Does God Answer Prayer?

Praise God for His wonderful blessings!
May I take a moment to share with you the tremendous answers to your prayers my wife, Dee Dee and our family have experienced over the last few days?
This really began about a year and a half ago during the summer while we were on the way to serve at Camp Good News. While we were on the way Dee Dee began to experience tremendous pain and we thought we were going to need to go to an ER, however, glory to the Lord Jesus it went away. From time to time it would come back but not to the same degree. Then toward the end of the summer it came back with a great intensity which took us to the Dr. several times and eventually the ER.
It was there that you got involved with your prayers. First, God answered your prayers concerning finding out what this was. The Dr. had some ideas but we left the ER with no real understanding. Next came a series of tests which I knew were going to present some difficulty because the insurance we have for Dee Dee has a very high deductible and we didn’t have the money to pay it, so we prayed. In fact she and I sat in the Lowe's parking lot in Port Orange before going in, to offer one last prayer because we didn’t have the money for the test and I didn’t know how this would work out. God in His sovereignty however had orchestrated things I such a way to help us, you see our appointment was about 12:00 and most everyone was at lunch. I went to the lady at the window and told her we were there to check in, however, I didn’t have the money to pay her. I let her know that I would make payments of $100 and that was the best I could do. She said she would have to check with someone and would be right back. That someone turned out to be at lunch and the lady so kindly told us to just come on in and we would work it out. PRAISE GOD! He’s answering your prayers.
I had to wait while they took her back but they said I could go back while she was in recovery from the anesthesia. I sat there trying to get some work done when several minutes later the window at the reception desk abruptly opened at which time I was summoned to a meeting with the lady who had been at lunch. It was there that I discovered that under no circumstances whatsoever was anyone permitted to make payments (Barring and act of God). I was asked what I was going to do about this and I told her that I was unable to pay the full amount but I would make payments. PRAISE GOD! Dee Dee was already in the process and so we make payments:) Actually I was kind of surprised how God worked that out, I mean I in no way want to make light of the situation, however, should God so chose He can get credit anywhere He wants it.
This test did not pinpoint the problem, so we scheduled another test and at this point I’m really wondering how this is going to work out because it was early in the morning, surely the business manager wouldn’t be at lunch at this place as well?
No need for that, as God already supplied enough money for that to be covered. PRAISE GOD! He’s answering your prayers.
This test did provide some clear direction as we found out that Dee Dee’s gallbladder was not functioning. So we called the Dr. and were told that we would get a surgical referral, so we waited, and waited, and…
Please don’t misunderstand because Dee Dee’s Dr. is a wonderful Christian woman who prays with her. PRAISE GOD! We love her and all the fantastic ladies in her office, there was no problem there. You see, God was working something out in a place where I did not expect.
One of the CEF volunteers called me and told me that she wanted to recommend a surgeon that went to her church. She told me that she really felt that she needed to do this even though he was in Flagler and we live in New Smyrna. I didn’t think a lot about it because I didn’t feel that this was an option since the hospital is almost an hour away (Even though I really love our Flagler people so much, and I mean that with all sincerity). Shortly after this conversation she called again to tell me that she had spoken with the Dr’s wife and his wife had given their home number and ask that we call them directly. I must admit at first I didn’t get it, as I’m sometimes really slow, but then I thought, “Now this is weird, Dee Dee’s Dr hasn’t given us a referral and now I have the home number to a surgeon in Flagler.”
So I called and spoke with Mrs. Bower who was so wonderfully kind and said she would call her husband’s office. Wow, I mean PRAISE GOD! He’s answering your prayers. The next day we got a call and they booked us for the next day (I think? It might have been two days out?)
The rest of this I need to preface with PRAISE GOD! He’s answering your prayers; because it just gets more amazing.
We went to the appointment on Wednesday and met Dr. Steven Bower, and I don’t know that I can adequately put into words the blessing it was to meet this wonderful man of God. He explained everything to us and set us for surgery on Friday. I must admit I was wondering where the money was going to come from but we really felt this was the right thing to do and I was sure this was the right man, however, we did not tell Dr Bower of our lack of funds.
We left his office and went to do pre-op check in and were told we needed to call tomorrow to find out how much money we needed to bring. This would be an interesting night, we knew that we didn’t have the money to pay for the surgery and now, whatever the cost, we only now had 24 hours to get it. Of course we didn’t need to get it and the One doing the ‘getting’ didn’t need any time at all.
I need to put a parenthesis here to address something that you may wonder about, why didn’t God just make the surgery free and then you wouldn’t have to worry about it. I’ll only address this to a minor detail now because my intention is to write about this in depth in the next newsletter because God taught me something about ministry to the children in this process. I’ll suffice to say that I believe that God did not even permit that to be a thought in the mind of anyone at the hospital. I think you’ll see this more clearly after what I say here as well as in the newsletter.
Thursday morning we found out that when we went to the hospital on Friday we would need $1,751.62. Wow, that’s a lot of numbers. It was here that I put out a prayer request and ask people to lift this before God. PRAISE GOD! He answered your prayers. Within hours people began to come in and drop off gifts for my wife. I can’t explain how wonderful it was to see God moving through His people. Along the way I was tempted to give everyone an update, just to let them know how things were going. However, the more I thought about that I felt that We had put our trust in God and to “update” people would really only serve to turn this into a telethon. So we prayed and waited and one by one God came to visit us through you. Some it was through giving and some it was through praying some it was both. As the money came in I kept it separated with paperclips and sticky noted with the names of the people who brought it in. When I got home Friday night I gathered my family and reminded them of our prayer for mommy and the money we needed. I then took the money out and as
I cried I began to count it in front of them as I told them about what God had done through His people. $1,157 had come in. We prayed and I asked God to seal that moment in the minds of my children forever and we thanked Him for the other $500 we knew He would provide. We prayed again that night and went to bed not knowing where the money would come from but not being able to imagine how God wouldn’t provide.
Friday morning we woke up and got ready to God to the hospital and before we left I checked my email. PRAISE GOD! He answered your prayers. Someone sent an email and said that $500 would be in the office for us. Only my family, one other person, and God knew about this specific amount and I can’t speak for God, but I know none of the rest of us told. We got in the van and made our way toward Flagler and when we arrived God had sent his messenger ahead of us just to remind us in another wonderful way of His care and provision for His children. We were in the waiting area to be checked in and up walks a person, a messenger from God, who knew of our need and had gotten out of bed early and drove all the way there to wait for us just to make sure we had the money. He asked, “Did you get the money?” I told him about the email and he said, “I thought it would work out but just in case I brought my credit card.” May I say that this was one of the most overwhelming moments of my life. I wanted to grab this guy, give him a big hug and even a kiss on the cheek. I was able to restrain myself on the cheek thing but he got the hug. To us it was as if God was saying, “Not only can I supply your needs but I have as many back up plans as it takes to get the job done!” NOTHING WILL STOP THE KINGDOM OF JESUS!
I then went to the counter to pay the bill. I had planned to just put the money in the bank and write a check but as I thought about all those bills it occurred to me that this was a holy offering to the Lord Jesus Christ and I wasn’t about to water it down. I pulled that huge pile of money out with all the paper clips and sticky notes and told the lady that she would have to bear with me. I told her about all that had happened and how God had answered prayers and this was the very money that God provided through His people. PRAISE GOD! He answered your prayers.
We got checked in and Dee Dee and I read about the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ while everything was made ready. Dr. Bower came in and prayed with us and I went out to wait. About an hour and a half later PRAISE GOD! He answered another of your prayers. Dr. Bower came out and got me and we went into a room where he told me that everything went great. He did say that it was good that we did this as it may have soon turned into an emergency situation. This brother and I then rejoiced and praised God for what He had done through the hands of Dr Bower.
Do you know that God works through you? He did; each one of you that were a part of praying or giving have a stake in this. Thank you so much for praying for my dear sweet wife.

What Difference Does it Make?

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “One's philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.”
Do you feel that your choices matter? I was recently reading the account of Jesus birth and was awe struck at the impact that peoples choices made on the events that unfolded. In Matthew 2:13 the Bible says, “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”
As I read that the thing that really grabbed my attention was God’s response to Herod’s decision. Think about this for a moment, God is sending His Son into the world to save the world from sin. This is something that will benefit all people. Not just those alive at the time but that stretches to right here and now as well. God was making a way for anyone who wanted to come. But in the midst of our story, one guy, now don’t miss that, one guy decides that he doesn’t like what’s happening and then wants to kill Jesus. So what does God do? He accepts Herod’s choice and moves Jesus out of the way. I don’t know about you but I find that utterly amazing because if I’m God I just don’t think I’ll go through the hassle over one guy’s poor decision. I believe that I would just say that Herod’s time is up and leave the new mother and her Son right where they’re at to rest.
God has given us all, free will. I believe that it’s a gift that He’s given because His reasons for creating us is that we might have a love relationship with Him and love in and of itself absolutely requires free choice. If coercion of the will is involved the love no longer is a possibility. So God allows us the freedom to make choices that really do matter, He doesn’t simply steam roll over our will to get things done. Of course He’s going to get everything He wants done taken care of, but He still honors our choices.
That means that if I neglect something there really is a consequence and if I work really hard at something there is also a consequence as well. If you choose to reject God’s gift of Jesus Christ as Herod did, when it’s your turn to die, you really will go to Hell, even if you don’t believe its there.
If you choose to give all you have everyday to your job and continually neglect your family, your home is going to fall apart and I really don’t think that doing this day after day no matter if you’re a pastor or a plumber and then thinking that you will apply prayer as if it were a magic salve will stop this from happening. There will be no need to stand there wondering how this “came out of nowhere.” Almost like the man who wakes up one morning to find an big pile of manure in his front yard and wonders who put it there. To which his friend says, “You did, one scoop at a time.”
It’s the law of the harvest, you will reap exactly what you sow, only in much greater abundance and much later that when you first sow it.
As you examine your life do you see places where you’ve been making poor choices? Have you been ignoring the fact that your on a road that is very quickly going to lead you to destruction, either for you or your family? It’s not to late to turn from that and begin sowing for a much different harvest. Go to God and repent of the poor choices you’ve made, then if those poor choices have impacted other people’s lives, go to them and ask for their forgiveness as well. Finally make a plan as to how you’ll make different choices in the future. Think about what it will cost you up front so you’re prepared to deal with it when it comes and then just begin to make those new choices each day. God Bless and be sure to live out your faith today.

Personal Discipline in the Life of a Leader

It has been more than 21 years since Drill Instructor; Staff Sergeant Jackson stood before the recently formed platoon of new Marine Corps recruits and offered his definition of discipline. On that day and during many that would follow he would tell the men that discipline was, “The instant, willingness, and obedience to orders.” Over and over again that definition was recited and it was so thoroughly taught that at least one of those Marines from platoon 2077 can still vividly remember it all these years later. This definition, however, seems to fall far short of truly explaining a characteristic that nearly all leadership guru’s submit as being essential to the effectiveness of a person in any capacity of leadership. Personal discipline goes well beyond willingness or a desire to do what needs to be done as it deals less with actions and more with character. Certainly actions are the fruit of personal discipline, but the characteristic is rooted far deeper than that, it is who you are as a person and what your underlying motivations are in all that you do.
When the word “discipline” is mentioned, the thought of punishment or pain comes to the mind of many people. Perhaps memories of those elementary school years come flooding back in as pictures of an intimidating principal standing behind you preparing to speak in the clearest fashion available, at his displeasure with your refusal to do your homework, through what was lovingly referred to as the “Board of Education.” This incorrect understanding, when coupled with the prefix “self” makes the whole idea of self-discipline seem to be much more about sadomasochistic tendencies than with anything productive. The word “discipline” is more correctly defined as, “Training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character”(Merriam-Webster, 2010). Essentially discipline brings to mind a destination; a place where a leader desires to be and would ultimately consider be worthy of his time. Discipline is keeping that destination in mind as every decision is made from what to have for breakfast to how a particular project will be funded. When something comes into the life of that leader that could potentially cause him to deviate from that desired destination, he himself is the one to make the choice to remove it for the sake of the destination. Aristotle has been quoted as saying, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit (Quote DB, n.d.).” Day after day constantly making these choices form the habit of personal discipline.
One of the foundational abilities that a leader must possess is a capacity to make sound decisions that affect the course, outcomes, and longevity of the organization he represents. While in one regard a leader can learn decision making skills that will help him to be more effective, sound decisions ultimately come from moral people. In an article examining the reasons for the world financial crisis, one author notes a need for, “more moral leadership practices.”(Board, 2010, p. 276) We are where we are, as it relates to the current and perhaps even still declining financial crisis, because the characteristic of personal discipline in the life of a leader has had the elements of morals and skills divorced from each other,
“making decisions and taking actions in light of moral considerations, developing one’s behavioral capacity to serve others, and leading people effectively do not exist in isolation, but must be understood and utilized in the context of a holistic approach to leadership.”(McCuddy & Cavin, 2008, p. 116)

There seems to be a notion in our contemporary culture that self-discipline is more a technical skill that affects only certain areas of the person. Perhaps at no other time has this misguided thought taken more of a step into prominence and blanket acceptance than during one of the many scandals involving former President Bill Clinton. In an effort to justify his lack of personal discipline supporters were paraded around to the Sunday morning news/talk shows to make the case that character had nothing to do with a person’s ability to make decisions. Personal discipline is rooted in morality, and no matter how much we may wish to separate the two the results are no different than trying to separate a tree from its roots, the outcome is that although it may still have some semblance of being a tree it is in fact dead.
A leader, or really anyone for that matter, is no more than who they are in private. “Moral leaders represent values that are not confined to the secrecy of boardrooms and centers of power but are universally recognized as the fundamental building blocks of a life worth living.” (Becker, 2009, p. 10) While an immoral person may have some habits of personal discipline, that person cannot truly have the personal discipline requisite to properly lead. In his book, “The Way of the Leader” the author said, “If an executive lacks self-discipline, self-control- or self-respect, even if he is the person in charge he will not in fact, be the leader.”(Krause, 1997) Therefore at issue is leadership and not simply the talent and ability to carry out a set of tasks which lead to or even exceed a predetermined goal. A leader is entrusted with tremendous power that impacts both lives and fortunes; they are required to make decisions that go far beyond gathering and adding facts to produce a sum. Leaders must analyze and interpret the information and situations within not only their organization but the world as a whole and without a personally disciplined person in mind, body, and morality disaster is surely eminent.
As shocking as it would be to the founding fathers of the United States, nowhere is this lack of personal discipline more evident today than in our government. Somehow it has not only become acceptable but expected that anyone “serving” in elected office or high levels of governmental leadership is undisciplined and corrupt. “A persistent image in the political sphere is that of the active and powerful man willing to do whatever is strategically important in attaining his desired ends even though doing so may weigh heavily on his conscience.”(Calhoun, 2004, p. 263) The argument that the “ends justify the means” is only the epitome of selfishness wrapped in altruistic clothing. The unwillingness of our governmental leaders to be personally disciplined is foundational to the problems we currently find ourselves in as a nation. “Leadership which lacks ethical conduct can be dangerous, destructive, and even toxic.” (Toor & Ofori, 2009, p. 533) The “toxic” effects of unethical behavior are easily traced back to a leader who has chosen instant and personal gratification over personal discipline. Of course everyone should not only understand and put into practice personal discipline but a failure to do so in the life of a leader touches innumerable lives, negatively impacting each one.
In Proverbs the writer tells us, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”(Proverbs 25:28 English Standard Version) The imagery of this verse is such an appropriate analogy of a leader who lacks personal discipline, for as you get the picture in your mind of a city, any city it makes no difference whether it is modern or historic, you think of all the treasures it has to offer. Perhaps it has a great cultural center, maybe this city is known for its libraries containing vast sums of wisdom. The architecture of this city may be world renown and may boast of tremendous attributes that make it superior to all other cities that exist today. However, imagine that this same city has no protection from those who would seek to do harm. If it is an ancient city in your mind then think more literally as you see this verse and its comment on the walls being broken down, but if it is a modern city you have in your thoughts then picture it with no police force, no military, no protection whatsoever from any invader. This clearly illustrates the leader that lacks personal discipline. This person may have tremendous talent and abilities that could help his organization achieve great things but if his passions and desires are not restrained, soon they will begin to take over and eventually bring about his demise and far too often that of those around him as well.
In 1 Corinthians Paul illustrates the believer as if he were one competing in a game in an effort to win a prize when he writes, “But I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”(1 Cor. 9:27 New American Standard) The word ‘discipline’ literally gives the indication of someone forcefully and physically restraining another who sought to do harm. It is as if the Apostle Paul viewed the lusts, passions, and desires that he had as if they were an assaulting army that was set on his destruction. This is not to say that each and every inclination that a leader naturally has will destroy him but it does mean that those things left unchecked will at the least turn the attention of the leader from where it should be. The higher the leader goes, the more responsibility that is entrusted to that person, the more that they will need to have almost ‘laser focus’ on what they are to accomplish and tightly stay within the confines of those objectives.
This would certainly prove to be a daunting task for any person who operates in a leadership role and all the more so to the leader who does not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. There was once a commercial on television that sought to extol the virtues of a particular car lot by stating that their philosophy of having the same price for everyone was superior to that of their competitors who would lower the price only to make it up by charging a fee somewhere else. The announcer would illustrate the point with a long balloon which he would squeeze in one place and point out how the air just moved to another place. This is similar to the leader who does not seek to discipline himself under the power of the Holy Spirit. Although that person may be able to control their actions in one respect, undoubtedly those weaknesses will manifest themselves in another area. Conversely the leader who not only walks with the Lord Jesus Christ but also seeks to operate in His power will find that, “Self-control is really about bringing your whole life under the Holy Spirit’s control. It is not the outward result of self-repression but rather the inward result of the Spirit’s work.”(Vines, 2001, p. 132) True personal discipline in the life of a leader will come only as a result of a changed heart brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit and this is a work that encompasses the whole person not just particular areas. Therefore un-confessed sin in one area of the leader’s life will affect every area of the leader’s life.
In today’s business world it is clear that “peak performance” (Thornton, Privette, & Bundrick, 1999, p. 253) is not only sought after but demanded of leaders. Unfortunately there seems to be a misconception that personal discipline extends only to that leader’s professional performance and has nothing to do with who they are as a person. One needs to look no further than the current state of the world economy and the seemingly daily faltering businesses. A person makes decisions based not simply on experience and reasoning but on who they are and a leader who lacks either an understanding of the need for personal discipline in every aspect of their life and the will to act on it will ultimately prove themselves to be more of a liability than an asset to the organization they serve. We would do well to remember that, “business does not operate in an amoral space” and as such leaders must be selected based not only on their technical ability and experience as a leader but also on their willingness to personally discipline their life (Becker, 2007, p. 52).
Personal discipline is not just following orders like a good soldier, nor is it only a matter of correcting wrong behavior, although to varying degrees both of these aspects do come into play. Discipline goes beyond that however, to where a leader seeks to go, not just within the strategic plan of the organization but where he wants to go as a person. With that in mind the personally disciplined leader will begin to make decisions in keeping with that destination that are not only good for the organization but are good for him as a person. Ultimately this is the type of leader that this world is in desperate need of.
References
Becker, G. K. (2007). The competitive edge of moral leadership. International Management Review, 3(1), 50-71. Retrieved from www.liberty.edu
Becker, G. K. (2009). Moral leadership in business. Journal of International Business Ethics, 2(1), 7-21. Retrieved from www.liberty.edu
Board, D. (2010). Leadership: The ghost at the trillion dollar crash? European Management Journal, 269-277. doi: 10.1016/j.emj.2010.04.002
Calhoun, L. (2004). The problem of “dirty hands” and corrupt leadership. The Independent Review, 8, 263-385. Retrieved from www.liberty.edu
Krause, D. G. (1997). The way of the leader: Applying the principles of Sun Tzu and Confucius, ancient strategies for the modern business world (1st ed.). New York, NY: Berkley.
McCuddy, M. K., & Cavin, M. C. (2008). Fundamental moral orientations, servant leadership, and leadership effectiveness: An empirical test. Review of Business Research, 8, 107-117. Retrieved from www.liberty.edu
Merriam-Webster. (2010). Discipline. Retrieved September 23, 2010 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discipline
Quote DB. (n.d.). Aristotle . Retrieved from http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/921
Thornton, F., Privette, G., & Bundrick, C. M. (1999). Peak performance of business leaders: An experience parallel to self-actualization theory. Journal of Business and Psychology, 14, 253-264. Retrieved from www.liberty.edu
Toor, S., & Ofori, G. (2009). Ethical leadership: Examining the relationships with full range leadership model, employee outcomes, and organizational culture. Journal of Business Ethics, 533-547. doi: 10.1007/s10551-009-0059-3
Vines, J. (2001). Spirit fruit. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman.

Someone Is Trying To Destroy Your Home

I heard about a friend of mine that I have not spoken to in quite a while who has recently gotten divorced. This man is at an age in his life where he should be enjoying the fruits of his labors over the years. Instead he’s starting over with virtually nothing. Actually not nothing, when he started out in life many years ago he at least had his integrity, so now I guess you would have to say that he actually has less than nothing. Not only has he destroyed his finances and his integrity but this man and destroyed his own family. With his own hands he’s ripped apart the second most wonderful gift that God gives a man, his wife and family. All this over lust and a refusal to control his thoughts which eventually led to some very stupid actions.
In Proverbs chapter 6 the writer admonishes the reader to stay away from adultery when it says, “Don't be tempted by their beauty; don't be trapped by their flirting eyes. A man can hire a prostitute for the price of a loaf of bread, but adultery will cost him all he has. Can you carry fire against your chest without burning your clothes? Can you walk on hot coals without burning your feet? It is just as dangerous to sleep with another man's wife. Whoever does it will suffer. People don't despise a thief if he steals food when he is hungry; yet if he is caught, he must pay back seven times more---he must give up everything he has. But a man who commits adultery doesn't have any sense. He is just destroying himself. He will be dishonored and beaten up; he will be permanently disgraced.”
Ultimately our children are the ones who pay the real price when a marriage is broken apart. They had nothing to do with any of the decisions, however they suffer, as everyday a ridiculous number of marriages are ending in divorce and many of those are a direct result of uncontrolled thoughts leading to uncontrolled actions. All of this results in boys and girls being ripped from their homes.
A friend and I were recently talking about how we could be more effective at ministering to children as we seek to help them walk more closely with the Lord. We discussed the fact that while there are many effective strategies we can use to reach the children, we still only have a very limited contact with them. Ultimately the greatest spiritual influence on your kids is you. I remember reading an open letter that a teenage girl had sent to her father who had recently been caught in adultery. The man had tried to teach his daughter right from wrong and even took her to church but as she poured out her heart in the letter, she told him that all that he ever told her was a lie and that his life had been reduced to being nothing but a fraud. Can you imagine your life coming to this, your family being destroyed, not by an intruder in your home but by your own hand?
Perhaps, right now you find yourself in a place that maybe you never intended. Is there a relationship that is going too far? Have you allowed yourself to cross lines that you never thought you’d cross?
If that’s the case, may I remind you that God offers forgiveness. It’s not too late to turn from the road you’re heading down and turn back to God. Don’t put this off, do it today, it would be a good idea to call your pastor and get him involved as well. Don’t destroy your children with your own hands. God bless and be sure to live out your faith today.

Would You Push The Button?

Would you do something that you knew was wrong simply because someone in a position of authority told you to do it? Let’s imagine that someone who was in authority over you told you that you had to do something that you knew was wrong, something that if you were questioned, you would swear that you would never do.
Do you think you would go along with the command of the authority figure?
In July 1961, Psychologist Stanley Milgram devised a study to answer this question and what he found was extremely troubling. The way the study worked was that volunteers were solicited to participate in a learning exercise. In one room, one of the volunteers was placed and they were to be the student, in another room the second volunteer was placed and they were told that they were the teacher. The teacher was given a list of words and they were to teach the student the words by speaking to them via a microphone but they couldn’t see each other. The teacher was also told that the student had electrical wires attached to their body and that each time the student missed a question the teacher was to press a button to administer an electrical shock. They were also told that each time they were to increase the voltage by 15 volts and this would continue all the way to the level of 450 volts. In the same room with the person who was to be the teacher was one of the people who were conducting the experiment. Their job was to act as an authority figure and to try and keep the teacher from being reluctant to administer the shock.
One of the interesting things about this is that while the student wasn’t actually hooked up to any sort of electrical device the experimenters had recorded sounds that you might expect to come from a person who actually was being shocked. Then just to add an extra element of reality to the whole thing they gave the teacher a shock with the electrode so they could see what the student was to experience.
Their findings are unsettling to say the least, because after conducting this test, they found that 65% of the people were willing to administer the 450 volt shock and only one person refused to go above 300 volts. You may ask what they did to get these people to do something this heinous. Did they beat them? Did they threaten them? No, in fact they only had four pre determined statements that they would make to the participants to keep them going and over and over again this is exactly what the people did, they just kept going.
What about you, what do you think that you would have done? Would you have just went along with doing something that you knew was wrong just because someone in authority told you to? What if they threatened you, would you do it then? Where is your line that you wouldn’t cross?
2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
You have a responsibility and the fulfillment of that responsibility will not only determine to a great degree your life here on this earth but you can also know that there will come a day when you’ll give an account of what you did here on this earth.
If anyone, be it a supervisor at work, a friend, or even a government official who tries to get you to do something that you know to be wrong you have not only a responsibility to not only say no but to stand your ground by the power of Jesus and not do it.
May I suggest to you that this is going to require prior preparation on your part. Don’t just imagine that you would do the right thing if confronted with the situation. The reality is that you’re shaped largely by the small decisions that you make each day and although people don’t like to admit it there’s really very little legitimate “grey area.” The Bible is really very clear so it’s important that you are daily in it to find out where Jesus stands on issues. Then when you’re confronted with situations where you are tempted to compromise, say absolutely not, and just walk away. In doing this you’re working with the Holy Spirit in the process of sanctification and you can be sure that He’ll help you to do it.
God Bless and don’t forget to live out your faith today.

The Best Wedding Gift is From God

As a ministry leader God has called me to wrestle with difficult issues that prior to my call to this position I had taken for granted. I find that I have formed opinions based more on a general sense of what the Bible says rather than just allowing Scripture to speak for itself. The issue of Christian people living together outside the covenant of marriage is one such issue. I had an opinion on the issue and didn’t give much thought to it until I found myself in a position where I was required to make decisions concerning this issue as it relates to the ministry. God has set a day when I will be required to give an answer for all that has been entrusted to me. It is my sincere desire that on that day I will be found faithful in my duties. Therefore as I approach this issue I jettison all preconceived notions, denominational stances and ideas as it relates to this issue. I simply want to understand to the best that God will allow what His Word says and stand only upon that.

As it relates to the issue of marriage the Scriptures are replete with passages concerning the institution of marriage. Mark 10:6 “But in the beginning, at the time of creation, 'God made them male and female,' as the scripture says. 7 'And for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, 8 and the two will become one.' So they are no longer two, but one. 9 No human being must separate, then, what God has joined together." I will not begin to deal with all of them, however I believe I am correct in saying that God holds a very special place in His heart for marriage. I believe that there is at least a two fold reason why. The first has to do with His love for people. It goes far beyond my understanding as over and over it’s demonstrated in the Bible. Divorce hurts all involved and therefore God hates it. Malachi 2:16 "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel. "I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife."

I believe that a second reason that God holds a special place in His heart as it relates to marriage has to do with the fact that when He sees a marriage it’s more than the union of the man and woman There is also a picture of His relationship between Him and His creation. Romans 6:5 “For since we have become one with him in dying as he did, in the same way we shall be one with him by being raised to life as he was.” As this picture is figuratively portrayed throughout the Bible God speaks very lovingly and protectively of it. It is something very special to Him. The physical sign of that is found in the sexual union of a man and woman who have made this vow of marriage. We can see that God fiercely protects this sacred act over and over because it’s not just something casual to Him.1Corinthians 6:16 “Or perhaps you don't know that the man who joins his body to a prostitute becomes physically one with her? The scripture says quite plainly, "The two will become one body."

There are at least two words in the New Testament that deal with the issue of sex outside marriage or as the Bible frequently translates it, “fornication.” Below I have listed the two different Greek words that identify fornication along with their definition. I have also included the Strong’s number designation with each verse so that you can correctly understand the appropriate definition.
G4202 porneia Thayer Definition: 1) illicit sexual intercourse 1a) adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals etc.
G4203 porneuō Thayer Definition:1) to prostitute one’s body to the lust of another 2) to give one’s self to unlawful sexual intercourse 2a) to commit fornication

Matthew 15:19 For from your heart come the evil ideas which lead you to kill, commit adultery, and do other immoral things; to rob, lie, and slander others. 4202
Mark 7:21 For from the inside, from your heart, come the evil ideas which lead you to do immoral things, to rob, kill, 4202
Acts 15:20 Instead, we should write a letter telling them not to eat any food that is ritually unclean because it has been offered to idols; to keep themselves from sexual immorality; and not to eat any animal that has been strangled, or any blood.
Acts 15:29 eat no food that has been offered to idols; eat no blood; eat no animal that has been strangled; and keep yourselves from sexual immorality. You will do well if you take care not to do these things. With our best wishes." 4202
Acts 21:25 But as for the Gentiles who have become believers, we have sent them a letter telling them we decided that they must not eat any food that has been offered to idols, or any blood, or any animal that has been strangled, and that they must keep themselves from sexual immorality." 4202
Romans 1:29 They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip 4202
1Corinthians 6:13 Someone else will say, "Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food." Yes; but God will put an end to both. The body is not to be used for sexual immorality, but to serve the Lord; and the Lord provides for the body. 4202
1Corinthians 6:18 Avoid immorality. Any other sin a man commits does not affect his body; but the man who is guilty of sexual immorality sins against his own body.
1Corinthians 7:2 But because there is so much immorality, every man should have his own wife, and every woman should have her own husband. 4202
1Corinthians 10:8 We must not be guilty of sexual immorality, as some of them were---and in one day twenty-three thousand of them fell dead. 4203
2Corinthians 12:21 I am afraid that the next time I come my God will humiliate me in your presence, and I shall weep over many who sinned in the past and have not repented of the immoral things they have done---their lust and their sexual sins. 4202
Galatians 5:19 What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions; 4202
Ephesians 5:3 Since you are God's people, it is not right that any matters of sexual immorality or indecency or greed should even be mentioned among you. 4202
Colossians 3:5 You must put to death, then, the earthly desires at work in you, such as sexual immorality, indecency, lust, evil passions, and greed (for greed is a form of idolatry). 4202
1Thesselonians 4:3 God wants you to be holy and completely free from sexual immorality. 4202
Revelation 9:21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic, their sexual immorality, or their stealing. 4202

I recognize that obedience to these commands in Scripture presents some difficulties. It’s not my intention to make light of very real problems, nor do I seek to offer pat answers to difficult questions. However, I believe that the Word of God is very clear on this issue even though our culture and often times our ‘Christian’ culture would have a greatly different view. Please understand that this does not leave you in a hopeless position if you are in this situation because God tells us in 1 John 1:9 that is we will confess our sin He will not only forgive but purify you from unrighteousness. Matthew 10:29 says, “For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father's consent. 30 As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!” God cares about you and will not let you down, no matter what your needs are, just trust Him as you live out your faith.

A Word From Our Penguins

Do you think that you can learn Christian doctrine from some space traveling penguins? I want to warn you right up front you may be a bit uncomfortable with what you’re about to read. I’m going to step into an area that many pastor’s fear to tread. Today I set my sights on the sacred cow of Christianity, literally.
There’s a Christian cartoon that my kids love to watch, actually I really like it too. It’s called “3-2-1 Penguins” and it’s about these penguins who fly around in a space ship dealing with various moral problems in the galaxy.
Recently I was watching an episode and was amazed at the issue this children’s cartoon took up. It seems that the birds had been dispatched by Starfleet Command to a planet where they were having a problem with the gravitational pull on the planet. It had become so great that it was pulling everything down. Upon investigation the penguins found that the thing that was causing the extra gravitational pull was the over abundance of calories in their diet. The people on the planet had become absolutely gluttonous, as they ate and ate and ate some more. Even when they didn’t feel like eating they continued to eat.
Now you may be thinking right now, “This is not very spiritual.” But it really is because there’s no area of your life that God isn’t concerned with and He desires that Jesus Christ be your only master. Unfortunately it’s not enough that this is a problem within Christianity but to make it worse it’s really become a joke among many people. In the denomination that I’m affiliated with it’s laughingly said that we can’t have a meeting without fried chicken.
In 1 Corinthians 9:25 Paul talks about our Christian walk as if it we were athletes training and competing in a great race when he says, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.” We in this country and more specifically in Christianity have gotten out of control with this. I examine my own life and find that I am as guilty as anyone. This lack of obedience to the Lord has radically changed not only the quality but the duration of our lives in this country as we have allowed our cravings for not just food but really any pleasure that seems to come along to control our lives. Recently I heard a statistic that the average user of Facebook spends more than four hours at a time, becoming completely consumed with this internet site. This is not simply allowing ourselves to be out of control but in many ways I believe steps into the realm of being idolatrous as we give ourselves over to these pleasures to be controlled by them. Perhaps this morning as you listen to this you’re not only being convicted of an area in your own life where there is a problem but you may also be thinking of all the times that you’ve tried to deal with it and failed. Maybe the thought of another failure is worse than just giving in to this area where you have become trapped, almost as if a prisoner to your own desires. If that’s the case I’ve got some great news for you because greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.
If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior from the punishment for sin, no matter how many attempts you’ve made to overcome this God can and will deliver you. Now God may use a number of methods to destroy that stronghold in your life. You may simply go to Him and confess this to Him and sometimes God takes down that fortress in your life, other times He may feel that it’s best to work in you through a process over time to help to bring about that Christ likeness in your life. Romans 12: 1-2 says, “Therefore I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Are you allowing anything to get out of control in your life? Will you go to God and confess that to Him tell Him about the struggles you’ve had with this and ask Him to deliver you from it. Then will you choose to walk in the power that God has given you and overcome that stronghold? God Bless and don’t forget to live out your faith today

I Believe the Bible

In George Marsden’s book, “Reforming Fundamentalism” he stated that 85% of the students in one of America's largest evangelical seminaries stated that they do not believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. What do you believe about the Bible do you feel that you can rely on it? Certainly this is one of the most important questions that should be asked by a person and I’d like to examine the issues of both inerrancy and inspiration.
Essentially what we’re asking ourselves here has to do with where the Bible comes from and whether you can really trust it or not and I think the best place to start is to find out what the Bible has to say about itself. In 2 Timothy 3:16 the Bible says if itself that, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” You’ll notice first if you look at that passage that it says, ‘all’ and of course you don’t need to be a Greek scholar to easily recognize what ‘all’ means. When I tell my son Bob to eat ‘all’ his peas at dinner I mean, as I say to him often that, “Everyone of his little green buddies needs to be in his belly, none left out.”
And so it is with this passage, ‘all’ means from the first word in Genesis to the last word in Revelation and every word in between is included. So we understand that we’re talking about ‘all’ or the whole of Scripture. All Scripture is what? Well it’s inspired, or God breathed. Just as right now I’m breathing out words of teaching into this microphone, God breathed out His Word into the Bible. Now this doesn’t mean that He sat Matthew down when He was ready to write the New Testament and told him to grab a pen and some paper and copy as He spoke.
No, God choose Matthew as His instrument through which He would work to produce this book, and as such we see the distinctive of the instrument in the personality of Matthew as he wrote yet it wholly remains the Word of God.
Now don’t miss the point here because it’s not that the book of Matthew or the entirety of the Bible for that matter contains the Word of God, no, the book of Matthew and the Bible as a whole is the Word of God. This is essential that you have this because it’s a place where false teaching worms it’s way in and begins to minimize God’s Word by calling into question portions of it.
Alright so we see that the Bible says that it is inspired or God breathed, but we also see that people within the pages of the Bible say also that it is inspired and without error. In 2 Peter 1:21 for example, the Apostle writes, “for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
This is just an illustration of what we see over and over again I the Word of God that it is just that, The Word of God. You can absolutely and completely trust every word of it. Of course when I think about the 85% of the students in the seminary that said they didn’t believe that the Bible was without error I have a hard time actually believing that it had anything to do with honest investigation of the validity of the Word and much more to do with a desire to dismiss portions they personally found inconvenient. As it has been rightly said, “Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them.”
This is the place where the children have such an advantage over adults. I’ve never seen a child in a Good News Club debate the inspiration of the Bible, and I know that some would say that this is because the children don’t know enough to do it but I am more inclined to believe that it’s because God has entrusted to them a special measure of faith that we would all do well to learn from. All they have to have is someone to tell them about Jesus and almost always they will trust in Him and believe.
How would you like to be one of the people that God worked through to take that Good News into the public elementary schools? We have an amazing opportunity to take the inspired inerrant Word of God into the schools and all we need is your help to make it happen. Will you visit our website at www.nochildleftout.net that’s nochildleftout.net for more information.
God Bless and be sure to live our your faith today.

Is it ok for believers to watch the vampire movies that are so popular today?

As you read these thoughts I have written I ask only one thing from you before you begin; ask yourself, “Do I care what God has to say?” If you honestly say yes then I would invite you to read on, if the answer truly in your heart is no then I would encourage you not to waste your time reading what I’ve written.

Central Text: Deuteronomy 18:9-14NASB

The specific word is vampire is not used in the Bible, however Webster’s online dictionary defines the term as: “1 : the reanimated body of a dead person believed to come from the grave at night and suck the blood of persons asleep 2 a : one who lives by preying on others.” From this definition are several concepts that the Bible does directly address, these I will deal with in my study. The first has to do with the concept of reanimation of the dead. The next concept is the interaction with the dead. The final concept has two parts: The idea of murder and the human consumption of blood.

“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire,” (Here God is issuing a prohibition against following an evil practice of child sacrifice.) “divination” (“ conjuration of the spirits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events”-Webster’s Online.) “witchcraft” (“The practices of witches; sorcery; enchantments; intercourse with the devil.”-Webster’s 1828.) “One who interprets omens(Looking at events and attempting to predict the future) “One who casts a spell” (Using special words with the intent of gaining a magical result) “Medium”( an individual held to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and a world of spirits” –Webster’s online)”spiritist”(Those who attempt to speak with the dead or those perceived to be from the spirit world) “One who calls up the dead” (Having to do with talking to, inquiring of or worshiping the dead) As I study these prohibitions I am reminded of the fact that it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees when it comes to word studies so we need to take a step back and keep the big picture in view. This is not meant to be a specific checklist of things not to do, but rather a statement that transcends the generations on God’s feelings toward the adoration or communication with the dead or any involvement with seeking supernatural power outside that of God’s power. From this I don’t see that we get a pass simply because the character in question is fictional.

Why were these things so detestable to God? (I think this can be summed up in the first and second commandments, that we are not to have any other gods or worship idols. These practices are an affront to God in that they reject His power in favor of something that the conjurer believes he can to at least some degree control. These practices find their root in the Garden of Eden with Adam’s interest being peaked at the thought of being like God) How serious does God take this, what punishment was there to be for violating this law? (Exodus 22:18 "You shall not allow a sorceress to live.” Lev 20:6 “As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.” Lev 20:27 “Now a man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones, their bloodguiltiness is upon them.”

Some additional points to ponder:

The whole idea of a vampire steps clearly outside the confines of the revelation of Scripture. The Bible states that the world and all that has life was created by God with man being created in the image of God. This notion of a dead human reanimated with no soul is obviously contrary to a biblical perspective.

There is inherent “darkness” within the portrayal of vampires in all that I have seen. Not that they haven’t been given a romantic quality that may draw you to the character but their very being is opposed to God. The thought that you could hurt them by showing them a cross or putting “holy water” on them smacks of something not from God. Their aversion to sunlight speaks to the dark nature of this character. Prior to the formation the world there was darkness and God’s first command in the formation of the world was to dispatch the darkness with light. Therefore the notion that something is opposed to the light indicates opposition to God.

It seems as though everything associated with them is evil and negative.

God commanded that we are not to eat blood. We are not to kill.

Every person born has a soul and all of us will give an account to God for our lives and there is no exemption.

Cross reference to the point: Isa 8:19 “When they say to you, " Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter," should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?” (Not only is this a command to not consult the dead about the living but also seems as if God mockingly asks why would you engage in such silly behavior?)

1 Sam 28:9 But the woman said to him, "Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?" (Here is an illustration of the Word of God being put into practice. It was obviously a well established fact that the punishment for doing this was to be put to death.)

2 Kings 21:6 ^“He made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and used divination, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD provoking Him to anger.” (Manasseh was an evil king who did wickedness. As I observe his life I notice a progressive nature to Manasseh’s behavior. Not only was he a wicked king and led Judah to do likewise, but it looks as if one sin stacked upon another. The whole notion is wicked in and of itself but it also serves a step along the way further away from God and that in and of itself should be enough to keep us away from it.)

Num 6:6 “All the days of his separation to the LORD he shall not go near to a dead person.” (Anyone taking the Nazirite vow was not to touch a dead body or he would be unholy. This is an indication that interaction with a dead body, even to touch it is at odds with holiness. Remember that God said to be holy as He is holy.)

Lev 17:10-14 “And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, 'No person among you may eat blood, nor may any alien who sojourns among you eat blood. So when any man from the sons of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, in hunting catches a beast or a bird which may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified with its life. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, 'You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.'” (God has set aside blood as being special. As He states in these verses, blood is to be for atonement of sin and is not to be used for other purposes, to do so is to mock the purpose of the blood. I’m reminded of the passage from Daniel 5 where King Belshazzar uses the Temple articles for a party he’s having and God’s response to that. Those were intended to be set apart for a special use as is blood.)

Blood: Lev 17:10 “And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people.”

Deut. 12:23 “Only be sure not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh.”

Murder: Ex 20:13 “You shall not murder.”

Gen 9:6 “Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.”

Lev 24:17 “If a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death.”

Dead Raised: The Scriptures record only nine individual resurrections that have happened (Ten if you count Samuel) and two with the witnesses in Revelation 11 that are yet to come (there is a third depending on how you interpret the passage in Revelation that may be an indication of the Anti-Christ being resurrected) and then of course the resurrection of the church at the rapture then the resurrection for judgment. Of these I find no place where a resurrection is not the direct result of the intervention of God and for the purposes of glorifying Him.

Witches: The word “witch” seems to come from a word meaning “to know.” The popular understanding of the word gives us an indication of typically a woman, although it could be also said of a man as well, who through some sort of deal with evil spirits has been granted supernatural powers. This word is somewhat misleading as it is used in Scripture in that some of the contemporary understandings of the word were not known in Bible times. As a case in point the word used in 1 Samuel 28 of the “Witch” literally gives the indication of being “the mistress of a ghost” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia). The use of these terms seems to give an indication of a person who “works with the dead.” The exact nuances of what this entails depend on the situation but the negative light that Scripture casts on it seems to focus its attention on the interaction with the dead and with evil spirits and the use of drugs for nefarious purposes.

Blood: According to Psalm 16:4 is seems as though it was a practice among pagan cultures to consume blood as worship to their gods. Following these practices was absolutely condemned for followers of God.

Resurrection: The topic of resurrection of the dead among the Old Testament Jews seems almost unheard of. The author of the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia postulates that this was due in part to the focus on the notional identity of Israel and as such the individual fate was minimized at least to a degree. A number of the pagan neighbors of Israel held beliefs that held various doctrines of resurrection of the dead and as such this would be another reason for Israel to reject it. The Bible makes very clear the doctrine of the resurrection of all people, some to glory and others to damnation, but all will live again. With the exception of Elijah and Enoch there are none who haven’t passed through death.

As I’ve thought through and studied this issue the part of it that stands out most to me is that the whole notion of a vampire being a perversion of God’s revealed order and will through the creation of a fantasy creature. Of course once that box has been opened many new questions must be answered such as, does this mean that anything that is contrary to the revealed order of creation is wrong? If so then Vegi-tales is wrong because God never made talking vegetables. However I don’t think that fantasy creations is the issue here, but whether a thing, be it real or imagined is in conflict with Scripture. I do believe that the Word of God clearly teaches that anything that asserts itself to be able to circumvent the authority of God stands in opposition to God. The concept of vampires does exactly that, it stands opposed to God.

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)” Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”

Leviticus 17:10-14 ESV

“If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.