The only way you can prove you have faith is to presently walk in faith. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2Corinthians 5:7 KJV). Faith is sensitive to the present. We may have first believed in the past, but we must continue in the present, or there is no faith. We hope to walk in faith to the end, but we must continue in faith in the present to get there. Our great enemy is the deception that faith is not active. We deceive ourselves, when we are not trusting Christ for “all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2Peter 1:3). If we are truly in the faith, then let us avoid shipwreck by allowing Christ to direct our hopes and fears through all the opportunities and troubles of life.
Prayer of Faith
Winning in the Courts of Heaven (Part 2)
Change your attitude. Of course, we would labor feverishly, if our house was burning down. But, if our neighbor’s house was on fire, we hope we would be willing to do whatever is necessary to save them. Prayer for others is intercession, which is distinguished by love. “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 19:19 KJV). We’ve prayed so many times for ourselves unsuccessfully, how can we do any better for someone else? Naturally, there would be greater potential for answer, if there were more signatures on the petition, but the Courts of Heaven are looking for a judicial people, who can clear away satanic objections for the Judge of All the Earth to grant their requests. “And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake” (Genesis 18:32).
The Courts of Heaven
God rules sovereignly from Heaven but not arbitrarily. In the Unseen Realm, “God [Hebrew, ělôhîym, ruler, judge, divine one, angel] has taken His place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods [Hebrew, ělôhîym] He holds judgment” (Psalms 82:1 ESV). With the Supreme Judge of All the Earth (Genesis 18:25), both Abraham and Moses pleaded cases before His court and won (Genesis 18:25; Numbers 14:13-20). Why should Yahweh allow Himself to be persuaded by a mere mortal in prayer? “Remind Me of what happened! Let’s debate! You, prove to Me that you are right [Hebrew, tsadeq, acquitted, justified, vindicated, declared right]!” (Isaiah 43:26 NET). God desires us to enter into intimate relation with Him to form a more perfect union, when we argue our case in the Courts of Heaven using all our intellect, understanding, experience, emotion, and feeling, thus bonding to Him with all our strength for eternity.
Confusion to the Enemy
“Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words, for I see violence and strife in the city” (Psalm 55:9 NIV). Whenever someone is confused, they are confounded in their attempt to accomplish their goals. Likewise, David prayed for the Lord to confuse his enemies, as should we. Elisha prayed for blindness upon the Syrian army, who came to capture him. “And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And He smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha” (2Kings 6:18 KJV). LORD, teach us to wage war victoriously in our Spiritual Warfare. Amen.
Search Me, O God
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24 KJV). LORD, what is it in me that must change for your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven? Let me not look upon others seeing them as the impediment causing the world’s problems. Change me, and I will be changed. Form me, and I will be formed. Then lead me in the way everlasting. Amen.
Remove Mountains
“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23 KJV). Removing a mountain represents the impossible. Yet, Jesus compared casting a mountain into the sea with commanding the fig tree to dry up, which He just did (Mark 11:21). True, a mountain will be cast into the sea, if you will “not doubt” (11:23) in your heart. But first, does God want and need that to happen? Remember, prayer is not determining how to get God to do what we want, but petitioning the Almighty to do what He is determined to do. Here, Jesus is encouraging us to actually pray whatever prayer needs to be prayed, no matter how seemingly impossible, if we do not doubt in our heart that this is what the Lord is determined to do. Father, encourage us to pray.
James 1 Commentary
Practical Christian Wisdom from the New Testament Book of James
A Letter of Practical Christian Wisdom
Introduction (1:1)
Verse 1: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings” (James 1:1 NIV).
“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1 NIV) tells us that the writer of this letter was James, a younger half-brother of Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 13:55). Once a bonafide skeptic (Mark 3:21) of the virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14) of his Older Brother, James had now been transformed to become His ardent supporter, humbling himself not only as a “servant [Greek, doulos, slave] of God” (1:1 NIV), but equally, a bond servant by choice of Jesus, who he now admits to be the Jewish Messiah and his master. James’ choice of calling himself a “servant of God” (1:1 NIV) is consistent with the teachings of Christ. “Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me” (John 12:26 NIV). We are servants of the Lord with the benefit of God directing our choices in life. Remember, we are not here to figure out how to use God, but how He can use us. This epistle or letter was addressed to the “twelve tribes scattered among the nations” (1:1 NIV), since the Early Church was originally Jewish converts returning to their homes from the Acts 2 Pentecost, as well as, to the converted Jewish brothers and sisters “scattered among the nations” (1:1 NIV) by the persecutions of Saul of Tarsus (Acts 8:1). NT scholars date this epistle as sometime before 62 AD, when James was martyred by King Herod (Acts 12:2). The Romans did not destroy Jerusalem and the Temple until 70 AD. “Greetings” (1:1 NIV) is the expected salutation, since this is a letter.
Continue readingJames 5 Commentary
Practical Christian Wisdom from the New Testament Book of James
Warning to the Rich (5:1-6)
Verse 1: “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you” (James 5:1 NIV).
Is James condemning all rich people? No, as we read previously, he is condemning all those who are seeking to accumulate wealth irrespective of God or man. He describes whom he condemns — “you [who] boast in your arrogant schemes” (James 4:16 NIV). Why should they “weep and wail” (5:1 NIV)? He answers, “because of the misery that is coming on you” (5:1 NIV). To what misery does James refer? Jesus described the misery of more than one rich person, possibly because riches are associated with someone who has been blessed. The rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) illustrates how a homeless beggar goes to his reward in Abraham’s bosom, and a rich man descends from his luxury into the fiery torment of Hades, both defying what many would expect as their outcomes. The moral of their story is not to seek the outward evidence of wealth as a signpost to Heaven, and not to reject the evidence of poverty, as a certainty of Hell. Both must pay heed to the claims of Scripture, without the benefit of miraculous events, to find their way to Heaven. “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16:31 NIV). The rich fool and his storehouse (Luke 12:13-21) shows us how foolish it is to place our confidence in earthly riches, as a sign of prosperity, happiness, and security. “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” (12:19 NIV). God terminates the rich fool’s life with the epitaph, “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God” (12:21 NIV).
We Need A Miracle 