Images

FeaturedIn Everything By Prayer

In Everything By Prayer

I retired from Delta Air Lines in 2009 and am still grateful for having worked for Delta a little over 20 years in four different locations: Tampa, Los Angeles, Jacksonville, and Dallas. Interestingly Delta was first company that I worked for that only allowed a 30 minute lunch break. No big deal though. I just got used to bringing my lunch every day.

Except,

One day, while working in the Dallas office, I forgot my lunch. Normally when this happened I’d just get something from the vending machines but on this particular day I didn’t have any money with me either. Oops! I was hungry but was too embarrassed to ask someone for money, so I just sat down alone in the break room like everything was fine.

Before long, thoughts of a recent sermon from my pastor came to mind. In it he was reminding us that God wants to meet our needs and that He knows our needs even before we ask (Matthew 6:8). The pastor reminded us that God wants us to pray about everything, big or small. So, I prayed a short prayer and asked God to provide something for me to eat and to help me to not be so embarrassed to ask people for lunch money.

Before long my lunch break was over and I went back to work with an empty stomach.

A couple of hours later, still hungry and feeling a little down, I took my afternoon break and stepped outside of the customer service area to a guarded exit area to make a phone call. Out of the blue, the guard said, “Hello!” and offered me a slice of her pizza that she had just gotten delivered! Of course I accepted it and I was so grateful! It was delicious!! I told her that both she and the slice of pizza were an answer to prayer. It brought a smile to both of our faces.

God answered my prayers that day in such a tangible and timely way, and I made a new friend too.

I came away with an important reminder about prayer and also some reflection on my “feelings” of embarrassment.

For one,

I was more in the habit of praying about the bigger, more important issues in life, not the little things. I was reminded that I was not to limit my prayers to just the big things, but to bring everything to God in prayer, even something as small and insignificant as a forgotten lunch.

And two,

Why was I embarrassed to ask someone for lunch money? Was my embarrassment actually pride? Was I afraid of rejection? Was I overly concerned about how asking for money would look to others? Was I being too self-sufficient? I think the short answer to all of the above was yes. On the surface I was feeling embarrassed, but down deep I believe I was experiencing some of the negative effects of pride.

Pride is a sin.

Pride comes in all shapes and sizes, in actions and in lack of action. It gets in the way of healthy relationships. It also separates us from God.

If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Galatians 6:3

So I was reminded that day that it’s ok to ask others for help. It’s not a sign that there’s something wrong with you. It’s a sign that you’re human and that you need help of some kind. Asking others for help connects us and helps us relate to each other.

It’s even more OK to ask God for His help. In fact, we’re told to do so throughout the Bible:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:13-14

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Prayer, or lack there of, reflects our current relationship with God.

When we fail to pray about everything, we’re failing to trust God for our needs.

When we fail to pray about everything, we’re relying on ourselves instead of God.

When we fail to pray about everything, we’re denying the sovereignty of God.

When we fail to pray about everything, we’re acting as if we know better than Him.

When we fail to pray about everything, we’re saying that we’re in control, not God.

God’s help is actually exactly what we all need, but we have to first be willing to humble ourselves toward God and then toward one another.

….Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5

Humility leads us to ask in prayer for His help,

In the little things.

In the big things.

In everything.

So,

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

No Ragrets

No Ragrets

I’ve never been a fan of tattoos, not even the little ones with pretty little flowers in inconspicuous places. I love flowers, and I realize it’s a personal choice, but why a person would mark up their body—in permanent ink, no less—is a mystery to me. With that said, I do have some favorite satirical “No Regrets” tattoo memes: “No Ragrets,” “No Regerts,” “No Regets,” and “Noregrets.” That pretty much sums up my opinion of tattoos.

On the serious side of regret, it really isn’t a very pleasant subject. It usually represents a failure of some kind; something we’ve done wrong or something we’ve failed to do. It is a regret that produces sorrow or leaves you with a sense of remorse. Or a regret that a window of opportunity has closed.

I think it’s virtually impossible for anyone, who has any semblance of a conscience, to have lived their life with no regrets. For all those who appear to have no conscience I suspect they’ve worked very hard to suppress it.

A healthy conscience helps us navigate the whys and the why-nots in our lives. Important questions for sure, but I think the most important question we could ever ask ourselves is where we will spend eternity.

There is nothing in life that’s more final than death, and there’s nothing in life that’s more certain than death. The simple odds are: ten out of ten people die.

Upon hearing of someone’s death, I wonder, did they know the Lord? Did I ever hear them say something about their relationship with Christ? Did I see something they’ve written about their faith? No matter if I knew them or not. If I did know them, then it becomes intensely more personal. My thoughts change to, did I ever have any spiritual conversations with them?

I didn’t always think this way.

I regret not being more concerned about spiritual matters when I was younger.

I regret not having faith conversations with people I cared about, who died unexpectedly and/or at a young age.

I regret not really knowing where people I cared about are spending eternity.

God has since given me a heart for the lost, and a desire to spread the gospel, but I still experience some regret.

Why don’t we share our faith? Fear is probably up at the top of the list; fear of failure and/or not knowing what exactly to say. But Matthew 10:19 reminds us:

“Do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.”

Not living within God’s will is another reason. If we’re not walking and talking with Him daily, just how exactly would He use us to share the gospel when we’re not being obedient in our own personal relationship with Him?

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Other reasons include being caught up in the busyness of life and being more concerned with the things of this world.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

Or, maybe we just fail to love people as much as we should.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

Whatever the situation (or excuse), if you’re a Christian and you’re not sharing your faith—ask yourself why not?

Pray about being willing, being ready, and being available.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Pray for opportunities, tender hearts, and trust in God’s perfect timing.

And,

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16

In the spring of 1988 I moved from Indiana to Florida with our two young daughters to meet up with my husband who had moved there a few months ahead of us. I was a little anxious about moving away from everything that was familiar to me. Actually, I really didn’t want to move, but I’d prayed about it and was trusting in God that it’d all work out. Actually it was pretty exciting to move into an “almost” new home in Brandon, Florida, a suburb of Tampa, that we leased with an option to buy.

One of the first things I did after moving into our new home was make a list of nearby churches. I prayed and asked God to help us find a new church.

I narrowed my search down to primarily Baptist churches, but I was also open to possibly visiting other Protestant denominations. I preferred Baptist churches as I found that I was growing in my faith by listening to Baptist preachers on the radio more than by listening to the sermons at my Methodist church in Indianpolis. I also loved hearing all of the Bible verses in Baptist sermons.

To be clear, I enjoyed the familiarity and the friendships at my Methodist church, and it was there that I first trusted in Christ at the age of twelve. However, I don’t believe it was a saving faith. As a result, I drifted away from attending my Methodist church in my teens and early twenties. I returned there in my mid-twenties after turning to Christ in repentance and faith. Going back to the Methodist church seemed like the right thing to do at the time, however I eventually grew uncomfortable there. The sermons weren’t convicting and they increasingly seemed long on stories and short on Bible verses. To make matters worse, my Sunday School class wanted to study so-called “Christian” books, rather than the Bible. I believe the move to Florida came in God’s perfect timing.

So, as soon as we got settled in our new home in Florida, I got the girls ready every Sunday, and we’d go visit a new church. It wasn’t long before the girls were complaining and I was also getting tired of visiting so many different churches. Something was wrong. None of the messages seemed convicting to me. None of the people seemed friendly, and none of the churches felt right. It was discouraging.

Then one day I opened the door to two nice young men who wanted to talk to me about God. So, I welcomed them inside and I told them that we were new to the area and that we were actively looking for a church to join. I remember thinking how nice they were to go out to talk to people door-to-door. They spoke of Jesus, strong family values, and good, clean living. I was impressed. They gave me a paperback copy of one of their books and I accepted their invitation to come visit their church.

The next Sunday we went to their church. The first thing I noticed was that there wasn’t a cross anywhere, inside or out. They didn’t have a pastor. Instead, they had a few members who stood up and spoke, but it seemed more like a business meeting than a church service. Then, they held communion and used water instead of grape juice! I began to question myself, “What kind of church is this?” Everyone was so nice, but I walked out of that church confused. These people were probably some of the sweetest people you’d ever want to meet, but this church, which used the name of Jesus Christ in its title, was not like any church I was used to.

The following Saturday the two young men came back for a follow-up visit, so I asked them…

• Why do you use another book besides the Bible? They said it was because they believed that the two books were better than one and that they complemented each other, adding, “Are not two witnesses better than one?”

• Why don’t you have a cross on your church? They said that crosses on top of churches were just lightning rods. They also questioned why churches would want to put crosses up, as dying on the cross was such a horrendous way to die.

• Why do you use water instead of grape juice for communion? They said that water was a better representation of Christ because of its clarity and purity, and questioned why anyone would want to drink “blood.”

• Why don’t you have a pastor? They said it was because they believed that it’s wrong to pay someone to talk about Christ, and that pastors who accept money for preaching are apostates, or people who have left the faith.

With each of their answers I became increasingly uncomfortable, especially when they referred to their other books.  They basically had an answer for everything, including some biblical references, but I was very skeptical.  I felt their explanations were all wrong but I lacked the confidence and biblical knowledge to debate them. I was also a bit confused because they claimed to be Christians, and they were so incredibly nice.

I told them that I attended church as a child but that it wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties that I was convicted about the sin in my life and turned to Christ in repentance and faith, and that this was after watching Billy Graham preach on TV one night. They questioned who Billy Graham was, and I was shocked. This was 1988. Billy Graham was probably one of the most well known Christian evangelist in the world at this time. I thought, what kind of Christian doesn’t know who Billy Graham is? So as BIG red flags popped up in my mind, I escorted them to the door.

I decided it was time to pay a visit to the local Christian bookstore where I found a book titled, The God Makers. I began reading it that Saturday afternoon and stayed up almost all night reading the entire 600+ page book. It was more than just enlightening; it was shocking. How could I have been so naïve? How did I not know that they had a false gospel, that they worship another Jesus, and not the Jesus of the Bible? Keep in mind that in 1988 the World Wide Web was not yet invented, but still—how did I not know?

After only a few hours of sleep, I woke up late and thought that if I hurried, I could go to the closest Baptist church to our house—right around the corner. I had previously dismissed visiting this church because the building was so old and small. It was nearly time for church to start when I turned into the tree-lined driveway next to that old, tiny, wood-framed church. I was completely surprised to see a huge, new church building farther back on their property surrounded by trees. That old tiny church out front was just there as a memorial of their original church building.

I rushed in just in time for the service to start. The church was packed. The songs were spirit filled. The people had their Bibles, pens, and paper in hand to take notes as the pastor spoke. His message that day was on the grace of God. Everything the pastor said was so true, so convicting, and spoke directly to my heart. He quoted Bible verse after Bible verse on the grace of God. Everything made perfect sense. I went forward at the end of the service. I was both moved by the pastor’s sermon and upset with myself for having such a precious gift of salvation and somehow not knowing enough to avoid going to that other church. And all the while, this wonderful church was the closest one to me! How ironic! Well, actually—how providential.

Soon after, I joined that church, Providence Baptist Church, in Brandon, Florida, and was baptized by full immersion. I was 33 years old at this time and was convicted that God was calling me to take this step of obedience. I recalled my experience at age 12, when I was corralled into a Methodist Confirmation Class along with a group of other 6th graders simply because of our age. Once the class was deemed concluded, I was sprinkled, aka “baptized,” along with a group of my classmates in a Sunday morning church service. In retrospect, it was more about becoming a member of the church than having a saving relationship with Christ.

I soon got involved Providence Baptist Church’s Bible study, children’s church, the bus ministry, and eventually helping with the visitation ministry, which was the very thing that I admired in what those two young men were doing. However, when given the opportunity, I told people the truth. I told them that,

• The Bible alone is God’s word and it is sufficient and sovereign. No one should add or take away from it, and

• The cross is the symbol of our Christian faith as it was on the cross that Jesus died in our place, for our sins.

• The shed blood of Christ is precious to us because it provided a way of salvation to all who believe in Jesus. Grape juice has long been used for Christian communion of the Lord’s Supper as a symbol of His sacrifice and the new Covenant.

God answered my prayer about finding a new church in a way that I wasn’t expecting. I got so much more than just a new church home. I also learned some valuable lessons.

First, although I was praying and looking for a new church, I was putting too much emphasis on finding a “church” and not enough on growing my personal relationship with Him. I believe God, by His grace, moved me 1,000 miles away from home to grow me in my faith and in my relationship with Him. I really wasn’t growing in Christ at my old church in Indianapolis. God used this experience to remind me that it’s our personal relationship with Him that is important, and that our relationship with Him should always be growing. We’re told in 2 Peter 3:18 to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.”

Second, I believe God allowed this experience so that I’d be better equipped to warn others about false churches. The church I visited, if you haven’t already guessed, was a Mormon church, also known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or LDS Church. After what I learned about them, those initials might as well have stood for Lucifer, the Devil, and Satan. Their founder, Joseph Smith, was a false teacher. He claimed that Jesus was the spirit brother of Lucifer. He also believed that people could become gods, and that God started out as a man.

Interestingly, Joseph Smith claimed that The Book of Mormon was the most perfect book in the world, but the LDS church has edited and revised The Book of Mormon several times over the years, as well as his other books, The Pearl of Great Price and The Doctrine and Covenants.  By the way, I threw my paperback copy of The Book of Mormon in the trash soon after reading The God Makers.

Of course, false religion is not limited to Mormons. I’ve written about them here because of my personal experience, but false religions are quite numerous and are prevalent all over the world today.

Actually, the best way to recognize that which is false is to know that which is true. So my best advice is this: Know Jesus and know His Word. Trust in Him alone and trust in the Bible as the final authority on everything. That’s it, plain and simple. That’s the best protection against false religions, those who preach “another gospel.”

“Not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:7-8

So whatever your situation and whatever your prayer, and whether He moves you a thousand miles away or keeps you right where you are, I pray that He answers your prayers in a most wonderful and providential way, as He did for me.