The Need for Fasting and Prayer is at Hand

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others, but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:17-18, ESV

 

I admit that I am somewhat reluctant to talk about fasting. It is seen only a handful of times in the New Testament, and even in the above passage the instruction is given prior to the cross, so there is some uncertainty as to whether Jesus is talking to future Christians, to His contemporaries under the Law of Moses, or both. Still, we have a couple of instances in the book of Acts where the New Testament church practiced fasting and prayer, so I believe it is a worthwhile topic to at least consider, and especially during the distress of our current world situation.

 

So, since I am not personally sure that fasting is commanded for Christians, I am not suggesting that you are sinning if you don't practice this act of worship. Another reason that I hesitate to imply that fasting is required for Christians is that there are some people whose health makeup might not permit the act of fasting - at least not for extended periods of time. For people with genuine medical conditions, such as diabetes or hypoglycemia, the practice could potentially have severe health consequences. Having said that, it is very clear that some Christians did fast, (As seen in Acts 13:3 and Acts 14:23) and it is also clear that this act of fasting was well received by the Lord.

 

My suggestion is that you study this topic and determine for yourself if it is indeed a requirement or, even if not required, if it might be something beneficial to you and pleasing to God. One of the things that make fasting so effective is that there is a continual feeling of discomfort from the hunger that triggers your memory that you are needing to pray about something in particular. In other words, each time the person fasting feels his hunger pangs, it causes him to remember that he has dedicated himself to a specific line prayer for a worthy reason, and this reminder then prompts him to follow through with the act of prayer.

 

For those whom fasting is impractical, there might be another way to spark your memory in such a way as to remind you that you have devoted yourself to a specific topic of prayer. Going a day without soft drinks or coffee would surely prompt that memory cue for a lot of people. Giving up sugar and chocolate would be an extremely effective memory device for many others. I don't want you to think that I am making light of fasting, but I do want you to think of specific ways that you can provide yourself with a continual reminder that you are devoted to a particular goal of prayer. It is a type of free-will offering, if you want to look at it in this way.

 

Free-will offerings were often used in Old Testament times. They were just what they sound like, an act of worship that was not required, but which was often practiced and was pleasing to God if it was followed through. A free-will offering or pledge to God that was not carried out was looked upon with disfavor and punishment by God, so the people were commanded to make sure that they were serious about this previously non-required sacrifice prior to making it something that God would now look upon as a requirement once the people made such a free-will pledge to the LORD.  

 

Now, moving on to the present. Our world is in a mess! Hatreds and enmities abound and are being continually stirred up by those who think they will benefit from their propagation. We have wars breaking out all over the world. We have been experiencing natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and fires. Our nation, America, is being torn apart by rival factions within our government to the point where it seems that we are almost on the brink of another civil war. Many of these problems are the direct result of unrepented sin, and we just seem to be doubling down on that sin instead of ceasing it and asking for forgiveness.

 

At different times in American history, religious and civil leaders alike have seen the need to call for national days of fasting and prayer. Any politician who made such a suggestion today would likely be laughed all the way out of office, but men of no less stature than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln have made such pleas to the nation in their day. 

 

Perhaps it is time to do so again in ours.

 

Some will say that such a thing would be ineffective and even absolutely worthless in our modern times. Perhaps so, but I for one can see the benefit of prayer and fasting today. I am convinced that we have an urgent need to beseech God to forgive us of our foolish ways before it's too late. Otherwise, we might find that those who refuse to get on their knees in repentance might just be brought to their knees from a punishment that none of us could bear. What do you think about this? Do you think that fasting and prayer might be of benefit to us today?

Training Your Kids for Excellence

Aim for perfection.

II Cor 13:5, NIV (1978)

 

One thing we all desire for our kids is that they be successful; the trick is to figure out how to accomplish that feat. Peer pressure is very strong, especially in the teen years. As we all know, peer pressure tends to make kids want to be like everyone else, and being like everyone else is the very definition of mediocrity, not excellence. So, what can we do?

 

This is where the reward of a prize comes in. The apostle Paul put it this way:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run that you may obtain it. (II Cor. 9:24, ESV)

 

There is just something about the hope of a prize that seems to sharpen a young person's focus. We have all taken part in Easter egg hunts where we competed against the other kids to find the most eggs. If those eggs had money or some sort of little toy in them, then our focus became all the more intense. You can see it today when you watch kids in such a hunt. The moment they are let out into the area of the hunt, their attention and efforts are as sharply honed as any diver searching for the treasure of a long-lost sunken ship.

 

This laser like focus is what we need to teach our kids if they are to ever be truly successful. Think of the way that you can direct sunlight through a magnifying glass. The finer you can direct that light through the glass, the more intense the beam will become on the other side. When done properly, you can actually burn wood with the light beam. I can tell you that that was a big enough "prize" for me when I was a kid, as I must have burned my name or important message in a hundred pieces of wood while growing up.

 

This prize is not only a strong motivator, it is also that which will get kids to see that being part of the crowd is not always to be sought after. I remember when my youngest would run in the races on track day in elementary school. She was faster than her school mates (and I as a proud dad could instantly see that) but she was content to just ditty-bop along, looking from side to side at her friends, and stay with the group.

 

When she was in 5th grade, I told her that I would give her $5 for every race she won. The plan worked beautifully at first. She won the 50-yard dash; $5 dollars well spent! The she won the hundred and I was content my plan had worked. Then the 200 came with another victory and I realized the monster I had created. I was out $15 on a preacher's budget and the 400 was yet to come. In this race she was competing against a classmate that would later move to a larger school and compete in the 400 on the state level. While we didn't know that at the time, it was clear that she was the cream of the crop in this race, and not my daughter. But greed won that race, and I was out $20 bucks.  

 

When our daughter went on to compete at the state level in High school and the national level on a full-ride track scholarship, I realized that it was $20 well spent. I also learned something about the power of the prize when it comes to motivating people. Hopefully we can all see the power of the right motivation when it comes to instilling a drive for excellence in our kids. This same method works for adults as we can see from the passage above from the 9th chapter of II Corinthians. As we read on in that very passage, we find out that Paul is not concerned about a physical race but is talking about the motivation we all need if we are to be in heaven someday. 

 

And that motivation is all about focus, for it is talking about the absolute need to keep our eye on the prize if we are ever going to be able to obtain it by God's grace.

 

So, here is the conclusion: If we want to teach our kids to pursue excellence, we are going to have to show them that there is a great reward for doing so. In the absence of such motivation, peer pressure is going to eventually trap them into a life of mediocrity. But with the proper motivation, they will obtain a desire that will cause them to focus like a laser beam in such a way as to allow them to accomplish great things in the areas that they are most interested and adept in. I think we all would agree that the ultimate prize that any of us can be focusing on is the home in heaven that awaits those who can keep that focus on the greatest prize that has ever been offered to man.

How Involved is God in Your Life?

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Proverbs 16:9, NIV (1978)

 

How involved is God in your life? Some think that He merely watches, observing all the things we do so that He can bring these deeds into the Judgment, while others feel that we are little more than robots that move along a pre-programmed path with little personal choice as to what they are doing or how they will get there.

 

But this is not at all what the Bible reveals. The 16th chapter of Proverbs gives us some pretty good ideas as to how involved God wants to be in our lives. The passage above reveals that it is up to man as to what path he will choose. He can decide to follow the righteous path or go in his own way - God allows us to choose! But we are also told that even though our direction (and therefore our future) is ours to choose, God will determine our steps along the way. From this, we can see that He is involved in our lives. But exactly how far does that involvement go?

 

In the first part of this same chapter in Proverbs, God reveals this vital key to life:

To man belongs the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue. All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

 

This passage reveals the answer to our question, does it not? We are told again that men get to make whatever plans they want in life, so we can see that we are definitely not robots that are somehow placed here to perform in some pre-planned game that God has come up with. Still, even though we have the right and the responsibility to make our own plans, God is not going to leave us without help along the way. Proverbs 16:25 tells us why this is so:

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

 

When we take all three of these passages, we can get a pretty good idea as to why God intervenes in our lives. He does want us to choose our own path, but He still wants us to choose the right one because He loves us. So, when our desire is to take the right path, but we are mistaken as to some of the "twists and turns" on that path, He will intervene. How he specifically accomplishes this is His business, and I don't think we have to worry about each intervention that He does make, but it is comforting to know that He is there to help us keep going in the right direction.

 

Of course, there is a big condition if we want His help and intervention: We have to commit our lives to Him. In other words, while we do get to choose the way we will take, none of us wants to find ourselves going over a cliff that we did not see. I believe this is one of the places in life where God involves Himself in determining our steps. Since He knows there will be times that we are off the path even though we think we are still on it, He will help us to find our way back from our dangerous decisions that would have led to death had we continued on that fatal detour. 

 

This is probably the long way around the barn to answering our initial question, "How involved is God in our lives"? How involved do you want Him to be? Many people would prefer that God simply leave them alone and stay out of their business. That's fine. I believe that God will let us do that if it is the direction we really want to take, but He still will likely set up a roadblock or two to help us change our minds from our dangerous decisions. On the other hand, when we are determined to take the righteous path and we commit that direction to God, I believe that He will involve Himself in every important aspect of our lives. After all, this is what we want, and this is what we have committed ourselves to.   

 

So, again, how involved is God in our lives? How involved do you want Him to be? To answer that, we will first have to decide how bad we want to be with Him in the first place. 

Make Kids Great Again!

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.

He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded.

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Proverbs 12:1; 13:13; 13:24, (1978 NIV)

 

My kids sent me the picture of a paddle from a shop in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. One the side of the paddle was the inscription, "Make Kids Great Again".

 

We have it all backwards in our modern world. We have decided that discipline is cruel and unusual, but that tolerance of bad behavior is love. I guess Dr. Spock was the first really prominent proponent of this brave new philosophy, and you have to admit, it is a philosophy that has changed the world... but not for the better.

 

When parents started applying this new way of thinking in the 1960's it seemed like the right way to go. After all, we were an enlightened society, and enlightened societies leave the ways of barbarism behind. So parents and schools started "reasoning" with their children instead of punishing them for conduct that was detrimental. Now I want to quickly say that reason is an important part of discipline for if you can convince a child or adult that certain behaviors are unacceptable, then they will desire to emulate that conduct. 

 

But what happens when reason doesn't take? What happens when you calmly explain to your 10-month-old toddler that electricity is dangerous and that they shouldn't grab hold of the cord with their drooly little hands? A wise parent will realize that a moderate slap of the hand and a firm "no" will usually do the trick. A Spock-educated parent will do no such thing. They will tell baby that mama and daddy love them and do not want them to get hurt. They will childproof every outlet in the house and spend their entire day with eagle eyes glued to the child to make sure that they haven't missed anything. They will dress baby in bubble wrap in case of a fall. But they will never, never, never say the word no, and they will never spank their precious angel child for they love him!

 

Now, I may just be bitter, but when I was growing up our schools did not have a staff of counsellors or a seven-step method of discipline for the unruly child that usually ended with a parent/teacher conference in which the teacher apologizes for having failed their child. It's true that there was generally a counsellor on staff, but their counsel was often to stop doing stupid things and you wouldn't get hurt so often. They did have a two-step method of discipline that was eerily similar to that of mom and dad's. They would tell you what behavior was expected, and any violations were remedied with a swat. It was simple. It was effective. It did not require a metal detector at the door or a squad of security on staff. Oddly enough, kids somehow received an education despite the harsh climate in which they were taught. 

 

But what happens when angel child leaves the home and school? What happens when they are at another place that hasn't had the foresight to childproof every item in the house? What happens when your baby (now 18) is let loose on the world with the understanding that "no" is not a word to be used in their presence? The answer is that they will likely crash and burn. And then, if they still cannot discipline themselves enough to not conduct themselves with bad behavior, at that point society will have provide the discipline for them.

 

This is why God provides such clear (and sometimes harsh seeming) instruction from time to time. We don't like hearing that we or our angel children might be stupid, but that's precisely what we are when we hate discipline. The one who has the discipline to wait for traffic to slow before crossing the street loves themself. The one who steps out onto the busy highway with no regard to the consequence really is stupid. The one who laughs at rules because rules are restrictive and are made for the little people will pay for their folly. And the parent who raises their children without punishment as a final form of discipline may just end up visiting their children in prison or at the morgue someday.

 

The fact is that appropriate discipline is an act of love. It is loving to give your children the proper instruction. If they are old enough to understand, it is loving to give them the reason for that instruction. But it is also loving to teach an unruly child that there are real consequences for refusing to walk in the way of discipline. A parent who does not let his child play in traffic is a loving parent. Satan and his adherents want us to believe that a parent or teacher who would spank is somehow cruel and hateful. While it is true that there are some cruel and hateful authorities, those who issue proper punishment to go along with proper discipline are in reality taking part in the most gentle and loving conduct that is possible.

 

By doing so they will raise children to be good citizens and, even more importantly, good servants of God. Good citizens and servants rarely have to be visited in either prison or at the morgue. They become a credit to society and a joy to God. And they will become a joy to you, for they will be the kind of people that you respect and admire. This type of pleasant "end product" is the duty of every parent. Here's how the inspired writer of Hebrews worded it in Hebrews 12:11:

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 

What Can We Do When All Hope is Gone?

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.

I Timothy 2:1, ESV

She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, "If I touch even His garments, I will be made well." And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease... And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease."

Mark 5:27-28, 34, ESV

 

Wouldn't it be nice if we still lived in the age of miracles? Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to just go to Jesus and have all of our problems instantly removed by His great power? 

 

Recently, we have been witnessing the after-effects of Hurricane Helene, with its massive flooding and terrible destruction. The images that have come out from the hurricane's toll have been overwhelming. We have seen the interviews of people who have lost everything - from their homes and businesses, even to their loved ones in some instances. We have heard these people question if there will ever be help that reaches them before it is too late. Millions are without power, without clean water, and without basic necessities such as dry clothing and simple medical supplies. In short, some of the people we have seen feel absolutely without hope, and some are beginning to give into that hopelessness.  

 

What can we do when all hope is gone?

 

There are times in all of our lives when we feel that hope is gone, but most of us can honestly say that it had never really vanished completely - we had just lost sight of it temporarily. While it is true that we do not have Jesus' physical presence to come in and miraculously take care of our physical needs on the spot, we have something that is still monumentally powerful: We have prayer! And while that seems a small consolation to those who are in the midst of the struggle who have lost their faith, for those who keep the faith it is of incredible comfort. In fact, it is not only the very thing that will keep them going, but it is the only thing that will bring them through to the other side.

 

And the hopelessness is not always limited to those directly impacted by difficulties such as this, for there are many people on the outside who would like to help those who are going through hard times. But what can we do? Such disasters are often too far away for us to help directly, so we cannot be there physically to help with their burdens. We may not have the money to help with aid, and even if we did, we might not be sure how to get it into the proper hands to allow the funds to assist in the way they need. So, again, what can we do?

 

The answer has always been God, and it has always been Jesus!

 

In one instance, when the disciples came to Jesus to have Him send away the crowds so that they could get them something to eat, Jesus told His disciples to feed them. When they pointed out to Him that there were thousands of people and that they only had a few small fish and a few loaves of bread, Jesus told them to bring both the food and the people to Him. So, herein are the first two parts of any solution to restoring hope in a hopeless situation: Do what you can with what you have and bring the people to Jesus. I realize that some will scoff at this idea but think about it for a moment. You cannot do more than that which is possible, and you cannot give more than you possess, so use what you have. 

 

Then, do the most important part: Pray! Pray for all people everywhere with all sorts of requests. Do so with the faith that assures you that God is powerful enough to do anything, so after you have done what you can, turn the rest over to God. And do your dead-level best to bring these people the soul saving message of the salvation of Jesus Christ! You cannot do this until you have proven your sincerity to them by doing what you can with your efforts and your possessions, but you will be surprised at how many are receptive to the Good News of Jesus Christ when they have lost all hope and when they have seen that you are willing to do what you can for their physical needs.

 

And if you really cannot do anything for their needs because you truly do not possess the opportunity or the resources, then go ahead and pray to God for His help. The fact is that when we have really and truly done all that we can, and when all that we have left to do is to pray and turn the rest over to God, that it is at these times we have the right to the greatest hope. For this has always been our most powerful hope when all else has seemed to fail: When no one else can help, God and Jesus can!

 

So, by all means, do what you can. Then pray for God's assistance, and especially that those who have yet to find the salvation of Christ for their own lives will be able to do just that. Someday, the hurricane and its destructive effects will be over... as will this physical life that we now are privileged to live. Let's do all that we can to survive both, but if we can successfully get through only one, let's make sure that we have taken care of the spiritual needs of ourselves and others. After all, what could we possibly experience in this physical life that is so horrible that we won't have put it completely out of our minds after the first five minutes of eternity?