IN THE SILENCE

by John C. Richards Jr.

And he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life." - 1 Kings 19:10

Nothing.
Nada.
No answer.
Not even a hint.

What happens when God is silent? Many will not admit periods in their lives when it seems that God is not speaking. Often, this is driven by the fear that others will not see us as "spiritual" as they thought us to be. I'll be honest and tell you that there are times in my life when I feel that God is silent. Yes, even seminary-trained, Greek and Hebrew exegeting, theologically thinking men and women of faith have periods of silence in their lives.

Has there been a period of time in your life when it just felt like God wasn't speaking? You're in good company. The prophet Elijah went through a similar period. Like many Christians, he was very zealous for the Lord. He knew the word of God and had not abandoned his faith. But, he still had questions.

"God, others live their lives in ways that don't glorify you. Yet, they still prosper. Can you explain that to me? They have torn down the altars and refuse to worship you with all their heart, mind and soul. To make matters worse, they have killed your prophets with the sword."

The prophetic can symbolize dreams in our lives. Have you ever had your dreams slain by others? "You sure you want to do that?" "Did you pray about that?" Have you encountered any prophet killers (dream killers)?

Elijah was living in a cave.
He was isolated and alone.
And he sought God, fully expecting to hear an answer.

Silence...

How did God eventually respond? He told Elijah to "go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord" (1 Kings 19:11). I can imagine Elijah. "That's not what I asked you, Lord? Why do you have me doing this? I wanted an answer from you." What a wonderful revelation on how to operate in the silence. It's no surprise that Elijah was told to go stand on the mountain.

It reminds me of a tradition of early settlers in America. Many found that building their dwelling places on hills allowed them to avoid the dangers of poisonous snakes found in the valley. They called this, "living above the snake line". Their discovery? Once you go above that line certain animals,especially snakes, cannot comfortably live there. Do you live above the snake line? Does the enemy/devil still have access to you? If so, I encourage you to climb higher. Snakes (often symbolic of the devil) can't live up there. My greatest problem isn't with the enemy. Personally, I would say that I live above the snake line. My greatest enemy is found within. There are times when I feel like I have missed God. How do I overcome this in the silence?

And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks into pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a small still voice. (1 Kings 19:11-12).

How does God operate in the silence? In a small still voice. I often make the mistake of looking for wind, earthquakes, and fires from God. I want something huge to happen. Especially when it comes to making big decisions in my life.

But this passage teaches us that God comforts us in a small still voice. No wonder we are exhorted to "be still and know that He is God" (Psalm 46:10). If you are going through a period of silence I want to encourage you to celebrate your silence. Eliminate outside noise. Find a high place. Listen up!

For your answer is found in getting alone with God and listening for... His small still voice.

GOD DISTORTION

Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. —Mark 4:15

Satan goes to great lengths to distort our concepts of God. But because such distortions can serve his "interests" in our lives, Satan is willing to invest as much time and work as it takes to secure those vulnerable areas of our minds for his own purposes. Those inaccurate, inadequate concepts place us in great peril. To the degree that our ideas about God are lower than the truth of God, to that degree we are surely weakened and defeated. In those places and upon the foundation of distorted truth Satan is able to gain ground and set up his strongholds in our lives.

{ PRAYER STARTER }
If there are inaccurate, distorted images of You within my life, Father, take them from me and reveal the truth of Your holiness. Satan will have no stronghold in my life.

by Mike Bickle

LIMITING LABELS

by anthony fernando

Jacob sat in his chair quietly next to his mom and dad as his grade 3 teacher Mrs. Carter gave them an update on his progress at school.

“Jacob is what we call a slow learner” said Mrs. Carter quietly.

Jacob held his breath and sank a little lower into his chair. He looked up at his dad to see if he was in trouble. His father glanced down, smiled and gave him a quick wink.

In the car on the way home from the Parent-Teacher night, Jacob thought about what Mrs. Carter had called him – ‘Slow Learner’. Deep down Jacob knew that what she really meant was that he was dumb.

Later that evening, Jacob’s dad came into his room carrying a piece of paper and a pen.
He sat down on the side of the bed and said, “Hey Jake, I wanted to talk to you about what Mrs. Carter said today.”

Jacob thought he might still be in trouble for being a slow learner so he didn’t say anything.

“Mrs. Carter called you something today Jake, do you know what it was?”


“A Slow Learner” replied Jake who had already taken the words to heart.

“That’s right” said his dad as he wrote the words ‘Slow Learner’ on the piece of paper.

“Do you know what this says?”

“Slow Learner” replied Jacob nodding sadly.

Jacob’s dad then held up the piece of paper in front of his son and purposefully tore it into two.

Jacob’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Mrs. Carter was wrong Jake” said Jacob’s dad as he continued to tear the paper into smaller and smaller pieces.

“You’re not a slow learner.”

“I’m not?”

“No, and starting tomorrow, you and I are going to show that Mrs. Carter she was wrong, OK?”


“OK” Jacob hugged his dad, snuggled down into his pillow and fell asleep with a smile on his face and a warm glow in his heart.

From that day on, Jacob’s dad spent one hour per day helping Jacob with his reading and writing. By the end of the year, Jacob was doing much better at school and interestingly no-one ever labeled him a ‘Slow Learner’ again.

Jacob’s dad knew that when a child receives a label from a person in authority such as a teacher or parent, they often take that label to heart and it becomes a part of their self identity for the rest of their lives.

To avoid this from happening to his son, Jacob’s dad created a tangible representation of the ‘Slow Learner’ label and tore it up it in front of Jacob so that the label would not become a part of his child’s self concept.

Today I’d like to invite you to do the same exercise. To begin, find a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed and think about the labels that people have given to you in the past.

Perhaps you were given a label by one of your parents, your teacher or your spouse. What is the label that resonates in your mind? Is there a label that has become part of your self identity because it was given to you by a person in a position of authority?


If so, write this label down on a blank sheet of paper and hold it up to see it for what it really is – A Label.

It is a label – nothing more. It is not part of you and you do not have to accept it as part of your self identity any longer.

As you begin to see the label for what it really is – Rip it in half and enjoy the feeling of destroying the label once and for all.

When you do this exercise you will feel a surge of motivation to take action to ensure that no one attempts to give you this label again in the future.

Just as Jacob’s dad took action and helped his son with his school work, make sure you follow through and do whatever you need to do to eliminate the remnants of the label from your life forever.

Until next time,

Dare To Dream

Anthony
www.anthonyfernando.com

THE UNLIMITED PLAN

Dr. Tara Jenkins

When I was dating the man who is now my husband of 12 years, I was in undergraduate school in Atlanta while he was in undergraduate school in Chicago. This would be classified as a long distance relationship. During this time (around 1996 to 1997) in order to talk on the phone, it required long distance telephone service.

These long distance calls costs amazing amounts of money. Thus, every time we talked, it would be in the back of our minds that we couldn't stay on the phone forever because the long distance rates were more than what we could afford as struggling college students. I had every calling card available at that time- MCI, Sprint and AT&T.

We had so many long distance calling card bills from the long distance courtship that we were paying them off during our first year of marriage in 1998!

After experiencing so many long distance bills in my past, I was so excited when times changed regarding long distance telephone service! Now, through cell phones and through newly introduced home phone rate plans, you can have a service package in which you can make unlimited 'long-distance' calls anywhere in the continental U.S. without minute by minute charges. What a difference an unlimited plan makes!

I can now call friends and family anywhere in the country without having to be mindful or fearful of an upcoming astronomical phone bill. I don't have to hang up when I have more to say because I can't afford it. That's the benefit of the unlimited plan...talking freely at length without minutes in mind!
Our father in heaven has gifted us with an amazing communication system with Him called prayer. It is an UNLIMITED PLAN! You can't run out of minutes. Your service can never be terminated or suspended. He's given us insurance and assurance that He will always be in the business of hearing and answering our prayers.

The Unlimited Plan that God has designed for us includes:

• Unlimited Communication (Talk Time): You will never run out of minutes.
• Unlimited Coverage: Where ever you are, He's with you!
• Unlimited (Direct) Contact: You can go directly to Him.

Unlimited Communication or Talk Time is a clear benefit according to 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 which states "Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Unlimited Coverage is a definite benefit according to Psalm 139:7-10 which exclaims, "... where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me."

Unlimited Direct Contact is another obvious benefit. We don't need another person to be our 'carrier.' Since Jesus shed His blood, we can pray to directly God for ourselves! Hebrews 10:19-22 states, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith..."

*Warning: Even with the unlimited plan, your call may get dropped if you are praying with unforgiveness in your heart, head or hands. In Mark 11:25, Jesus says, "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

There is power in prayer because it is God's Unlimited Plan for communication with us. There is no need to rush off of the line when you have the unlimited plan! Today, take the time to take advantage of the fact that when talking to God you do not have to be mindful of your minutes!

GOD'S GIFTS AND CALLINGS ARE IRREVOCABLE

by R.T. Kendall

For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. —Romans 11:29

Because the gifts and calling of God are "irrevocable," a person who had a tremendous anointing yesterday can continue to see the momentum of that anointing continuing to manifest itself. He or she may hastily conclude that "the anointing is still with me" when it is but the momentum of yesterday's anointing.

This is sobering. I could be a hypocrite in my personal life, and yet my gift could continue to function. I could even deceive myself by telling myself, I must be right with God, or I couldn't preach. The truth is, God's calling and gifts are irrevocable. That means that God will not withdraw my preaching gift simply because I have not been a loyal, obedient son. He gave me certain abilities when He made me and called me into the ministry. By study and hard work I can improve upon those gifts—without a fresh anointing that comes only from continued intimacy with God. And when people say, "That was a good word," or "God spoke to me through you today," I could assume that God is very pleased with me indeed. One of the worst things we can do is to take compliments too seriously.

It is possible that there are those who sincerely don't know better. They are well equipped, high powered, eloquent, and charismatic; people are blessed by their ministries. These people who are thus used by God may sincerely believe they are pleasing God because their anointing is functioning so well. "I am under God's anointing," they may well say. True. But it could be yesterday's anointing. There may be nothing fresh about it.

The fresh anointing is the essential thing. It is what replenishes the irrevocable. If our irrevocable anointing is not replenished by a fresh touch of God, we are depending on yesterday's anointing.

Excerpted from The Anointing: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (Charisma House, 2003).

I STILL LOVE THOSE FRIES

by Milan Ford

In the fall of 2002, I was blessed with the unique opportunity to serve as the college ministry director for one of the largest and most influential churches in the country. For nearly four years, I had the opportunity to serve, counsel, lead, and learn from hundreds of college students who attended various schools within the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

During that span of time, I witnessed first hand what many ministry leaders throughout this country are experiencing today - a growing discontentment and apathy regarding the relevance of the local church in the eyes of today's generation of young people.

Despite all of the programs, events, concerts, scholarships, pizza nights, and other heart felt approaches our churches have tried to offer in order to reach this generation, what was once considered necessary, has now become optional.

And worse, what was once attractive... now repels.

And although many would like to attribute this pattern of apathy only to young people, there is alarming number of believers today (ages 30 and up) who now refuse to have anything to do with the local church because of either a prior unfavorable experience they had while apart of one, or perhaps being made aware of a considerable disparity between what a particular leader was saying or teaching in public, and what he or she was doing in private.

I am often asked by parents and ministry leaders alike what my response is when I encounter someone who has given up on God and their faith because of something that happened to them while attending a local church. My answer, although far from earth-shattering, is always the same. Feel free to borrow it whenever you like. Here it is:

I am in LOVE with McDonald's fries.
In my opinion, they are the best-tasting fries in the world.

Yet despite my unfailing adoration for them, I am not at all impressed with what I have to endure in order to get them. No matter the hour of the day, no matter which restaurant location I select, my experience at McDonald's has often been an awful one.

When going through the drive-thru, my order will always be missing something.
When inside, I always encounter that one cashier who clearly is upset that I choose her line.
And I won't even get started on having to pay an extra quarter for more barbecue sauce!

Yet, no matter the trial and obstacle, I still insist on returning. No bad experience I may have today can hinder me from expecting a better one tomorrow. Why?

Because I still LOVE those fries!

As believers, there must come a time when our love and commitment to the PRODUCT is no longer subject to the imperfections of a particular PROVIDER. Once we allow the SERVICE we have received from others to cast doubt on the SERVICE we have received from Him, we will become a great DISSERVICE to everyone we come in contact with.

On the night before He was to be crucified, Christ delivered perhaps His most important message to us all: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this ALL will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." - John 13:34-35.

It is literally impossible to truly love God without loving what (and whom) He loves. Despite its many challenges, I still believe the local church and the Body of Christ at large is by far one of the greatest ideas our God has ever had. Perhaps His finest. Imagine the impact we could have on this world if we as believers took the time to just believe the BEST of one another.

Let's face it; some of us (as Christians) can take ourselves way too SERIOUSLY. Once you and I make the decision to lighten up and embrace the fact that all of us have missed the mark from time to time, we will be able to extend the kind of grace and unconditional love that will bring glory to God.

And most importantly, draw others closer to Him.

Milan Ford

WHEN GOD SHOWS UP

By R.T. Kendall

Perhaps God spoke to you at a particular time or was present on a particular occasion. At the time, it didn’t seem as if it was God who was doing the speaking or even if God was present at all. You underestimated, if not rejected, what He did or what He said. Only years later did it become clear to you that you had failed to recognize His presence.

I remember many years ago, when Louise and I had moved away from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for only 18 months, we came back and found that Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church had been started. Before we went away, it had been a vacant lot with a big sign on it that read, "Future home of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church." That sign just stayed there month after month for a couple years. We wondered: What is happening here? When will that church start?

When we came back, the church had started, and it was the talk of the town. D. James Kennedy, who was the architect of what is now known as Evangelism Explosion, was using this evangelism method in Fort Lauderdale.

I have to say I was one of Kennedy’s greatest critics. I thought that Evangelism Explosion (EE) was not of God. It took two to three years for me to climb down and see that EE really was of God. But I couldn’t see it at the time. I had theological biases; I had other instincts, and I went by them.

Perhaps you can think of a similar experience when something came up that at first you thought God simply wasn’t in. Then later, like Jacob, you had to say, "The Lord was in this place. I didn’t know it. I wasn’t aware of it." Let’s not think ourselves so spiritual that we are sure we couldn’t possibly miss the Lord’s presence. Our very biases may keep us from seeing the Lord when He appears.

Let’s reflect on the possibility that God has appeared and we don’t see Him, even though we may have been praying for Him to come. He answers our prayer but we can’t believe it, either because our unbelief is too great or because our prejudices overrule our faith. Maybe the Lord appeared yesterday and we didn’t realize it. Maybe He has answered prayer and we haven’t recognized it.

Here are a few examples of failure to recognize the Lord’s presence.

• When we miss what God is doing in another person. Eli misunderstood what was happening to Hannah (see 1 Sam. 1:12-13). It is possible for someone who ministers to you in an official capacity not to recognize what God is doing in your life.

• When we miss God’s answer to our prayer and only later recognize His presence. Peter was in prison and the church was earnestly praying, but when he appeared at the door they didn’t believe it (see Acts 12:13-17).

• When we are dominated by fear even though God is all around us. Elisha’s servant was terrified of the enemy chariots until he was able to see that the Lord’s hosts were far greater (see 2 Kings 6:15-17). Perhaps you too are dominated by fear when the truth is that God is with you.

• When we are disappointed by the word God gives us. Naaman, who suffered from leprosy, did not want to accept the word given by the prophet to wash in the Jordan seven times (see 2 Kings 5). It may be that God has given you a word and you don’t like it. Accept what God has given you and who knows what will happen in the end (see Luke 16:10).

• When we are blind to what God is doing strategically. Often when we see how things turn out, our immediate reaction is, "God can’t be in this." God’s Messiah—Isaiah’s "root out of a dry ground"—ended up hanging on a cross. There was no hint at the time that this was God in Christ reconciling the world.

Looking back at particular times in your life, you might say, "God was at work, and I was not aware of it." You may be going through a time of trial at this very moment. James says, "Consider it pure joy, my brethren, whenever you face trials of many kinds" (James 1:2, NIV). The trial you’re going through at this moment may be God’s hint that He’s there after all.