Looking for the Angels

We know the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by the devil for forty days well.  Of course, we only have the tail end of the trial recorded for us.  But, there is something else recorded there that has caught my attention lately.

Matthew 4:11

“Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”

If this was the only time angels were dispatched to help folks in trouble I might not get that excited.  After all, He was the Son of God, and received special treatment (more on this later).

But, angels were sent to others.

1 Kings 19:7

And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

Angels also were dispatched to protect Mary and Joseph, as Herod sought the young child’s life.  Angels were dispatched to Jesus when he agonized in the garden.

There are many reasons why angels might be sent to us, but I only want to focus on one – when we need strength and/or comfort.  Following a particularly rigorous hand-to-hand fight with the devil, we might need God’s hand to give us strength and comfort.  Following a tragedy, or loss in our life, we might need God’s comfort and strength.  He may choose to send this to us via an angel, as he did to others in the Bible.

I don’t know about you, or your situation, but I can tell you I’m looking for bootcamp (see previous blog posting) to end and the angels to be sent.  I could use a bit of strength and comfort after what I’ve been through, what about you?

Oh, almost forgot…

We tend to look at those things that happened to Jesus as things that could only  happen to Him, because of who He was.  After all, special privileges would be heaped on God’s only Son.  Not exactly true….

The primary reason this is not true has to do with excuses.  If it was true that Jesus received privileged treatment then we would have an excuse for not living as He did.  After all, we would say, He could only do what He did because he received privileged treatment.  But, and this is important, but, if he received no privileged treatment, then He would stand as the model to which we should aspire to.  An achievable goal, not an impossible one.

If Jesus was to live a privileged life then why wasn’t he born into a wealthy family, or at least one with means?  Why choose a poor one?  Once again, I think the reason was to eliminate excuses.

So, what final point am I trying to make?  Simply this, if angels were sent to minister to Him after a time of trial and temptation, angels will be sent to us, too.  Because, His life was not one of special privileges only He could take advantage of.  They are for everyone, who will live as He lived.  Therefore, if God dispatched angels to Jesus, He will do the same for us, provided we live as He lived, and do as He did.

Look up my friend, angels are on their way….

Bootcamp

Recently my youngest son entered the Air Force.  It brought back memories of my own military experience, some 40 odd years ago.  There are typically three phases to all military enlistments:

1. Bootcamp
2. Training
3. Service

Bootcamp typically lasts a couple of months and is every person’s introduction to  military service.  It is hard, with lots of people yelling, instruction, following rules, and all the things you might think would go on during such time.  This is followed by some sort of training or tech school for the area you are going to be working in.  School can last anywhere from a couple of months to almost a year depending on the skill.  Following school you are sent to your first duty station to do your actual service.

These three phases can be characterized as follows:

bootcamp – difficult

school – moderate

service – relatively easy

I’ve been reflecting on this for several weeks and months now.  Over the past few years our pastor has had a common theme running  throughout many of his messages – Preparation.  God is preparing you for your next step.  Of course, I have had my own ideas about this concept.  Most of my life I’ve understood that God prepares us for things, but I’ve always felt it was preparation for something ‘harder’.  Therefore, I didn’t look forward to it.

But, now I’ve started to change my mind.  Maybe it’s like bootcamp.  Bootcamp is hard, but it is meant to be.  It provides preparation for serving in the military.  But after bootcamp, things get better.  School is not as bad as bootcamp, and when you get to your first duty station it gets even better.  Maybe God’s preparation is like that too…

My son would not have been able to endure military schooling without first having passed through bootcamp.  Bootcamp prepared him for the school to follow.  But, school was easier than bootcamp.  The preparation made school seem easier, rather than harder.

So, my friend, you find yourself in God’s bootcamp.  People are yelling, instructions are being given, they wake you up at all hours of the night, you don’t get much time to sleep or eat.  But, hold on.  Life after bootcamp will be better.  This is just preparation.  Preparation, so you will be able to face the things ahead, and have victory, not defeat.

Now, let’s be totally honest here.  Some of us will graduate from God’s bootcamp when He calls us home.  Some will graduate from God’s bootcamp while still here on this earth.  Either way, bootcamp doesn’t last forever, and you will come out.  The key is preparation.

When in military bootcamp you don’t have to worry about what you will do, or where you will go.  There is a plan.  You don’t have to worry about what to put on, or when to get up.  There is a plan.  You don’t have to worry about being late to an appointment.  They will make sure you get there on time.

It is the same with God.  When I talk about preparation, I’m not talking about you doing anything.  God already has a plan.  It’s simply a matter of following the plan.  In fact, for most of us we won’t have a choice.  But, remember these few things:

1. Bootcamp is preparation for the next phase
2. The next phase will be easier because of the preparation
3. Bootcamp doesn’t last forever, there is an end

 

 

Insanity

I’ve heard several definitions of insanity, but among the most repeated is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”  This sounds pretty reasonable, but I think it might be flawed.  Which brings to mind that there may be many things we accept as reasonable, but may be wrong.

Let’s take a quick look at this definition.  In order for a definition to hold true, it must be true under all circumstances, at all times, otherwise the definition has some kinks in it.

Before I get into what is wrong with this definition let me state here and now, that sometimes it is necessary for us to change things in order to obtain the results we are looking for.  In short, do things differently.  But, this rule doesn’t hold for all things….

If the definition were true then a parent should stop loving a rebellious child.  For oftentimes, the parent receives the same results.  If the definition were true then a stone cutter would stop hitting the stone after the first hit.  But repeated hits are the key to success, and the stone will eventually fracture.  If the definition were true then God should have stopped loving humans a long time ago.  For mostly, He gets the same results for His repeated efforts.

If the definition were true, then our repeated acts of kindness and forgiveness are misplaced.  If the definition were true, then it wouldn’t be ‘three strikes your out’, but one strike would be sufficient.  If the definition were true, it would not take years of practice and repeat exercises in order to qualify for the Olympics.  Just one set would be sufficient.

If the definition were true, then great musicians and vocalists would not need to practice before performing.  One time through would be sufficient.  If the definition were true, then an actor would ever only need one take.

If you’ve read this far, it is certainly clear there are times when you must keep trying.  Sometimes it might help to change the methods, but at other times the same method needs to be applied in order to achieve perfection, or to obtain the expected results.

Which leads me to the alternative title for this posting – ‘Try, try, try again’.  There are times when we are doing the right thing, but the results are not appearing.  In those cases, we might want to try again.

Joseph didn’t have too much luck interpreting dreams.  The first time nearly got him killed, and landed him as a slave in a foreign land.  The second time he interpreted a dream, the fellow forgot Joseph, and he stayed in prison another two years.  By this time, it might be reasonable for Joseph to give up the dream interpretation business.  It might have been perfectly natural for him to reject interpreting Pharaoh’s dream.  For who knew, it might have cost him his life this time.  But, he tried again.  This time the results were different, and he was promoted.

So, I don’t really hold to the standard definition of insanity, as outlined in my first few sentences.  I think it is a nice saying, and has the ring of truth to it, but it doesn’t hold water.  The only time I can think of when you might want to change what you are doing is if you are doing it wrong.  Then it might be helpful to change and do it right.

The Wilderness

If you live long enough most of you will go through a wilderness experience in your life.  Some of us lucky ones might go through it more than once.  I want to briefly discuss the wilderness experience in this posting, and to counter some common beliefs with my own thoughts.

First, it would help to provide at least some sort of definition.  Not all hard places in life qualify as wilderness experiences.  In brief, a wilderness can be described as a place of scarcity and sparseness.  You will know when you enter this place because the things that were once in abundance can now hardly be found.  The things I speak of may comprise many things, some of which I list here:  money, possessions, friends, relationships, opportunities, food, clothing, shelter, transportation, careers, spiritual renewal and refreshening, closeness with God, relaxation, peace, etc…  Note, you don’t have to lose all of these to be in the wilderness.  You may only lose some of these things, while others may still be available to you.  However, there can be no doubt that the more of these important things are missing the deeper the experience might be for you.

Of course, there are those dear souls who think that no Christian should ever have a wilderness experience.  However, this notion might be hard to explain to people such as Moses, David, Joseph, Job, Daniel, and Paul, to name a few.  They all had different wilderness experiences.

There are many explanations for why one might go through a wilderness experience.  The most common reasons I’ve heard put forth seem to be these:

• You need to learn something
• You made some bad choices
• It’s good for you

These all seem well and good, but there always seemed to be something missing from these pat and stock answers.  I have no doubt that all of these answers have some validity, and probably fit most every circumstance.  But, I’ve always wanted a more fulfilling answer.

The wilderness experience can be likened to fasting.  What does fasting do, other than cause you to lose weight?  Fasting eliminates things from your life so you can focus on those things that are most important.  In other words, fasting removes the clutter, so you can see clearly the things that are most important.  We might use the word focus in describing some of the benefits of fasting.  Can’t the same be said for the wilderness experience?  During the wilderness experience things are removed or eliminated from our life, most of the time without our permission.  Things become scarce.  We are forced to focus on those things that are most important.  Many times the things that are most important are those things that didn’t receive much attention before we entered the wilderness.  But now, they become enhanced.

But, we are not designed to live forever in the wilderness.  It is a place to pass through, but not to set up permanent residence in.  I think the benefits of passing through the wilderness is a better awareness of what is important in life.  This doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the benefits and blessing of life outside the wilderness.  But, it means we gain a better understanding of their proper place and priority.

It is good to remember such folks as Job, when contemplating this.  He was recorded for our example.  Things were removed from Job’s life until all he had left was his faith and integrity to God.  After Job recovered, I’m sure he placed a different importance on those things and blessings that came his way.  He enjoyed all those things, but from a different view and perspective.

Our lives are often filled with a lot of noise.  This noise takes the forms of places to go, people to see, things to do.  Phone calls, meetings, dining out, dining in, having recreation, travelling, etc…  And, all these things are good, but sometimes God let’s us pass through the wilderness to remind us of those things that are truly important.

The Rainbow Bar

About 23 years ago I had a dream.  A dream from God.  The dream opens up with me in heaven.  I’m in a darkened place and before me is a brightly colored and illuminated bar about 12 feet long.  It has all the colors of the rainbow in bands that go around the bar and cover the full length of the bar.  The bar looks like it is about 4 inches square.  No one has to explain to me what the bar is.  I know what it is.  It is my life.  The complete history of my life.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.  It shows my ups, my downs, there is nothing missing.  About a third or fourth of the way from the start of the bar I see a small thin black band that goes around the bar.  It stands out, as it is the only non-color band on the bar.  I know what that is, too.  It marks when I got saved, and turned my life over to God.

But as I’m standing there looking at the bar, I’m aware of four things.  One, the Father is there present, looking at it with me.  Two, I can’t make out his image, but I know He is there.  Three, even though the little black band shows that I’ve been saved, the bar doesn’t add up.  That is, my life is not good enough.  Four, my life is over, and all that is left is the bar.

The fact the bar shows my life doesn’t ‘add up’ is causing me some distress in the dream.  It is a feeling of helplessness, sorrow, and dread.  Helplessness, because I know I can do nothing to change the bar and what it shows.  Sorrow because all the good I’ve done is marred by my mistakes and bad choices.  Dread because I know it’s not good enough to enter in.  Then I hear the Father speaking.  He turns to the side, and says, “What do you think?”  I didn’t know anyone else was there until that moment, but it is Jesus.  I have no idea what He will say, but He says, “I have forgiven him of all of his sins.”  There is a sudden lifting of the dread, the sorrow, and the feeling of helplessness.   I am now lighter than air.  It’s as if a wave of cool ocean water has washed over me, and relieved me of any negative feelings.  The Father then speaks and says, “That’s good enough for me”, and immediately I awake from the dream.  When I awake I can feel the Spirit of God upon me.

This dream gave me a new perspective on what it means to be saved.  It cannot be earned.  You cannot achieve it through good deeds.  You will never be good enough to warrant it.  We make mistakes and bad choices even after we are saved.  Salvation is a gift.  It is received by faith.  It allows us to be forgiven of our sins.

Many people have a confused view of living for God.  They think they are on a merit system.  They believe if the good the achieve outweighs the bad, then everything is fine.  Others think living for God means giving up having fun, or enjoying life.

For me it is a gift.  A gift that cannot be earned or achieved.  I may never accomplish anything notable or great in this life.  I may never be remembered by most.  Chances are, my passing will not make the evening news.  But, I do believe that one day I will stand before the rainbow colored bar of my life.  God, and myself, will assess that bar.  I believe the bar will not ‘add up’.  But I want to hear Jesus say, “I have forgiven him of all of his sins.”  Then I know everything will be ok.

Perhaps this dream was only meant for me.  But one can never know, for it might minister to someone.

Just Because It’s Good Doesn’t Mean It’s Anointed

There appears to be a good bit of confusion in the Pentecostal Christian movement these days.  Unfortunately, much of it is the result of ignorance.  Not the kind of ignorance that comes from lacking intelligence, but the kind that comes from simply not knowing.  We will hear a song, and declare that it must be anointed because it sounds so wonderful.  Or we will hear a stirring message and declare how anointed it is.  What we tend to forget is the natural world has many talented singers, musicians, artists, actors, writers, speakers, and other crafts.  And, they are no slouches when it comes to putting together a wonderful presentation of their talents and skills.

Therefore, anointed individuals and presentations must be different, and not just based on how well they sound or appear.  Which begs us to answer the basic question – What is the purpose of being anointed by God?  For, without the answer to this basic question we may flounder when we attempt to answer whether something is anointed or not.

In the scripture nothing was anointed without a specific purpose.  Whether the anointing occurred as oil was poured out upon an individual, or whether the anointing occurred as a result of the Holy Spirit, there was always a purpose.

In its’ simplest definition, it can be said that the anointing draws people to God.  When someone sings, preaches, heals, or speaks under the anointing of God, its primary purpose is to draw individuals to God.  It is not to glorify, or lift up, the individual.  It can be said with some certainty that nothing of a significant spiritual nature can be accomplished without the anointing.  Whether the task be witnessing, healing, or simply giving comfort or guidance, if there is any virtue or lasting benefit, it must be anointed by God.

This is not to say that all good things are anointed, or that nothing good can be accomplished without the anointing.  It is to say that God’s purpose is fulfilled when things and individuals are anointed to the task.  In short, God’s task cannot be accomplished, the way He wants it, without the anointing.  The anointing is God’s seal of approval.  It is His divine authorization.

The anointing cannot be manipulated, conjured up, or fabricated.  It cannot be brought into existence through singing, music, preaching or other activity.  However, these things may sound good, and make us feel good, at least for the moment, even without the anointing.  But, lasting spiritual benefit cannot be achieved without God’s intervention.

The anointing can accomplish in 5 minutes what would take a lifetime of effort to achieve otherwise.  The anointing makes a lasting impression on those individuals who are touched by it, who are brave enough to receive it.

There is writing, and there is anointed writing.  There is singing, and there is anointed singing.  There is preaching, and there is anointed preaching. Unfortunately, there appears to be a lot more activity that is not anointed than there used to be.  People going through the motions.  Saying or singing the words, but the impact is muted.

The scripture makes it clear that we are vessels.  The vessel is a container or a channel through which moves the Spirit of God.  It is this Spirit which changes people’s lives and hearts.

The anointing cannot be controlled.  God knows exactly what He wants to accomplish, and how to use each individual to His own purpose.  Our job is not to ask God for help in accomplishing what we want to do.  Our job is to connect with God in a way, that His purpose becomes our purpose.  His objectives become our objectives.  His message becomes our message.

Of course, this means we don’t always get to do what we want to do.  It means that there are times when our journey takes us through dry desert lands, and through the valley.  But there is a purpose.

The best illustration we have of how the anointing works through people’s lives is Jesus.  He emptied Himself of His ambition, His plans for life, His goals and desires, and took on Himself the role of a servant.  Why?  So, that the anointing of the Father might rest upon Him, and that He might fulfill the task He was called to do.

Besides drawing people to God, the anointing also has purpose in glorifying God.

So, the test is simple – does it draw people to God?  does it glorify God?  These are the marks of the anointing, not simply how good something sounds or appears.  In other words, just because it’s good doesn’t mean it’s anointed.

It’s Not the Flaws, It’s the Heart

What’s the matter with God?  Surely, He made a mistake choosing David to be King.  Weren’t there better qualified candidates?  Maybe some with fewer flaws?

There can be little doubt David had flaws.  He made mistakes.  He lied, stole, committed adultery, murdered, among other things.  Why would God want to make such a man ruler over His people?

But, there are indications that David had God’s favor, His blessing.

Psalm 17:8 – “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,”

We tend to mark people who have flaws.  They can’t have God’s favor, we judge.  Surely, God would have nothing to do with a person who did such and such.  We are pretty good at noting flaws in other people.

But, God does work with flawed individuals.  He is not appalled, or put off.  He doesn’t break out his calculator to see if you’ve exceeded the limit.

Luke 7:44-48

And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

 

Her sins, which are many, are forgiven…  Not overlooked.  Not diminished.  But forgiven.  And, they were many.

So, what is God after?  Isn’t He looking for perfect, flawless people?  No.  He understands the human condition.  He knows that if people are sick they need a physician.  He is looking for those who have the right heart.  As we’ve noted, David was a man of many faults, but his heart was after God.

Psalm 42:1 – “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.“

Perhaps Samuel expressed it best when confronting King Saul:

“But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.”

Who was this man Samuel was talking about?  David.

Where is the heart?  Forget about the flaws, the shortcomings, the failings.  Where is the heart?

James 4:8a – “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”

How close do you want to be?  He will let you get as close as you want.  It’s not the flaws He wants, it’s the heart.

 

Clearing the Brush

One of my early growing-up memories was as a boy in the hill country outside of Austin.  We lived so far out, that all services, including gas or food, were at least 30 to 45 minutes away.  We made it to town at least a two or three times a week.  Monday for laundry, Friday for groceries, and Sunday for church.

Once or twice a year we would have to take a few days and clear the land.  This consisted of cutting down all underbrush, clearing out dead limbs, cutting down trees that got in the way, pulling up rocks, and getting stumps pulled up.  Great piles would be heaped together, and then burned.  If this wasn’t done, the vegetation would soon take over and consume you.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.  Not necessarily in a nostalgic way, but more as a metaphor or allegory.  We often think of ourselves as independent units, functioning in an interactive world.  We take care of our own needs, or own desires, and occasionally try to please others.  We do not recognize or understand the significance of those who have gone before us.  This is especially true if they are no longer with us, or worse, if we’ve never met them.

But, how important are these people to us?  Did they just live and die and not leave any lasting legacy?  My friend, they were clearing the brush, and pulling up stumps and moving rocks long before we came along.  I might even theorize that without their effort your life, and your path, might have been much harder.  It is sometimes difficult to understand the impact of others upon our own life, but rest assured, they matter.

Take as a small example the space program of the 1960′s and 70′s.  We have all seen the wonderful shots of mother earth from the orbiting command module circling the moon.  The most dramatic of these has been memorialized on endless products and pictures.  It shows the foreground of the moon with a rising earth.  The earth is so beautiful and colorful as contrasted with the stark grayness of the moon.  It is an oasis in the black sky.  A vision of peace and tranquility and harmony.  But, alas, this is not correct.  At the time this photo was snapped we still had soldiers fighting in Vietnam, many of them wounded or dying.  We had POW’s in the Hanoi Hilton suffering under brutal circumstances beyond imagination.  There were others starving in Africa, and other places.  Looks can be deceiving.  But, I said all that to illustrate that while we may not recognize the impact of those who have gone before us (just as looking at a picture of the earth from the moon doesn’t reveal all that is going on down there) this does not mean their effort was wasted or insignificant.  In fact, I might surmise their influence is greater than we can imagine.

So, now we come full circle to ourselves.  For many of us have rounded the corner, and while we are not yet old, we are certainly not as young as we once were.  Are there a few more rocks to pull up, a few more stumps to get rid of?  For in doing those things we may make a better path for those who would follow us.

I’ve begun to comprehend that I may not achieve the success that others have claimed.  I may not ever attain great wealth.  Not because I haven’t put forth the effort, or haven’t the intelligence.  But, because I took what my father taught me and have used them as my basis for living.  Be honest, create value in your work, be fair with all men, never step on others to achieve gain, be forgiving, and never be selfish.  Unlike most of the current world system, these values may never get you placed into high office or positions of power or wealth.  Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule, but for the most part I believe it holds true.  But, as for me, I think I will continue to do my best to do those things that were passed down to me.  I may fail from time to time, but I will keep on trying.

My dad cleared a lot of brush in his day, but I’m most grateful for the life he lived, for that taught me many more valuable lessons than I ever learned in school.  He made an easier path for me.

Proverbs 1:8-9

“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.”

 

Insignificant Events

Life is full of insignificant events.  In fact, it may be said that most of life is engaged in insignificant events.  We brush our teeth, comb our hair (or what is left of it), we clothe ourselves, we meet people, we have conversation, and so on.  And mostly these comprise what we loosely term insignificant events.

But, there is a danger.  Insignificant events sometimes turn into significant events.  Most of the time this happens without us being aware of it, or having any warning.  We turn left to go to the store, instead of our usual right turn.  By doing this we may either be involved in a serious accident, or we may avoid a serious accident.  Of course, if we avoid a serious accident we will never know, so we classify the event as insignificant, when in fact, it is very significant.

And that is the crux of the matter.  The problem is understanding which events are insignificant, and which ones are significant.  But, this is not as easy as it sounds.  Some events may only reveal their true nature many years later.  In fact, the time element may be so long that we do not remember the insignificant events that led up to it becoming significant.

History is full of accounts where an insignificant event, speech, or decision turned into a great thing.  Most of us readily recall Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address speech.  In fact, many were required to recite it in high school or college.  In this short address Lincoln put in a memorable line,

“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”

In fact, this speech ranks as one of the most recited and memorable of all speeches.  So, evidently, Lincoln wrongly assumed his speech was an insignificant event.

Which brings me to my final point – if we cannot tell or divine which events are significant or insignificant, what are we to do?  I have two suggestions:

1.  Treat all events as significant, or at least with respect, as we do not know which ones will turn into truly significant events in our lives.

2.  Seek guidance from God, as He is the only qualified to know if an event will be insignificant or significant.  I have a strong suspicion that most, if not all, events are significant to God.  They are only insignificant to us because of our lack of understanding.

Thirty years ago I met some folks while living in New Jersey.  Although, they were very fine folks I had no idea this would become a significant event in my life.  After all, we meet so many people in our lifetime, and they come and go.  And, even though we have not seen each other, but perhaps a half-dozen times over the intervening years, the bond between us is one which I now cherish, and have put into my chest of treasured possessions.  How was I to know that such a meeting would turn into a significant event?  But, God knew, and that was enough.

 

Lord, Please Deliver Me – From Myself

There are many things that we may pray for deliverance from.  Tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sex, just to name a few.  But, there are other things too, like gossip, depression, anger, selfishness.  And then there are the things that come at us on a daily basis like enemies, bosses, employees, rude store clerks, railing family members, disobedient children, the list is endless.  Interestingly, however, none of those things pose the biggest threat to our well-being.

No, the biggest thing we need deliverance from is ourselves.  Let me explain.

I’m in control of my own emotions.  No one can make me angry, upset, or lose control without my participation.  No one can stick their foot into my 0wn mouth better, or more frequently, than I can.  No one can take me down the  path to depression faster than I can.

Most of the time we judge ourselves more harshly than anyone else.  We experience guilt, shame, disgrace, and feelings of inferiority, without anyone else’s help.

Of course, there are many folks who do not do much self-examination at all.  They tend to be superior to everyone else, you know the type.  If you are one of the folks, and are reading this then this article won’t make much sense to you, since you have always felt you are superior to everyone else all of your pitiful life.

But, I think normal folks do have moments of self-examination and reflection.  While we may hide many of our faults from those around us, we know how fallible we really are.  Jesus confronted just such a man in Mark chapter 9:

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” 

This is an interesting statement.  It tells of the inner struggle this man had in believing that Jesus could heal the child.  But, it also tells of the wisdom of the man in recognizing that although we have belief, it is sometimes mixed with doubt, or unbelief.

It is a big step to take when we begin to recognize our greatest problem and challenge doesn’t come from without, but from within.  How we face our daily challenges determine what kind of person people see and remember.  Each person faces a unique set of circumstances, not one of which is the same as anyone else.  Although we may face similar situations, losing a loved one, getting married, getting divorced, etc…  each person’s situation is so unique as to be unlike any other.

Who can help us through this mine field?  If we can’t fully control ourselves where do we turn?  If we are our own worst enemy, where can we go?

The answer lies in prayer.  So, while we meet our daily challenges, let us remember to seek deliverance.  Deliverance from ourselves, so we can be the people God wants us to be.