Tag Archives: Gifts of the Spirit

October 6, 2014 · 12:22 pm

Learning How to Pray Effectively in 59 Seconds or Less (Part 14)

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How many people in the Bible died from fasting and seeking the Lord? None.

How many people do we personally know who have died from fasting and truly seeking the Lord? I myself have never heard of one person dying that way. Maybe you have, but I doubt it.

Why is that important?

Twenty-five years ago, I watched a video on a TBN program that had been smuggled out of China. The video showed an underground house church meeting in rural China. The house was packed with people. When they praised and worshipped God, they were totally into it, everyone of them. In their praying, it was the same way. They were totally into praying, weeping, travailing, crying out to God, bowing, and prostrating themselves before the Lord. I have never seen or have been a part of a praise and worship service or a prayer meeting like that ever in my life.

Then, the video showed a young evangelist praying for people. He prayed for blind people. The video showed close-ups of cloudiness and cataracts being removed from eyes by the Holy Spirit as we watched. The video showed cancers and tumors falling off people as they were healed. Miracle after miracle after miracle.

The man’s secret: he fasted on the side of a mountain for 80 days. Eighty days!

So, how could he fast for eighty days?

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Whether we fast for one day or eighty days, it requires dependence on God’s grace to overcome our body’s desire to eat. But with the grace comes the power of Christ to make our prayers more effective.

If you want to read about radical Chinese house churches and a man who fasted 100 days, go here.

(Continued in Part 15…earlier parts can be read by clicking here or above on the header.)

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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October 2, 2014 · 1:27 pm

Praise the Lord…Pass the Ammo (Part 2)

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In the late 1980’s, I attended a Pentecostal church with a congregation of 200 members. The young pastor wanted to have prophecy as a part of the services and came up with a plan.

“If you feel you have a prophetic word, come up front to me. Tell me the word and I will determine what to do with it,” he said during a service.

As the worship music finished, I felt I had a prophetic word. I stood up and edged my way out of the middle of the pew to the aisle. I walked up front to the pastor. There I told him my prophetic word.

He shook his head. “No, I don’t believe that is God,” he said.

I walked back down the aisle, edged my way along the pew to my seat and sat down.

After watching what happened to me, how many people do you think prophesied under those conditions in that church? If you guessed zero, you’re correct.

But all things should be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:40)

What a pastor or you or I think is decent and in order is probably miles away from what the Holy Spirit thinks.

In fact, how many of us or our leaders would allow a casket to be opened up on the way to burial so a believer may pray for the dead person. Or have a grave opened up for healing prayer. Or allow a believer to make spitballs for a blind person. Or allow a person to spit in another person’s eyes.

Aren’t we called to do the works of Jesus? And − yikes − even greater ones?

We believers will never do the works of Jesus or take our places as bold prophetic voices to our communities unless we are taught and then allowed to make mistakes. To accomplish this, our church leaders have to get over the idea that they are called to be professional babysitters and instead become equippers of the saints for ministry.

So, what can we do?

(Continued in Part 3)

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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October 1, 2014 · 11:53 am

Praise the Lord…Pass the Ammo (Part 1)

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Walter Williams posted a challenging article today:

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), sometimes called ISIS or IS, is a Sunni extremist group that follows al-Qaida’s anti-West ideology and sees a holy war against the West as a religious duty. With regard to nonbelievers, the Quran commands, “And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out…”

Contrast the words of the Quran with the statements of limp-wristed Western leaders such as this by President Barack Obama: “We have reaffirmed that the United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. Islam teaches peace…”

A debate about whether Islam is a religion of peace or not is entirely irrelevant to the threat to the West posed by ISIS, al-Qaida and other Middle Eastern terrorist groups…

Westerners getting the backbone to defend ourselves from terrorists may have to await a deadly attack on our homeland… (Will The West Defend Itself From The Barbarians, by Walter E. Williams, can be seen in its entirety here.)

Williams gets it!

Although the 78-year old Williams has a doctorate in economics from UCLA, has authored numerous books, and has received all kinds of awards, he is not known as a prophetic voice to the church.

Yet, Williams gets it and the Church, who is called to be a prophetic voice to our communities and the world, does not!

What is the Church’s problem and can we change?

(Continued in Part 2)

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

 

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September 30, 2014 · 1:48 pm

Tuesday’s Prayers for America (9/30/2014)

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My ballpark guess is that 15-20% of America’s Christians have had a Pentacostal/Charismatic experience according to 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11, which means they may speak in tongues, prophesy, or walk in one of the other spiritual gifts. They may or may not attend a Pentacostal or Charismatic church.

At the other end of the spectrum would be the Christians who consider themselves cessationists. These Christians believe the spiritual gifts, such as speaking in tongues and prophesying, ended with the passing away of the First Century apostles. I’d guess this group of Christians to be approximately 5-10% of the whole.

Okay, that leaves 70-80% of America’s Christians who have not had a personal Pentacostal/Charismatic/spiritual gift experience, but at the same time, they are not totally against the spiritual gifts.

I believe it is important for today’s Christians to prophesy or be around believers who prophesy so that we are prepared for future calamities and terrorist attacks. How else can we be warned except by the Holy Spirit, who will tell us of things to come?

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray for American believers that we will pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, but especially that we may prophesy. (Based on 1 Corinthians 14:1)

What do you think and did the Lord speak to you today?

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

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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September 29, 2014 · 9:49 am

Learning How to Pray Effectively in 59 Seconds or Less (Part 13)

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Want to have a big church? Just check around because there are countless seminars to attend, books to read, and mentors to help with your dream. If you follow their advice, I am sure you will have a good chance at having a big church with a beautiful building.

If this is your goal, God bless you in your undertaking.

Now, if you want a powerful church, save your money because I have a plan on how to do this. But I have to warn you ahead of time that you probably will never need a big building for your group. In fact, the majority of your meetings will most likely fit into a small closet or a phone booth.

What’s my suggested plan of action? Make fasting and prayer one of the foundations for your church.

…Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. (Isaiah 58:4)

The above verse is written in the negative, but it still gives us insight into why proper fasting is important: to make our voices to be heard on high. Isn’t this what prayer is all about?

Let’s be honest with each other, okay?

We American Christians are not good at fasting. Yes, we may like the idea of fasting and even believe it’s biblical, but when the rubber meets the road, most of us lack the discipline that it takes to fast.

Why?

I am sure the answers are varied, but the biggest reason is that we are not desperate enough as yet to embrace fasting.

Besides having our voices heard on high, what are some other reasons  that fasting can make our prayers more effective?

(Continued in Part 14…earlier parts can be read by clicking here or above on the header.)

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September 23, 2014 · 12:17 pm

Tuesday’s Prayers for America (9/23/214)

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“Run for your lives. There are too many Philistines! We’ll all be slaughtered,” yelled the Israelites.

The soldiers dropped their weapons en masse and fled the battlefield for the hills surrounding the area. Clouds of dust marked their scrambling footsteps, all heading to safety.

Four Israelites remained in the middle of the battlefield. They formed a small square with their backs to each other and their swords pointing out at the advancing Philistine army.

“What’s the plan, my king?” shouted Eleazar over his shoulder.

King David nodded his head. “Our God is for us,” proclaimed the king. “Let’s continue fighting until all of these uncircumcised Philistines are either dead or retreat from the battlefield.” (Fictionalized version of 2 Samuel 23:9-10 and 1 Chronicles 11:12-14)

…but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. (Daniel 11:32)

We Americans are very fortunate because we are not fighting ISIS and other Islamic Jihadists in our nation right now, but we will! In fact, you’d have to be blind as the…as the…average Christian not to see this war heading toward our malls, our streets, and our neighborhoods.

Yet, like I said, we’re fortunate because we have the time right now to build our faith and trust in God so we can pray and believe in our prayers.

Remember: it’s one thing to pray, but an entirely different matter to believe our prayers and then be willing to walk in them.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray that You will give us American believers the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him so that the eyes of our hearts are enlightened to know what is the hope, the riches of His glorious inheritance, and the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe. (Based on Ephesians 1:17-19)

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

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

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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September 22, 2014 · 10:15 am

Learning How to Pray Effectively in 59 Seconds or Less (Part 12)

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The female pastor walked to the pulpit and began the eulogy for my deceased friend, Brad. I have no idea what she said because the Lord chose this moment to speak to me once more.

I felt Him whisper to my heart: “My church is a bunch of nice losers. They lay their hands on the sick and pray for them, but when they die, they aren’t mad at all. They don’t check themselves out to see what happened or what they may have done wrong with their prayers and actions. They accept defeats and don’t think anymore about them.

“Now, Major League baseball teams are all filled with good players. Each player has to be one of the best in the world to make it to the Major Leagues. Losing teams have good players on their rosters, too. But after a while, losing teams’ players don’t mind losing because after all, they still receive their Major League paychecks and bonuses.

“But winning Major League baseball teams are different. They hate losing and will do anything and whatever it takes to win. They hate losing.

“I want My church to hate losing!”

This time the grief, which hit me, measured a ten on the Richter Scale. It was so bad my sister leaned toward me.

“Don’t you think you should go outside and get a hold of yourself,” she whispered.

If I had attempted to move, I would have fallen on the floor. Everything would have erupted out of me, making a bad situation much worse than it was. The grief lifted after a few minutes, but I sat on pins and needles for the rest of the funeral service.

(Excerpt from my memoir, The Hunt for Larry Who, an Amazon eBook.)

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. (2 Corinthians 13:5)

If our prayers aren’t working, let’s check ourselves out and not accept defeats just because we’re struggling through tough situations.

(Continued in Part 13…earlier parts can be read by clicking here or above on the header.)

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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September 16, 2014 · 3:20 pm

Tuesday’s Prayers for America (9/16/2014)

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Today, I struggled and finally prayed:

Lord, help us to embrace what You are doing in America, believing that You are able to build and plant a new nation out of the one You are uprooting and tearing down. (Based on Jeremiah 1:10)

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

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

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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September 15, 2014 · 10:52 am

Learning How to Pray Effectively in 59 Seconds or Less (Part 11)

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Friday, I prayed for the nation of Somalia. I had never studied or heard much about the nation before that day, except for reading a little bit about the Somalia pirates. So, even though I wrote a general prayer for Somalia in my article, this was not really how I prayed for the nation.

What I actually did was bow my knees on the floor and prayed: “Lord, give us Somalia.”

Then, a tremendous sorrow fell upon me. I wept, travailed, groaned, and grunted before the Lord for Somalia. It resonated all through me how much the Lord loved the nation and its people. I was overwhelmed by His desire to turn the nation from the power of Satan to Him and His ways. My heart was broken for Somalia.

To be honest, I have not had that type of passion in my prayers for years and years. In fact, it had been gone so long, I wondered if I would ever have it again. The reasons for losing my passion?  I am sure it revolved around apathy and compromise on my part.

But I am determined not to lose my passion again and now pray the following prayer for myself and others:

Lord, help me to never be slothful in zeal, to be always red-hot and fervent in spirit, so I can serve You Lord without apathy and compromise. (Based on Romans 12:11)

Prayers without fervent passion hinder the effectiveness of our prayers.

What are other hindrances?

(Continued in Part 12…earlier parts can be read by clicking here or above on the header.)

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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September 13, 2014 · 11:02 am

If We’re All Created in God’s Image, Why Must Gays Change? (Conclusion)

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So, I repeat: was John Paulk correct when he said, “We [gays] are not broken, damaged, inferior or throwaways. We are created in the image of God—just like everyone else?”

First, are gays created in the image of God, just like everyone else?

Before our salvations, gays and straights alike are created in the image of God in that we can think, make decisions, have emotions, can love and interact with others, have creative ideas, can even create life through procreation, and are eternal beings.

But because of Adam’s fall, unredeemed humans can not readily converse with God or walk with Him, like Adam did in the Garden of Eden. We are separated from the life of God and will remain that way unless we are redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

At salvation, gays and straights alike are redeemed and then can enjoy the life of God living in and through them.

Are all gays broken, damaged, inferior or throwaways?

Yes, they are, but so are straights. We all have to be changed into the image of Christ after our salvations. We all have to put off our old selves, have our minds renewed, and put on our new selves, created in the likeness of God.

Plus, we all, with the help of the Holy Spirit, have to put to death our sins and desires of the flesh, which are hostile and not pleasing to God. The sins of the flesh include sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, and so forth.

What if a gay gives his life to Christ, but stays in his gay lifestyle?

I believe his salvation is eternally secure through grace, but there are at least two scriptures which will haunt him at the Judgment Seat of Christ:

For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:38)

So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:19)

Thus, why must gays change after accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior?

So, they don’t feel the shame of Christ when they meet Him in His glory and are not considered the least throughout eternity.

We straights have to change, too.

Thus, let’s all repent and change today.

(Conclusion)

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Click on to see MyGFA site.

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