeremiah, we need to talk. Now!” he said through clenched teeth.

Dad knows! I thought. How I wish the gift of faith was still working in me. Guess I’ll have to trust in the Lord’s grace to see me through this.

I avoided his blistering eyes and nodded.

“Okay.”

He reached over and slung the suit coat over his right shoulder.

“Follow me,” he spit out over his shoulder as he marched toward his silver Mercedes. “Jump in.”

I opened the door and sat down in the black leather passenger seat. Dad climbed in the driver’s side.

“Better buckle up,” he said without looking over.

The Mercedes’ tires squealed as we pulled out onto Pine Street in front of an oncoming city bus. My right hand reached for the seatbelt and pulled it tight across my dark blue slacks. I snapped it. Then, I tugged on it just to make sure it fastened properly. I straightened my red tie and ironed out the wrinkles in my blue oxford shirt.

We headed west on the one-way street. He turned a razor-sharp right into the Starbucks on the corner of Octavia Street. He read the confusion on my face.

“This is a timeout, sort of like you use to pull on me when you were young,” he said without smiling. “I was so upset I didn’t brew any coffee this morning. Like Napoleon, I am senseless without the stuff. Would you like one?”

With our two coffees, we drove north to Lafayette Park. Dad pulled over to the curb and parked. He sipped some coffee. He rotated in his seat toward me, his eyes blazing with fury.

“Now, what were you thinking about when you pulled that stupid stunt yesterday at City Hall?”

The only other time in my life Dad had been that angry with me was when I dropped out of college and broke-up with Kari. This was out of character for him. He normally joked around and carried on a light-hearted banter with people.

“Where did you hear about it?” I asked.

“Arlene phoned and said she saw you on Channel 26.”

“Good old Arlene and cable TV, huh?”

“And if Arlene knows, everybody knows,” he mumbled. “Right?”

I nodded.

“So, answer my question, will you?”

“The Lord told me to do it.”

“Oh, boy!” he said with a deep groan. “Does this have to do with your thinking you’re called to be a prophet?”

“Yes.”

“Jeremiah, Jeremiah, Jeremiah. I thought we were past that by now.”

I blew out a deep breath.

“Dad, it’s my calling – I can’t just lay it down because it causes discomfort to loved ones or me.”

He rose up and pointed a finger in my face.

“Listen son,” he bellowed, “shooting off your mouth in San Francisco will cause bad things to happen to you. This is not the Bible Belt, you know. Open your eyes. This is the liberal capital of America. San Franciscans hate having their noses shoved into their crappy smelling sins by a Christian who thinks he’s a prophet. Do you hear?”

I looked out the window at two junior high kids who walked by just then. The smaller boy slapped the pudgy one on the back and took off running. The victim stood still for a moment, his mouth hanging open. Then, he ran after the other one yelling, “I’m going to kill you when I get a hold of you.”

The smaller boy stopped a half block away and put his hands to his mouth. “You ain’t never catching me, fat boy.”

He turned and scooted down the street.

“Son, do you hear what I’m saying?”

I nodded but swallowed the hasty words, waiting just behind my teeth.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

Dad answered his cell phone.

“Yes.”

He listened for a long time.

“Okay, we’ll be right there. Tell everyone the sales meeting is canceled for this week,” he said as he started the car.

“It seems the switchboard is lit up with calls for the prophet. Six people want to list their homes with you. Can you believe that?” he said as he shook his head. “I would have guessed your career was buried yesterday, but what do I know, huh?”

(This is an excerpt from the novel, Jonah, by Larry Nevenhoven, 2012, eBook, Amazon.com)

…Let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. (Romans 12: 6 NKJ)

Yes, we need strong faith to prophesy or use any of the spiritual gifts at a high level in our neighborhoods, communities, cities, states, and nation. We also need strong faith to walk through the aftermath of using our spiritual gifts.

(Continued…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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October 28, 2019 · 4:26 am

First the Blade (Chapter 16)

First the Blade 

© 2019 by Larry Nevenhoven

Chapter 16

Building Mustard-Seed Faith (a)

We can expect to have adverse circumstances happen in our journeys. But what will be our first thoughts? To phone a prayer team member? Or a pastor? Call a specialist who knows how to get God on the hot line for us, but what if no one is available, then what happens?

We will have to toss our own prayers toward heaven, hoping God will hear them. But who are we? We aren’t John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Billy Graham, or the reincarnation of Smith Wigglesworth, we’re just everyday Christians, struggling to survive. How can we know whether God will answer our prayers or not?

This is where the rubber meets the road.

Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11: 1)

Faith is the assurance, the confidence, the deep trust God will answer our prayers and help us in our times of need. Now, why is that so?

Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. (Mark 11:24)

Why? Because Jesus, the Living Word, said so.

According to Mark 11:24, when must we believe our prayers for miracles, healings, deliverances, financial help, or whatever are answered by God? When we see it and can actually touch it? No. That’s walking by sight and not faith.

We must believe we have received our answer from God when we first prayed to Him. Then, we have to walk by faith until we see the manifestation of the answer in our lives.

“What?” you say. “How can that be?”

For example, let’s say we order a book online from Amazon.com. We give Amazon our shipping information and our credit card number. Amazon then flashes a big “Thank you for the order” and sends us an email confirmation.

Do we have the book yet? No. We just have assurances from a reputable company the book will be sent. We trust the integrity of Amazon to follow through on what we have asked them to do.

If we can trust the words of companies like Amazon, how much more should we trust God and His word?

God never lies. God is love and He never fails. Period. No man or company can match the integrity of God because He is perfect. His word is truth.

 

As a young Christian, I struggled with this concept about faith until the Lord provided a useful answer in one of my early trials.

My family and I moved from Kentucky to Iowa during the 1981 tax season. I decided to save a few bucks and ignore paying Kentucky income taxes. This omission eventually became a big problem six years later after receiving an overdue tax notice from the State of Kentucky for $42,000.

I phoned the Kentucky Treasurer’s office. They told me the debt would remain at $42,000 until I sent them proof of what I owed and a check for the full amount.

Upon checking our tax statements, I discovered the 1980 tax statements had been thrown out. Therefore, I had to order copies from the IRS.

Have you ever tried to get info from the IRS? Their wheels turn slowly. After a year of phone calls, the IRS notified me all 1980 tax forms and earlier had been destroyed for space reasons.

The only proof I had of my 1980 income was a tax averaging form, which I used on my 1981 income taxes. I phoned the Kentucky Treasurer’s office.

“Tax averaging forms are not accepted. You must have the original forms,” they said.

They then lowered the debt to $5,000 and gave me fifteen days before the state filed a lien on our home. I finally decided to seek the Lord on the matter.

The Lord told me to figure out my taxes according to the tax averaging form and send a letter to the state of Kentucky with a copy of the form. I was to tell them I was willing to settle for $500, which was the original amount I owed.

The Lord also told me to write a letter to Him, stating the time and date I asked Him to take care of the problem, along with scriptures to back up my words. God is a covenant God. Our faith becomes a covenant between Him and us at the exact moment we believe Him for an answer to our prayers.

I sent the tax letter to Kentucky and kept my covenant letter in my Bible.

Whenever doubts hit me, I took the letter out of my Bible and waved it before God. “God, I believed by faith this was handled by You on this date and at this time. You are not a liar. I trust You and Your word that it’s done. Thanks for taking care of it,” I proclaimed aloud to Him.

The state of Kentucky accepted my offer three weeks later.

I have used this method of writing down the dates and times of my requests to God often over the last twenty-five years and then reminding Him of our covenant. Maybe it is a tool that will work for you, too.

(Continued…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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October 25, 2019 · 4:32 am

First the Blade (Chapter 15)

First the Blade 

© 2019 by Larry Nevenhoven

Chapter 15

Building a Foundation of Faith (m)

Pride, not walking in love, fear of man, and unforgiveness are the four biggest hindrances for not receiving answers to prayers. Each undermines faith.

Let’s now talk about what I call God’s x factor… x being an unknown, like in an algebraic equation.

In 1995, I dated a wonderful woman and really thought I would marry her. I even had many prophetic words, which seemed to fit her, or at least, I thought so.

While driving my truck back from her apartment in January 1995, I had a conversation with the Lord. “Jesus, You need to get us married as quick as possible,” I said.

My truck cab filled with laughter. It was as if heaven opened up and the Lord along with hundreds of angels laughed at what I said. The laughter was the “hold your belly and roll on the floor” type. It continued and continued.

I pulled my truck over to the side of the road because the laughter was so contagious tears rolled down my cheeks. I couldn’t continue driving.

The laughter eventually ceased and I headed home. As I drove, I wondered, what was so funny, but I convinced myself heaven was overjoyed with me being in love.

One obstacle after another frustrated my relationship with the lady over the next fourteen months. I figured it was spiritual warfare and I needed to fast, pray, and hold strong in faith to win the victory.

My roommate decided to get married in March 1996, and asked me to preside over the wedding ceremony. A dinner was planned at our apartment so I could meet the maid of honor, the best man, and a mysterious lady, who was the bride’s spiritual mother.

I answered the doorbell the night of the dinner and greeted people while my roommate prepared the meal. The mysterious lady turned out to be a pretty blond lady, about my age, who happened to be single. She sat next to me at the meal.

We worshiped the Lord and prayed for each other after the meal. All felt the mysterious lady should pray for each of us and she agreed. As she prayed for someone, I looked at her and what I saw instantly changed my life.

No longer did I see a mysterious lady, but instead, I saw my wife. And with that prophetic glimpse, I fell head over heels in love with her. I was smitten beyond any earthly reason. It was all I could do to pay attention for the rest of the evening.

I turned to my roommate and his fiancée after everyone left. “I have fallen in love with Carol,” I said.

Both laughed. They had been praying for Carol and me for months because each received a separate vision from the Lord about the two of us marrying each other. “But the Lord told us not to say anything to you,” said my roommate, “because the Lord said Larry is so stubborn he’ll do just the opposite.”

Thirty minutes later, I phoned Carol. “What have you done to my life, it’s turned upside down?” I said.

She laughed and admitted she missed her exit on the way home, thinking about me.

Our first date was on the next night, a Saturday night. We became engaged on Sunday morning and were married four weeks later, on Good Friday, 1996.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

 God is a sovereign King. He is the Boss. Period.

He knows what is best for each of us. He has His reasons for allowing things to happen in our lives. He is the Potter and we are the clay in His hands. All of our prayers, even though prayed at the highest levels of faith, will not change His mind about His plans for us.

“He allows in His wisdom what He could easily prevent by His power.” (Permission Granted, Graham Cooke and Gary Goodell, Destiny Image Publishers, 2006, pp. 24)

Now that a solid foundation is prepared, how do we build mustard-seed faith on it?

(Continued…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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October 24, 2019 · 4:36 am

First the Blade (Chapter 14)

First the Blade 

© 2019 by Larry Nevenhoven

Chapter 14

Building a Foundation of Faith (l)

 “I wouldn’t take a million dollars for my experiences, but you couldn’t pay me two million dollars to go through some of them again,” said Kenneth Hagin.

His words are my exact sentiments about my experiences selling cars at ten different dealerships. One such experience dealt with a reason why many prayers are not answered.

After working for a year at a large GM dealership, the management fired me in early 1993. A used car dealership hired me a few days later. The dealership paid no base salary or benefits. My income depended solely on commissions from car sales. So, no car sales meant no income for me.

The first few months were fantastic and management even considered promoting me. A sales drought then hit and I didn’t sell a car for weeks. Every deal I worked on fell through. The other salesmen stayed far away from me, worried that whatever I had was contagious and would infect their sales.

I had no money. My vehicle sat in front of my apartment, hungry for gas. Bills piled up. My groceries came from a food bank. I walked everywhere, even the two miles back and forth to work.

“Why not quit?” you ask.

I couldn’t quit because I felt the Lord wanted me to stay. I believed He was doing something in my heart. All I could do was trudge through the valley until He delivered me.

After five weeks of no sales and zero income, something happened.

A young couple liked a car I showed them. Everything seemed perfect and we talked about meeting again in two days and writing up the order. Hope replaced the dark clouds hanging over me.

The following day was a day off for me.

A salesman met me at the door two days later when I arrived at work and took me aside. “Your couple came in yesterday and Kevin wrote up the order. He stole them from you. What are you going to do about that?” he said.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know,” I replied.

Kevin and the sales manager were off that particular day. There was not much I could do until the next day, but I was devastated for the rest of the day.

Early the next morning, I went for a walk and the Holy Spirit began speaking with me. “You have to forgive Kevin,” the Holy Spirit whispered to my heart.

“I can’t,” I replied.

“You have to,” He said.

“No, I absolutely can’t forgive Kevin. I hurt too much,” I said as I continued walking.

“If you don’t forgive him then this will happen…” He said, relating what would occur if I refused to forgive Kevin.

“I don’t care. He’s a thief and a liar and I’m hungry,” I said.

“You have to forgive him,” He whispered to my heart.

I sighed and stopped walking. “Okay. I can’t forgive him on my own, but if You help me forgive him, I will.”

And just like that, I felt the power of the Holy Spirit surge through me. I forgave him. No longer did I hold a debt against Kevin. He could have the commissions from the sale and I blessed him.

Later that same day, while Kevin was busy with a customer, I helped another one of his clients and wrote the order up for Kevin. I even delivered the car and sent the people off. Kevin made $400 commission without ever doing anything.

I was totally set free.

Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions. (Mark 11:24-25)

Unforgiveness is one of the major reasons why our prayers are not answered. It is such a malignant sin that if it is not remedied in an individual’s life, it will eventually result in bitterness, which defiles other people.

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many are defiled. (Hebrews 12:15)

If your prayers are not being answered in a prompt fashion, ask the Holy Spirit if you have unforgiveness. If you do, then forgive, but if you can’t forgive because the pain is too much, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. His name is the Helper and He will help you.

What is a surprise reason that our prayers are not answered?

(Continued…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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October 23, 2019 · 4:47 am

First the Blade (Chapter 13)

First the Blade 

© 2019 by Larry Nevenhoven

Chapter 13

Building a Foundation of Faith (k)

Have you ever thought: “Lord do You really know what You’re doing with my life?” Well, I have, more than once, especially when I learned He wanted me to prophesy.

Prophesying is not a problem for most people. They just open their mouths and speak what they feel the Holy Spirit wants them to say. But to a person who has suffered through the cruel effects of stuttering, prophesying is a big, big deal.

I still have vivid memories of sitting in classrooms and feeling my throat swell, my breathing stop, and my tongue waggling around in my mouth when the teacher called on me to answer a question. There was then the inevitable aftermath of listening to classmates laughing and giggling at me as I stammered forth an answer.

It was this deep fear of what others would think about me when they heard my stuttering, which caused me to attempt to avoid all public speaking. I used to think, “If only I could speak normally, I could be a successful somebody in the business world.”

These deep-rooted memories sent tremors of fear through me as a young Christian whenever I thought about prophesying in front of groups.

A man prophesied to me once: “The Lord says you are sitting on prophecies and not speaking them forth. The Lord is unhappy with you.”

This prophetic word caused me to seek the Lord.

“Jesus, this is unfair. You want me to prophesy, but I have speech problems. Deliver me from my fears and help me.”

I noticed no difference in my confidence after speaking this prayer.

A few weeks later, an African-American prophetess from Kansas City pointed to me at the beginning of a large meeting. “You’re going to prophesy an important message to this city at the end of this meeting. I’ll call you up to the front when it’s time.”

How much of her teaching do you think I really paid attention to as I awaited her summons? Like zero, right? My mind focused totally on wondering if I could speak the first word without stuttering, but I also knew it was time to trust the Lord and walk in my calling.

“Okay, come up here young man and prophesy to this city,” she said when she had finished her teaching.

I stood up and headed toward the front. As I walked, the anointing of the Holy Spirit fell on me and I was a different man. No longer was I the little boy who stuttered and stammered his way through grade school. No longer was I held in chains by the fear of what people might think of me if I stuttered. I felt like the Lion of Judah, filled with boldness. When I grabbed the microphone, I prophesied for over five minutes about future events heading toward the city.

The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted. (Proverbs 29:25)

Most of us struggle with the fear of man to some degree or another. We would like to be accepted and never suffer shame in front of our friends and others. We want to please people and receive plaudits for our works.

But just like in my life, the fear of man can imprison us and cause us to look at our own puny abilities and what others might think if we attempt something, rather than looking at the Greater One who lives within us. 

Jesus opened every prison door for us at the cross. We simply have to stand up and walk through the doorway. When we do, we will discover His grace and His anointing will be our mantles.

The fear of man can ensnare our faith and cause prayers not to be answered.

If you struggle with this, pray the following: “Lord, I want to please You. Deliver me from the fear of man and help me to trust You in all situations, regardless of what others may think or say about me.”

God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. (Matthew 5:11 NLT)

What other reasons are our prayers not answered?

(Continued…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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October 22, 2019 · 5:09 am

First the Blade (Chapter 12)

First the Blade 

© 2019 by Larry Nevenhoven

Chapter 12

Building a Foundation of Faith (j)

If you read the LA Times, New York Times, and other major U. S. newspapers, you are forced to scratch your head in befuddlement. These news outlets constantly paint Islam as a religion of peace while Christianity is shown to be a religion filled with intolerant bigots who hate gays, illegal aliens, the poor, and are gun-toting, war mongers.

Okay, what are the facts?

(1) Which religion promotes jihads and is involved in most of the wars occurring in the world right now? Islam. Period.

(2) Which religion reaches out to the gay community? Christianity. Islam never does this.

(3) Which religion helps the world’s poor? Christianity. There are no Islamic missionaries, unless you consider Islamic terrorists as such.

(4) Which religion loves freedom and hates cruel bondage? Christianity. Islam wants everyone to live under repressive Sharia Law.

Then, how can the two religions be so misunderstood?

The 1970 Pogo cartoon line, “We’ve met the enemy and he is us,” is certainly apropos for us American Christians because the blame is ours, not the media’s.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35).

The word love, used four times in the above two verses, is translated from the Greek word agape which is the same word that Paul so elegantly defined in 1 Corinthians 13. The two words – one another – that are used three times, refer to us believers (His church) and does not refer to the world system or unbelievers.

Yet sadly, we Christians – Pentecostals, Charismatics, traditional Evangelicals, liturgical Christians, liberal/progressive Christians, emergent Christians, Word of Faith, Prophetic Movement, and whatever – don’t really love each other. In fact, we often look down our noses at each other.

If you doubt this assumption, check out how we Christians piled on Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Ted Haggard, Todd Bentley, Jim and Tammy Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, and other leaders who have made mistakes. Can you remember who wanted to cover these leaders’ errors with love? I cannot.

Let me suggest a major reason why revival has not hit America and why we are seeing secularism and Satan win battle after battle against Christianity in our nation.

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love. (Galatians 5: 6 KJ)

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13: 2 NKJ)

All prayers must be prayed in faith in order to please God, but if we don’t have love, our faith fails. It may be that all of our fasting, all of our prayers, all of our efforts to change America’s destiny may be nothing more than shadow boxing, which has never even touched heaven’s doors.

How sad, huh?

Lack of love is a close relative to pride and is the second biggest hindrance for not receiving answers to our corporate or individual prayers.

I suggest that when our prayers are not being answered in a timely fashion – if it’s not pride – then we need to read 1 Corinthians 13 and ask the Lord if we have fallen short of His agape-love standards. If so, we need to repent and change.

What is another reason for not receiving answers to prayers?

(Continued…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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October 21, 2019 · 4:30 am

First the Blade (Chapter 11)

First the Blade 

© 2019 by Larry Nevenhoven

Chapter 11

Building a Foundation of Faith (i)

In the late 1990′s, Carol and I attended a church outside of Louisville, Kentucky. The regular pastor was on vacation and a substitute pastor preached the sermon. I don’t remember his main message, but a small quip of his was written on my heart that particular Sunday.

“People used to be content with just saying, ‘I prayed,’ but that’s no longer true,” said the substitute pastor. “Now, they say, ‘I interceded,’ and not only that, they then give themselves titles, calling themselves intercessors. Now, why do you think this has happened?”

The pastor went on with his main message, but his off-message remark was like a lightning bolt, zeroing in on my heart. I knew the answer to his question because I was guilty of the sin.

Pride!

There’s just something within most of us, or at least in me, which is not satisfied with associating with the meek and lowly. We want to be exalted. We want an elevated position of notice. We want others to recognize our spirituality and understand they are below us on the spiritual ladder.

All believers know pride is a grievous sin, but we all still struggle with it every day. And even the godliest believers among us, whether he is a Billy Graham, a John Piper, a Mother Teresa, or whoever, are not spared this daily battle. Look what the Apostle Paul wrote about himself:

For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me. Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me to keep me from exalting myself. (2 Corinthians 12: 7 – 8) 

Paul’s thorn in the flesh – a messenger of Satan – was allowed by the Lord to cause Paul problems so it would help control his pride. The apostle still went on to ask the Lord three times to remove it, but then Paul wrote:

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12: 9 – 10)

Pride is the #1 reason we believers do not receive answers to our prayers. It derails our faith and causes us to look at our own strengths and away from the One who is all-powerful.

Remember: Jesus said, “Have faith in God.” He did not say we should have faith in our praying ability, our knowledge of the Bible, our spirituality, our fasts or our gifts. Anytime our faith depends on what we can do, rather than what He can do, or who He is, we have fallen into the snare of pride.

…God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble.” (James 4:6 NLT)

 The God who we are praying to and asking for help will be the same God who will oppose us if we have the sin of pride. Let that swirl around in your mind for a minute or two, and you will discover what I have learned through hard lessons, it’s a losing situation.

If our prayers are not being answered in a timely fashion, I suggest we bow before the throne of grace and ask, “Lord, show me my heart. Do I have pride?”

Then, wait.

How long should we wait? Until He answers our question. There is no use trying to move on if we have a pride problem, right?

The next hindrance to receiving answers to our prayers is a close relative of pride.

(Continued…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

 

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October 18, 2019 · 4:37 am

First the Ear (Chapter 10)

Chapter 10

Building a Foundation of Faith (h)

Kenneth Hagin authored over 120 books, which were not really written as books. They were actually teachings, which he gave on his radio programs, at conferences, or wherever. Another person then transcribed the teachings into book format. The average book size is thirty pages.

I myself have read over a hundred of Hagin’s books. Each one was a day in the classroom as I sat at a table with my Bible, a scratch pad and Hagin’s book. As I read the book, I studied the scripture references and took notes. When I finished the book, I tried to immediately put into practice what I had learned that particular day.

Looking back, I would have to say the #1 principle I learned from Kenneth Hagin’s teachings was: God answers prayers.

Many believers might look at the simplicity of this revelation and say, “Big deal. So what?”

But when I say God answers prayers, I mean He answers every prayer, every time and never ignores one of them. Period.

Does this mean you can pray for a new Rolls Royce Phantom ($437,000 sticker price), go to the dealer and drive it home? Probably not, but you will get an answer for your prayer about the Rolls Royce.

 

In 1987, I lived in a small one-room apartment in central Iowa, was separated from my wife and family, had no telephone and no car. I worked as a minimum wage laborer in a motel, which was a three-mile walk from the apartment.

I woke up one morning and discovered the temperature had dropped to 30 degrees below zero and because of the high winds, the wind chill factor was a minus 50 degrees. Plus, six inches of snow had fallen and swirled on the winds.

It was a Tuesday, which meant I was scheduled to begin work at 8 a.m. What did I do?

I bundled up as best I could and before stepping out the door, I prayed, “Lord, I’m walking to work. I ask that You either give me the grace to survive this weather or have someone stop and offer me a ride. The choice is Yours, but I know You love me and always hear my prayers.”

Did a car pull up to my apartment as I walked out my door so I would not suffer from the cold? No, absolutely not, nor did I expect one.

You see, one of the foundational precepts of receiving answers to prayers is we walk by faith and not by sight. Thus, you can almost always expect to start out walking through the storms of life – after praying – without seeing any improvement whatsoever in the circumstances.

That particular morning was no different.

After walking a mile and a half, my face was frost covered and my feet felt numb. Numerous cars passed me, hurrying off to work, but no one had even slowed down. A car finally pulled over. A young woman opened the door and said, “Would you like a ride?”

“Yes,” I answered. She dropped me off at my workplace.

The following morning, the weather conditions remained the same. I followed the same routine as the day before. This time, a man picked me up at about the same place as the young woman had the day before and took me to work.

On the third morning of the storm, a person volunteered to pick me up. A week later, the motel decided to have me picked up each morning by an employee. Soon after, the motel decided I could just drive one of their trucks back and forth to work. All of this happened without me ever asking anyone for help.

Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. (Mark 11: 23)

Okay, why do we not receive answers to our prayers?

(Continued…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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October 17, 2019 · 4:56 am

First the Ear (Chapter 9)

First the Blade 

© 2019 by Larry Nevenhoven

Chapter 9

Building a Foundation of Faith (g)

Like I wrote earlier, I am not a Word of Faith teacher, but I am a beneficiary of its teachings. Most of the teachings have worked well in my life, but a few have not. Over the next few chapters I will outline which teachings have built me up and which have not worked well for me.

Let’s begin by taking a look at the father of the Word of Faith movement: Kenneth Hagin.

If you have read any of Hagin’s more than one hundred books, you are bound to read his testimony about being a sickly child and how he was bedfast with a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease. How he then had a powerful conversion experience, after dying three times and visiting Hell, all within a period of ten minutes.

Hagin remained in bed after his conversion, suffering from his ailments, for many more months until he received his revelation of the following scripture:

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (Mark 11: 24 King James)

Before August 1934, countless Christians had read Mark 11:24, but few had the exact revelation which Kenneth Hagin had on that summer day. Hagin stated he was talking to the Lord about the verse and how he especially agreed with the words: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray.”

Hagin desired to be healed. Thus he kept praying and asking and believing the Lord heard his prayers.

As he continued talking aloud, he heard the Holy Spirit speak to him: “You do believe all right – as far as you know.”

The Holy Spirit then quoted the rest of the verse: “Believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

At that moment, the lights went on inside of Kenneth Hagin:

“I prayed for healing because that’s what I desired, but I was trying to have my healing first, and then I was going to believe I received it. But when do we believe we receive what we desire from God? When we pray! That means before we see a change in the circumstances we must believe that God has heard and answered us. We are to believe we receive whatever we desire from God the minute we pray and ask Him for our petition.”

I said to the Lord, “Now I know what I’ve got to do. I’ve got to begin to believe I receive healing for my paralyzed body right now, while I’m still lying here helpless. While I’m lying here bedfast, I’ve got to believe I receive healing for my deformed heart and incurable blood disease.” (Word of Faith, Kenneth Hagin, 1990)

Kenneth Hagin eventually jumped out of bed, totally healed. He became a young preacher, a pastor, and an evangelist in the Healing Revival of the 1940′s and 50′s. He then began his teaching career, which led to radio programs, founding the Rhema Bible Training Center, and the Rhema church system.

If you check out Kenneth Hagin on Google, you will find various sites, which accuse Hagin of being a plagiarist, a heretic, a false prophet, a serpent, and a false teacher. What’s with this, huh? How can a godly man have so many accusers?

Most of his critics’ biggest complaints are that he taught and preached like a Pentecostal, which he was. That’s like complaining Charles Stanley taught like a Baptist pastor because he is a Baptist pastor.

There are no perfect teachers, except Jesus. As Mike Bickel says, “God loves to use people who offend us so that He can show us our hearts.”

Kenneth Hagin never once took the time to answer his critics. He never once defended himself. When his critics called for a comment about a critical book or article they were writing about him, he always said, “No comment. God bless you.”

My only disagreement with Kenneth Hagin’s teachings is he looks at salvation and grace from an Arminian/Pentecostal point of view while I agree with the Baptist/Calvin one. You can be the judge on that one for yourself.

I recommend his books.

Since, he has sold over 60 million copies, you can buy them on Amazon (new and used), from numerous other sites (new and used), from Salvation Army stores, from Hagin’s ministry site, and wherever.

(Continued…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

 

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October 16, 2019 · 4:44 am

First the Blade (Chapter 8)

First the Blade 

© 2019 by Larry Nevenhoven

Chapter 8

Building a Foundation of Faith (f)

 

I received a lump of faith when I gave my life to the Lord on May 20, 1985. It was my unique lump, not your lump or Smith Wigglesworth’s or Francis Chan’s lump. It was the lump the Lord knew had the potential to bring me through every trial, every battle, and every circumstance, which laid ahead of me in my life.

I emphasized the word potential because our individual lumps of faith can best be compared to the muscles of a newborn baby. The newborn’s undeveloped muscles can move the baby’s arms, hands and legs a little bit at first, but not much. It takes time and effort for the muscles to develop so a baby can crawl, walk, run, or ride a tricycle.

When the baby reaches his teenage years, maybe the youth is a good athlete and has a dream to play pro football in the NFL. To achieve this goal, he will have to lift weights and work out on a regular basis. He may not like lifting weights because it is boring and painful, but the competition is so great he has no choice.

Nike’s motto sums up what the athlete’s attitude must be: “Just do it!”

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore, I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

 Most of us believers understand why athletes have to develop their muscles to compete in sports, but yet, very few of us realize we need to develop our individual lumps of faith. After all, didn’t Jesus already win the victory for us? Can’t we just sit back and enjoy ourselves until Jesus returns? Why build faith now?

And to be honest, the word faith has a stigma attached to it. Who has not heard of the excesses of the Word of Faith movement? “The prosperity gospel.” “Seed faith.” “Name it and claim it.” All of this has contributed to the muddied waters for teaching faith.

But I consider myself fortunate to having been saved during the 1980′s when the Word of Faith teaching programs were aired on many Christian radio stations. I listened to Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Marilyn Hickey, R. W. Schambach, Joyce Meyer and others every day. I read over a hundred and fifty books by these teachers.

The Word of Faith teachings can build a strong foundation in us. It did in me.

So, beginning in the next time chapter, we will be looking at the important revelations of the Word of Faith teachings and how we can use them to build up our individual lumps of faith.

(Continued…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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