Responding to God Orchestrated offenses(Part 1).

Dear friends,

Warm Greetings for this season in which we celebrate the birth of our saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. His birth is THE promise and hope of every generation since the first century and the basis for hope and optimism in this New Year season.Several weeks ago, i began reading the book of Job as part of my private devotion. It was also as a result of my own quest to discover more about why prayer sometimes remains unanswered. In the process i discovered a number of scriptural patterns which reinforced a number of convictions i have held.. This includes the following:

1)The conviction that God does not originate Human suffering.
2)That God is a good God.
3)Human suffering is one of the visible signs of the existence of evil.
3)Since the fall of the first couple, the human race has been in legal subjection to Satan and his kingdom of darkness(Colosians 1:13,Ephesians 6:12).
4)Every 'truly' good gift to a human person is a blessing that
comes from God(James 1:17).
5)Human suffering began in the garden of Eden when the first couple 'Adam and Eve' yielded to temptation instigated by Lucifer. He was by then disguised as the serpent.
6)As a result of one act of disobedience , a Divine order in which God had reigned through the heart of mankind, was interrupted.
7)As a result of this Act of disobedience future generations of the first couple became immediately 'enslaved' to an evil order all their lives.

SATAN WAS THE CAUSE OF JOB'S SUFFERING

In Job's case for example, Satan introduced the idea of afflicting Job and then later implemented this idea by CAUSING JOB'S SUFFERING FIRSTHAND(Job 1:6-11).In Job's life the suffering he endured made him extremely vulnerable to temptation but he stood firm(Job 1:22).I am using the Contemporary English Version(CEV)in which that verse reads 'in spite of everything,Job did not sin or accuse God of doing wrong'.

When we read the story of Job we know Satan to be the accuser whose aim is to discredit Job by turning God away from him. This is also the ultimate aim of any affliction or harassment. They are primarily initiated by Satan and his kingdom to turn individuals away from God. ONE OF SATAN'S PRIMARY OBJECTIVES IS TO CAUSE OFFENSE!I did a brief Internet search for the meaning of 'offense'. The free online dictionary gave four different meanings. Here are some of them:
a)A state of being offended b)A violation or infraction of a moral or social code, a transgression or sin c) A transgression of law.

A SIGNIFICANT MORAL QUESTION CAN BE RAISED ABOUT WHAT OCCURS BEHIND THE SCENES IN A SITUATION SUCH AS JOB'S! WHY DOES GOD PERMIT SATAN TO AFFLICT JOB AN INNOCENT PERSON WITH THE DEGREE OF SUFFERING HE EXPERIENCED?

IS GOD BEHIND INDIVIDUAL OFFENSES?

Everyone who has done an in depth cross examination of the truths declared in scripture will notice that God is consistently good and benevolent.Satan had already made the discovery about God's goodness in the life of Job.In the story of Job 1:9-12,Satan said to God

'why shouldn't he respect you?''Satan remarked.''YOU ARE LIKE A WALL PROTECTING NOT ONLY HIM,BUT HIS ENTIRE FAMILY AND ALL HIS PROPERTY. YOU MAKE HIM SUCCESSFUL IN WHATEVER HE DOES,AND HIS FLOCKS AND HERDS ARE EVERYWHERE. V11 TRY TAKING AWAY EVERYTHING HE OWNS, AND HE WILL CURSE YOU TO YOUR FACE.''.

Praying for others Anonymously(Part 3)

A prayer of consecration

Heavenly Father, we give to you all that we are and all that we have
The best way we know how. Please take what we give to you
and use it to the praise and glory of your name.
Fill our lives with your presence and make Jesus visible in what we are
And in what we do. We surrender our wills, our emotions and everything
We aspire to be. Please take what we surrender to you and use it to the
Glory of your son Jesus. This is our prayer of consecration in the name of
Jesus Christ our Lord and our saviour.
A SAMPLE PRAYER
You may add a prayer for your loved ones mentioning them by their first names as in this sample;
e.g. We pray for Charles(Ivy’s Dad you insert a relative’s name from your dad’s side) , William(my dad again insert your relative’s name),
Kate (Ivy’s mum but insert your relative’s name) and Ernestine (my mum but again insert your relative’s name).
Keep THEM IN YOUR PROTECTION (Ivy and I prefer to say Keep them in your protective chamber).
ENABLE them to LIVE THEIR LIVES IN FULL ON THIS EARTH, AND ALSO MAY THEY DO SO IN A THRIVING RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU UNTIL YOU
CALL THEM HOME. WHEN YOU CALL THEM, MAY IT BE TO AN ETERNITY IN YOUR PRESENCE. We pray for all the babies (we try to name them in our families
And always remember Sapphire too). LORD WE PRAY FOR EVERYONE CONNECTED TO KATE, ERNESTINE, CHARLES AND WILLIAM, our parents (we mention Jacques our son then
Siblings )other relatives (Ivy usually mentions mine and I mention hers). We pray by mentioning specific things we are aware of such as a well known health problem, a recent financial crises
But we pray along the same lines for relatives as we pray for our parents.
1. WE ENDEAVOUR TO ASK FOR EACH PERSON TO EXPERIENCE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH
JESUS IN THEIR DAILY LIVES HERE ON EARTH,
2. THEN WE PRAY THAT THEY WILL LIVE THEIR FULL LIVES ON EARTH AND NOT DIE PREMATURELY. WE RECALL SOME
OF THE NATURAL CAUSES OF DEATH OR SOME OF THE PRECIPITATORS OF DEATH LIKE HEALTH PROBLEMS, PERHAPS AN ACCIDENT
AND WE BRING THIS UP TO THE LORD ASKING FOR SPECIFIC PROTECTION.
3. IF WE ARE AWARE OF A CAUSE OF STRESS IN A INDIVIDUAL FAMILY MEMBERS’ LIFE WE ASK GOD TO INTERVENE OR TO ENABLE US
TO BECOME AN INSTRUMENT OF BLESSING.
4.Depending on the needs we have already been informed about via internet etc we usually mention our friends and family in a general sense. If we know of a specific need we are able to specify.

The most remarkable thing about praying in a structured organised pattern is that we often do this in bed whilst the kids are tucked in bed. Often we are able to climb out of bed and kneel by the side of the bed. On Friday nights if we know we are not out early on a Saturday, we can pace to and from(one end of the room to the other)praying.There isn't pressure to keep awake especially if it has been a heavy day at work. If one of us falls asleep the other continues. If we both fall asleep God by His spirit often sees to it we are awake(atleast one of us)to continue when there is an urgent need.Sometimes through a dream or by a prompting of natural thirst.After the drink one gets the prompting to stay up a bit and pray for someone in need. Occassionally we are able to share this needs with others.
(to be continued in the new year)
God Bless you

John

Sharing in Each others suffering(pt 8)

In each of these reflections I have tried to present some principles about how to respond when it appears that God is silent to our pleas for His intervention. In previous reflections I asked some of the following questions:

Have you ever brought a situation before God in prayer? Did it involve a reasonable deadline which was missed? Does it appear that God has remained silent even though all your presumed deadlines had been exceeded?

My cherished friend,i want encourage you with statement.If your answer to any of the above questions is in the affirmative, perhaps a straightforward 'yes', then we have a common quest in these series of reflections on sharing in each others suffering: Our quest is to discover how to respond to our needs the way God will want us to respond.In order to do so our response must be in line with God's Word . When our response is in line with God's word,OUR LIFE OPENS UP! THEN WE BECOME BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH OUR PURPOSE FOR BEING HERE!

In a previous reflection i said that God has a specific response to each of our situations. But this is not necessarily our chosen method of delivery.Iam also recognising a pattern that God has used in scripture to illustrate how He touches our lives.
JESUS CHRIST SPEAKS TO US ABOUT OUR OWN NEED AND OUR OWN PAIN AS WE GET INVOLVED IN THE PAIN AND THE NEEDS OF OTHERS.IF THERE IS GOING TO BE A RESPONSE FROM GOD ABOUT HOW HE DEALS WITH OUR PARTICULAR NEED IT IS LINKED TO BEING INVOLVED IN THE NEEDS OF OTHERS.THE PROBLEMS OF MY NEIGHBOUR ARE DESIGNED BY GOD TO SERVE AS BRIDGE OVER MY OWN TROUBLES. IF I BECOME DETACHED AND INSENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS THEN I AM GOING TO BE STARVED OF THE VERY ANSWERS I AM LOOKING FOR IN MY OWN SITUATION!

Beloved friends,how did Jesus Christ respond in His time of need.Please COME WITH ME ON A BRIEF JOURNEY TOWARDS HIS PASSION AND THE CROSSROADS OF OUR ETERNAL DESTINY. In Luke 22:41-45 'Jesus walked on a little way before He knelt down and prayed,v42 Father ,if you will, please don't make me suffer by having me drink from this cup.BUT DO WHAT YOU WANT,AND NOT WHAT I WANT.V43 THEN AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN CAME TO HELP HIM.V44 JESUS WAS IN GREAT PAIN AND PRAYED SO SINCERELY THAT HIS SWEAT FELL TO THE GROUND LIKE DROPS OF BLOOD. V45 JESUS GOT UP FROM PRAYING AND WENT OVER TO HIS DISCIPLES. THEY WERE ASLEEP AND WORN OUT FROM BEING SO SAD. V46 HE SAID TO THEM, WHY ARE YOU ASLEEP?WAKE UP AND PRAY THAT YOU WON'T BE TESTED'

Beloved friends,In our 'journey towards the passion of Jesus Christ' we are first of all confronted with our own crossroads.It is the same crossroads that the disciples were confronted with two thousand years ago!Let me explain a bit more about the 'crossroads'. Well the disciples were left in no doubt that Jesus Christ was the jewish messiah, the Christ and in others words God's Annointed one. He was also God's beloved son. Which means He COULD OVERCOME ALL EARTHLY POWER ATLEAST! They knew this much!
When Jesus Christ was being arrested they expected Him to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!As the 'son of David' they expected a 'Goliath slaying performance' to say the least.The lastt thing they were expecting was a SURRENDER! That was not in their theology.They had made no provision for 'arrest','imprisonment' and 'execution' in their theology.
Dear friend, DO YOU HAVE ANY PROVISION FOR SUFFERING IN YOUR THEOLOGY? EVEN IF YOU DON'T GOD STILL DOES!A human will that is totally and unreservedly surrended to God is the key that unlocks our eternal destiny in God. The individual who responds the way God wants him/her to a daily basis is in a nutshell sharing in the fellowship of Christ's suffering.The essence of the Christian faith is to identify with Jesus Christ in His moment of greatest need.In His moment of suffering.What was the response of the disciples? We needs to understand their response because that characterises the responses that are being given to Christ today. Today the suffering of Jesus Christ is still continuing. But this time He is wearing a disguise by not suffering in the physical form of a middle easterner from a place called Galilea. Jesus Christ HAS COME CLOSER HOME.His suffering is now being represented through the daily suffering and struggles of the vulnerable people we encounter in our life. In our families, in our Churches, and in our community. If we ignore the needs of those around us in a real sense we are ignoring the suffering of Jesus

In the process of responding to the needs of others in our family, in our church, in our communiy and in our world we uphold God's principles to the standard He has outlined in scripture.
In John 19:25 Jesus mother sood beside his cross wih her sister and Mary the wife of Clopas,Mary Magdalene was standing there too. v26 When Jesus saw his mother and his favourite disciple with her, he said to his mother,''This man is now your son.'' v27 Then he said to the disciple,''She is now your mother''.From then on, that disciple took her into his own home.
Jesus has given us the example to conduct our lives by. His situation then provides the guidelines to follow when we are confronted with adverse situations. In part 9 i would like o provide a few suggesions about how to be creative in siuations where relationships are dysfunctional. Because of this sometimes we suffer an element of rejection from those we try to reach out to. In other words how to respond when those in need do not see their need.(to be continued)


God bless you

John