The Nature of Things - June 16, 2013

II Peter 2:20-22 - For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."

Through the years I have had several pets, including dogs. Some of these dogs were extremely smart and others, well, what they lacked in smarts they made up for in loyalty. Back in the 1980s, we owned a small farm in east-central Kansas. One of our dogs was a Golden Labrador Retriever named Princess. She was a loyal, good friend to the family, but she wasn’t the smartest animal on the premises. I raised a couple of hogs during our two years on the farm, and without a doubt, these barnyard animals were the smartest four-footed creatures on the homestead. The first one was an escape artist and learned how to open the gate of the pen to get out to choice grazing in the vegetable garden. The other hog had a sense of his impending doom when it was time for butchering. When I went to lead him up the chute into the bed of the pick-up, he wanted nothing to do with “taking a ride” to the slaughterhouse. After much prodding and goading, I finally got him loaded, but not before he had turned around and bitten me a couple of times to show his displeasure with the situation.

I nodded in agreement when I read a 1976 article from the New York Times regarding the intellect of barnyard animals, in particular pigs. The following is a short extract from the article:

The pig's intellect is clear and strong. What has been mistakenly called his "obstinacy" is only his intense individuality. ... Before blaming the pig for refusing to be dragged in a given direction by a string tied to his hind leg, his critics should ask themselves whether in like circumstances they too would not protest with equal shrillness against so indecent an outrage.

Those of us who are dog owners, or have been dog owners, undoubtedly love our pets. Whether they are smart or just loyal, they capture a piece of our hearts. While few of us can say that we have loved pigs, we can certainly understand that they are a smart animal that is prized in many cultures throughout the world for both their intellect and their food factor. Yet, it is somewhat unnerving to watch both these animals revert to what seems to us as totally unintelligent behavior. A dog after regurgitating their food will often turn around and consume it again! A pig, which seems so smart in other areas, will find the most grotesque slop heap filled with decaying vegetation, animal life, and feces and will roll around in it without a care! While it is easy to be horrified at such behaviors, we see similar actions taken by so--called believers everyday. Many will “make a decision” for Jesus Christ and then return to the very things that were despicable and degrading in their lives as if they didn’t have a care in the world to do otherwise! However, it doesn’t surprise those of us who know that we are not dealing with a behavior problem, but with a nature problem.

No matter how smart our four-footed friends might be, it is in their nature to do disgusting things that don’t make good sense to us. In the same way, we should not be surprised when we see a sinner sinning. It is the most natural thing for them to do! As a practicing alcoholic, the most natural thing for me to do was drink. Today, after many years of sobriety it is still a miracle that I am not drinking because that was then a part of my nature. The miracle today is that my nature has been exchanged with the divine nature of Jesus Christ who gives me the will and the way not to drink. Often, many get lost at this point and don’t understand that it’s not just about changing their behavior. It’s not good enough to stop drinking, to stop stealing, to stop lying, or even to stop sinning. We don’t have a sinning problem but a sin problem. Our very nature is corrupt and we need a replacement.

Many years ago, when I was still in my teens, I knew that I was in terrible need of something to fix me. That’s why I experimented and became hooked on drugs and alcohol early in life. When I tried to dig myself out of that mess, I tried different religions -- Christianity, Hinduism, Tantric Yoga, Transcendental Meditation to name a few. The problem was that I was trying to fix myself not knowing that Someone had already put the "fix" in for me and I was too blind to see. I didn’t realize that I was trying to reach heaven and bring it down to my experience on earth. Little did I know that God had already done so by bringing heaven to earth through His Son.

Years went by, as I battled my alcoholism and drug addiction. Desperately I was still tying to get better from the outside/in and couldn’t understand that I needed salvation from myself. On one occasion, I was just released from jail. I was a mess from the night before and I was on foot. Walking from the court and police station in a busy downtown area of St. Louis, I encountered a little old lady of probably 80 years. She looked at me, pointed her finger and said “There goes the chosen of God who desires to live in the filth of sin”. I was totally taken aback and convicted to the heart by her words. She didn’t say anything about “sins” but she did say that I wanted to continue living in sin. However, like a pig that returns to its wallowing and a dog to its vomit, it would still be years before I truly knew that Jesus Christ had become sin on my behalf and that I didn’t need to live this way.

For several years after, I would continue to “try” to do better. I would “decide” that I would follow the Lord and attempt to live the way He wanted me to live. However, it’s not good enough to make a decision for Jesus. Jesus doesn't want our decisions, but He wants everything we are -- our dope possessed bodies, our alcohol polluted souls, our angry hateful minds. He wants it all in order to replace it with His nature. Making a decision to follow Jesus without turning one’s life over to Him is about the same as saying you’re going to fly to the moon in a Cessna -- it’s not going to happen! It’s aerodynamically impossible to do so because it would break all the laws of physics. In the same way, it is impossible to “decide” to follow Jesus without a new heart that has replaced a heart of sin.

Paul the Apostle made a glorious statement giving us all hope in this regard. In II Corinthians 5:21 he states through the Holy Spirit that “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." According to this verse, I no longer have to “try” to be good because Jesus Christ says I don’t have to be good. He tells me that He became sin FOR US in order that we might trade in our sinful nature for God’s nature. Then, and only then, will we truly have the power to change. Then, we can truly be right with God and be empowered by His righteousness. Then, can we truly be children of God!

None of us are exempt from failure no matter how much we might believe we are in control of our lives. Romans 3:23 tells us that “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. That one verse qualifies us all for hell and an eternity of separation from God. If this was the last word, then we would all be doomed. But God loved us, even while we were sinners He sent His Son to die for us becoming sin on our behalf. Three chapters later in the book of Romans, Paul writes with a synopsis of our predicament but with the glorious hope of our salvation. In Romans 6:23 he states: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God does not expect any of us to become “better”. If we don’t know His Son and have not exchanged our sinful nature with His glorious nature, He only expects us to continue to fail -- to return to the wallowing in sin that befits our nature. There is always hope for us as long as we are alive and able to turn to Him. Ecclesiastes 9:4 states: "For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion." Friends, I would rather be a live dog that has the ability to exchange natures with the Living God and live again, rather than a prideful, dead lion that is regal only in its death with no hope to ever be anything else. We all have the opportunity to exchange lives of sinful repetition with the divine life that will qualify each and every one of us for a glorious eternity with our Maker!

Lord Jesus, thank you for becoming sin for us that we might become the righteous of God by the new nature You have given us. We give You our sin-soaked natures and accept Your free gift of life. May God be glorified for His wonderful gift to us. In Your precious Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick



The Bare Soul Archives

"The Nature of Things" was originally published on October 12, 2008

The Miracle of the Mundane - June 9, 2013

Matthew 13:58 - And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

Reading the Gospels, it is relatively easy to chide the disciples when they seem to have a lapse of faith that Jesus Christ could deliver on His miracles. It always baffled me to read Mark chapter 6 and the feeding of the five-thousand, and then later to read of the disciples lack of faith in Mark chapter 8 in feeding the four-thousand. I mean, after all, hadn't they learned anything by the feeding of the five-thousand? Or, was something otherwise happening that we have overlooked? The same can be said for Lazurus' resurrection from the dead in John the 11th chapter. Martha and Mary seemed unbelieving that Jesus could be speaking of bringing back their brother from the dead. Surely they had heard of Jairus' daughter whom He had raised from the dead, or the widow's son from Nain when he touched the coffin and the boy was given back to his mother alive. Did they have a lapse of memory? Or had they simply become too familiar with the Lord as their friend the healer and had forgotten that he was also the raiser of the dead? As we shall see, what is not said within the scriptures can often times be as powerful as what is.

To read the Gospels, one would think that it was a non-stop road show of signs and wonders -- that the disciples were constantly being brought into an awareness of Jesus' mighty power as He performed miracle after miracle. If that was the case, I believe we would have much different reactions from the disciples rather than disbelief such as Jesus' ability to feed the hungry or raise the dead. Just as important as the days of miracles were the days of the mundane. As I stated, I believe it is just as important what the Gospel writers don't tell us as to what they do. The scripture never mentions the lives of Peter, Andrew, James, and John when they toiled away in their mundane lives as fisherman. Even after they were called by the Lord, there is no mention of the days when it was just hour after hour of walking from city to city. And then, how about the times when the power for Jesus to heal was not readily present? You might say, "Well, Jesus would always heal if there were someone in need!" Don't be so sure. The scripture in Luke 5:17 states that the "the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing." This statement validates what is also not said which is that there were obviously times when the power of the Lord was NOT present to perform healing. My hunch is that it was more often than we are sometimes led to believe by the rapid pace of the Gospel's narratives.

While we may look with disbelief at the disciples unbelief, it is important to realize the juxtaposition of His miracles with the days of the mundane. The days are not mentioned when the disciples told Jesus to send the crowds away to buy food for themselves in the local environs. How else would they have had the the "chutzpah" (guts) to tell Jesus in Mark 6:36 to send the crowds away to buy themselves food? Obviously they had seen the scenario play out time after time where Jesus did not feed them. These were the days of the mundane -- hearing the parables and the teachings of Jesus and then just going their own way. Of utmost importance is that Jesus will not be put into that proverbial box of expected action. He is not a genie or a Santa Claus that can be expected to move and react to the masses whims. He is God Almighty and He operates both out of love and compassion but also out of faith of those around Him as He sees best in His infinite wisdom to move.

It is quite easy and presumptuous of us to believe that God will act on our behalf with miraculous rapidity if we will but only ask. Those of us who have been "sensualized" by the world look for the instant gratification of "non-stop" miraculous Christianity. Many of us who have been delivered from drugs or alcohol had been so conditioned by the instant relief and euphoria they offered. Once free, we had to learn how to go through life without needing the daily intoxication of what these substances could give us. In the same way, God does not want us to take His Son for granted, but to walk with Him whether our love for Him feels mundane or exhilarating. In the midst of Martha and Mary's friendship with Jesus, they forgot that not only was He their friend and healer but that He was also the One who raised the dead. Are we limiting God by not seeing Him as He truly is in the mundane days? Has He become merely a friend that is somewhat boring and "everyday" and we have been surprised when the miracle happens? The Lord wants us all to wait expectantly for Him. For only as we rejoice in the miracle of the mundane, then truly we will not be surprised when the signs and wonders in our respective lives appear.

Father, help us to serve you alone. Allow us not put our hope on the miraculous but let us keep our hope on You. The miracles will most certainly come, O Lord. And if we are rightly related to You, the extraordinary will be as miraculous as the ordinary. Keep us looking toward You whether our days are mundane or miraculous for You are certainly in both. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick



The Bare Soul Archives

"The Miracle of the Mundane" was originally published on August 5, 2008

Mighty Weak - June 2, 2013

Deuteronomy 32:36 - For the LORD will vindicate His people, and will have compassion on His servants, when He sees that their strength is gone,

God's promises to His people always include stipulations that require a response and ultimately an action. In the instance of Deuteronomy 32:36, God promises to not only vindicate (or show Himself strong) on behalf of His people, but He also states that He will have compassion on His servants. The operative word in this verse determining God's timeline to bestow these marvelous gifts is when -- or rather "... when He sees that their strength is gone, ... ." While a simple acknowledgement of weakness is an important first step, God desires to SEE an abating of strength and a true resignation to rely on Him for all things.

Some of us may have heard the analogy of the drowning swimmer as he or she relates to the lost sinner. The following not only typifies the sinner as lost and dying but it also shows how the Lord Jesus through His Father desires to save us from ourselves:

Although there were dangerous rip tide signs posted, a lone swimmer was in peril of being swept out to sea. As he began to drown, he screamed for help. Onlookers watched as a life guard flew into action and swam out to the drowning man. The small crowd that had gathered on the beach were all dumbfounded as the life guard circled the man several times, watching as the man bobbed up and down in the waves. Finally, the life guard swooped him up from behind and began dragging the helpless man toward the beach. The life guard brought the man out of harms way, administered CPR, and turned him over to paramedics that took the recovering man to a local hospital for observation. Finally, someone in the small crowd asked the question they all wanted to know: "Why did you circle the man several times before rescuing him?" The life guard replied, "The man was much bigger than me. I needed him to exhaust himself of trying to save himself, otherwise he might have pulled both of us under". Only when he was spent, was I sure that we both could make it back safely".

To continue with this analogy, the majority of the world will continue to play it safe in the tranquil waters around the beach. Many will only venture in ankle or knee deep. They don't consider themselves "sinners" needing salvation. We see these folks around us everyday. Many of these folks go to church every Sunday, they pay tithes, and some may even sing in the choir. They judge themselves by others stating, "I'm a pretty good person that doesn't do a whole lot of wrong!". These are not the people that the Lord can easily help. They are self-sufficient and have relied on themselves for years and years. Then, there are others who, for whatever reason, venture out from the safe confines of the tranquil waters around the beach. Before long, they feel the currents of this world wooing them into deeper waters. Around them they see the playful waves of sin that entice them to continue out where there is more and more excitement. Soon, however, they find themselves overcome by the surf as it pounds down around them. The foam and the mist that was playfully enticing a few moments earlier has now become a force to be reckoned with as it covers their heads and draws on their bodies to carry them further and further out to sea.

Many of us can relate to this dire situation. When all seems lost, we are now at the place where God can truly save us. We are over our heads in sin and without the power to resolve our own rescue. Then, our Savior can truly have His way with us, for He SEES that we are spent and despairing of any salvation other than what He can afford us. Until we are in that most untenable situation, there is little He can do. For truly, God is calling to the weak, not to the strong. He desires a person, a church, and a people that have despaired of living by their own power and have relinquished all thoughts of their own salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ's greatest desire is to pull all of us on to that proverbial beach and resuscitate us, giving us life once again that we had lost hope of ever enjoying. He seeks to REVIVE His people, first as individuals and then as the Body of Christ to send us forth as witnesses of God's saving power from the Ocean of Despair. Have you been resuscitated and revived by the Lord Jesus Christ? Or are you one that has never seen your own need of rescue? May those of us who find ourselves in the throes of the Sea of Despair, may we cry out to Him who SEES when our strength is gone. For only then, can we truly be saved!

Lord Jesus, You are the hope of our salvation from the tempest of sin. For truly, when our strength is gone, we need Your salvation. Have mercy on us and bring us safely to Your Shore of Deliverance. For only when we are weak are we truly strengthened by the might of your loving arms to carry us safely home. In Your Precious Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick



The Bare Soul Archives

"Mighty Weak" was originally published on November 2, 2008

Living With Hope - May 26, 2013

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "Live Dogs and Dead Lions" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on May 23, 2013.

Live Dogs and Dead Lions - May 23, 2013

Ecclesiastes 9:4 – For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion.

It is very apparent when one visits their local zoo and views the African cats, how they certainly characterize their gene pool. Often, I see no difference between their activity compared to that of our house cat. They are are generally creatures lazing about as all their needs are provided. Why should they behave differently? They are merely doing what cats do best -- rest, relax, and sleep. This can often be a disappointment to youngsters (and oldsters) who would like to see a bit of action. However, cats have a mind of their own and will play or fight when they wish and not at the whim of human gawkers.

Possibly in Solomon's day, he kept some lions in captivity for entertainment purposes. We are told in the scriptures of a menagerie of other animals such as apes and peacocks that Solomon collected (I Kings 10:22). Lions that inhabited Israel during the reign of Solomon were of the Asiatic type. These were slightly smaller than the African variety, but no less dangerous in the wild. Therefore, Solomon understood the significance and power of these while alive, and also the powerlessness of one dead. What could tear a man limb from limb while living and healthy, could not harm one hair of a child after its death. The significance of the king's analogy juxtaposes something that is truly dead, yet something else that may be less desirable but is nonetheless alive.

It is interesting to note that if you go to Jerusalem today, you will see an abundance of stray cats. They are everywhere. However, you will not see many stray dogs. In Israel during Solomon's time, there were dogs everywhere. They generally were on their own and strays by nature. Thus, we read about the ravenous appetites of these when they devoured Queen Jezebel (all except for "the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.") (II Kings 9:35-37) They were looked down on as sordid, opportunistic creatures that skulked and shadowed the possibility of a meal, no matter what it might be. That is why Solomon makes this comparison between seeming powerfulness and despised weakness. His desire is to challenge a widely accepted belief of his day and to reshape this paradigm. What is important in this scripture, in the mind of the king, is not perception but reality. And, the reality is that hope sustains life rather than what others think. Therefore, one of the most despised creatures of his day is elevated to a place of distinction merely because it possessed something the lion lost. This, of course, is life. Furthermore, there can be no sustainable life without hope.

For many of us, the catalyst that propels us toward the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus is this hope. We have finally come to recognize that our perception of ourselves is flawed and we are really nothing more than a stray dog. However, this is where we finally find hope. Paul tells us in the book of Romans that hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5). Take away any trace of hope from a man or a woman and there is insurmountable despair that can only result in suicide, both spiritually and physically. However, give the same a glimmer of understanding that as long as they are alive, then there is hope. As a result, there is a spiritual dynamic which begins to occur.

Are we a dead lion or a live dog today? Have we so much pride in our deadness that we refuse to come to Christ and surrender to Him? While a mangy, unkempt dog may seem undesirable to some, it is beautiful in God's eyes. Have we denied our deadness in our pride and refused to see ourselves as a mere dog? When we really see ourselves for who we are without Christ, then we can begin to see ourselves as God sees us. He will always show us our potential rather than our past failings. Remember, the things that are most despised by this world are those things most prized by God (I Corinthians 1:28). May we come honestly to Him in our present state so He can make us who He sees us to be for all eternity.

Holy One, we come to You as we are and ask that You take us and shape us according to Your will. We confess that we are nothing without You. Grant us eyes to see that we are merely stray dogs without You. However, once we submit to You and Your love, You make us creatures worthy of Your purity and holiness. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick




The Bare Soul Archives

The Wisdom of Pain - May 19, 2013

Ecclesiastes 1:18 - Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.

As I have learned throughout my running career, pushing through pain can be a tutor allowing a runner to press on to the next level. However, it can also be an important indicator that one has pushed too hard. To manage pain, some athletes take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs for short. One of the most common is ibuprofen. Earlier in my running disciplines, I would quite often take ibuprofen to ignore a nagging pain. I wanted to train longer and harder and the NSAID allowed me to do this. However, there is often a price to pay for overtraining and neglecting the wisdom of pain. God has engineered the human body beautifully with various bells and whistles that tell us when we are operating outside its safety zone.  Years later, I am experiencing the affects of not heeding these warnings. Though I can still run, I do not run as fast or as long as I used to because of nagging knee injuries. If I would have heeded the pain and the warning signs my body was trying to tell me, then I might be running more comfortably today. Pain is there for a reason and it is up to us to discern its purpose.

While Solomon was not a runner (that we know of), he certainly experienced pain in the race that he eventually ran. This certainly was not the course that God had intended. We know from the word of God that his early life was filled with splendor, riches, and wisdom beyond any human that had previously lived. Unfortunately, when Solomon turned from God to a reprobate lifestyle his wisdom did not likewise depart. The peace he had enjoyed in his early life was now fleeting as he felt much unrest, experiencing the futility of life without the Lord. The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Therefore, Solomon suffered great despair because of his knowledge and the hopelessness of living without the Giver of Life.

Many years ago, as a backslidden Christian who could not get free from his alcoholism, I understood Solomon's dilemma. As we used to say in Alcoholics Anonymous, "A head full of the Big Book and a belly full of booze is a bad mix." In other words, when we know the right way to go, and don't do it because of powerlessness, this causes a deep, dark hopelessness. Often, this is characteristic of possessing knowledge of the right way and not having the wherewithal to do anything about it.

When I fell away from God, I thought it would be a simple matter of correcting my course and finding my way back to the Lord. I thought I could slip back into God's good graces in a rather cavalier manner. However, even though God's gifts are "irrevocable," they often will not be coupled with the grace of God to live in a victorious manner when we desire. Often, the sad truth is that we will have to reap what we have sown. This may mean living in the squalor that we have created for a season until we finally come to our senses (Luke 15:17).

Solomon found the gift of repentance once again, as I once again found the gift of sobriety and new life in Jesus Christ. However, there are many who will continue to struggle as their "increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.” Attempting to anesthetize the pain will often give us a false sense of hope and will not allow us to genuinely know when we have veered off course. However, when we finally do realize we have strayed, there is hope. Take heart, beloved, and continue to cry out to God. He is the only One who can make peace between our knowledge and His wisdom to surrender.

Father, though pain is uncomfortable it is often necessary. Keep us on Your straight and narrow path by goading us with pain when necessary, allowing us to stay humble. Grant us the wisdom of knowing how the pain we experience is meant to help and guide us to the things You have meant to give us life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick


The Bare Soul Archives

Soul Whispering - May 12, 2013

Proverbs 26:22 - The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body.

Whispering is provocative. There is an element of mystery and exclusiveness when we witness a couple of folks talking in low tones so as not to be heard by the larger group. For some, there is a tendency to want to move closer and eavesdrop in order to pickup on what might be a tidbit of gossip. Human nature is drawn to this type of behavior. In our contemporary societies, there exists a billion dollar industry dedicated to the exchange of the latest gossip and scandal. One has only to look as far as their neighborhood grocery store where the tabloids line the check-out lanes. Like sirens of old, they are poised in their attempt to entice us to listen to the latest "whispering."

As with most human traits, whispering is not a bad thing in and of itself. Whispering can serve a very important function as it protects secrets and creates a decorum of civility rather than open brashness toward others. Solomon tells us how whisperings "are like dainty morsels." What does this mean? The implication of the wise king suggests these are words with sheltered meaning that should not be taken lightly. They are rich with flavor and sustenance to the soul and should be protected by all means. However, as previously suggested, there are many "whisperers" out there that would seek to whisper to our souls and captivate "the innermost parts of the body." In a very real sense, what we eat is what we become. Similarly, what we listen to and take into the deep parts of our soul is what will eventually control our lives.

Secrets are sometimes necessary. They provide alliances between people, groups, and nations that provide stability. In this regard, it is not necessary for any of us to know the detailed affairs of everyone we know. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to become a person of integrity, listening to and keeping whispered secrets in an appropriate manner. Solomon likewise stated in Proverbs 20:19 that "He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip." So, what is the difference between gossip and sharing a secret? Much depends upon intent.

When we listen to a report on someone else, and our listening does not add to the solution, then we have become a liability rather than an asset. It is often human nature to take what another says about an individual and say, "Oh my, isn't that terrible about so and so!" How much different would it be if we stopped someone after sharing with us some "dainty morsel" to instead say, "Let's you and I pray for that person right now!" Instead of allowing our minds to be filled with a benign piece of information, we have then allowed the Holy Spirit to to whisper a prayer through us that becomes a part of His solution.

God will always be the Great Whisperer to our souls. So, it only makes sense to learn from Him. The Holy Spirit continually whispers to our inner man the things of the Son and the Father. If we are intently listening, we will begin to think as He does. In so doing, we will begin to speak as He does, allowing our words to become "caviar to our soul" and the souls of others. We will find that we no longer have to shout out our opinions. Instead we will be lead and guided by the Holy Spirit who will make our speech, as it were, quiet and respectful and seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6). Our conversations will be characteristic of whispering the things of God, because this is the nature of how God speaks to us.

Beloved, Jesus desires for us all to become soul whisperers. Just as gossip is desirable to the unregenerate, the Lord will empower us with words that are delicacies to the soul to feed a famished world.

Father, grant us words that are delicacies to those who are desperately seeking spiritual sustenance. Grant us wisdom to whisper wisdom to those who are called according to Your great pleasure. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick




The Bare Soul Archives

Changing the Paradigm of Prayer, Part II - May 5, 2013

I Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray without ceasing.

There is an old proverb that goes something like this: "If you don't feed something, it will eventually go away." This can certainly be true with stray dogs, cats, or any number of animals. However, this is also true for the flesh --- that old sinful man that does not want to die in each and every one of us. When we start to turn the conversation back to God instead of conversing with our old, worn out past, a glorious thing starts to happen. For one thing, the flesh and the devil are in agreement that when we pray, it is bad for their influence in our lives. When we start to get into the habit of turning the conversation to God, they both back off and run for cover. What is even more interesting is the more we form this habit in our lives, the less the past is thrown up in our face. It is like the devil understands if he allows this thing that haunts us to resurface, then it will just drive us to prayer. That is the very thing both the flesh and the devil do not desire. Therefore, when the paradigm of prayer becomes a constant reality, their silence and the death of the flesh becomes a living reality.

Paul tells us in his letter to the Roman church, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). I can think of no better way to do this than using prayer to overcome guilt, fear, and mental laziness. While the old adage, "Idleness is the devil's workshop" is not in the Bible (verbatim), it certainly is in regard to Paul's teachings of mental surrender. If we are not giving ourselves in worshipping the Lord in prayer and praise, then we will be setting ourselves up to be seduced into complacency. Remember, an idling car goes no where. It simply waits for the gears and the accelerator to be engaged. Energy will be expended either way. However, the driver will ultimately decide where the vehicle will take him. There is no difference with what we use our minds for regarding merely thinking or praying. We can either expend energy to no avail, or we can use our mental power to drive the will and ultimately the heart. For where the mind goes, the heart will surely follow.

Jesus tells us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all the things we need will be amply given to us (Matthew 6:33). When we decide we are done living in our past and being ruled by it, then we can seek His kingdom effectively. And what is His kingdom? It is not about things, but it is about people! God doesn't want us consumed with wrongs we have done in our past, or lawns or cars or jobs or anything else in our present. He wants us to change the conversation in our minds and start talking with Him, unceasingly. When we do, we will find we will begin to understand how the paradigm of prayer in our lives has totally changed. Prayer will no longer be a duty that fluctuates in our devotion, but instead will be a growing conversation that seems not to cease between us and our Maker.

Those with whom I counsel generally understand that I was plagued for years with guilt and remorse over my past sinful life. They know that when I tell them they need to change the conversation that I am speaking from experience. I was trapped in that struggle with the flesh and the devil, continually beating me down about my past. However, when I finally began to "Stop thinking and start praying," then my life was rocketed into a different dimension in my Christian journey. The paradigm of prayer became an ongoing conversation with Someone who could empower me to live victoriously as I sought to build his kingdom through prayer. Prayer without ceasing then becomes something we try to cling to rather than avoid.

Heavenly Father, help us to stop thinking and start praying. Allow us to surrender our minds to You, for You have promised if we will, that You will allow our hearts to follow. Show us the wisdom in turning every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Grant us the gift of a paradigm shift in prayer for Your kingdom's sake. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick



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