Fervent Prayer Continued...
Whenever we encounter fervent or persistent prayer within the pages of scripture, we see that it was always for a specific purpose, and a well-defined goal. Whether discussing the woman pleading her cause with the unjust judge, or the persistent friend who needed three loaves of bread for another friend of his, the object of their requests was clear, distinct, and well defined.
A fervent prayer has to do with immediacy, it has to do with the cry of the heart that is birthed of passion, and longing, and zeal for the things of God.
One will never pray a fervent prayer in a monotone voice, no matter how reserved or even tempered they happen to be. When fervency is activated in the heart of an individual, and a fervent prayer is brought before God, the heart is poured out before Him, and as such one cannot remain indifferent or unaffected.
Fervent prayers also tend to be short. No, this is not doctrine, or a general rule, but something I’ve noticed over the years, as well as in studying the word of God. ‘Friend, lend me three loaves’ ‘Avenge me of my adversary’ short, concise, and passionate requests and petitions.
When we come before God with a fervent prayer, we already know what we need, we know why we need it, and we are direct in our petition.
You know it’s a real need, you know it is something vital in your life, when you come before God with directness and forthrightness and don’t act like a little child that wants some candy he already knows you will likely say no to.
The reality of human nature is that it approaches God with wants rather than needs most of the time. Couple the inherent predisposition of man to petition God for wants, with the echoing chorus of prosperity preachers everywhere singing the praises of avarice, greed, and hedonism, telling you Christ’s only reason for coming to earth, hanging on a cross and dying was so you might prosper and have everything you ever wanted, and you begin to see why the want supersedes the need in the hearts and minds of many today.
We need the power of God; we need the presence of the Holy Spirit; we need to live lives of sanctification and righteousness…but we want flashy cars; we want big mansions; we want no accountability, and we want an easy ride to the other side, where God is waiting to hand us the key to our new pad.
What is it you are asking God for in your prayers of fervency? Are you asking for the things of this earth, or the things of the kingdom of God? Are you seeking the things that are above, or are you still mesmerized by the worthless things of this temporal existence?
Not only must we learn how to pray, but also what we ought to pray for.
The individual who has learned the art of what it is he ought to pray for has discovered true joy, true peace, and true happiness in life.
Countless souls today pray for things that they could still not enjoy even if they did receive them from the hand of God. Blind men don’t pray for new cars…blind men pray for sight first and foremost. Deaf men don’t pray for tickets to the symphony…they pray to receive their hearing first and foremost.
Before he can pray for the ability to be a great orator, a mute man must first pray for the ability to speak. We put the cart before the horse more often than we would like to admit, not realizing that even if God did answer our selfish prayer, it would only serve to embitter us because we would not enjoy that which we received, as we thought we would.
As Jesus departed Jericho with a great multitude in tow, two blind men sat by the side of the road, and upon hearing that Jesus was passing by, began to cry out saying, ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!’
The people of Christ’s day being no more empathetic than the people of our day began to warn the two blind men to be quiet, but rather than heed the warnings of the crowd the blind men cried out all the more, saying, ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!’
Matthew 20:32-34, “So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, that our eyes may be opened.’ So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.”
‘What do you want me to do for you?’ This is the question Jesus asked the two blind men who were crying out for Him. Jesus didn’t quantify His question; He didn’t say, ‘make sure you don’t ask for too much,’ so technically speaking, these two blind men could have asked for anything.
‘We want a new boat, and new nets, and a nice house with a veranda facing the sea, and an upper room that lets in the morning breeze…some shekels would be nice, and throw in a camel or two while you’re at it.’
This would have likely been the prayer of many a believer today, but these two blind men knew what their most vital, paramount, and immediate need was, and the only thing they fervently and passionately desired of Christ was that He meet this one need for them.
All they wanted was for their eyes to be opened, for they were blind, and having stuff, and possessions, and homes and boats would not have done them an ounce of good.
They were blind, and what they required was sight. Because their request was fervent, because they would not be silenced by the crowd, Jesus had compassion, touched their eyes and both men received their sight and followed Him.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 92
Fervent Prayers continued...
Luke 18:1, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.”
Too often, many within the household of faith interpret fervent prayer to be some sort of marathon prayer session, wherein you don’t get off your knees for five hours at a time, or spend an entire night, from dusk until dawn just praying, and nothing else.
Although we ought to pray always, and there is no such thing as too much prayer, the notion that fervent prayer is in fact these marathon prayer sessions, is unscriptural, and false on its face. The fervency of a prayer has nothing to do with the length of a prayer. Just as one can speak hours on end without really saying anything, one can readily pray hours on end without ever exhibiting fervency in their words or actions.
Fervency, and possessing a dynamic and fervent prayer life has more to do with the heart of an individual rather than the words of an individual…more to do with the hope of an individual rather than his need.
I’ve heard enough prayers throughout my life to know the source of one’s prayer within a very short span of time. I can tell whether the prayer is sincere or pharisaical, whether it is the pouring out of one’s heart to God, or one’s attempt to impress those within his hearing by his words, and I can also tell if a prayer possesses fervency, or is done more as a symbolic gesture than something true and vital.
Jesus spoke a parable to those who listened to Him, that they might understand the imperative and necessity of prayer in their lives.
For far too many believers today prayer has become an option, and not even an attractive one at that. Because the true beauty of prayer is never spoken of within the church, because the need for prayer isn’t constantly and consistently hammered home in sermons and teachings, prayer is seen as a waste of time, something we practice not out of need, or paramount necessity, but out of habit and tradition.
True believers feel the need to pray. If they’ve gone without praying for a day, they feel that something is off in their spirit, they feel that they are no longer in harmony with God, and return to prayer as soon as they are able.
Nobody has to tell a true believer they must pray, nor can they stop a true believer from praying. Circumstances do not dictate whether we pray on a certain day or not. Busy schedules, appointments, errands, or anything else that fills our day ought not to infringe upon the time we have set aside to spend in the presence of God, speaking with Him and communing with Him.
If circumstances dictated our prayers, than Daniel would have kept silent when he discovered he was being watched and scrutinized, but his need to commune and fellowship with God was overriding even when it came to his sense of self preservation.
Daniel knew he had enemies. He knew they were planning his destruction…why not lay low for a few days, or a week? Why not stop praying until the danger passed, and those who were looking for a reason to have him arrested went on to find something more exciting to do?
Daniel could no more put off prayer for a week, than he could put off breathing for a week. That is something many believers here in the West can’t seem to understand, or wrap their minds around.
How could prayer be such a fundamental need in one’s life that they couldn’t manage to put it off for a few days? How could prayer mean so much to one such as Daniel, that he risked not only his freedom but his life in order to fellowship with God?
It is only when we understand the beauty, the power, the fellowship, and intimacy we have in prayer, that we understand what Daniel did, and not only will we not fault him for refusing to delay his prayer time, we will understand him on a very fundamental level.
The individual that does not pray, cannot thrive or grow spiritually…It’s that simple.
I don’t care how many gospel artists you listen to, I don’t care how many autographed posters of televangelists you have on your wall, I don’t care how many blogs you read, I don’t care how many Bible verses are stenciled around your home…if you don’t pray consistently, and fervently, spiritual death is only a matter of time.
‘But how could you make such a sweeping claim brother Mike?’
Because it is the truth, and the word of God bears it out. Jesus spoke a parable that men always ought to pray, not because they had nothing better to do, not because they didn’t have jobs, and bills, and children and spouses, but because prayer is a necessary and integral part of every believer’s life, and just as your physical body cannot survive without oxygen for an extended period of time, your spiritual man cannot survive an extended period of time without prayer.
In his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul wrote to them and admonished them to pray without ceasing, proceeded by the admonishment to rejoice always, and followed by the admonishment to give thanks in everything; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
When Paul admonishes the church at Thessalonica, and by association us to pray without ceasing, he is not suggesting that we spend the rest of our lives on our knees, looking upward, repeating the same phrases over and over again. What Paul is intimating by his use of this phrase, is that we ought to always pray in the Spirit, and we ought to always possess an awareness of our spiritual man, making sure that he is in constant and perpetual communion with God.
Pray always, pray with fervency, pray with passion, and do not lose heart, for He who sees all and hears all, sees and hears your prayers too.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Luke 18:1, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.”
Too often, many within the household of faith interpret fervent prayer to be some sort of marathon prayer session, wherein you don’t get off your knees for five hours at a time, or spend an entire night, from dusk until dawn just praying, and nothing else.
Although we ought to pray always, and there is no such thing as too much prayer, the notion that fervent prayer is in fact these marathon prayer sessions, is unscriptural, and false on its face. The fervency of a prayer has nothing to do with the length of a prayer. Just as one can speak hours on end without really saying anything, one can readily pray hours on end without ever exhibiting fervency in their words or actions.
Fervency, and possessing a dynamic and fervent prayer life has more to do with the heart of an individual rather than the words of an individual…more to do with the hope of an individual rather than his need.
I’ve heard enough prayers throughout my life to know the source of one’s prayer within a very short span of time. I can tell whether the prayer is sincere or pharisaical, whether it is the pouring out of one’s heart to God, or one’s attempt to impress those within his hearing by his words, and I can also tell if a prayer possesses fervency, or is done more as a symbolic gesture than something true and vital.
Jesus spoke a parable to those who listened to Him, that they might understand the imperative and necessity of prayer in their lives.
For far too many believers today prayer has become an option, and not even an attractive one at that. Because the true beauty of prayer is never spoken of within the church, because the need for prayer isn’t constantly and consistently hammered home in sermons and teachings, prayer is seen as a waste of time, something we practice not out of need, or paramount necessity, but out of habit and tradition.
True believers feel the need to pray. If they’ve gone without praying for a day, they feel that something is off in their spirit, they feel that they are no longer in harmony with God, and return to prayer as soon as they are able.
Nobody has to tell a true believer they must pray, nor can they stop a true believer from praying. Circumstances do not dictate whether we pray on a certain day or not. Busy schedules, appointments, errands, or anything else that fills our day ought not to infringe upon the time we have set aside to spend in the presence of God, speaking with Him and communing with Him.
If circumstances dictated our prayers, than Daniel would have kept silent when he discovered he was being watched and scrutinized, but his need to commune and fellowship with God was overriding even when it came to his sense of self preservation.
Daniel knew he had enemies. He knew they were planning his destruction…why not lay low for a few days, or a week? Why not stop praying until the danger passed, and those who were looking for a reason to have him arrested went on to find something more exciting to do?
Daniel could no more put off prayer for a week, than he could put off breathing for a week. That is something many believers here in the West can’t seem to understand, or wrap their minds around.
How could prayer be such a fundamental need in one’s life that they couldn’t manage to put it off for a few days? How could prayer mean so much to one such as Daniel, that he risked not only his freedom but his life in order to fellowship with God?
It is only when we understand the beauty, the power, the fellowship, and intimacy we have in prayer, that we understand what Daniel did, and not only will we not fault him for refusing to delay his prayer time, we will understand him on a very fundamental level.
The individual that does not pray, cannot thrive or grow spiritually…It’s that simple.
I don’t care how many gospel artists you listen to, I don’t care how many autographed posters of televangelists you have on your wall, I don’t care how many blogs you read, I don’t care how many Bible verses are stenciled around your home…if you don’t pray consistently, and fervently, spiritual death is only a matter of time.
‘But how could you make such a sweeping claim brother Mike?’
Because it is the truth, and the word of God bears it out. Jesus spoke a parable that men always ought to pray, not because they had nothing better to do, not because they didn’t have jobs, and bills, and children and spouses, but because prayer is a necessary and integral part of every believer’s life, and just as your physical body cannot survive without oxygen for an extended period of time, your spiritual man cannot survive an extended period of time without prayer.
In his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul wrote to them and admonished them to pray without ceasing, proceeded by the admonishment to rejoice always, and followed by the admonishment to give thanks in everything; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
When Paul admonishes the church at Thessalonica, and by association us to pray without ceasing, he is not suggesting that we spend the rest of our lives on our knees, looking upward, repeating the same phrases over and over again. What Paul is intimating by his use of this phrase, is that we ought to always pray in the Spirit, and we ought to always possess an awareness of our spiritual man, making sure that he is in constant and perpetual communion with God.
Pray always, pray with fervency, pray with passion, and do not lose heart, for He who sees all and hears all, sees and hears your prayers too.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 91
Fervent Prayer
There is something to be said for passion. There is something to be said for approaching God with urgency and fervency, with zeal and intensity, continuing to come before Him with undiminished enthusiasm until He answers our prayers.
If you’ve been a believer for longer than a moon’s turn, then you already know one of the constant battles we must wage with ourselves is keeping the fires of our first love burning, and being passionate when we come before God in prayer.
Few things are more troublesome to see in today’s modern church than passionless prayers absent of fervency or zeal. Prayer has become just another custom, just another tradition, something we practice because we feel we have to, with all the enthusiasm we would show if we were, per chance, watching paint dry.
If by some miracle a prayer goes on longer than two minutes, the squirming begins, the number of those fidgeting in their seats and checking their wristwatches growing exponentially every fifteen seconds or so.
Because most believers today do not have a full and right understanding of what prayer is and what it can do in their lives, they see it as just another chore, and just another burdensome duty, like going to church, or reading one’s Bible.
With the full realization that the preceding might seem insensitive, brutish, and even hurtful to some, it is nevertheless truth, and if anyone can prove me wrong and show that much of the church today isn’t an amalgam of lukewarm, sycophantic idol worshippers who prize the self above a relationship with Christ, then I will retract my statement, and even apologize.
We can call it a mammal, an oversized life form, and even a non-human entity, but eventually even the most unwilling of souls must acquiesce, and call an elephant what it is.
What we call the Church today really isn’t, because the true Church, the true Body of Christ, the true people of the Way serve Jesus, worship Jesus and obey Jesus. True believers are not enamored with other individuals; they do not raise other men up to the point that they become surrogates for the One true Christ, believing these men over Jesus Himself. True believers take the time to study the word of God, to search the word of God, and compare everything they hear to the aforementioned word before they receive it as doctrine, and allow it to take root in their hearts.
Until we stop ignoring the central issue, until we identify the cancer and uproot it from the midst of the household of faith, we will wander about as if dazed, seeking spiritual succor and nourishment anywhere else but in Christ.
Why people would choose to follow other people rather than Christ Himself is simple: Jesus requires self-sacrifice, self-denial, and self-renunciation; other people don’t. Other people are content with your love gift, and if you contribute enough to their vision, your spiritual wellbeing is irrelevant, and immaterial to them.
As long as you pony up, whether you read the Bible, pray, grow, or live a righteous life is not an issue to those whose only reason for handling the word of God is gain. Because their singular purpose is to part you from your hard earned money, they have no qualms about telling you what you want to hear, running the gamut from insisting that your faith will never be tested, to promising you that a mansion and a beach house are just around the corner if you send in enough faith seed, to twisting scripture to the point that repentance isn’t even necessary anymore for entering the Kingdom of God.
There is no denying that new doctrines and new teachers of heretical falsehoods have been sprouting up like mushrooms after a spring rain as of late, and if we hope to remain strong in the Lord and the power of His might, if we hope to remain steadfast in truth, then we must be in the presence of God as never before.
We must be deeply rooted in the word of God, now more than ever, and prayer must be a constant companion, an extension of oneself, that we might walk in the light of truth, and possess the authority rightly ours as sons and daughters of the Most High God.
We have learned the importance of distinguishing our prayers and knowing which prayers we are praying to God, we have learned the importance of praying in Jesus’ name, of praying in faith, and praying with expectancy, and today we begin to learn the importance of fervent prayer, or praying fervently.
Before we begin our discussion, I would stipulate that fervent prayer is not reserved only for when we have a pressing issue looming over our lives, nor is it reserved only for when we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place.
Sadly, it seems the only time we approach God with passion, with fervor, with fire, with urgency and with zeal is when we really need something from Him, and need it sooner rather than later.
Why does it usually take a catastrophe or a tragedy to cause us to approach God fervently? Why does it usually take a situation we can’t see ourselves out of before we come before God with urgency and zeal?
Ought we not to desire God and the kingdom of God in perpetuity? Ought we not to seek after the things of the kingdom of God with intensity every day of our lives?
These are questions to which you already know the answer, and each one must search their own heart in order to discover the answer that lies therein.
One thing is beyond doubt however, few today still approach prayer fervently, reverently, and passionately, and it is to our own detriment that we lack these all important qualities in our prayer life.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
There is something to be said for passion. There is something to be said for approaching God with urgency and fervency, with zeal and intensity, continuing to come before Him with undiminished enthusiasm until He answers our prayers.
If you’ve been a believer for longer than a moon’s turn, then you already know one of the constant battles we must wage with ourselves is keeping the fires of our first love burning, and being passionate when we come before God in prayer.
Few things are more troublesome to see in today’s modern church than passionless prayers absent of fervency or zeal. Prayer has become just another custom, just another tradition, something we practice because we feel we have to, with all the enthusiasm we would show if we were, per chance, watching paint dry.
If by some miracle a prayer goes on longer than two minutes, the squirming begins, the number of those fidgeting in their seats and checking their wristwatches growing exponentially every fifteen seconds or so.
Because most believers today do not have a full and right understanding of what prayer is and what it can do in their lives, they see it as just another chore, and just another burdensome duty, like going to church, or reading one’s Bible.
With the full realization that the preceding might seem insensitive, brutish, and even hurtful to some, it is nevertheless truth, and if anyone can prove me wrong and show that much of the church today isn’t an amalgam of lukewarm, sycophantic idol worshippers who prize the self above a relationship with Christ, then I will retract my statement, and even apologize.
We can call it a mammal, an oversized life form, and even a non-human entity, but eventually even the most unwilling of souls must acquiesce, and call an elephant what it is.
What we call the Church today really isn’t, because the true Church, the true Body of Christ, the true people of the Way serve Jesus, worship Jesus and obey Jesus. True believers are not enamored with other individuals; they do not raise other men up to the point that they become surrogates for the One true Christ, believing these men over Jesus Himself. True believers take the time to study the word of God, to search the word of God, and compare everything they hear to the aforementioned word before they receive it as doctrine, and allow it to take root in their hearts.
Until we stop ignoring the central issue, until we identify the cancer and uproot it from the midst of the household of faith, we will wander about as if dazed, seeking spiritual succor and nourishment anywhere else but in Christ.
Why people would choose to follow other people rather than Christ Himself is simple: Jesus requires self-sacrifice, self-denial, and self-renunciation; other people don’t. Other people are content with your love gift, and if you contribute enough to their vision, your spiritual wellbeing is irrelevant, and immaterial to them.
As long as you pony up, whether you read the Bible, pray, grow, or live a righteous life is not an issue to those whose only reason for handling the word of God is gain. Because their singular purpose is to part you from your hard earned money, they have no qualms about telling you what you want to hear, running the gamut from insisting that your faith will never be tested, to promising you that a mansion and a beach house are just around the corner if you send in enough faith seed, to twisting scripture to the point that repentance isn’t even necessary anymore for entering the Kingdom of God.
There is no denying that new doctrines and new teachers of heretical falsehoods have been sprouting up like mushrooms after a spring rain as of late, and if we hope to remain strong in the Lord and the power of His might, if we hope to remain steadfast in truth, then we must be in the presence of God as never before.
We must be deeply rooted in the word of God, now more than ever, and prayer must be a constant companion, an extension of oneself, that we might walk in the light of truth, and possess the authority rightly ours as sons and daughters of the Most High God.
We have learned the importance of distinguishing our prayers and knowing which prayers we are praying to God, we have learned the importance of praying in Jesus’ name, of praying in faith, and praying with expectancy, and today we begin to learn the importance of fervent prayer, or praying fervently.
Before we begin our discussion, I would stipulate that fervent prayer is not reserved only for when we have a pressing issue looming over our lives, nor is it reserved only for when we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place.
Sadly, it seems the only time we approach God with passion, with fervor, with fire, with urgency and with zeal is when we really need something from Him, and need it sooner rather than later.
Why does it usually take a catastrophe or a tragedy to cause us to approach God fervently? Why does it usually take a situation we can’t see ourselves out of before we come before God with urgency and zeal?
Ought we not to desire God and the kingdom of God in perpetuity? Ought we not to seek after the things of the kingdom of God with intensity every day of our lives?
These are questions to which you already know the answer, and each one must search their own heart in order to discover the answer that lies therein.
One thing is beyond doubt however, few today still approach prayer fervently, reverently, and passionately, and it is to our own detriment that we lack these all important qualities in our prayer life.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 90
Answered Prayers continued...
If I trust God, I must do so completely, and not halfheartedly. One of the worst things we can do as believers, whenever it comes to trusting God, is to do so with timidity, uncertainty, or only partially.
The difference between trusting God partially and trusting Him completely is like the difference between dipping your foot in a lake to test the temperature of the water, and cannonballing into it. When you just dip your foot and the temperature doesn’t seem right, you can always pull it back, but when you jump in, you’re committed, and there’s no turning back. Yes, the water might be cold at first, but you’re already in, and all you can do is breathe in, breathe out, and wait for your body temperature to acclimate to the colder water.
When we trust God fully, even if at first His will for our lives seems a bit difficult to bear, we’ve already made the commitment, we’ve already free-fallen into His arms, and there is no turning back from it.
Colossians 4:12, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”
Not to take anything away from Epaphras – for I am certain he was a good brother and an interesting man – but what I am more preoccupied with is the content of his prayers, as outlined by Paul.
Epaphras’s prayers for the brethren consisted of fervently petitioning God that they might stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
Stand perfect and complete in all the will of God!
Be steadfast in all the will of God, be tethered in it, because His will does not change with the seasons, it does not vary as the wills of men are wont to do, and when you stand in all the will of God, you are certain of permanence and stability.
Men, who assumed that God’s will would somehow change if they waited Him out long enough, eventually came to the understanding that His will is as steadfast as God Himself.
God had already made His will known to Balaam the son of Zippor, He had already told him not to curse the people for they were blessed, yet rather than end the conversation there, Balaam entreated the messengers of the king to spend the night, that he might know what more the Lord would say to him.
Numbers 22:19, “Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.”
God had already said what He had to say, but Balaam figured he could whittle God’s resolve down if he came before Him often enough, asking for the same thing when God had already given His answer.
We know the story of Balaam, and what transpired as the back and forth between he and God continued. We know what became of the prophet of God…we know that a donkey rebuked him as he went to curse the people God told him not to curse, all because he couldn’t take no for an answer from God.
The will of God is not a mystery to anyone who has even a rudimentary knowledge of the Scriptures. If you are a believer, if you are a Christian, and still claim that you are ignorant of the will of God, I would submit that it is a willful ignorance you are entertaining and not one caused by lack of instruction or clarity in the word of God.
We know God wills that we be sanctified. We know God wills that we walk the narrow path of faith. We know God wills that we pursue righteousness. We know God wills that we be thankful in all things. We know all these things because they are in His word. They are clearly outlined within the pages of Scripture, and when we stand before Him on that day of days pleading ignorance of His will, will not suffice as an acceptable justification.
Granted there are some things we just don’t understand, there is what some refer to as the secret or mysterious will of God, but by and large, we are able to know His will for us as individuals, and have enough guidelines in place wherein we will never wonder what His will is.
Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
There are moments, circumstances, and events in every individual’s life which we do not understand, which are beyond our ability to reason out. I have gone through such moments, as I am certain you have, wherein the only thing you can do is look up, and ask aloud ‘Lord why? Why did You allow this to happen?’
We ask it instinctively, although chances are we will never receive an answer to the ever illusive why, because the secret things belong to the Lord, and even if He explained it we wouldn’t quite understand it, because the human mind cannot grasp the complexity that is the fullness of the plan, the mind, and the will of God.
John 13:7, “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘what I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.’”
Sometimes such an answer must suffice, such an answer must be enough, wherein God softly speaks and says, ‘what I am doing you do not understand now, but the time will come when you will.’
From Abraham, to Joseph, to Job, to Mary the mother of Jesus and many others in between, there are countless examples of individuals who learned what it was to trust God implicitly, and surrender their will to the will of God even though they did not fully understand that which God was asking of them. All they knew was that God was good, and because God was good obedience to His will would inevitably have a good outcome for them on a personal level.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
If I trust God, I must do so completely, and not halfheartedly. One of the worst things we can do as believers, whenever it comes to trusting God, is to do so with timidity, uncertainty, or only partially.
The difference between trusting God partially and trusting Him completely is like the difference between dipping your foot in a lake to test the temperature of the water, and cannonballing into it. When you just dip your foot and the temperature doesn’t seem right, you can always pull it back, but when you jump in, you’re committed, and there’s no turning back. Yes, the water might be cold at first, but you’re already in, and all you can do is breathe in, breathe out, and wait for your body temperature to acclimate to the colder water.
When we trust God fully, even if at first His will for our lives seems a bit difficult to bear, we’ve already made the commitment, we’ve already free-fallen into His arms, and there is no turning back from it.
Colossians 4:12, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”
Not to take anything away from Epaphras – for I am certain he was a good brother and an interesting man – but what I am more preoccupied with is the content of his prayers, as outlined by Paul.
Epaphras’s prayers for the brethren consisted of fervently petitioning God that they might stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
Stand perfect and complete in all the will of God!
Be steadfast in all the will of God, be tethered in it, because His will does not change with the seasons, it does not vary as the wills of men are wont to do, and when you stand in all the will of God, you are certain of permanence and stability.
Men, who assumed that God’s will would somehow change if they waited Him out long enough, eventually came to the understanding that His will is as steadfast as God Himself.
God had already made His will known to Balaam the son of Zippor, He had already told him not to curse the people for they were blessed, yet rather than end the conversation there, Balaam entreated the messengers of the king to spend the night, that he might know what more the Lord would say to him.
Numbers 22:19, “Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.”
God had already said what He had to say, but Balaam figured he could whittle God’s resolve down if he came before Him often enough, asking for the same thing when God had already given His answer.
We know the story of Balaam, and what transpired as the back and forth between he and God continued. We know what became of the prophet of God…we know that a donkey rebuked him as he went to curse the people God told him not to curse, all because he couldn’t take no for an answer from God.
The will of God is not a mystery to anyone who has even a rudimentary knowledge of the Scriptures. If you are a believer, if you are a Christian, and still claim that you are ignorant of the will of God, I would submit that it is a willful ignorance you are entertaining and not one caused by lack of instruction or clarity in the word of God.
We know God wills that we be sanctified. We know God wills that we walk the narrow path of faith. We know God wills that we pursue righteousness. We know God wills that we be thankful in all things. We know all these things because they are in His word. They are clearly outlined within the pages of Scripture, and when we stand before Him on that day of days pleading ignorance of His will, will not suffice as an acceptable justification.
Granted there are some things we just don’t understand, there is what some refer to as the secret or mysterious will of God, but by and large, we are able to know His will for us as individuals, and have enough guidelines in place wherein we will never wonder what His will is.
Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
There are moments, circumstances, and events in every individual’s life which we do not understand, which are beyond our ability to reason out. I have gone through such moments, as I am certain you have, wherein the only thing you can do is look up, and ask aloud ‘Lord why? Why did You allow this to happen?’
We ask it instinctively, although chances are we will never receive an answer to the ever illusive why, because the secret things belong to the Lord, and even if He explained it we wouldn’t quite understand it, because the human mind cannot grasp the complexity that is the fullness of the plan, the mind, and the will of God.
John 13:7, “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘what I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.’”
Sometimes such an answer must suffice, such an answer must be enough, wherein God softly speaks and says, ‘what I am doing you do not understand now, but the time will come when you will.’
From Abraham, to Joseph, to Job, to Mary the mother of Jesus and many others in between, there are countless examples of individuals who learned what it was to trust God implicitly, and surrender their will to the will of God even though they did not fully understand that which God was asking of them. All they knew was that God was good, and because God was good obedience to His will would inevitably have a good outcome for them on a personal level.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Freeform Friday Week 2
Make of this what you will. Sometimes parables speak louder than words.
An old man stared back at the soldier as he passed by a mirror, and he stopped humming. It was an old song he hummed, one his forefathers sang, and he particularly liked the chorus which said, ‘there is no glory here, only pain and only tears, only blood and only fear, there is no glory here.’
He didn’t know why he liked the song so much; perhaps because it rang true, but before he could think about it any further, he was drawn back to the face which stared at him.
If not for the eyes, he would not have recognized the haggard, graying man staring at him. Why was he so sorrowful? The soldier wondered. Why did weariness seem to define him, and why did the man in the mirror remind him so much of himself?
The soldier sighed, and went about the task of removing his armor, no longer surprised to see as many arrows and knives sticking out of its back as stuck out of its front. It had sparkled once, this armor of his, back when he was young and new to the ways of war.
He’d been excited when first he was called to serve, he’d heard the stories like other young men of his age, of victories, and epic battles, and valiant warriors who though outnumbered fought until there was no enemy left to fight.
He even used to notch his sword once upon a time, reveling in counting the number of enemies he’d felled on a given day, but with age came wisdom, and wisdom dictated that there would always be another battle, another skirmish, another enemy, until there wouldn’t, and in that moment none of the things he saw as badges of honor would matter much anymore.
The battle had intensified of late, the enemy had breached the walls of the citadel, and now it was no longer a battle of bows and arrows and spears – it was a battle of sword and knife, and fists and boot heels. Hand to hand, man to man, doing all you could just to hold your ground, and if need be go down swinging to protect those you were sworn to defend.
Each day seemed harder than the last, and each day fewer men showed up on the battlefield, and more showed up on the sidelines. Perhaps guilt over their cowardice drove them, or just something as banal as boredom, but most on the sidelines called out to those on the battlefield shouting advice, or orders... ‘advance, advance, lunge, parry, faster, quicker, bring your shield up, keep your head down.’
Thankfully there were still those few scattered among the throngs of spectators who brought out a cup of water, or bandaged a wound when the battle waned for a breath, those who saw the battle for what it was, and not a romanticized version of what they imagined it to be.
Why couldn’t they see, that if not for the duty and the calling, if not for the hope of future glory, every soldier on the battlefield would have thrust his sword into the earth, laid his shield beside it, and walked away long ago?
Some who still took to the battlefield each day knew each other only by reputation, while others among them had formed bonds of friendship. To the last, they were men of valor, bound by the calling, and compelled to duty by Him who called them to the task at hand.
Thinking of what was, and dreading what is to come, the soldier closed his eyes hoping for a few hours of restless sleep.
Blinking the sun out of his eyes, and gritting his teeth against the pain, the soldier stirred from his slumber. He went about his task with practiced efficiency, an efficiency that can only come about by endless repetition.
He lashed on his armor, every worn strap and cinch sliding into place as though driven home by an otherworldly force, took up his sword, and shield and proceeded to the battlefield once more.
Perhaps this is the day, he thought, swinging his sword as if for the last time, perhaps this is the day I hear ‘well done, good and faithful servant.’ And it will have all been worthwhile.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
An old man stared back at the soldier as he passed by a mirror, and he stopped humming. It was an old song he hummed, one his forefathers sang, and he particularly liked the chorus which said, ‘there is no glory here, only pain and only tears, only blood and only fear, there is no glory here.’
He didn’t know why he liked the song so much; perhaps because it rang true, but before he could think about it any further, he was drawn back to the face which stared at him.
If not for the eyes, he would not have recognized the haggard, graying man staring at him. Why was he so sorrowful? The soldier wondered. Why did weariness seem to define him, and why did the man in the mirror remind him so much of himself?
The soldier sighed, and went about the task of removing his armor, no longer surprised to see as many arrows and knives sticking out of its back as stuck out of its front. It had sparkled once, this armor of his, back when he was young and new to the ways of war.
He’d been excited when first he was called to serve, he’d heard the stories like other young men of his age, of victories, and epic battles, and valiant warriors who though outnumbered fought until there was no enemy left to fight.
He even used to notch his sword once upon a time, reveling in counting the number of enemies he’d felled on a given day, but with age came wisdom, and wisdom dictated that there would always be another battle, another skirmish, another enemy, until there wouldn’t, and in that moment none of the things he saw as badges of honor would matter much anymore.
The battle had intensified of late, the enemy had breached the walls of the citadel, and now it was no longer a battle of bows and arrows and spears – it was a battle of sword and knife, and fists and boot heels. Hand to hand, man to man, doing all you could just to hold your ground, and if need be go down swinging to protect those you were sworn to defend.
Each day seemed harder than the last, and each day fewer men showed up on the battlefield, and more showed up on the sidelines. Perhaps guilt over their cowardice drove them, or just something as banal as boredom, but most on the sidelines called out to those on the battlefield shouting advice, or orders... ‘advance, advance, lunge, parry, faster, quicker, bring your shield up, keep your head down.’
Thankfully there were still those few scattered among the throngs of spectators who brought out a cup of water, or bandaged a wound when the battle waned for a breath, those who saw the battle for what it was, and not a romanticized version of what they imagined it to be.
Why couldn’t they see, that if not for the duty and the calling, if not for the hope of future glory, every soldier on the battlefield would have thrust his sword into the earth, laid his shield beside it, and walked away long ago?
Some who still took to the battlefield each day knew each other only by reputation, while others among them had formed bonds of friendship. To the last, they were men of valor, bound by the calling, and compelled to duty by Him who called them to the task at hand.
Thinking of what was, and dreading what is to come, the soldier closed his eyes hoping for a few hours of restless sleep.
Blinking the sun out of his eyes, and gritting his teeth against the pain, the soldier stirred from his slumber. He went about his task with practiced efficiency, an efficiency that can only come about by endless repetition.
He lashed on his armor, every worn strap and cinch sliding into place as though driven home by an otherworldly force, took up his sword, and shield and proceeded to the battlefield once more.
Perhaps this is the day, he thought, swinging his sword as if for the last time, perhaps this is the day I hear ‘well done, good and faithful servant.’ And it will have all been worthwhile.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Final Stretch
One week to go. In fact, six days. Excitement is building, and only someone who's been absent from the one they love for any length of time understands this.
Friday we start loading a container that will be in Romania sometime in July, and Sunday I will be holding my last talk in America for what will be at least four months.
Sunday June 10, 2012 10:15 AM
Lighthouse Assembly of God
762 West Clifton St
Tomah WI 54660
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Friday we start loading a container that will be in Romania sometime in July, and Sunday I will be holding my last talk in America for what will be at least four months.
Sunday June 10, 2012 10:15 AM
Lighthouse Assembly of God
762 West Clifton St
Tomah WI 54660
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 89
Answered Prayers continued...
It’s one thing to say ‘if the Lord wills’, it is quite another to acquiesce, submit, and even capitulate to the will of God. Once again, the need to yield and surrender to God’s will is in direct opposition to man’s need to feel in control and superior. These two concepts and trains of thought butt heads with disturbing frequency, and unfortunately much of the time human will wins out by justifying its absence of trust and lack of faith in the will of God.
As we continue to grow and mature our spiritual man, as we see God proving Himself time and again in our daily lives, we begin to submit and yield to His will with greater regularity than we formerly would have, because one cannot deny what they are seeing with their eyes.
As the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding, and when we begin to acknowledge the consistency with which God’s will turns out to be a better way than what our will would have been, we have no choice but to surrender to His omniscience and omnipotence.
Since I have seen the following scenario played out a time or two, I would be remiss if I did not also draw your attention to man’s ongoing attempt to manipulate the will of God once they’ve acknowledged it and even submitted to it.
Once you have submitted and yielded yourself to the will of God, do not let your flesh rise up and attempt to manipulate it.
What I mean by this, is if I truly submit to the will of God, then I will not attempt to change the circumstance I currently find myself in, on my own. If I’ve truly acquiesced to God’s will, I will not do everything in my power to change my current predicament and once I’ve failed, come before God hoping He will remedy that which I myself have muddled up to a greater extent than it otherwise would have been.
That is not acquiescence, that is not submission, and that is not capitulation. What it is, is finding oneself between a rock and a hard place, seeing no way out of the predicament you’ve inserted yourself in, and crying out for help to whomever will hear, preferably someone with enough power and clout to do something about it.
No, my intention is not to hurt someone’s feelings, it is not to make you feel bad about yourself, but I love you enough to tell you the truth even though it might sting a little.
As an old preacher was fond of saying whenever he’d talk to his congregation about true obedience, true submission, and true surrender of the heart, ‘don’t call it what it isn’t ‘cause the only one you’re fooling is yourself.’
Although there are many versions of the following story floating about at least in my neck of the woods, the takeaway message is pretty much identical each and every time.
In a nondescript town, on a given continent, there was a young man who desired to marry. This young man had had his eye on two particular girls around his age, both wholesome, and from ‘good stock’ as the old timers like to say. Coincidentally, both of the young ladies lived on the same street, one on the right side of the street, and one on the left side of the street.
The young man continued to be torn between the two, and finally he knelt by his bed one night and prayed, ‘God, tomorrow I’m going to ride my horse down the street these two girls live on, and as a sign from You, if my horse turns its head to the right, I will marry the girl who lives on the right side of the street, and if my horse turns its head to the left, I will marry the girl who lives on the left side of the street.’
True to his word, the young man wakes up the next morning, saddles his horse, and starts to ride down the middle of the street on which his potential wives lived on. The horse trotted placidly, looking neither to the left nor to the right, and after a few minutes, growing more and more alarmed that the horse had not turned its head, the young man grips the reigns and tugs them to the left.
Instinctively, the horse turned its head to the left, and with a smile upon his face the young man said, ‘thank you Lord for answering my prayer.’
This is what I mean by trying to manipulate the will of God. It could have been that the horse would have eventually turned its head to the right, or that neither of the girls this young man had in mind were to be his wife – and so the horse would have just kept trotting, keeping its head straight and unmoving – but he grew too impatient, and took it upon himself to ‘make the will of God happen.’
In his heart of hearts, this young man never truly trusted God, nor had he ever truly submitted to the will of God. Perhaps he prayed the prayer to soothe his conscience, or make himself feel better about choosing between the two girls, but if he had truly trusted the will of God for his life, he would have kept his hands off the reigns, and acquiesced to whatever the horse did – whether it ended up looking to the left, to the right, or continued on, straight ahead.
God doesn’t need my help to accomplish His will, nor does He appreciate my would-be attempt to manipulate it. All God demands is that I submit, that I surrender my heart in its entirety, and trust that His will is the best possible outcome for my life.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
It’s one thing to say ‘if the Lord wills’, it is quite another to acquiesce, submit, and even capitulate to the will of God. Once again, the need to yield and surrender to God’s will is in direct opposition to man’s need to feel in control and superior. These two concepts and trains of thought butt heads with disturbing frequency, and unfortunately much of the time human will wins out by justifying its absence of trust and lack of faith in the will of God.
As we continue to grow and mature our spiritual man, as we see God proving Himself time and again in our daily lives, we begin to submit and yield to His will with greater regularity than we formerly would have, because one cannot deny what they are seeing with their eyes.
As the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding, and when we begin to acknowledge the consistency with which God’s will turns out to be a better way than what our will would have been, we have no choice but to surrender to His omniscience and omnipotence.
Since I have seen the following scenario played out a time or two, I would be remiss if I did not also draw your attention to man’s ongoing attempt to manipulate the will of God once they’ve acknowledged it and even submitted to it.
Once you have submitted and yielded yourself to the will of God, do not let your flesh rise up and attempt to manipulate it.
What I mean by this, is if I truly submit to the will of God, then I will not attempt to change the circumstance I currently find myself in, on my own. If I’ve truly acquiesced to God’s will, I will not do everything in my power to change my current predicament and once I’ve failed, come before God hoping He will remedy that which I myself have muddled up to a greater extent than it otherwise would have been.
That is not acquiescence, that is not submission, and that is not capitulation. What it is, is finding oneself between a rock and a hard place, seeing no way out of the predicament you’ve inserted yourself in, and crying out for help to whomever will hear, preferably someone with enough power and clout to do something about it.
No, my intention is not to hurt someone’s feelings, it is not to make you feel bad about yourself, but I love you enough to tell you the truth even though it might sting a little.
As an old preacher was fond of saying whenever he’d talk to his congregation about true obedience, true submission, and true surrender of the heart, ‘don’t call it what it isn’t ‘cause the only one you’re fooling is yourself.’
Although there are many versions of the following story floating about at least in my neck of the woods, the takeaway message is pretty much identical each and every time.
In a nondescript town, on a given continent, there was a young man who desired to marry. This young man had had his eye on two particular girls around his age, both wholesome, and from ‘good stock’ as the old timers like to say. Coincidentally, both of the young ladies lived on the same street, one on the right side of the street, and one on the left side of the street.
The young man continued to be torn between the two, and finally he knelt by his bed one night and prayed, ‘God, tomorrow I’m going to ride my horse down the street these two girls live on, and as a sign from You, if my horse turns its head to the right, I will marry the girl who lives on the right side of the street, and if my horse turns its head to the left, I will marry the girl who lives on the left side of the street.’
True to his word, the young man wakes up the next morning, saddles his horse, and starts to ride down the middle of the street on which his potential wives lived on. The horse trotted placidly, looking neither to the left nor to the right, and after a few minutes, growing more and more alarmed that the horse had not turned its head, the young man grips the reigns and tugs them to the left.
Instinctively, the horse turned its head to the left, and with a smile upon his face the young man said, ‘thank you Lord for answering my prayer.’
This is what I mean by trying to manipulate the will of God. It could have been that the horse would have eventually turned its head to the right, or that neither of the girls this young man had in mind were to be his wife – and so the horse would have just kept trotting, keeping its head straight and unmoving – but he grew too impatient, and took it upon himself to ‘make the will of God happen.’
In his heart of hearts, this young man never truly trusted God, nor had he ever truly submitted to the will of God. Perhaps he prayed the prayer to soothe his conscience, or make himself feel better about choosing between the two girls, but if he had truly trusted the will of God for his life, he would have kept his hands off the reigns, and acquiesced to whatever the horse did – whether it ended up looking to the left, to the right, or continued on, straight ahead.
God doesn’t need my help to accomplish His will, nor does He appreciate my would-be attempt to manipulate it. All God demands is that I submit, that I surrender my heart in its entirety, and trust that His will is the best possible outcome for my life.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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