Tag Archives: sin

Letters

Visible Answers to Prayer

This was an interesting line of thinking. Let me know what you think of it.

I was reflecting about prayer. I pray for a lot of things. But I don't see the changes, the effects of my prayers, as much as maybe I would like.

Part of that reason, no doubt, is because I pray for less-concrete things, and for people that are a long ways away. But for whatever reason, I was thinking about it, wishing that I was seeing more results, at least more visible results, from my prayers.

And since Jesus is my standard, I was thinking about him. He sure saw visible answers to his prayers in the stories the Gospels told, didn't he? I’m not trying to get big headed about it or something, but if Jesus gets to see the answers to his prayers so comfortably so quickly so easily, what's wrong with me wanting to see visible answers to my prayers quickly, easily?

So just thinking on that for a while (technically, that’s called “meditating”). I realized that the excuses I was given as a curious child had some truth in them: we don't actually see every single event that Jesus was involved in. It is maybe just a little bit presumptive to assume that every single prayer of his was answered quickly, visibly, dramatically.

So I consider that. And I realized, yep, it’s an excuse all right. It's an excuse for people who don't see miracles, maybe. Maybe it's an excuse for people who are tired of trying, or who never really tried hard in the first place. Or something. It’s a way of justifying not expecting to walk in the things we see Jesus, our example, walk in.

But the reality is that every single time that we see Jesus praying, we see dramatic, visible answers. We don't ever see his prayers unanswered. (Yes, there are some times that he prays that we don't know what he's praying for, so we can't tell whether those were answered or not. That’s not our issue today.)

So I was asking father if this desire to see visible answers quickly is appropriate, if this is a good thing to ask for.

Immediately, Romans 14:23b came to mind. “Anything not of faith is sin.”

When I'm asking a question and something pops in my head like that, I tend to assume that it is related, that it’s something of an answer. And I also try not to jump to conclusions, so I reflected: I thought about it some more.

And I realized something.

If I need visible answers to my prayers in order to pray with faith, in order to have confidence that father is hearing me and doing things, then that's not faith. If I need to see, then I'm basing my prayers, my life, on sight, not on faith.

Oops. There’s my answer.

Jesus got to see immediate answers to his prayers. That does not mean that his prayer life was based on what he saw. We know from the gospel stories that he took a fair bit of time alone with God, often in the wee hours.

I have had times where I knew the answer was coming before I encountered the situation. I’ve had many times when I knew what I was supposed to pray beforehand.

That certainly fits the facts as we know them: Jesus saw the answers in the spirit, by faith, when he was talking to Dad in the morning. When he encountered the situation during the day, his response was based on his encounters with father in the wee hours, not on what he saw in that circumstance.

So even though he saw the answers as he prayed, his prayers were not built on the foundation of what he saw. His prayers were on the foundation of his time with Father in the morning. He was walking by faith, not by sight, even though he could see.

The thought drifted across my mind, “If you always get to see the immediate answers to your prayers, would you be walking by faith? Or would you be walking by what you see?”

And as translated by Romans 14:23, that question is would I be walking by faith? Or would I be walking in sin?

So I am considering the idea that I need to be more intentional about seeing the answers that I am praying for in the spirit, in my private times with Father, before I look for them in public.

And maybe I need to guard my wishes. It appears that I might have been wishing for an easy way to walk in sin. No wonder Father doesn't want to answer that prayer.

So how do you see it? 

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Letters

Israel has Sinned. That’s Why They Cannot Stand

In my reading today, this stood out to me. I suspect that there’s a principle for me here. Maybe for your too.

Joshua 7: 11 “Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.”

I don’t know about you, but I was taught that sin is bad because it scares God off from me. “God cannot look upon sin,” they said, completely ignoring the fact that “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

As my attention was grabbed by Joshua 7, I realized (yet again) that the big deal is the effect that sin has on me, NOT the silly idea that sin has an effect on God.

To summarize: “Israel has sinned; That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies.” In other words, sin let failure into their lives, sin let their enemy beat them up, sin opened them up to what the enemy was doing, sin made them victims, not victors. 

God doesn’t like sin primarily because of the mess that it makes in our lives: it separates us from (in this example) victory, from our destiny as overcomers.

So when God says, “Be holy,” he’s not laying down the law. That’s largely about, “Position yourselves in the cross-hairs of my blessing!”

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Letters

Not Calling Out Sin


I do not hold to the common Christian religious opinion that says if I see a sin somewhere, then I am somehow obligated to point it out or preach against it or otherwise required to be part of fixing the person involved. I am not.

That does not mean that I do nothing (that’s another conversation), but if I see a believer online doing or saying something that reveals sin, I am not going to feel obligated to rebuke them either publicly or privately. If I see someone in my town or in my neighborhood doing something that I consider sinful, I am not going to feel obligated to confront them.

I have a couple of reasons for this.

He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone”" by Daniel C. Fergus ...• The church, generally speaking, has well and truly earned her reputation as a judgmental busybody. The world views God as an angry, nitpicking judge, and we’re the reason; after all, we’re the only Bible many people read. I don’t choose to perpetuate that view.

• If I’m going to focus on someone’s sin, it’s going to be my sin. I am responsible – you are not – for my sin. You are responsible – I am not – for your sin. We forget this sometimes.

• I observe that the only people whose sin Jesus actually called out were the religiously self-righteous. So if I’m going to follow his example, I should call out the sin of the religious people who focus on other people’s sin. Yeah, that wouldn’t end well, would it?

• I don’t care to focus my attention on people’s sin. That is contrary to Scriptural instruction (Philippians 4, Colossians 3), so focusing on people’s sin is itself sin, which of course makes it hypocrisy. Not going there.

• We are commanded – I am commanded – to “set [my] heart on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” I find that I’m healthier and happier and more effective (not to mention more obedient) when I do that. So I’m going to focus on what’s good. I may even <gasp!> speak God’s blessing into the life of someone who’s not completely perfect.

• Frankly, I don’t have the time to deal with everybody’s sin. Sorry. I actually have a life. I hope to live it.

• And more importantly than all of that, a sinner – even a nice one like you or me - is accountable to someone FAR more loving and far more powerful than I am. This is waaaay over my pay grade.

Now, somebody will bring up Matthew 18 and use that as an excuse for calling out sin publicly: Not only did Jesus say you have to, he said how.

Yes, he did say how.  And the first statement he made there (before he said, “don’t do it publicly,”) was, “If your brother sins against you….”

There are two qualifiers in that:

1. This is only applicable if the person sinning is your brother: if they’re in close relationship with you. If they don’t call you brother or sister (and NOT in the religious sense!), you don’t qualify.

2. This is only applicable if the sin involved is against you. If it’s not against you, you’re meddling. Stop it.

And somebody’s going to say, “Well the prophets in the Old Testament called out sin!  So I can!”

It’s true. The poor people working under the inferior covenant that God never wanted did proclaim the judgment that is part of that covenant. That’s part of the form and function of that covenant that a fear-ridden people proposed instead of God’s covenant. That’s why that covenant is dead and gone. We live in the day of the New Covenant.

Personally, I think the world would be a better place if we focused on loving God and loving the people He loves. Best I can tell, that’s all of the people. We’re supposed to focus on loving people, not correcting people.

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Letters

Prophetic Exercise: The Judge’s Bench

Since the prophetic gifts are for the real world, think of a real world person that’s going through some trouble, someone you’ve been praying for recently. Write down their name.

Now look in the Spirit, and look behind you. You see there a tall, oak, judge’s bench. Jesus is standing there, smiling, waiting for you.

He takes you around to the far side of the bench, and up the stairs behind it. But rather than sit down himself, Jesus sits you in the great chair behind the bench. When you take your seat, you’re find that you’re wearing black robes, and you have a wooden gavel in your right hand. Are you wearing a white wig, too? 

Take a moment, if you need to, to deal with the emotions of being in a place like this. Ask him questions if you need to, but don’t argue with him. This is your assignment today, if you choose to accept it.

Now look out over the judge’s bench. From your new vantage point, see your friend, whose name you wrote down. Observe them for a minute as they go about their day. As you’re watching them, let Jesus show you his love for them, his compassion for the crud they’re going through. Rest there for a moment, feeling his heart for them.

Then Jesus reaches over and touches your eyes. And now you can see more clearly from the bench, and with his help, you begin to see the cloud of miserable, filthy, little spirits that have been harassing your friend. Recognize their crimes, their trespasses, their rebellions against their rightful king and against your friend. 

Jesus leans over and whispers, “Judge them!” Identify them, their names and their crimes. Recognize, by the Spirit who’s in you, the name, the assignment, the work of one of the demons harassing your friend. Speak that name out loud, and bang the gavel as you do name it. Write it down if that helps.

Then watch what happens next. When I did this, as I spoke the name, as I named each spirit, it was as if my gavel moved on its own, gently tapping, “Guilty as charged” to each of my charges, and with each tap, a beastie was bound. Soon, I got into it, reaching into my spirit for the discernment of each spirit and shouting its name, its crime. The gavel would bang and the demon was bound.

Look around. Do you see angels in the courtroom? What do you see them doing? Consult with Jesus: what is his counsel on the work you’re doing?

This isn’t a game. This is literally life and death, but don’t interpret that to mean that you can’t enjoy the work you’re doing. Get into the work. Reach deep within your spirit to accurately name each spirit, and as you name it, watch as it’s snatched from the air around your friend and bound. Observe what happens to it next, if that’s revealed.

You may or may not have gotten to each of the demons harassing your friend when you feel that you’re done, when you feel the grace for this work lift, or when you hear Jesus say, “OK. That’s enough for this time.” Don’t stay there beyond the grace for the work. Your friend is destined to be an overcomer; they need something to overcome.

It helps me to go back through the session’s work: declare your friend’s freedom, thank God for your friend’s freedom from each of the spirits that you bound today. And when you’re done, perhaps as an act of worship, burn the list: don’t keep a record of hell’s work in their life.

Now, by my counsel, I’d recommend that you don’t talk to them about this experience, not for a long, long time, and this is for your benefit, not theirs. We tend to think, “Well, I bound up a spirit of self-pity, so they won’t be falling into self-pity any more!” Yeah, that’s not how it works.

If you bound the spirit of self-pity, then that spirit of self-pity isn’t plying its trade in their life any longer. But that doesn’t break years of self-pitying habits, or generations of self-pitying traditions. It means that spirit isn’t working there any more, not that they’re perfect now. 

And of course, don’t stop praying for your friend.  
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Letters

Prophetic Exercise: The Judge’s Bench

Since the prophetic gifts are for the real world, think of a real world person that’s going through some trouble, someone you’ve been praying for recently. Write down their name.

Now look in the Spirit, and look behind you. You see there a tall, oak, judge’s bench. Jesus is standing there, smiling, waiting for you.

He takes you around to the far side of the bench, and up the stairs behind it. But rather than sit down himself, Jesus sits you in the great chair behind the bench. When you take your seat, you’re find that you’re wearing black robes, and you have a wooden gavel in your right hand. Are you wearing a white wig, too? 

Take a moment, if you need to, to deal with the emotions of being in a place like this. Ask him questions if you need to, but don’t argue with him. This is your assignment today, if you choose to accept it.

Now look out over the judge’s bench. From your new vantage point, see your friend, whose name you wrote down. Observe them for a minute as they go about their day. As you’re watching them, let Jesus show you his love for them, his compassion for the crud they’re going through. Rest there for a moment, feeling his heart for them.

Then Jesus reaches over and touches your eyes. And now you can see more clearly from the bench, and with his help, you begin to see the cloud of miserable, filthy, little spirits that have been harassing your friend. Recognize their crimes, their trespasses, their rebellions against their rightful king and against your friend. 

Jesus leans over and whispers, “Judge them!” Identify them, their names and their crimes. Recognize, by the Spirit who’s in you, the name, the assignment, the work of one of the demons harassing your friend. Speak that name out loud, and bang the gavel as you do name it. Write it down if that helps.

Then watch what happens next. When I did this, as I spoke the name, as I named each spirit, it was as if my gavel moved on its own, gently tapping, “Guilty as charged” to each of my charges, and with each tap, a beastie was bound. Soon, I got into it, reaching into my spirit for the discernment of each spirit and shouting its name, its crime. The gavel would bang and the demon was bound.

Look around. Do you see angels in the courtroom? What do you see them doing? Consult with Jesus: what is his counsel on the work you’re doing?

This isn’t a game. This is literally life and death, but don’t interpret that to mean that you can’t enjoy the work you’re doing. Get into the work. Reach deep within your spirit to accurately name each spirit, and as you name it, watch as it’s snatched from the air around your friend and bound. Observe what happens to it next, if that’s revealed.

You may or may not have gotten to each of the demons harassing your friend when you feel that you’re done, when you feel the grace for this work lift, or when you hear Jesus say, “OK. That’s enough for this time.” Don’t stay there beyond the grace for the work. Your friend is destined to be an overcomer; they need something to overcome.

It helps me to go back through the session’s work: declare your friend’s freedom, thank God for your friend’s freedom from each of the spirits that you bound today. And when you’re done, perhaps as an act of worship, burn the list: don’t keep a record of hell’s work in their life.

Now, by my counsel, I’d recommend that you don’t talk to them about this experience, not for a long, long time, and this is for your benefit, not theirs. We tend to think, “Well, I bound up a spirit of self-pity, so they won’t be falling into self-pity any more!” Yeah, that’s not how it works.

If you bound the spirit of self-pity, then that spirit of self-pity isn’t plying its trade in their life any longer. But that doesn’t break years of self-pitying habits, or generations of self-pitying traditions. It means that spirit isn’t working there any more, not that they’re perfect now. 

And of course, don’t stop praying for your friend.  
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Columns, Devotionals

The Power of Unforgiveness

*If you've not read my last post, "The Power of Forgiveness" please read that first.*

Several years ago I was part of a group that was praying for a gentleman who had cancer.  The power of God was very evident as we prayed for him and we were all very hopeful that this dear man would be healed.  The Lord had instructed his wife not to use any of the traditional medicines and she was obeying and feeding him with all organic, healthy food.  His doctor was also a believer in Christ and was monitoring his cancer and obeying the Lord.

So I was heart-broken when after praying for several months I received a call during the middle of the night that this dear man had gone home to be with Jesus. 

After we had celebrated his life and laid him to rest, I went to Lord one day and asked, "Why?"  "Why, God, when we had literally felt Your Presence, obeyed what You told us to do, and believed You so completely? Why, when I know it's always Your will to heal, why did this man not receive healing?"

And I heard one word from the Lord.  "Anger."  

I kept this to myself and just continued to give my heart to the Lord, thinking about what He had said. 

One day, a couple of months after this, the man's widow called me.  And in the course of our conversation, she asked me, "Do you know why he died?"  And I carefully and kindly shared with her what the Lord had told me.

She surprised me by saying, "You know, that's true. He was very angry at his mom. Whenever she would leave, he would tell me that 'his skin crawled' whenever she touched him."

God's Word tells us that we are judged according to the way we judge others. It also tells us that we must forgive.

So, I want to propose to you a thought.  

I believe that this man's unforgiveness was the thing that stopped him from receiving the healing that God is always willing to give.  But I want to take it even further than that.  I believe that this anger and unforgiveness could have been the very 'root' of the cancer.  This anger could have been the sin that gave the cancer legal access to him.

Healing and salvation are synonymous. Did you know that the literal meaning of the name 'Jesus' is "He heals/He saves?"  

Some people are troubled by the story of Job.  But I am always comforted by it.  
Satan comes before God and has to receive permission before attacking Job. God follows His own legal system and there was a sin in Job's life that gave the enemy legal access to him.  We find that in Job 3:25, Job says, "For what I fear has come upon me, and what I dread befalls me."  Even though Job was a righteous man, He feared that he would lose it all.  And through that fear, he opened the door for the enemy.

Sin opens the door for the enemy.  But even more than that, unforgiveness and bitterness can literally make us sick.

I want to propose that if this is the cause for the illness that even as we forgive, we are healed. As we release our judgment on others, we stop the judgment on ourselves. As we walk in love, we open our hearts to receive the healing love of God.

I have been really surprised by some people's reaction to this thought.  Some people would rather choose to believe that it's not always God's will to heal than take some responsibility for their illness.  I have seen people become very offended over this thought.  But then I have to realize that it may be an offense that has caused their illness in the first place.

I want to be sure and say that this is NOT THE ONLY REASON for illness.  I want to be sure that I don't cause anyone to ever look at someone who is really sick and think, "They're really a sinner." Because there are other reasons for illness. One is the food we eat - or the food we don't eat - that greatly weakens our immune system.  

Another is the 'curse of the generations.'  The Word tells us 'that the sins of the father are visited on the next generations.'  

Scientists and doctors call this 'heredity.'  This is another subject, but the Blood of Christ has the power to break this curse. I believe that when we receive salvation, our DNA is changed.  I'll try to write more on this subject another day.

We each need to seek the Holy Spirit for the root of sickness.

We need to understand that anger and judgment and unforgiveness are sins and will destroy us.  God tells us never to let the sun go down on our anger.  Over the years, anger becomes bitterness and bitterness and love cannot co-habitate. 

Forgiveness is a choice we make.  God will do the rest.

love and blessings~

"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." Mark 11:25  



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Columns, Devotionals

The Power of Unforgiveness

*If you've not read my last post, "The Power of Forgiveness" please read that first.*

Several years ago I was part of a group that was praying for a gentleman who had cancer.  The power of God was very evident as we prayed for him and we were all very hopeful that this dear man would be healed.  The Lord had instructed his wife not to use any of the traditional medicines and she was obeying and feeding him with all organic, healthy food.  His doctor was also a believer in Christ and was monitoring his cancer and obeying the Lord.

So I was heart-broken when after praying for several months I received a call during the middle of the night that this dear man had gone home to be with Jesus. 

After we had celebrated his life and laid him to rest, I went to Lord one day and asked, "Why?"  "Why, God, when we had literally felt Your Presence, obeyed what You told us to do, and believed You so completely? Why, when I know it's always Your will to heal, why did this man not receive healing?"

And I heard one word from the Lord.  "Anger."  

I kept this to myself and just continued to give my heart to the Lord, thinking about what He had said. 

One day, a couple of months after this, the man's widow called me.  And in the course of our conversation, she asked me, "Do you know why he died?"  And I carefully and kindly shared with her what the Lord had told me.

She surprised me by saying, "You know, that's true. He was very angry at his mom. Whenever she would leave, he would tell me that 'his skin crawled' whenever she touched him."

God's Word tells us that we are judged according to the way we judge others. It also tells us that we must forgive.

So, I want to propose to you a thought.  

I believe that this man's unforgiveness was the thing that stopped him from receiving the healing that God is always willing to give.  But I want to take it even further than that.  I believe that this anger and unforgiveness could have been the very 'root' of the cancer.  This anger could have been the sin that gave the cancer legal access to him.

Healing and salvation are synonymous. Did you know that the literal meaning of the name 'Jesus' is "He heals/He saves?"  

Some people are troubled by the story of Job.  But I am always comforted by it.  
Satan comes before God and has to receive permission before attacking Job. God follows His own legal system and there was a sin in Job's life that gave the enemy legal access to him.  We find that in Job 3:25, Job says, "For what I fear has come upon me, and what I dread befalls me."  Even though Job was a righteous man, He feared that he would lose it all.  And through that fear, he opened the door for the enemy.

Sin opens the door for the enemy.  But even more than that, unforgiveness and bitterness can literally make us sick.

I want to propose that if this is the cause for the illness that even as we forgive, we are healed. As we release our judgment on others, we stop the judgment on ourselves. As we walk in love, we open our hearts to receive the healing love of God.

I have been really surprised by some people's reaction to this thought.  Some people would rather choose to believe that it's not always God's will to heal than take some responsibility for their illness.  I have seen people become very offended over this thought.  But then I have to realize that it may be an offense that has caused their illness in the first place.

I want to be sure and say that this is NOT THE ONLY REASON for illness.  I want to be sure that I don't cause anyone to ever look at someone who is really sick and think, "They're really a sinner." Because there are other reasons for illness. One is the food we eat - or the food we don't eat - that greatly weakens our immune system.  

Another is the 'curse of the generations.'  The Word tells us 'that the sins of the father are visited on the next generations.'  

Scientists and doctors call this 'heredity.'  This is another subject, but the Blood of Christ has the power to break this curse. I believe that when we receive salvation, our DNA is changed.  I'll try to write more on this subject another day.

We each need to seek the Holy Spirit for the root of sickness.

We need to understand that anger and judgment and unforgiveness are sins and will destroy us.  God tells us never to let the sun go down on our anger.  Over the years, anger becomes bitterness and bitterness and love cannot co-habitate. 

Forgiveness is a choice we make.  God will do the rest.

love and blessings~

"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." Mark 11:25  



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