Stand Firm or Else - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) September 10 2024

Isaiah 7:9 - The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. The last part of that verse is often repeated by Christians but do we really understand what God meant?

The Lord gave that word to Ahaz, a one-time king of the Kingdom of Judah who also happened to be the father of King Hezekiah. This prophetic word was part of a larger message from God when the people of Judah were gathered behind the wall of Jerusalem because their nation was under attack. Two armies lay in wait beyond the city's gates - the Aramites and Judah's brother nation, the Kingdom of Israel.

Isaiah was sent to King Ahaz to tell him that the enemies at the gate would not overcome the city. He called their kings "smoldering firewood" and assured Ahaz there was no reason to fear them (Isaiah 7:4). And then, He had His prophet utter Isaiah 7:9. That verse was the condition on which God's promise hinged - if Ahaz didn't fear those kings and their armies, then the threatened destruction of Jerusalem and its people would not occur.

Often when people speak of Isaiah 7:9 they ignore the fact that it was a clause in a larger message to God's people. And because of this, many Christians are unaware that God's promises hinge on them not fearing the Goliath standing in their path. They are ignorant of Joshua and Caleb's announcement at Kadesh Barnea, the pronouncement that so pleased God that they were the only two men who survived God's culling of everyone in the wilderness who'd doubted Him. They were the only two of their generation to enter the Promised Land. Numbers 14:8-9 - If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

Christians are called to only fear God and nothing else. When we allow a spirit of fear to get the best of us, we signal to God that we might need more time to become familiar with His faithfulness before He can release the land of milk and honey to us. If not, we'll enter and the devil will use tactics to scare us into relinquishing what we received. And in such an instance, the blessings meant for God's people could end up under the control of God's enemy.

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

Look at that sentence. It is just a bunch of words until you realize the weight each carries for your journey into the promises of God. That verse is just a catchy Christian saying until you realize it is God's order to you and I to fix our faces like flint despite the attacks and oppression we face. Those words won't mean anything to us until we see that our faith is a platform we must prayerfully climb onto and not descend from until we have complete victory. If not, we will not stand at all.

And that is what happened in the time of King Ahaz. He feared the enemy and they eventually defeated him, killing 120000 warriors in one day and carting women, children and the aged as captives. That shall not be your portion IJMN, Amen. The Lord will help us take a Jairus stance as our Savior walks us to the miracle that is already on the way.

See you at Noon EST for fellowship.

Your Fiduciary Duty To God - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) September 6, 2024

Have you ever heard of the term fiduciary duty? It simply means that a person has a responsibility to do everything within their power to best serve the interests of another. Sometimes an individual has a fiduciary responsibility to an organization such as their employer. Likewise, the reverse can be true whereby an institution has a fiduciary duty to individuals such as a law firm's duty to do things in the best interests of their clients. This issue is very serious and a person or business can be sued for failing in their responsibility. The consequence can be a legal judgment costing millions.

Fiduciary duties are equally important to God. The Bible is littered with the numerous duties He has to you. Covenants He made to protect you, advance you, and heal you, etc. He also expects a fiduciary duty from those who say He is their God. Especially since you gave your life to Christ and thus committed to be more like Him and less like ... you. And if you pay attention to the way Jesus lived His life, you will see He understood He took His duty to serve God seriously. You are to do the same.

And you can faithfully and fiercely serve His interests in the territory He has placed you. That territory may be your workplace, your school, your neighborhood, or elsewhere. Your role is to serve as His representative and further His interests there.

This requires that you distinguish yourself as His child so others come looking for what you know (the answer being God Almighty). He may call on you to regularly fast and pray to protect God's purpose in your territory. Or, God may need you to act as His witness, testifying to others about what He's done for you. He may have put you in a location for the benefit of everyone there or because of a specific individual.

Do you know why God has put you in your family? Do you know why He placed you in the job He gave you? How about in the neighborhood you live in? None of these things happened randomly. Everything about your life is ordained to serve God's purpose but if you don't stop to seek His wisdom, you will fail to faithfully honor your fiduciary duty to Him and the people He planned for you to bless.

Many of us are experiencing difficulties in life because we've failed to realize that our success is not for our benefit but for God's glory. That problem you faced until God sorted it out, for instance. He didn't do it solely to make you more comfortable. He also did it so you would regularly tell others and encourage them to taste and see that your Lord is good. You'd prayed for months for a job and then you got it, for example. He didn't work that miracle just so you earn a check and have the lifestyle you have always desired. He placed you there so that you can be His instrument of light, dispersing the darkness through complete submission to Him.

Too many want God's gifts more than the Giver and His expectations. And if you consistently and unrepentantly fail in your fiduciary duties to Him, you run the risk of stepping outside of the fullness of life He promised to His faithful. Never forget the caveat contained in Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Yes, God is working things out for the good but only for those who love Him and are living in their Kingdom Identity - in their calling - for His purposes and not theirs!

If you think you are not yet serving God's purpose within the territory He placed you in, it is time for a course correction. Ask God to reveal how you are to satisfy your fiduciary duty to Him. Read your Bible and fast for revelation. If you know what He wants from you but have been stubborn, do not risk losing the promise contained in Romans 8:26 and other scriptures. Things may be comfortable right now but if God determines that, like the one-talent servant, you are not producing a profit for Him, then don't be surprised if the comforts you currently enjoy disappear. Please take God's interests seriously. Put them above your own so your blessings increase Matthew 6:33).

God has placed His word higher and more significant than His name according to Psalm 138:2. This means you can call on His name as much as you like but it is His word that really moves Him. Honor His word, bring Him profit from the talent(s) He has given to you by protecting and serving His interests in the locations He has placed you. Honor your fiduciary duty to Him and He will Honor you even the more.

Ungodly Friendships: Amnon, Rehoboam & 'Friends' - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) September 3, 2024

Trigger Warning: sexual assault.

We spent a week learning about godly friends, the need to pray for them and how to be one. Today, we look at the opposite of such relationships - ungodly friendships.

The Bible teaches us to pay attention to the quality of friends we keep. Proverbs 18:24 - One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Nowhere is this issue of ruinous friends better displayed than in the relationship between Amnon and Jonadab (2 Samuel 13).

Amnon was David's first son and thus the royal prince of the kingdom. As his father had married a number of women, he had a large family with many brothers and sisters. One such sibling was Tamar and sadly, he had an ungodly desire for her. 2 Samuel 13:1-2 - In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David. 2 Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.

For the average person, falling in love with a sibling, albeit one with a different mother, would never come to mind. However, Amnon dwelled on this evil idea till it became an obsession. He confided in Jonadab who was not only his friend and adviser, but was also a cousin. Instead of discouraging such thoughts, Jonadab concocted a plan to get Tamar to the prince's room. Amnon followed the plan and when alone with his sister, he raped her. Tamar's life was shattered and her brother, Absalom, murdered Amnon in revenge. The consequences didn't end there, however. Absalom resented his father for not punishing Amnon, leading Him to depose David, violently assault his father's concubines in public and ultimately dying in battle against his father's troops.

Had Amnon put God's word before the counsel of an evil friend, he would not have abused and assaulted his own sister. After all, the word states in Leviticus 18:9 - Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere. Instead, he listened to someone who encouraged his evil desires and that led to family dysfunction and death.

Another person with ungodly friends was Rehoboam. He became king after the death of his father, King Solomon. When he ascended to the throne, the people pleaded with him to reduce the taxes (1 Kings 12:4). He sought the wisdom of his late father's advisers who encouraged him to treat the peoples request favorably. He then opted to also get the opinion of his friends, young men who were inexperienced in statecraft. They encouraged him to mock the people and threaten to increase their taxes.

The Bible tells us in 1 Kings 12:13 - But Rehoboam spoke harshly to the people, for he rejected the advice of the older counselors. This choice to follow his friends' advice was a contributing factor to the kingdom splitting into two. Ten tribes went on their own to establish the Kingdom of Israel leaving Rehoboam to lead his tribe, Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin in the Kingdom of Judah.

God does not want us to have ungodly friends because like Jonadab and Rehoboam's friends they lack godly wisdom. Having such people in one's life is a surefire way to experience defeat, ruin, and possibly death. We must pray for godly friends filled with the fear of the Lord, His wisdom and His word. These are the friends we need to stick by us through the good and bad times. These kinds become like family and value our physical and spiritual interests.