Everlasting Love - October 17, 2010

Jeremiah 31:3 - The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness."

To find that someone special to share your life with is a magnificent thing. When we fall in love with our respective soul mates, we no doubt promise to love them forever and ever. While love between a man and a woman may sometimes falter, God's love and fidelity is never in question. He embodies eternal love that has always existed for His beloved. While our love will certainly deepen for our spouses as the years go by through a nurturing relationship, so also those who know Christ and His affection will continue to grow in love. Love is a creative power that will not be diminished over time but will continue to flourish through mutual relationship. So therefore, why shouldn't love grow throughout eternity? We are told in Psalms 89:2 that "lovingkindness will be built up forever". What a marvelous thought, that God's love will continue to deepen throughout the borderless realm of timelessness! As love on earth is dynamic and always growing, we have the opportunity to continue to grow in the very nature of God throughout everlasting. Just as God is love (I John 4:8), so we too have become heirs of His nature and will partake in His heritage of continually growing in the love that flows from His Divine Nature through time and eternity.

Unlike humans who find the love of their lives in a variety of ways, God Almighty never "fell in love" with us. The Lord has always loved us from all eternity. There was never a time when He did not think about us or yearn for our love. God has always held us with the greatest affection in His heart, loving us with an everlasting love. The Triune God has looked forward to this moment throughout eternity, when we are now alive and being turned into the likeness of His Son. There was never a time when God did not know that we would be brought forth as a son or a daughter. One might conjecture, "Why did God wait so long to bring forth a people that love Him? He has been in eternity waiting for this time to manifest, so why now?". One thing we know about God, is that He is patient. We are told in I Corinthians 13:4 that God's nature is patient as well as possessing the nature of love. The Lord knew the perfect time to bring forth sons and daughters and He waited patiently to do so. His nature would not allow Him to behave otherwise.

Not only did God know those who would accept His Son's redemption, but He also knew the struggle many of us would have in getting to that place of surrender. He has forever known which of us would rebel most doggedly against His lovingkindness. Throughout eternity, He has always known how we would live lives in self-absorbed sin, constantly rejecting His merciful hand as He stretched it out to us in love. (He saw me in my alcoholism and my drug addiction, through those years of overt hedonism that resulted in my complete moral, spiritual, and physical bankruptcy.) He hand-picked people like you and me, no matter what our past lives resembled, and gave us His love in an unremitting manner. Beloved, his love for us had neither beginning nor will it have an end. I believe from the testimony of God in scripture that He is delighted beyond words that those of us who call Jesus as Lord are participators in His love. Isaiah tells us that He is continually looking down from heaven and longing to engage the sons of men with His loving nature (Isaiah 30:18). Truly, God is a lover, looking for a lover. He patiently waits for us to be found by Him.

What is our destiny beloved? What is our calling in this life and the one to come? Clearly, from scripture we can see that we are to grow in love and to share it with all those we might come into contact with. That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, sharing the everlasting love of God that He has patiently been waiting to bestow on you and me. The marvelous reality of experiencing His love is that it will first of all never end, and secondly that it will continue to grow. Oh, that we would continue to pray that God would reveal His love to our souls! That we would experience the Spirit of Revelation as He reveals the very nature of love within the Father's heart toward His beloved. God has patiently done all the waiting for this very day -- the day when we can experience His everlasting love that has been stored up for all eternity. May we all rejoice in our high ranking regarding His eternal plan!

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your everlasting love. Thank you that You patiently waited for this very day when we might seize Your hand and Your heart through the love You've bestowed on us all through Your Son's redemption. Thank You Lord! In Jesus Name, Amen!

For God is a Lover
Looking for a lover so He fashioned me
God is a Lover
Looking for a lover so
He formed my heart
(From lyrics "See the Way" by Misty Edwards)

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Negotiating with God - October 10, 2010

I Corinthians 6:19 - Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Many people try to make so-called "deals" with God. Invariably, these are self-centered attempts to improve one's life by a supernatural intervention. When I drank alcoholically and would create frequent messes in my life and in others', I would often try to bargain with God. "If you just get me out of this scrape", I would plead, "then I'll sober up and do this or that and so on and so forth!" Well, seldom did these promises ever reach fruition. They were simply ego-driven efforts to improve a seemingly hopeless situation that I had engineered out of my own self-indulgent lifestyle. Generally speaking, God does not bargain with selfish individuals. However, it is scripturally sound that He does negotiate with selfless believers. If the negotiation touches self-interest, I believe that God is not interested in it unless it will affect His larger purpose. If, however, it is about others and their eternal welfare then God is profoundly interested in listening to an argument that will enlarge His kingdom for those He loves. Two such biblical examples that epitomize those who negotiated with God are Moses and Abraham.

Moses became a self-imposed fugitive after murdering an Egyptian and going on the lam somewhere in the land of Midian (Exodus 2:15). We know little about this man for the next 40 years as he shepherds his father-in-law Jethro's flocks in the barren desert of the Sinai. But then something happens. Moses encounters the Living God in the burning bush and becomes a changed man (Exodus 3). As an exile returning to the scene of his crime, Moses goes boldly before Pharaoh and secures the release of his people through many signs and wonders. However, once on the move and away from the relative security of Egypt, Moses finds that he has inherited an obstinate, sinful people. When he descends from Mount Sinai with the stone tablets, the Lord tells Moses that the people have quickly turned away from their devotion to the Most High. In Exodus 32:9-10 we read: The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation." However, Moses would not take this as God's last word. He had grown in such a relationship with God that his heart became consumed with love for both his Creator and His created. What follows is probably one of the greatest examples of turning God's heart and intention due to the selfless intercession of Moses:

Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people. (Exodus 32:11-14)

Often critics focus on the fact that God changed His mind and ascribe this to weakness of character. I believe it demonstrates just the opposite. The Almighty is desirous to do good for His children. Isaiah tells us that "He longs to have compassion on us" (Isaiah 30:18). The Lord God is bound by two great forces of His character that are both driven in love. The first is justice and the other is mercy. God will always function from either of these two dynamics as they are fueled by love. He looks for those that would stand in the gap (Ezekiel 22:30), much like Moses did, so that He would be moved to mercy. That, beloved, is what he desires to do, but He needs men and women with passionate hearts for others to move Him in that direction.

Abraham's intercession on behalf of Sodom is not unlike that of Moses. However, with Abraham we get the privilege of witnessing this remarkable dialogue between Abraham and God regarding the fate of this doomed city. In Genesis 18:17 we read that God had decided to reveal the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to his friend Abraham. In the following verses, we see a spiritual, heavenly negotiation being played out in the natural as Abraham bargains with God for those in the valley below. The patriarch beseeches God, saying that if there are 50 righteous in Sodom then He surely wouldn't sweep away the just with the wicked? The Lord agrees and does so again and again until Abraham reduces the number of the righteous to ten (Genesis 18:24-32). We know from the following chapter that the Lord does bring down His judgment upon Sodom, for there was only righteous Lot (II Peter 2:7) and his family which accounted for less than the agreed upon number of ten. What if Abraham would have asked God to spare Sodom for five souls? Would it still be standing today? We are not to know. However, Abraham does show us how a life surrendered to God can move the heart of God to mercy. Unfortunately for Sodom and Gomorrah, their sin fell to God's justice. One can speculate that by this act of justice, it led to the salvation of many who recognized God's mercy for not destroying them likewise.

We have all been bought with a price -- the very blood of Jesus Christ who died for us all. We can either choose to live selfish lives that seek to bargain with God for our own ends, or we can die to self and negotiate for others. As Paul said, if we are believers and we call Jesus our Lord, then we are not our own. We have become temples of the Holy Spirit to allow God to intercede through us on behalf of others. There are no loop holes in God's word and no room for making a deal with our Creator. The only "deals" He wants are the ones we engineer for others in prayer and deeds. If we are living for ourselves, we too will die in our respective wilderness of Sinai or be consumed by proverbial fire and brimstone. If, however, we are living for Him and others, we will be consumed in the brightness of His fiery love that will never be quenched, either in this life or the one to come.

Holy Father, thank you for the Spirit who dwells with us and in us. Help us to see that any bargaining with You must be a pact for others -- to bring them to You. Give us hearts that spurn any deals with the flesh or the world but souls on fire to plead with You for the lives of others. We ask this in Jesus Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Intercessory Praise - Part III - October 3, 2010

Psalm 51:12-13 - Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You.

David's life was one steeped in prayer and praise. Jewish history ascribes 73 of the 150 psalms to this King of Israel. These are a rich library of his many conversations with the Lord Jehovah including melodic prayers of petition, supplication, and intercession. David's tender soul resonates in the poetic verses of one psalm as he rejoices in God's victory, and then in another he is in the depths of despair. Although David arguably ruled the most powerful Middle Eastern nation in 1000 B.C., the humanity he displayed in his writings becomes something very real to most of us who can relate with the everyday struggles that beset mankind. His brutal honesty is probably not equaled elsewhere in his writings as it is in Psalm 51 where he pleads for God's forgiveness after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. The prophet Nathan exposes his king to the injustice he has created by first sinning with this married woman and then having her husband put to death by proxy (II Samuel 11). In this psalm, David seeks forgiveness for himself, but also for what he has done to the trust between God, himself, and those of his kingdom.

In the first nine verses of Psalm 51, David outlines his defense to the Lord which is a case for mercy. He knows that he has sinned and asks the Lord to forgive him for his iniquity. Psalm 51:10-13 becomes David's request to God for complete emancipation from sin's effect which will ultimately lead to God's glorification. In verse 10 he first implores his Maker for a clean heart, to disown any remnants of the sin that he once harbored. Also, the penitent king asks that God renew a steadfast spirit within, to enable him to remain focused on his fidelity toward God. In verse 11, he does not assume that just because his spirit is right that God will desire fellowship with him. He specifically states: Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Finally, in verse 12 we see that David understands that forgiveness without restoration is moot if he is to rule effectively as king. He knew better than anyone that in God's presence there was fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11) which would give him the strength and the ability to stay focused to turn from future sin. At the beginning of verse 13, we see the remarkable conjunction "then". At this juncture, David knows that if the Lord grants his request he would once again be in that position to intercede for others through the testimony of his life as an intercessory worshipper. He would be restored in the eyes of his nation to lead them as one who had failed but was now a living example of God's redemption. The King of Israel would no longer be a hypocrite in their eyes but someone who praised God for delivering him from the pit of sin and despair. His praise to God would once again resonate between earth and heaven for his kingdom.

Chronological to Psalm 51, King David's next psalm was probably written shortly after the Bathsheba affair. The overall theme of Psalm 32 is one of reflection concerning the mercy of God for his sin and forgiveness. This is particularly evidenced in the first seven verses. David opens the psalm with a declaration of God's love and redeeming grace, stating: How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit! (Psalm 32:1-2) In the next five verses, he tells how hard it was to conceal his sin. However, once he confessed it he was filled once again with the presence of the Lord. Once again, God had become David's hiding place (Psalm 32:7) as he had been so many times in the past. One might assume that the king had forgotten how close the Lord was to him as he hid him from Saul's wrath when he pursued young David. Now, he could once again find God in that secret place of "hiding" that kept him safe from the onslaught of the enemy's lies. For surely, the devil came to him and told David that his sin really wasn't forgiven and that he didn't deserve to be king. The restored king could turn from Satan's accusations and look in the face of his Redeemer with great joy of redemption and say: You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Psalm 32:7) What follows in verses eight through eleven is a vivid example of David's restored position as an intercessory praise and worshipper. He instructs the wicked to not be as he was but to be set free by obeying God in all things. To continue in wickedness, he states, is to continue in sorrow; but the righteous, David says, are "surrounded" by lovingkindness. His intercessory worship for others comes to a crescendo as he ends this psalm with the high praises of God: Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart. (Psalm 32:11)

Beloved, if we call Jesus Christ our Lord then we should recognize that we are made of the same stuff as David. The only thing that sets us apart from this ancient king is our ability to arrest our sin through humility and ask forgiveness as he did. If we walk in the light as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with God and man and the Lord is faithful to forgive and cleanse us (I John 1:7). The devil would desire that we hide our sin as David, because then we will not be effective as intercessory worshippers. If we can't praise God for his deliverance in our lives and others, then the devil has won the victory. If, however, we can lift up the Name of Jesus in thanksgiving and praise for not only our salvation but for others, then we put the enemy to flight. Everyone of us who call ourselves Christians have this responsibility, to praise God for the finished work of Calvary with hearts that are free from sin. Through that applied revelation, we will see the power of the evil one crushed and the high praises of God accomplishing great things all around us. May the Lord do so in all of us this day as we submit to Him!

Lord Jesus, thank you for the redemptive power of Your blood that makes us mighty to do intercessory battle. May the high praises of God be on our lips as we set the captive free through the intercessory praise You have ordained for all of us who call You Lord. In Your Name Most Holy Jesus Christ, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Intercessory Praise - Part II - September 26, 2010

Job 42:10 - The LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had twofold.

Most of us have heard the expression "desperate times call for desperate measures". From the very underbelly of a dire situation can often spring the greatest triumphs. It can be a heart-wrenching moment when we hear about someone's tremendous loss. For example, how tragic it is when we hear a news report of an entire family losing all their children to a house fire. Horatio Spafford comes to mind as a modern man's illustration of extreme loss while Job is certainly the quintessential biblical example. Spafford and his wife lost a son in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. A short two years later, Spafford sent his wife and daughters on ahead of him to Europe. They were to meet up shortly after his arrival to help with evangelistic efforts on the continent. Tragically, the S.S. Ville Du Havre sank after striking another vessel at sea. His wife telegrammed her husband after her rescue saying, "Saved Alone". Later, when the ship he had booked passage came near to the spot where his daughters lie on the ocean floor, he penned the words of the famous hymn, It Is Well With My Soul. In this place of extreme loss, Spafford was able to praise His Creator regardless what life had dealt. By him penning these most poignant verses, he inadvertently became a witness and most importantly one who intercedes on behalf of many. By his example, countless Christians have been strengthened in their faith by Spafford as he stood between heaven and earth and praised the Almighty. He quite literally stood as an intercessory worshipper between God and man (for more see The Bare Soul - It is Well With My Soul - June 1, 2008).

Horatio Spafford had probably read of God's dealings with Job many times before that fateful day. Though millennia separated these two men, both experienced tremendous loss but likewise magnificent grace to deal with their given situations. Those familiar with the story know that Job was a God-fearing man that Satan demanded permission from God to tempt. Satan believed that any man, including Job, would forfeit their relationship with God to save their own skin. Job chapters one and two tell of how the devil caused great calamity to overtake the patriarch's household, first by destroying his children and his possessions and then by inflicting Job with severe bodily afflictions. From the subsequent chapters we read of Job's metamorphosis as a God-fearing worshipper to a man filled with the wisdom and revelation of His Maker. At one point, Job makes the declaration: Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him. (Job 13:15) Though his worship and praise of His Creator was unfaltering, he still questioned God's wisdom in allowing someone like himself who walked uprightly to be subjected to what appeared to be a cruel outcome. Only when Job truly heard and saw God (see Job chapters 38 through 41), did he understand that God is so much bigger than his feeble attempts to understand Him. In this instance, as well as countless others, God must merely be trusted without complaint or argument regarding His dealings with mankind. God's sovereignty and man's inability to understand God's ways is poignantly expressed in the following:

Job 42:1-6 - Then Job answered the LORD and said, "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me. I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes."

 After Job humbled himself appropriately before God, the Lord's attention then turned toward Job's friends (Job 42:7-9). Because of his newly gained perspective through worship and praise, Job was then able to be the instrument that God used to heal his friends. Job learned to be an intercessor by coming into a right relationship with God and thereby understanding the Almighty's omnipotent and omniscient power through his worship and praise. This was the catalyst to Job's own spiritual, physical, and material healing which therefore empowered him to pray for his friends restoration. Job obviously knew God before his calamities. Job 29 is all about his glorious past and how he was regarded as a man of God that delivered justice for those less fortunate. However, Job 42 is where we see a broken and contrite man who learns to pray for God's restoration rather than using his own abilities. We see a man equipped with the humility of God who is able to intercede for his friends through a heart of worship and praise to God.

Nowhere in scripture are we given such an intimate look of a man (of like character as us) who is transformed from a God-fearing believer to a man full of the wisdom and revelation of God. Job became that one who was not only a "good" man but a man who shared in the secret counsel of the Lord. By the epiphany of God's revelation through intercessory praise and worship, his prayers for his friends led to Job receiving back two-fold of what he formerly possessed (Job 42:10). Beloved, God has given us this portrait of Job not for good storytelling or nice poetry. He has allowed us to see that merely being a nominal Christian that loves God and does what is right is not near enough. The Lord is desirous that we would sit before him daily, crying out to Him for understanding until He would give us that same wisdom and revelation as Job. Through tremendous loss, God was able to take men like Horatio Spafford and the patriarch Job and transform them through what seemed like unbearable circumstances. Likewise, if we allow God to have His way with us, we will see that the world is much bigger than ourselves or our family's well-being. We will see God for who He is, praising and worshipping Him no longer for what He can do but for who He is. This wisdom will duly reveal Christ's mind and heart for those that so desperately need Him. Once we learn the secret of intercession, that it is an attitude first of worship and praise, then we can effectively bring others close to the Lord for His glory despite our experiences.

Lord Jesus, reveal to us Your wisdom and insight that we might intercede for others with hearts of praise and worship toward You, and hearts on fire for the souls of others. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Intercessory Praise - Part I - September 19, 2010

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "The Prayer of Praise" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on September 9 2010.

The Prayer of Praise - September 9, 2010

II Chronicles 20:22 - When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.

What happens when a believer lives their life in all the light and revelation that the Lord has given, and then all of a sudden it seems like all hell comes against them? The inevitable result will always be fear. However, the type of fear will determine the outcome. If we fear the circumstances and shrink back in unbelief, then our predicaments will own us and defeat us. But, if we turn our faith to the Lord to fear Him and reverence Him for the outcome, then we have tapped into the springs of praise that will eliminate our enemies one by one. Jehoshaphat's life and subsequent defining battle with the enemies of Judah is a striking example regarding how the Lord can turn insurmountable difficulties into victories. Through this poignant encounter, the king learned the secret of how intercessory praise commands success through a rightly related king and kingdom to the Most High God.

II Chronicles chapters 17-19 gives an overview of the life of Jehoshaphat as he ruled and reigned in 8th century B.C. Israel. In II Chronicles 17:3-6, we see that the king sought the Lord God and strived to follow all the commandments of God. He expected no less from Judah, as he tore down the houses of worship of the Canaanite gods Baal and Ashtoreth. Not only was he a moral and spiritual crusader for his people, but other kingdoms saw that the favor of God was upon Israel so they would in turn bring tribute and gifts to the king in Jerusalem (II Chronicles 17:10-11). As a result, Jehoshaphat and the Judeans lived in relative peace until they heard the bad omen of a "great multitude" coming against them out of the land of Aram (II Chronicles 20:2). Naturally, the king was afraid when he heard this news (II Chronicles 20:3). At this point, the king could have done several things. He could have tried to make peace with the Ammonites and the Moabites, thereby sending them tribute and trying to appease them. He might have sent emissaries to Egypt or to the Philistines to try to hire an army to fight for Judah. Or, he might have decided to muster as many Judeans as possible and to go out against his foes, hoping for the best. He did none of these. Jehoshaphat instead did what would seem absurd to other kings of his time and turned to the Lord God in prayer and fasting (II Chronicles 20:3-13). The welfare of his people were at stake and so the king deliberately involved all the people to join him as they cried to the Lord for a solution to their dilemma. And, through the prophet Jahaziel, their answer came. The message from the Lord was not one of brilliant maneuvers or battle strategy to overcome their enemy by military force, but it was a simple yet terrifying prospect of "standing, and seeing the salvation of God" (II Chronicles 20:17). The next day, Judah went out to "battle" against their foes. Apparently, Jehoshaphat received some added direction from the Lord as he stationed the singers and musicians in front of their army to worship the Lord. If this wasn't sheer madness in the eyes of the rest of the world, the king then declared that they were to rejoice before the Lord saying "Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting." (II Chronicles 20:21) Not only was he leaving his frontal attack defenseless, he was also giving away his position. However, the most remarkable thing occurred because of the king's obedience. We are told that the sons of Ammon and the sons of Moab destroyed themselves until there was not a single survivor (II Chronicles 20:22-24). Because of this remarkable victory, II Chronicles 20:30 tells us that for the rest of Jehoshaphat's reign his kingdom was at peace.

As it was in 8th century B.C. Israel, so it is today in the 21st century A.D. God is still looking for those whom He can show Himself strong on their behalf (II Chronicles 16:9). We don't need to be a king in order for God to show us a great deliverance. We only need to be, first and foremost, rightly related to Him. When we come to the Lord and we lay down our lives of sin, He then partners with us to destroy those "houses of Baal" in our hearts -- temples of self worship, greed, malice, envy, sloth, etc. When we become rightly related to God, then He allows us to help build His kingdom within the influence He gives us. We might see some helped by the ministry we give them, while others may be coming to the knowledge of the Lord through His grace in our lives. As our favor with God and man is on the rise, there is another who takes notice. The enemy of our soul will often acquiesce to our new found favor with God, but only for a season. He may even try to tell us that we're doing "really good" so that he can make us stumble in pride. But if that doesn't work, then he will inevitably send what seems like a multitude against us to defeat our standing in God and to try to destroy our credibility in God's kingdom. At this critical juncture, we will undoubtedly fear much like King Jehoshaphat. But that is okay, as long as we turn our fear to the Lord and reverence Him for how he is going to orchestrate His victory in this matter. As we have grown in God, the outcome of this battle not only affects us, but those whom we love and minister to. It has truly become an intercessory battle as we "stand in the gap" for the kingdom of God all around us. We have matured to not only be concerned with our welfare but that of others. Whether we are praying for God to heal a cancerous growth in a beloved sister in the Lord, or for a brother who is being audited by the IRS, we have learned to look beyond ourselves to praise God for the victory in the midst of the battle. We have learned that it is not our might or our strength or often anything on earth that can help in a given situation, other than the grace of God. We believe that saying to the problem "Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting" is the only sensible solution to a world that believes we've gone mad for our assurance to do so.

To live a life of intercessory praise means we have first moved beyond simply praising God for His outcome in our lives and we've moved to a higher plain of doing so for others. If we are practicing this, we have taken on the very character of our Lord and Savior as He intercedes daily for us (Romans 8:34). Beloved, God wants us to first trust in Him for all our needs, and then to trust Him for all those whom He has given us within the "holy fiefdoms" He has entrusted to us. Whether it is our families or entire congregations, God desires that we entrust to Him the outcome of every situation with an attitude of praise. As we learn to intercede effectively for others, He will continue to expand our hearts and influence over His kingdom here on earth. That, my friends, is the way to create heaven on earth -- by thanking Him and praising Him for the victory while the battle looms ever present and menacing. It is then, that we will see the greatest miracles in our weakness as we give thanks to Him for His strength.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of intercessory praise. Only as we confess our weakness, do we allow You to be strong. Through this strength, help us -- along with those You have entrusted to us that they might encounter Your triumph in the midst of what seems like overwhelming odds. Thank you that we are always victorious in You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

The Bare Soul - The Prayer of Praise - September 12, 2010

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "The Prayer of Praise" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on September 9 2010.

The Prayer of Praise - September 9, 2010

Luke 18:11-14 - The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: "God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get." But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Many have considered this passage a model prayer for penitent sinners. Herein we see two diametrically different personalities -- one haughty and self-righteous -- the other humble and contrite as they both receive their respective rewards. While the Pharisee bolsters his ego with an empty commendation as the result of his religiosity, we are told the tax collector receives the gift of justification from God. This man, according to Christ, came into relationship with the Lord through his repentance, knowing that the atonement of Christ had lifted the burden of sin from his heart forever. While this certainly is an ideal example for how a person comes to the Lord, it should not necessarily be the prayer to perfect holiness or to mature a saint in sanctification. To be sure, if we sin after we have accepted the Lord as our Savior, we should ask for forgiveness and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (I John 1:9). However, I am convinced that the devil would like nothing better than to first inflict condemnation over a sin in the believer's life, and then make that poor hapless soul to wallow in this sad state as they cry out for mercy. Of course, Jesus Christ has forever given us mercy and not condemnation through His redemption. His justification deflated the power of sin in our lives, stripping away all power once held over us by the enemy of our souls. Our God wants us to merely confess our sin and then turn to Him in a prayer of praise, acknowledging the completed work of the blood of His Son on Calvary's cross.

This "woe is me" theology runs rampant in many churches today, especially those who center on holiness teaching. As before mentioned, we should always confess our sins when we commit them. However, I believe the universal Church lacks a deeper understanding of our true position in Christ, otherwise there would be much more praise over our deliverance from both our sin nature and individual sins then what's currently the case. The enemy has made many believers think and act like the tax gatherer on a continual basis. Some might say, "Oh, that my life was filled with the presence of God ... oh, that I had more love and joy in my life. It must be because I still have sin in my life!" This may be the case and if it is true then that person should repent and set their life right with God. More often, however, I believe the true sin in a Christian's life is not individual sins that continue to crop up but a foundation of unbelief. They have either lost the understanding through the enemy's deception, or they have never really possessed a strong conviction of Christ living in them. As we see from our lead scripture, Jesus was dealing with eternal salvation. However, once we are saved and redeemed it is inappropriate for us to approach His Throne of Grace with anything but assurance that He has cleansed us from all sin (Hebrews 4:16). There is nothing more gratifying to the devil then for us to yield to groveling before the Majesty on High who has amply supplied all the mercy and grace we shall ever need. We see an excellent example of how Jesus corrects this erroneous thinking in the story of the prodigal son. When the son was still a long way off, the Father ran to him and embraced him (Luke 15:20). The son then stated: Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. (Luke 15:21) You see, this young man had a very wrong understanding of his father and his love and grace. What we read next is exactly the heart of the Heavenly Father toward His children. There was no further discussion, but the son was restored IMMEDIATELY to his place of sonship (Luke 15:22-24). We see and hear no discussion from the son saying, "No father, for I am truly unworthy and I must continue to ask for your forgiveness". There was none of that because the son accepted his father's mercy. How much more should we as sons and daughters of our gracious Heavenly Father accept His instantaneous forgiveness?

Many believer's think that by laboring through daily repentance over their carnality and by looking for some "breakthrough" that results in indescribable joy is the end all in the pursuit of sanctification. If that happens in our daily prayer either for ourselves, others, or our nation then rejoice! It is a gift of God! However, if it doesn't there is no reason to believe that God has not answered our prayers and likewise gifted us with the same splendid results as if we did "feel" His presence. Remember, we walk by faith and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7). The devil continues to defraud the church with this lie that we have to call down heaven on earth. Beloved, the kingdom of God is in our midst! Everything has already been given to us pertaining to life and godliness (II Peter 1:3). We must merely have eyes to see it! That's why Paul continually prayed in his apostolic prayers that the eyes of the churches would be enlightened to all that had already been given to them (Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 1:17-19; Colossians 1:9-12; Ephesians 4:14-19; Philippians 1:9-11). I believe Paul's intent was to say that believers need to be doing a lot more accepting of what Christ has already done for them rather than continual beseeching for what they already possess. How it must grieve the Father's heart to hear His children continually crying out for something that He has already given. It truly is as simple as thanking Him for eyes to see and for hearts that are continually open to His divine revelation and wisdom. To go on asking without thanking Him for what He has already given is rude and disrespectful to the bounty He has so lavishly provided.

So what should be our attitude to God in prayer? I believe that the Lord has given us WAY more than we could ever express in thanksgiving to Him. And, if we continue to accept in faith what He gives us then we allow Him to reveal more in us. But this is not the end all. With revelation comes responsibility. Even as the father "gave" to his prodigal son, we too must continue to give away what He has so graciously bestowed in us. Then, it is full circle of receiving by faith, praising in faith, and then finally giving through faith. The circle becomes an ever-widening sphere as we receive more and more through His delightful revelation and we in turn praise him in prayer and then give it others. This, beloved, is God's plan for mankind. Not that we would be forever waiting for sanctification, but living and moving in it through His divine grace already bestowed upon you and me. Let us all learn to live in what He has completed through His Son's death. Our justification is already secure through our repentance. And, our sanctification is likewise accomplished through our acceptance of the finished work of our Savior. May God open our eyes and hearts to see and understand the depth of His love for us.

Holy Father, we delight to know You through the revelation of Your Son within us. Continue to manifest Yourself in us and through us, for we know that it is impossible to please You but through faith. Help us to walk hand in hand with You, our loving Father, accepting all from You and praising You for the bounty of Your love. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

The Bare Soul - The Fear of the Lord, Part III - September 5, 2010

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "The Fear of the Lord" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on August 26, 2010.

The Fear of the Lord - August 26, 2010

Proverbs 9:10 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Children are often our greatest examples of how to approach God. The wide-eyed wonder of a child when they are learning about their world warms the hearts of parents and grandparents. Our two year old grandson continues to bring joy to our lives as he is full of discovery with an overarching sense of innocence. His fascination with something as innocuous as a long blade of grass or a beetle in the garden makes us "old folks" appreciate his awe-struck expressions during these times of discovery. There is somehow a reverence for life that adults seem to lose as we learn to take our surroundings for granted. Not so with children. It is though the Spirit of God is leading and guiding them with eyes grateful for what they behold. As we look on the young ones the Lord has blessed us with, it is not hard to see they have a wisdom of innocence probably much like Adam and Eve's innocence in the Garden. Even as the first man and woman walked with God in Paradise, they too must have possessed eyes full of wonder toward their Creator and His creation.

While it is impossible to regain that place of innocence that our original father and mother possessed in the Garden, it is possible to live in the righteousness of wisdom as imparted by the Godhead. For us, it can truly be "Paradise Regained" through the wonder that the Almighty desires to impart to our souls. However, to arrive at this place where we become the receivers of wisdom, we must first walk in the fear of the Lord. As previously discussed in Part I and Part II, the fear of the Lord keeps us from evil and allows us to join hands with our Father while learning from Him. When we fear Him and walk with Him in reverence, we reestablish that Parent/child relationship that allows us to once again become as children thereby relearning all the things we thought we knew. For example, a jaded view of mankind that we might have possessed in our unregenerate life becomes one of hopefulness after we are born again. We begin to look at the plight of humankind with the love of the Savior, desiring that the scales would be removed from their eyes much in the same way that happened to ours. As born again children of the Most High, we are more accepting of others' failures, yet at the same time we have a mature attitude toward iniquity. We become unyielding to compromise our stated position if others desire to remain in their sin. Thus, we possess not only the wisdom of innocence that Adam and Eve lived in, but we also are clothed in the wisdom of righteousness which is able to judge with love and equity in all situations.

As Proverbs 9:10 tells us, the fear of the Lord is only the beginning of wisdom. To continue to cultivate God's wisdom and knowledge and to bring it to a place of maturity, one must live in the fear of the Lord. Without it, wisdom cannot and will not flourish. Solomon discovered this more poignantly than most as he proceeded to give himself to folly in later years. There came a time in the sovereign's life that he no longer trusted in God. One might conjecture that the king became bored with God's discovery and therefore sought to stimulate himself in sinful ways (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11). The wide-eyed wonder that only God's wisdom can give was lost as Solomon once again revisited Eden. Rather than choosing the Tree of Life full of the wisdom of God he chose instead the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. A careful reading of the book of Ecclesiastes shows that this did not bode well for the once wise ruler. His insistence to explore the depths of depravity led to moral bankruptcy resulting in hopelessness (Ecclesiastes 2:12-17). His once enlightened state became one of a broken down skeptic of all that he once held dear. However, Solomon's lost paradise would be regained in the end when he once again acknowledged God. In Ecclesiastes 12:13 we read: The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. With his wisdom reinstated by the mercy of God, Solomon declared that the fear of the Lord is the wisest thing a person can do in this lifetime. It is both the beginning and the end of wisdom itself.

Jesus answered and said to him (Nicodemus), "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) Nearly 900 years after the death of Solomon, Jesus Himself proclaimed a similar wisdom to the Pharisee Nicodemus as he visited Him by night. Like Solomon, Jesus stated that unless we humble ourselves to God and accept Him as our righteousness and as our wisdom, we will never become sons of the Most High God. Unless we declare by our submission to Him that we know nothing in our own so-called knowledge, then we can never begin to know the wisdom of God. The Father desires to take everyone of us by the hand, leading us and guiding us and giving us His eyes to see as He sees. Just as a toddler views his or her world with wonder and amazement, the Lord God desires for us to see the life he has given us with that same spiritual clarity. It takes a bowing of the heart and an admission that we know not as we should, and an acknowledgement that He knows best. That, beloved, is how we fear the Lord. And, that is how we can live and grow in His wisdom both in this life and in the one to come. May we all live continually in the loving fear of our Great and Loving King, longing for His continued revelation to both our hearts and minds!

Heavenly Father, thank you for the fear of the Lord for it truly is the beginning of wisdom -- a wisdom that allows us to experience the depths of Your love toward all who would but believe. Help us to know You more and more as we put our hand in Yours as the children we are. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives