Back To The "Draw"-ing Board.

“So seek the face of God, despite what may be happening around us; and engage Him in prayer, because that is what brings breakthrough.” –Rev. Martha Fajardo

Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me. (Psalm 50:14-15)

On Sunday, Pastor Martha noted two aspects of the process of prayer:

Seek the face of God. When we seek the face of God, we are acting in obedience to the word of God. It is God who has placed within us the desire to seek Him out. Psalm 27:8 says, “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

Engage Him in prayer. When we pray, our prayers move beyond supplying God with a list of the things we think we need. Our prayers are not monologues, but dialogues. The God we seek is the God who speaks. We have to privilege to petition Him, and we have the privilege of waiting patiently for His response. “I will listen to what God the LORD says.” (Psalm 85:8a)

In the midst of crisis, people are often tempted to withdraw from God and from the community of faith. However, those crisis moments are when we need to draw even nearer to our Lord. Let’s make our relationship with Him our utmost priority.

Have you sought after Him today?

Have you talked with Him today?

Have you listened to Him today?

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Little One Is The Strong One.

The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. (Psalm 27:1-2)

During the New Year's Eve sermon at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene, Pastor Sam quoted from Psalm 27. It is a powerful psalm. Many of us have memorized portions of it, and some of us have memorized all of it. But, as Pastor Sam noted on New Year's Eve, we may be challenged with a disconnect between our knowledge of what is true and our complete devotion to the Word of truth, who is Jesus our Lord.

If we serve the One who is our light and our salvation, then we need not fear.

David had no disconnect. He knew what God could do for him personally. As we reflect on the narrative from last Sunday, First Samuel chapter 17, we recognize that the David who wrote Psalm 27 is the same David who lived Psalm 27. David went into battle fearlessly, fully expecting that the Lord was with him.

The Israelite army endured forty days of talk from Goliath, but then a boy named David showed up and did some talking of his own. What a contrast it must have been to see David, a young man who didn't even own proper fighting attire, running to fight Goliath-- while the army of Israel, in full battle array, stood back in fear.

I think this post today is directed towards those of us who know about Psalm 27 and First Samuel 17, and who have tons of head knowledge about the presence and power of God, but who find ourselves in 2015 scared. We're decked out in full battle array, and yet we're afraid to take on the Goliaths in our lives. I would like to encourage us today with the conversation between David and Goliath (printed below). If we know who our God is and what He can do, then we have no need to fear.

Don't run away scared. Run to the frontlines... and fight.

First Samuel 17:41-51

Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. 

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

My Father Carries Me Into Jubilee.

Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan. (Leviticus 25:10, NIV)

In Sunday's sermon, Pastor Sam took time to speak of the father wound: there are some of us whose experience of fatherhood has been an experience not of compassionate support, but of abuse, neglect, or rejection.

We bear the risk of expressing the negative behaviors to which we have been exposed. The father wound is found in us as we live lives of apathy, anger, or alienation toward those around us. As Pastor Sam said, "The devil has conspired with history so as to produce a people who have to protect themselves by not feeling... it is the manifestation of the reign of sin."

However, there is good news: God our Father has promised healing to us! And for Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene in particular, as we celebrate our fiftieth year of ministry, there is a sense of kairos: we are in a jubilee season where God is pouring out wholeness and healing and grace. Our pastor made a wonderful point concerning Psalm 27:10: God steps in "...when father forsakes me...and when the Lord takes me up, that is going to represent healing to the father wound."

In the Jubilee year, ancient Israel experienced a profound shift in status. Debts were released. Lands were restored. People were set free from bondage. It happened then, and it can happen now. Today, as we submit ourselves to the Spirit of God, His presence and power releases us from our own bondage to apathy, anger, and alienation that had been built into our spirits.

God, our Father, is the Lord of Jubilee. Let your burdens go, and let your Father carry you into His grace, healing, and release.

Do you want to be free? Lift your chains, I hold the key!
All power in heaven and earth belongs to Me:
You are free!
(Mark Hall/Bernie Herms)

My Father Cares For Me In My Loneliness.

Though my father and mother have abandoned me, the Lord will gather me in. (Psalm 27:10, NET translation notes)

God, our heavenly Father, gathers us in. We who belong to Him have this privilege of being held by Him. As Psalm 27:10 indicates, the presence and company of God is so powerful that it even soothes the soul that has been abandoned by parents.

In Sunday's sermon Pastor Sam shared the example of a child who raises her hands as an indication that she wants to be picked up and held. Have we raised our hands to God today? Have we asked Him to pick us up?

When God picks us up, we are held and embraced by His love.
When God picks us up, we are raised so that we can see Him more clearly.
When God picks us up, we are placed in a position to see things from His vantage point.

Today, as we reflect on the goodness of God, let us boldly ask Him to pick us up once more.

God, loving Father, I raise my hands to You!

The Persecution... And The Presence.

Yesterday afternoon I had an interesting conversation with a food-service worker.

I asked for a BLT. The woman behind the counter then asked me whether I wanted lettuce on the sandwich. Assuming she was perhaps new to her post, I explained to her that BLT stands for Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato, and that those were the three things that by definition had to be in the sandwich.

She replied, "Oh, but you can put anything you want in the sandwich."
I responded, "If I put anything I want in this sandwich, then it ceases to be a BLT."

In Sunday's English-language sermons, Pastor Sam reminded us of the plight of the early Christians. Their devotion to God was directly challenged by leaders who had given themselves over to the works of evil. There was intense social and political pressure to conform to the worship of idols. The Christians who made space for idolatry were spared from persecution; those who refused to compromise their faith were ostracized, tortured, and killed.

Some of us are personally familiar with the reality of persecution. And today I find myself wondering if we, having adopted the teachings of Jesus, have also added a myriad of philosophies and "self-help" mantras to try to avoid persecution, then falsely named our mixture "Christianity". But if we are truly Christians, then we are citizens of a kingdom where Jesus, the Anointed One, is our King and Lord. He needs no add-ons, and our "self-help" attempts cannot save our souls. Christ alone is the key and the door that leads to eternal life.

In Sunday's sermon Pastor Sam noted that if we have lost our home, but have not lost our relationship with Jesus Christ, then our soul remains in a position of rejoicing. When we grasp the value of our eternal love relationship with the King of Glory, then the temporal concerns of life cease to rule over us: the temptation to compromise is vanquished by the power of God's Presence in His people.

As our pastor has said from time to time over the years, There is no "Plan B". There is only this true and living God, our Lover and Defender, who patiently calls us to relinquish idolatry and cling to Him. My prayer is that we who call ourselves Christians will find true rest and true peace in Jesus, our Ruler and Lord.

Sweet Spirit of God, You knew our circumstances before we experienced them. You know where we stand in our faith-walk with You. You love us! Help us to love You, even when that love evokes persecution from those who hate You. Lord Jesus, You are our King. Rule in our hearts, today and forever. Amen.

"The LORD is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?...Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident." (Psalm 27, verses 1 and 3, New International Version)

Flood Insurance...

Pastor Sam shared the sermon "Freedom from Fear" just a few days before Reverend Gabbidon shared the final session of the School of Prayer class. During the prayer class, we spent time in discussion concerning reasons why people experience hindrances to holiness living. The hindrances-- anger, peer pressure, compromise, immaturity, busyness, and several others mentioned-- are means by which the enemy of our souls seeks to block us from reaching our full potential in Christ. (One example given during class was that of a person who had been a Christian for thirty years but never grew into maturity, so the person's behavior taught new Christians that spiritual immaturity was acceptable.) For those of us who were able to attend both Sunday and Wednesday, we experienced a wonderful juxtaposition of insights. In one hand we held Psalm 27, and in the other James 4.

Our constitution. From Psalm 27 we learned that, because the LORD is the strength of our life, we have no need to fear. Therefore, our prayers must be prayed from a position of strength. Further, prayer is not a chore-- it is a joy! Our desire is to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in His temple, for in the day of trouble He will hide us (Psalm 27:4). As Pastor Sam shared, "principalities don't have to rule us; no darkness is too dark- we can sing in the dark because Jesus is with us." Fearful prayers are ineffective prayers. Fearless prayers are not swayed by external circumstances.

Our character. James 4 underlined the characteristics of those Christians who are capable of praying from a position of strength and singing praises in the dark. James says, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (James 4:3) He then follows with a list of the characteristics that will identify the believer as an authentic child of God: submitting to God, resisting the devil, washing our hands and purifying our hearts (holiness as a lifestyle), and humbling ourselves before God (James 4:7-10). In other words, the Christian who has not "gone on to maturity" (see Hebrews 5:11-6:6) really doesn't stand a chance.

When we are free from fear, we are free to intercede for others. We are empowered to break down the gates of hell, set people free, and do damage to the kingdom of darkness. And fearlessness is a necessary trait, because there is always backlash when a true Christian steps in and claims territory for the kingdom of God. In Psalm 27, we see that King David endured slander and defamation. In Acts 16, we read of Paul and Silas being beaten and thrown into prison. Prayer is warfare, and it is not a joke. Sometimes it costs us everything. But hey, welcome to the war zone. Fearless Christians rejoice not because their life circumstances are comfortable, but because they have an assurance from Christ of His presence and covering. His covering trumps everything else.

At the close of Wednesday's class, Pastor Sam asked us all to pray about our potential to be intercessors. For some of us, that means we will need to deal with the fear issue. For others, it may mean we have to deal with the forgiveness issue. God has an interest in His children being well, whole, and capable of successful engagement in warfare prayer. What grace, that He allows us to participate in this ministry of prayer! Will you join the team?

When darkness seems to veil His face, I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale, my anchors holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the 'whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand! All other ground is sinking sand. (Edward Mote)

Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, Geuel.

Today we'll consider a third aspect of fear that we learned of during Sunday's sermon.

The LORD God is powerful to deliver us from the fear of deficiency.

Sometimes we are bombarded with a sense of our own inadequacy. There is a heightened pressure to do well when one is surrounded by high-performing colleagues and peers. To further complicate the matter, principalities and powers seek to make us downgrade our own skills and abilities. And, if I may add another component, we know ourselves well enough to know our own weaknesses and shortcomings. There are some things we just aren't able to do well.

But our weakness gives God space to be the strength of our life! If our strength is in the LORD, then our deficiency doesn't matter- it is God's adequacy that matters. And if our deficiency is overcome by God's adequacy, then there is no need for us to fear.

This concept is brought to light in the experience of the twelve tribal leaders of ancient Israel. Ten leaders are rarely spoken of: the other two are poster children for fearlessness. Joshua and Caleb had an assurance of God's power, and they were eager to possess the land of Canaan. The other ten responded in fear, focused on their own inadequacy.

The ten leaders engaged in fear-based actions which ultimately resulted in their not being permitted to enter into the promised land:

Their mantra was “We can't”. However, God did not ask them to make an assessment of their own ability; He asked them to explore the land that He was giving to the Israelites (Numbers 13:2).

Their mouths were engaged in slander. After giving Moses a positive account about the produce of the land (Numbers 13:27), the ten leaders then spread a bad report of the land among the Israelites (Numbers 13:32).

Their measurement of self-worth was based on their own assessment instead of God's. Rather than remembering God's great works among them, the ten leaders chose to compare themselves to other people (Numbers 13:33). In comparing their stature to that of the descendants of Anak, the Israelites gave in to the fear of their perceived inadequacy.

Joshua and Caleb, though in the minority, fearlessly testified of God's power. Their testimony is one that we can be encouraged by today.

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 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 swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Number 14:6-9).

The LORD is with you. His adequacy covers your deficiency. Do not be afraid!

Free Delivery!

As we continue our reflections on this past Sunday's sermon, let's consider another aspect of fear.

Our God is powerful to deliver us from the fear of danger.

Principalities and powers threaten us with the specter of being hurt or being destroyed. These threats can result in a form of fear that keeps the Christian from reaching his or her full potential. The Scripture shows us examples of the types of threats that are made to attempt to keep believers from walking in obedience to God.

The threat of public humiliation. The first century church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, was able to stand against the spirit of fear. The threats of the religious leaders, and the beatings and imprisonments those leaders imposed, did not deter the disciples of Jesus from boldly proclaiming the gospel of salvation.

The threat of death. The book of Daniel recounts the experiences of Daniel and his friends. They refused to give in to the fear of death, and instead chose to suffer the consequences of disobeying direct orders from the pagan kings who ruled over Babylon. Neither a den of lions nor a fiery furnace could turn these young men from honoring God with undeterred, undivided worship.

Pastor Sam reminded us of the central verse of Psalm 23: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.” The LORD, who is our salvation, is present with us! He empowers us to continue standing for His agenda, even in the face of threats from principalities and powers.

One of the beautiful aspects of God's power is that deliverance from fear can be accomplished even if our external situation does not change. This was the testimony of unnamed Christians commended in the book of Hebrews: “Others were tortured and refused to be released...” (Hebrews 11:35). To paraphrase our pastor, “What can anyone do to you if you're not afraid to die?”

The LORD is my light; darkness cannot move me.
The LORD is my salvation; threats will not stop me.
I'm not afraid anymore!

Navigating Sunset.

“Who is holding your hand when the darkness closes in?” -Pastor Sam

In this past Sunday's sermon, our pastor spoke of various ways in which the enemy of our souls seeks to instill fear. Over the next few days we'll consider some of these points.

The LORD overcomes the fear of darkness.

We sometimes go through life not knowing where to go nor what to do. The darkness is a metaphor for the lack of insight or understanding. We experience darkness in a number of ways, but three specific ones were mentioned in the sermon.

Economic darkness. This darkness is experienced in unemployment, underemployment, debt, or financial lack. The devil seeks to move us into a place of hopelessness because we do not know how we will make our living or meet our needs from day to day. Alternately, agents of the devil seek to promote systems in which families are caught in a spiral of compromise for the sake of maintaining income. This compromise manifests itself when people intentionally engage in actions that they know are against the will of God, for the sake of economic relief.

Relational darkness. This darkness has two faces. One side is experienced when agents of the devil threaten us by instilling of the fear of losing loved ones to sickness or death; the other side is experienced when the devil and his agents actively engage in actions designed to destroy marriages through adultery and deception. Relational darkness is a prime target for the enemy, as it undermines God's design for the sanctity of marriage. This fear, if not addressed, leads to a spiral of control and self-preservation that marks the works of the flesh (see Galatians 5).

Educational darkness. We see this in the lack of access to learning opportunities and materials, systems designed to withhold information about educational resources, and even the popular media's lauding of ignorance and apathy as “cool” ways of being. The enemy of our souls seeks to ruin a lifetime by causing young people to succumb to poor educational choices at an early age.

But we can be encouraged. If the LORD is our light, there is no darkness-- light and darkness are alike to Him. His Presence is near to those who call on Him in truth, and He has all power to rescue, save, and deliver His people.

Will we trust the LORD when we can't see? Do we have to see everything? Faith, the evidence of things not seen, is not bound by darkness. Appropriate the faith of God today.

Where Would I Be If Not For...

During yesterday's sermon Pastor Sam reminded us that, “whether we want to fight or not, we are in a war!”. And the key to winning the war is to recognize that God is on the side of the authentic Christian. Our God fights on behalf of those who rest in Him, feed on His word, and obey His commands.

Over this week we will reflect on various points from the sermon. Today, though, we consider two questions:

1) What Has God said to Bronx Bethany?

Say no to the fear.The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

Say yes to the fight.Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)

Let us be bold to not merely memorize the word of God, but also to meditate upon it! And, another m-word, let our fears melt in it. Our LORD is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24), and His word is a word that purifies us and burns out the dross of our lives. As we submit to His commands, we become purer reflections of His character.

2) What has God said to you?