Prayers of the Old Testament
The Prayer of Jehoshaphat continued...
Because they had come before the Lord in prayer, because the intent of their heart was to see the salvation of the Lord, God’s answer to their prayers was the assurance that their enemy would be vanquished not by their strength, but by the strength of the arm of the Lord.
When God assures us of victory, nothing can stand in our way.
Jehoshaphat’s prayer teaches us to run to the Lord, to trust in Him, and to walk in His authority rather than our own. Though he was king, though he led the people of God, Jehoshaphat realized he could not stand against the enemy which had amassed against him, he could not hope to win the battle on his own, and he set himself to seek the Lord.
As children of God we must know from whence our salvation comes. As children of God we must know it is the Lord who wins the battle on our behalf, and not we ourselves.
Rather than start coming up with battle plans, strategizing and devising contingencies when we see the enemy approaching, it is far more beneficial to humble ourselves, and set ourselves to seek the Lord.
We know victory is guaranteed and absolute when the Lord assures us of it, and because we know the character and omnipotence of He who promised the victory we are fearless in our stance against the enemy.
What have you set your eyes upon this day? Are your eyes set upon the Lord? Do you seek victory from His hand?
As human beings we tend to allow circumstances to overwhelm us. We do not consider the good, we do not consider the blessings, we do not consider the victories, but let us suffer one setback and we will obsess over it for long and long.
We do not give our victories the same consideration as we do our setbacks, and rather than set our eyes upon the Lord we look to the trial itself, or to those who have abandoned us, or to the enemy amassing itself against us.
We must fight the temptation of being distracted by our circumstances and set our eyes upon the One who can remedy them.
Psalm 121:1-2, “I will lift my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
Not only did Jehoshaphat set his eyes upon the Lord, he also sought the Lord. For some this might seem like a negligible distinction but for those who have come to understand that no passage of scripture was included accidently or superfluously we realize it is important not only to set our eyes upon the Lord but to seek the Lord as well.
Our prayers must be fueled by the desire to know the person of God. We must seek Him. We do not come before Him seeking what He can do for us, what He can give us, or what He can bless us with, but seeking Him, understanding He is sufficient.
If we seek the Lord and find Him, then we have everything we will ever need in this present life. We will never lack for wisdom, peace, joy, guidance or protection as long as we have the Lord, and this is why we seek Him and not something He can do for us.
Jehoshaphat declared his helplessness as he came before the Lord, doing something which is contrary to human nature as well as much of the spiritualized humanism running rampant through today’s church. Jehoshaphat humbled himself!
He could have come before the Lord and said, ‘because I am king, I am entitled to your protection, favor, blessing or intervention,’ but instead of approaching God from a position of entitlement, Jehoshaphat approached Him from a position of humility.
Perhaps it is because we sing it so often, but for some reason we’ve lost sight of what it truly means to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, trusting that He will lift us up.
‘If you don’t do it yourself, it’s never going to get done.’
This is the lie the enemy whispers in the ears of many a servant, and rather than commit to seeking the Lord and knowing the Him exclusively, they get distracted by self-promotion, self-praise, and self-adulation. Because the flesh likes it, self-aggrandizement comes easily, and the more they do it, the more the flesh likes it, and the more the flesh likes it the more time they devote to letting people know just how special they are.
Given enough time seeking the Lord becomes something they do once everything else gets done, and since we’re all busy, busy folk, we can go for days and weeks and months without ever making the time to seek the Lord.
Jehoshaphat knew there was nothing more important than setting his eyes upon the Lord, and seeking Him. Even though the enemy was approaching, even though they outnumbered his own army, even though he could have been doing a thousand other things from planning his own escape, to trying his hand at diplomacy with the Moabites and Ammonites, Jehoshaphat sought the Lord.
Instead of reacting in the flesh, Jehoshaphat let the urgency of the hour melt away, the thousand other things he could have done were moved to the side, and he concentrated exclusively on the Lord, seeking Him.
During moments of extreme crisis as was the case with Jehoshaphat and the enemy hoards coming against him, we either trust in ourselves, in other men, or in God. If we trust in ourselves and in the arm of the flesh we are sure to suffer defeat. If we trust in others, and what they can do for us, we are sure to be disappointed and disillusioned. If we trust in the Lord, we will see His victory before us, and walk in the authority reserved for those who know, trust, and are dependent upon Him.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
Selective Outrage
There is no one I find more disingenuous than the practitioners of selective outrage. Their overly dramatic reactions are so tiresome and off-putting that I would rather someone slap my face repeatedly than listen to one more self-important blowhard spew their rhetoric.
No, this does not promise to be a spiritual post, but I’ve just had my fill of people being outraged over a pastor saying the practice of homosexuality was sinful, while simultaneously, the selfsame people have no qualms about killing a helpless human being because its being born into the world would somehow inconvenience them.
Get off the high horse, burn the soapbox, you don’t have a leg to stand on and you know it!
As long as we allow the enemies of the cross to twist the narrative, and bait us into illogical arguments absent the basest of reason, we will always feel as though we’ve wasted our time and effort in attempting to elucidate a certain topic or point of contention.
The big secret is this: the world doesn’t want their minds changed, and they don’t want to see another point of view in regards to their preconceived and tightly held notions. They want to be validated. They want everyone to agree with the foul perversity of their argument, and if someone dares to disagree based on logic and reason and decency and common sense, then the tolerance runs out, and freedom of speech no longer applies, and you are now and forevermore labeled a hatemonger.
We have grown so disillusioned and have become such a self-loathing people, we go out of our way to take offense and find something to be outraged about. Once we have been thoroughly outraged, we then feel so self-important we are subsequently compelled to tell everyone within earshot we’ve been offended. Well, I take offense at your offense, and am outraged at your outrage.
I don’t mind people who are consistent in their outrage. If you hold to a certain viewpoint and do so consistently, then at least you are constant. It’s those who expect me to bend over backwards and betray my most fundamental of beliefs in order to understand what they’re going through and walk a mile in their shoes, yet who will allow for no such reciprocity when it comes to their own convictions.
What’s worse is that many Christians have caught this malady from the world, and they themselves are beginning to practice selective outrage when it comes to certain doctrines, dogmas, or denominational edicts. It’s no longer about who is Biblically correct; it’s about who is brasher, who can scream loudest, and who can bully others into silence.
I don’t know…it’s just one of those mornings with heavy snow falling outside, and a dozen e-mails to answer, all dealing with some finite aspect of doctrine or dogma, and how I’m wrong for encouraging people to seek spiritual gifts, because some preacher in California said they weren’t for today, so I must be delusional after all.
I think I’ll take the weekend, and go play in the snow.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
No, this does not promise to be a spiritual post, but I’ve just had my fill of people being outraged over a pastor saying the practice of homosexuality was sinful, while simultaneously, the selfsame people have no qualms about killing a helpless human being because its being born into the world would somehow inconvenience them.
Get off the high horse, burn the soapbox, you don’t have a leg to stand on and you know it!
As long as we allow the enemies of the cross to twist the narrative, and bait us into illogical arguments absent the basest of reason, we will always feel as though we’ve wasted our time and effort in attempting to elucidate a certain topic or point of contention.
The big secret is this: the world doesn’t want their minds changed, and they don’t want to see another point of view in regards to their preconceived and tightly held notions. They want to be validated. They want everyone to agree with the foul perversity of their argument, and if someone dares to disagree based on logic and reason and decency and common sense, then the tolerance runs out, and freedom of speech no longer applies, and you are now and forevermore labeled a hatemonger.
We have grown so disillusioned and have become such a self-loathing people, we go out of our way to take offense and find something to be outraged about. Once we have been thoroughly outraged, we then feel so self-important we are subsequently compelled to tell everyone within earshot we’ve been offended. Well, I take offense at your offense, and am outraged at your outrage.
I don’t mind people who are consistent in their outrage. If you hold to a certain viewpoint and do so consistently, then at least you are constant. It’s those who expect me to bend over backwards and betray my most fundamental of beliefs in order to understand what they’re going through and walk a mile in their shoes, yet who will allow for no such reciprocity when it comes to their own convictions.
What’s worse is that many Christians have caught this malady from the world, and they themselves are beginning to practice selective outrage when it comes to certain doctrines, dogmas, or denominational edicts. It’s no longer about who is Biblically correct; it’s about who is brasher, who can scream loudest, and who can bully others into silence.
I don’t know…it’s just one of those mornings with heavy snow falling outside, and a dozen e-mails to answer, all dealing with some finite aspect of doctrine or dogma, and how I’m wrong for encouraging people to seek spiritual gifts, because some preacher in California said they weren’t for today, so I must be delusional after all.
I think I’ll take the weekend, and go play in the snow.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Reality Check Part 10
The last part of this protracted series is up, and since I've posted all the others I thought I'd post this one as well. Hopefully it has given you a better understanding of the times we are living in and as such stirred you to tailor you walk, worship, and prayer life in such a way wherein you will continue to stand while others are falling by the wayside.
If it was within my power I'd hold every believer up in the days to come, but all I can do is teach and warn and instruct. The actual preparedness must be an individual undertaking, something we do ourselves for ourselves, knowing that time spent in prayer, praise, worship, reading the Word and learning to hear the voice of the Lord is never wasted time. Sooner or later these practices bear good fruit, and we will see the true and full measure of their benefit in our lives further down the line.
In His goodness God has given us ample time to clean house, prepare our hearts, anchor ourselves in His Word, and grow in Him. If we have squandered the time pursuing other things, or have been caught up in the frenzy of being caught away before we have to exert oursleves in any manner, there is still time to cling to Jesus, place our hope in Him, and steel oursleves for what is to come.
Realistic readiness beats unrealistic optimism each and every time.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Realith Check Part 10
If it was within my power I'd hold every believer up in the days to come, but all I can do is teach and warn and instruct. The actual preparedness must be an individual undertaking, something we do ourselves for ourselves, knowing that time spent in prayer, praise, worship, reading the Word and learning to hear the voice of the Lord is never wasted time. Sooner or later these practices bear good fruit, and we will see the true and full measure of their benefit in our lives further down the line.
In His goodness God has given us ample time to clean house, prepare our hearts, anchor ourselves in His Word, and grow in Him. If we have squandered the time pursuing other things, or have been caught up in the frenzy of being caught away before we have to exert oursleves in any manner, there is still time to cling to Jesus, place our hope in Him, and steel oursleves for what is to come.
Realistic readiness beats unrealistic optimism each and every time.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Realith Check Part 10
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 222
Prayers of the Old Testament
The Prayer of Jehoshaphat continued...
We place limitations on God as though we could dictate terms to Him. God is not obliged to do as we say or conform Himself to the ways of men. God will not change because a certain denomination imposes it upon Him or teaches a limited God with the zeal of a cultist.
God the Father reveals Himself through God the Son, and God the Son reveals Himself through the word of God, the Bible, that book sitting in the dresser drawer of many a soul, gathering dust.
For me to say God can’t do a certain thing anymore because my denominational understanding prohibits Him from doing it, would be as foolhardy as staring at the midday sun and demanding it not shine anymore because I have come to believe it ought not to.
It used to be men read the word of God and obeyed it. Nowadays, men read the word of God and question it. I fear we give ourselves far too much liberty when it comes to our interactions and dialogue with God, acting as though we are on equal footing rather than creation speaking to Creator.
Because they know God loves them, certain individuals have come to abuse that love, thinking that God’s love will overlook their feigned affections and false professions. God knows when there is reciprocity in the love He freely pours out. He knows when we feel the same for Him as He does for us and no amount of acting and professing will compel God to overlook the truth of the heart.
If one truly loves God, they will obey Him, seek to please Him, worship Him and seek to honor Him. If one simply feigns affection hoping to profit from the love God has for them, they will eventually be uprooted and cast into the fire awaiting all who bear no fruit and who have withered on the vine.
Jehoshaphat and the people looked beyond themselves. They looked beyond their circumstances and their predicament and focused on the Lord. When we pray with sincerity of heart, we lose sight of ourselves, we lose sight of our hardships, our trials, our need or our lack, and come before God knowing He has the answer and the comfort and the peace we so yearn for.
It is difficult if not outright impossible to predict how our victory will come about, how our comfort will manifest, or how our peace will arrive, but these are things we ought not to concern ourselves with. The knowledge that God has the situation under control and in His time He will do according to His will is enough for us to lift our heads, square our shoulders, and walk the narrow path toward eternity.
2 Chronicles 20:12, “O God our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
‘We have no power, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.’ This was the essence of Jehoshaphat’s prayer as he stood amidst the people who had gathered to seek the Lord. I could not think of a more succinct and sincere way to declare one’s utter dependence upon God than the words Jehoshaphat prayed.
The people knew the enemy was coming, far outnumbering their own army, they knew their intent, they knew what the likely outcome would be, and they also knew in and of themselves they could do nothing. Even so, their eyes remained upon the Lord, for they knew from whence their help came.
As long as man thinks himself capable of rectifying a situation, he minimizes God’s role in his life, and denies God’s hand of providence upon him. We see the humility of Jehoshaphat in his prayer. We see the recognition of his own powerlessness as the enemy approached, knowing that in his own strength they would perish.
There is a marked difference between Jehoshaphat’s prayer, and the way many preachers today encourage their congregations to pray. We are told to demand, to stomp our feet and shake our fists and remind God we are entitled to His very best, rather than humbly come before Him acknowledging our impotence.
In seeing the difference between the way men used to pray and the way men are praying today, one need no longer wonder why so few prayers are answered in our day and age, or why so few see the true power of God manifest in their daily lives.
God has not changed, but the way man approaches God has changed over the centuries. We tried to fix what wasn’t broken, we tried to tweak prayer, intimacy, and fellowship to our own benefit and instead of making it better, we ended up causing God to turn his face from us.
We are presently confronted with a darkness that threatens to overrun everything in its path, and even so, we refuse to return to the basics of true worship and intimacy with God.
We are living perilous times. By all accounts it would seem the godless outnumber the righteous, and their intent is clear. We can either choose to try and remedy the situation ourselves, employing earthly means which will likely fail, or we can choose to look to the Lord, and keep our eyes upon Him, knowing He will judge all things and all men at the appropriate time.
Our duty is to return to the Lord, to seek the Lord, to keep our gaze firmly affixed upon Him, and not be distracted by the voices and the noises around us. We know the course God has set for us. We know the path we are to follow. We know the righteousness we ought to live, and when we are faithful in these things, God will uphold the hand of the righteous, and strengthen those who have grown weary in the battle.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
The Prayer of Jehoshaphat continued...
We place limitations on God as though we could dictate terms to Him. God is not obliged to do as we say or conform Himself to the ways of men. God will not change because a certain denomination imposes it upon Him or teaches a limited God with the zeal of a cultist.
God the Father reveals Himself through God the Son, and God the Son reveals Himself through the word of God, the Bible, that book sitting in the dresser drawer of many a soul, gathering dust.
For me to say God can’t do a certain thing anymore because my denominational understanding prohibits Him from doing it, would be as foolhardy as staring at the midday sun and demanding it not shine anymore because I have come to believe it ought not to.
It used to be men read the word of God and obeyed it. Nowadays, men read the word of God and question it. I fear we give ourselves far too much liberty when it comes to our interactions and dialogue with God, acting as though we are on equal footing rather than creation speaking to Creator.
Because they know God loves them, certain individuals have come to abuse that love, thinking that God’s love will overlook their feigned affections and false professions. God knows when there is reciprocity in the love He freely pours out. He knows when we feel the same for Him as He does for us and no amount of acting and professing will compel God to overlook the truth of the heart.
If one truly loves God, they will obey Him, seek to please Him, worship Him and seek to honor Him. If one simply feigns affection hoping to profit from the love God has for them, they will eventually be uprooted and cast into the fire awaiting all who bear no fruit and who have withered on the vine.
Jehoshaphat and the people looked beyond themselves. They looked beyond their circumstances and their predicament and focused on the Lord. When we pray with sincerity of heart, we lose sight of ourselves, we lose sight of our hardships, our trials, our need or our lack, and come before God knowing He has the answer and the comfort and the peace we so yearn for.
It is difficult if not outright impossible to predict how our victory will come about, how our comfort will manifest, or how our peace will arrive, but these are things we ought not to concern ourselves with. The knowledge that God has the situation under control and in His time He will do according to His will is enough for us to lift our heads, square our shoulders, and walk the narrow path toward eternity.
2 Chronicles 20:12, “O God our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
‘We have no power, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.’ This was the essence of Jehoshaphat’s prayer as he stood amidst the people who had gathered to seek the Lord. I could not think of a more succinct and sincere way to declare one’s utter dependence upon God than the words Jehoshaphat prayed.
The people knew the enemy was coming, far outnumbering their own army, they knew their intent, they knew what the likely outcome would be, and they also knew in and of themselves they could do nothing. Even so, their eyes remained upon the Lord, for they knew from whence their help came.
As long as man thinks himself capable of rectifying a situation, he minimizes God’s role in his life, and denies God’s hand of providence upon him. We see the humility of Jehoshaphat in his prayer. We see the recognition of his own powerlessness as the enemy approached, knowing that in his own strength they would perish.
There is a marked difference between Jehoshaphat’s prayer, and the way many preachers today encourage their congregations to pray. We are told to demand, to stomp our feet and shake our fists and remind God we are entitled to His very best, rather than humbly come before Him acknowledging our impotence.
In seeing the difference between the way men used to pray and the way men are praying today, one need no longer wonder why so few prayers are answered in our day and age, or why so few see the true power of God manifest in their daily lives.
God has not changed, but the way man approaches God has changed over the centuries. We tried to fix what wasn’t broken, we tried to tweak prayer, intimacy, and fellowship to our own benefit and instead of making it better, we ended up causing God to turn his face from us.
We are presently confronted with a darkness that threatens to overrun everything in its path, and even so, we refuse to return to the basics of true worship and intimacy with God.
We are living perilous times. By all accounts it would seem the godless outnumber the righteous, and their intent is clear. We can either choose to try and remedy the situation ourselves, employing earthly means which will likely fail, or we can choose to look to the Lord, and keep our eyes upon Him, knowing He will judge all things and all men at the appropriate time.
Our duty is to return to the Lord, to seek the Lord, to keep our gaze firmly affixed upon Him, and not be distracted by the voices and the noises around us. We know the course God has set for us. We know the path we are to follow. We know the righteousness we ought to live, and when we are faithful in these things, God will uphold the hand of the righteous, and strengthen those who have grown weary in the battle.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 221
Prayers of the Old Testament
The Prayer of Jehoshaphat continued...
It didn’t take long for the Lord to answer the prayers of the people. They came before Him with sincerity of heart, unity, and single-minded purpose and God honored this by sending Jehoshaphat an answer to his prayer by way of a prophetic utterance almost immediately.
2 Chronicles 20:16-17, “Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
God never gets surprised or blindsided. There is never an instant wherein God doesn’t see something coming afar off, wherein He does not know the end from the beginning, and this ought to give us great peace and hope in our journey toward eternity.
God knew where the enemy would be, He knew where they would be found, and He commanded Israel to position itself, and stand still.
Show up to the battle, but let God do the fighting.
If we march upon the battlefield in our own strength, in our own prowess, trusting in our own numbers, we will be scattered to the wind, overrun, and vanquished. We underestimate the enemy to our own demise, and we trust in the arm of the flesh to our own destruction.
Keep in mind God didn’t tell the people to pack up and go home, He didn’t tell them there was no need for them to do anything except microwave a batch of popcorn and watch from the sidelines as God smote their enemies. God told them they needed to position themselves, assemble themselves, prepare themselves, stand on the battlefield, but know they were standing in His strength, and it would be the Lord’s salvation that would win the battle.
It is easy not to be afraid when you know the Lord is with you. It is easy to stand against overwhelming odds when God has assured you of victory, but there are moments when the enemy attacks and all we can do is hold our ground knowing the faithfulness of our God. We don’t get the promise of victory before every battle, we don’t receive a word of prophecy before every confrontation, but knowing the nature of the God we serve, we don’t need to be assured of victory every time. We know God stands with us because He is faithful to those who are faithful to Him. We position ourselves against the enemy, we stand still, and we see the salvation of the Lord.
Finding the balance between not doing anything and attempting to do everything is a constant struggle for some. Since most individuals are being influenced and pulled to either one side of the argument or the other almost daily, only one who is grounded and rooted in truth is able to withstand the buffeting.
The people knew it was their duty to seek the face of the Lord. They realized no one could do it on their behalf. They could not appoint someone to do it, or outsource it to the Levites among them. Their entire victory hinged upon coming together, and seeking the face of the Lord as one.
God was stirred by the prayers of His people and not by their predicament.
There had been no message from the Lord prior to the people gathering together to pray. There had been no word of prophecy prior to Jehoshaphat crying out to the Lord. Their enemies had been assembled together against them even before they prayed, but it was only after they prayed that the Lord saw fit to encourage His people, and promise them victory.
Would Jehoshaphat and the people have received a message from the Lord if they’d never prayed? Would the Lord have spoken to them if they’d taken it upon themselves to defend their nation rather than come together and seek His face?
These are relevant and important questions because the answers to these will open our eyes to the reality of why God acts at a certain time and in a certain way, and why at other times it seems as though He is a million miles away.
We have a duty before God to seek His face. We have a duty before God to come before Him in humility and obedience, and ask for His help.
The people knew they were outnumbered, they knew their destruction was imminent if not for divine intervention, and so they prayed accordingly. They did not assume or presume to know the mind of God, nor did they take being God’s people for granted.
Some live under the misconception that God is obliged to intervene whenever they need Him, without asking, without petitioning Him and without seeking His face. God doesn’t owe us, nor are we entitled to His intervening on our behalf.
Jehoshaphat could have sat idly by and assumed that the Lord would intervene. He could have gone about his activities as though the enemy were not at the gates, as though the danger wasn’t imminent, but he knew better than to bury his head in the sand, cross his fingers, and hope for the best.
Men and women of prayer are compelled to pray, to seek the face of God, to plead with Him and cry out to Him whenever they see the need for His intervening hand. The notion of being a spectator and not coming before the Lord and interceding on behalf of others ought to be anathema to the household of faith, yet more and more souls lead lives absent prayer because they were told God doesn’t listen, and even if he listens He doesn’t hear too well, and even if He heard well, He just doesn’t do those kinds of things anymore.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
The Prayer of Jehoshaphat continued...
It didn’t take long for the Lord to answer the prayers of the people. They came before Him with sincerity of heart, unity, and single-minded purpose and God honored this by sending Jehoshaphat an answer to his prayer by way of a prophetic utterance almost immediately.
2 Chronicles 20:16-17, “Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
God never gets surprised or blindsided. There is never an instant wherein God doesn’t see something coming afar off, wherein He does not know the end from the beginning, and this ought to give us great peace and hope in our journey toward eternity.
God knew where the enemy would be, He knew where they would be found, and He commanded Israel to position itself, and stand still.
Show up to the battle, but let God do the fighting.
If we march upon the battlefield in our own strength, in our own prowess, trusting in our own numbers, we will be scattered to the wind, overrun, and vanquished. We underestimate the enemy to our own demise, and we trust in the arm of the flesh to our own destruction.
Keep in mind God didn’t tell the people to pack up and go home, He didn’t tell them there was no need for them to do anything except microwave a batch of popcorn and watch from the sidelines as God smote their enemies. God told them they needed to position themselves, assemble themselves, prepare themselves, stand on the battlefield, but know they were standing in His strength, and it would be the Lord’s salvation that would win the battle.
It is easy not to be afraid when you know the Lord is with you. It is easy to stand against overwhelming odds when God has assured you of victory, but there are moments when the enemy attacks and all we can do is hold our ground knowing the faithfulness of our God. We don’t get the promise of victory before every battle, we don’t receive a word of prophecy before every confrontation, but knowing the nature of the God we serve, we don’t need to be assured of victory every time. We know God stands with us because He is faithful to those who are faithful to Him. We position ourselves against the enemy, we stand still, and we see the salvation of the Lord.
Finding the balance between not doing anything and attempting to do everything is a constant struggle for some. Since most individuals are being influenced and pulled to either one side of the argument or the other almost daily, only one who is grounded and rooted in truth is able to withstand the buffeting.
The people knew it was their duty to seek the face of the Lord. They realized no one could do it on their behalf. They could not appoint someone to do it, or outsource it to the Levites among them. Their entire victory hinged upon coming together, and seeking the face of the Lord as one.
God was stirred by the prayers of His people and not by their predicament.
There had been no message from the Lord prior to the people gathering together to pray. There had been no word of prophecy prior to Jehoshaphat crying out to the Lord. Their enemies had been assembled together against them even before they prayed, but it was only after they prayed that the Lord saw fit to encourage His people, and promise them victory.
Would Jehoshaphat and the people have received a message from the Lord if they’d never prayed? Would the Lord have spoken to them if they’d taken it upon themselves to defend their nation rather than come together and seek His face?
These are relevant and important questions because the answers to these will open our eyes to the reality of why God acts at a certain time and in a certain way, and why at other times it seems as though He is a million miles away.
We have a duty before God to seek His face. We have a duty before God to come before Him in humility and obedience, and ask for His help.
The people knew they were outnumbered, they knew their destruction was imminent if not for divine intervention, and so they prayed accordingly. They did not assume or presume to know the mind of God, nor did they take being God’s people for granted.
Some live under the misconception that God is obliged to intervene whenever they need Him, without asking, without petitioning Him and without seeking His face. God doesn’t owe us, nor are we entitled to His intervening on our behalf.
Jehoshaphat could have sat idly by and assumed that the Lord would intervene. He could have gone about his activities as though the enemy were not at the gates, as though the danger wasn’t imminent, but he knew better than to bury his head in the sand, cross his fingers, and hope for the best.
Men and women of prayer are compelled to pray, to seek the face of God, to plead with Him and cry out to Him whenever they see the need for His intervening hand. The notion of being a spectator and not coming before the Lord and interceding on behalf of others ought to be anathema to the household of faith, yet more and more souls lead lives absent prayer because they were told God doesn’t listen, and even if he listens He doesn’t hear too well, and even if He heard well, He just doesn’t do those kinds of things anymore.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 220
Prayers of the Old Testament
The Prayer of Jehoshaphat continued...
Jehoshaphat knew the power of prayer, and rather than arm his people with swords and spears, he first brought them together to pray. The time would come for standing on a battlefield and facing the enemy, but first they would need a strength no shield or bow could give them…a strength which comes from God through prayer.
If one has never experienced the power of prayer in their life, they might look at the preceding assertion and roll their eyes. Because so few experience the power of prayer nowadays, we’ve come to believe that the notion of there being a true and tangible power associated with the act of prayer is hyperbolic exaggeration, like when we tell someone we just ate the best tasting orange ever. Sure, it might have been a good orange, even a great orange, but can you really say it was the best tasting orange ever?
When a believer speaks of the power of prayer, he means real, literal, undeniable power.
Jehoshaphat understood this. He understood that the power of prayer was a literal thing and not just some pompous way of explaining a benign experience like saying a handful of words while looking up.
It is because the enemy likewise knows the true power prayer holds that he has been attempting to undermine, redefine, and downplay the need for prayer in a believer’s life. As if on cue, new distractions pop up whenever a congregation gets serious about prayer, newfangled teachings and doctrines seem to metastasize whenever the need for prayer is declared from a national platform, because the devil knows he’ll be in real trouble the instant the church realizes the importance of prayer in their lives, and starts to pray as the saints of old used to.
What makes me think Jehoshaphat knew the importance and power of prayer?
I know with certainty that Jehoshaphat knew the power and importance of prayer because he led with prayer before doing anything else. Jehoshaphat didn’t assemble his army, equip them with weapons, then just as they were about to go into battle urged them all to say a quick prayer. Before doing anything else, Jehoshaphat came before the people, gathered together with them and prayed.
Where prayer is on our list of priorities says allot as to whether or not we understand its importance in our lives. If prayer is something we get to when all the other chores, responsibilities and errands are done, our actions betray our ignorance.
If, however, praying is the first thing we do in the morning, and the last thing we do at night, if we prioritize prayer in such a way wherein we will not go a day without it, then our actions testify of the value we place on prayer and our prayer lives.
Fasting, prayer, and worship are weapons. They are what we use to defend against the darkness, and even chase it away. When these three are absent from a congregation, when these three no longer exist among a group of individuals claiming to be a church, then their end and downfall is assured.
Because we like to think we know better than God we’ve attempted to replace fasting, prayer, and true worship with other things which mimic the real, but do not require the same effort or sacrifice.
Rather than declare a fast for the entire congregation – a true biblical fast – we ask for a handful of volunteers who will selflessly give up one meal on a given day and call it a sacrificial fast.
We like cheap expressions of our own self-righteousness, if possible, carried out before the entire household of faith, to unending applause and adulation.
We want to know that everybody knows we’re fasting, or we’ve started to pray, or we’re doing something for the kingdom of God, because just God knowing isn’t enough anymore. We all know God doles out praise in a miserly fashion, and even when in our own estimation we’re being good, He’ll find something to rebuke us of. Might as well lord our spirituality over the rest of the Body – finding ways to insert the fact that we fasted that week in any conversation – at least that way we get a little recognition for our efforts.
When was it we stopped doing things as unto the Lord? When was it we began feeling the need to advertise even the smallest kindness we perform, shouting it from the rooftops as though we had discovered the cure for cancer? When was it that knowing the Lord rewards all who labor for the Kingdom in due season, became insufficient for us?
Prayer is a largely intimate, solitary practice, unless done corporately, and as such many have abandoned prayer altogether. No one can see you in your prayer closet, no one can hear you cry out to God, and if no one can witness your good works and sacrifice, what good is it?
This is the mentality so many have adopted in recent years, because hedonism has taken hold of the household of faith, and rather than our entire existence being about Christ Jesus, what He has done for us, and what He does through us, it has become about us as individuals, and how long we can stay in the spotlight if ever we manage to get there.
As such, ministry becomes about man rather than about God, and everything men do seems to be geared toward elevating themselves.
Jehoshaphat knew that man, any man, even a king is a poor substitute for God and His power, and so rather than giving a rousing speech and stirring his army with empty words, he came before God humbly, meekly, and acknowledged His supremacy, His omnipotence, and His might. Jehoshaphat trusted in the Lord, and he demonstrated this both by the manner in which he prioritized prayer, as well as the words of his prayer. Jehoshaphat knew the power and might of the God he served, and he realized only a fool would attempt to do only what God could. As such Jehoshaphat pleaded with the Lord for victory against his enemies.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
The Prayer of Jehoshaphat continued...
Jehoshaphat knew the power of prayer, and rather than arm his people with swords and spears, he first brought them together to pray. The time would come for standing on a battlefield and facing the enemy, but first they would need a strength no shield or bow could give them…a strength which comes from God through prayer.
If one has never experienced the power of prayer in their life, they might look at the preceding assertion and roll their eyes. Because so few experience the power of prayer nowadays, we’ve come to believe that the notion of there being a true and tangible power associated with the act of prayer is hyperbolic exaggeration, like when we tell someone we just ate the best tasting orange ever. Sure, it might have been a good orange, even a great orange, but can you really say it was the best tasting orange ever?
When a believer speaks of the power of prayer, he means real, literal, undeniable power.
Jehoshaphat understood this. He understood that the power of prayer was a literal thing and not just some pompous way of explaining a benign experience like saying a handful of words while looking up.
It is because the enemy likewise knows the true power prayer holds that he has been attempting to undermine, redefine, and downplay the need for prayer in a believer’s life. As if on cue, new distractions pop up whenever a congregation gets serious about prayer, newfangled teachings and doctrines seem to metastasize whenever the need for prayer is declared from a national platform, because the devil knows he’ll be in real trouble the instant the church realizes the importance of prayer in their lives, and starts to pray as the saints of old used to.
What makes me think Jehoshaphat knew the importance and power of prayer?
I know with certainty that Jehoshaphat knew the power and importance of prayer because he led with prayer before doing anything else. Jehoshaphat didn’t assemble his army, equip them with weapons, then just as they were about to go into battle urged them all to say a quick prayer. Before doing anything else, Jehoshaphat came before the people, gathered together with them and prayed.
Where prayer is on our list of priorities says allot as to whether or not we understand its importance in our lives. If prayer is something we get to when all the other chores, responsibilities and errands are done, our actions betray our ignorance.
If, however, praying is the first thing we do in the morning, and the last thing we do at night, if we prioritize prayer in such a way wherein we will not go a day without it, then our actions testify of the value we place on prayer and our prayer lives.
Fasting, prayer, and worship are weapons. They are what we use to defend against the darkness, and even chase it away. When these three are absent from a congregation, when these three no longer exist among a group of individuals claiming to be a church, then their end and downfall is assured.
Because we like to think we know better than God we’ve attempted to replace fasting, prayer, and true worship with other things which mimic the real, but do not require the same effort or sacrifice.
Rather than declare a fast for the entire congregation – a true biblical fast – we ask for a handful of volunteers who will selflessly give up one meal on a given day and call it a sacrificial fast.
We like cheap expressions of our own self-righteousness, if possible, carried out before the entire household of faith, to unending applause and adulation.
We want to know that everybody knows we’re fasting, or we’ve started to pray, or we’re doing something for the kingdom of God, because just God knowing isn’t enough anymore. We all know God doles out praise in a miserly fashion, and even when in our own estimation we’re being good, He’ll find something to rebuke us of. Might as well lord our spirituality over the rest of the Body – finding ways to insert the fact that we fasted that week in any conversation – at least that way we get a little recognition for our efforts.
When was it we stopped doing things as unto the Lord? When was it we began feeling the need to advertise even the smallest kindness we perform, shouting it from the rooftops as though we had discovered the cure for cancer? When was it that knowing the Lord rewards all who labor for the Kingdom in due season, became insufficient for us?
Prayer is a largely intimate, solitary practice, unless done corporately, and as such many have abandoned prayer altogether. No one can see you in your prayer closet, no one can hear you cry out to God, and if no one can witness your good works and sacrifice, what good is it?
This is the mentality so many have adopted in recent years, because hedonism has taken hold of the household of faith, and rather than our entire existence being about Christ Jesus, what He has done for us, and what He does through us, it has become about us as individuals, and how long we can stay in the spotlight if ever we manage to get there.
As such, ministry becomes about man rather than about God, and everything men do seems to be geared toward elevating themselves.
Jehoshaphat knew that man, any man, even a king is a poor substitute for God and His power, and so rather than giving a rousing speech and stirring his army with empty words, he came before God humbly, meekly, and acknowledged His supremacy, His omnipotence, and His might. Jehoshaphat trusted in the Lord, and he demonstrated this both by the manner in which he prioritized prayer, as well as the words of his prayer. Jehoshaphat knew the power and might of the God he served, and he realized only a fool would attempt to do only what God could. As such Jehoshaphat pleaded with the Lord for victory against his enemies.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Silver Linings!
No matter where you look, no matter what your preferred news source, it is undeniable that things are looking bleak and only getting bleaker. Whether your interests run locally, nationally, or internationally the news isn’t good. There seems to be reason for concern at every level, and that’s just from the things that are making their way to the general public. Imagine if you knew all the stuff they’re successfully keeping hidden…but I digress.
What myself, and a handful of other brave souls have been warning of the past few years – while being mocked, derided, and ridiculed – is coming to pass. Reality is beginning to shatter the illusion we’ve fashioned for ourselves, and people are being awoken from their slumber due to all the racket.
As some have a tendency of doing when startled awake, certain individuals are reacting unexpectedly. Rather than find balance, many who are stirred to wakefulness in this late hour gravitate toward extremes, either becoming their very own neighborhood Rambo, replete with underground tunnels and sniper nests, or moving to a small, as yet uncharted island somewhere in the Indian Ocean.
Although I’ve said the following more times than I can count, they only refuge, the only place of safety, the only hope we have as individuals of weathering the coming storm, is Christ Jesus, and Him alone.
It’s easy for me to get apocalyptic, and start writing about what I see on the horizon, but there are allot of folks doing that, and most of them are either on the mark, or close enough to it that further discussion is unwarranted.
As such, today I thought I’d do something a bit different, and give you the top ten positive aspects of the coming collapse…see, I can be positive too. Take that, Joel Osteen!
The following list is in no particular order, and some of you might not find much positivity in some of the points, but nevertheless, here it is:
1. We will know the true shepherds from the hirelings.
2. We will know the wheat from the chaff.
3. We will learn dependence upon God.
4. We will see the power of God manifest in our lives in more profound and impacting ways.
5. We will either begin to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, or give in to the desperation the world will be experiencing.
6. We will finally understand sufficiency in Christ.
7. We will appreciate the simple things of life once more.
8. We will walk in the authority rightly ours, and mature in the ways of God. (Nothing like necessity to light a fire in us.)
9. We will witness God keeping His promises to His children.
10. We will know that our redemption draws nigh.
What we must never lose sight of, is that it’s not all doom and gloom. It’s not about some hopeless, joyless future we must endure and muddle through; it’s about seeing the power of our God in the midst of it all, and walking in the knowledge of His presence in us and with us in perpetuity.
It’s not about the destruction, it’s not about the chaos, and it’s not about the fear or the uncertainty. It’s about seeing the fulfillment of God’s promises, seeing His provision and protection, and witnessing just how great a God we serve. It’s about walking through the fire and not being burned!
This is the hope. This is the peace. This is the joy.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
What myself, and a handful of other brave souls have been warning of the past few years – while being mocked, derided, and ridiculed – is coming to pass. Reality is beginning to shatter the illusion we’ve fashioned for ourselves, and people are being awoken from their slumber due to all the racket.
As some have a tendency of doing when startled awake, certain individuals are reacting unexpectedly. Rather than find balance, many who are stirred to wakefulness in this late hour gravitate toward extremes, either becoming their very own neighborhood Rambo, replete with underground tunnels and sniper nests, or moving to a small, as yet uncharted island somewhere in the Indian Ocean.
Although I’ve said the following more times than I can count, they only refuge, the only place of safety, the only hope we have as individuals of weathering the coming storm, is Christ Jesus, and Him alone.
It’s easy for me to get apocalyptic, and start writing about what I see on the horizon, but there are allot of folks doing that, and most of them are either on the mark, or close enough to it that further discussion is unwarranted.
As such, today I thought I’d do something a bit different, and give you the top ten positive aspects of the coming collapse…see, I can be positive too. Take that, Joel Osteen!
The following list is in no particular order, and some of you might not find much positivity in some of the points, but nevertheless, here it is:
1. We will know the true shepherds from the hirelings.
2. We will know the wheat from the chaff.
3. We will learn dependence upon God.
4. We will see the power of God manifest in our lives in more profound and impacting ways.
5. We will either begin to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, or give in to the desperation the world will be experiencing.
6. We will finally understand sufficiency in Christ.
7. We will appreciate the simple things of life once more.
8. We will walk in the authority rightly ours, and mature in the ways of God. (Nothing like necessity to light a fire in us.)
9. We will witness God keeping His promises to His children.
10. We will know that our redemption draws nigh.
What we must never lose sight of, is that it’s not all doom and gloom. It’s not about some hopeless, joyless future we must endure and muddle through; it’s about seeing the power of our God in the midst of it all, and walking in the knowledge of His presence in us and with us in perpetuity.
It’s not about the destruction, it’s not about the chaos, and it’s not about the fear or the uncertainty. It’s about seeing the fulfillment of God’s promises, seeing His provision and protection, and witnessing just how great a God we serve. It’s about walking through the fire and not being burned!
This is the hope. This is the peace. This is the joy.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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