Testimony - Simple Statement

Yesterday, I spoke about the story of the blind man that is found in John 9.  In verses 12 - 25, we hear how, not only the man himself, but even his parents were questioned about how he gained eyesight.  We see two very different stances here:

First, the man simply stated what had happened to him - how he had gained eyesight and was no longer blind.  Even though questioned more than once, his story remained simple and remained the same.  He did not shy away from answering the questions.  He did not shy away from simply stating what had happened to him and who had done this.

On the other hand, we see some very common behavior these days.  The man's own parents would not answer the questions.  They conceded that he was their son;  they conceded that he had been born blind;  and there was no question that he could now see.  But that is as far as they would go - they would not discuss how this had happened.  When questioned they simply stated - "Ask him - he is old enough to speak for himself." 

Their behavior here was a simple matter of fear.  The fear of the Pharisees and the fear of being exiled from the synagogue.  They didn't "deny" what their son was saying, but they would not "confirm" what he was saying either.  They were neutral.   Far too many people are "neutral" because they are afraid of what somebody else will think or say about them.  This is being "lukewarm". 

This is what the Bible tells us about being "lukewarm":  (in various translations)

King James:
¹⁵ I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
 ¹⁶ So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

New American Standard:
¹⁵ ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will ^[a]spit you out of My mouth.

NIV:
¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

NLT:
¹⁵ “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! ¹⁶ But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!

I have shown this in various translations to illustrate that the message does not waiver - it is the same regardless of the translation.  We are NOT to be lukewarm.

What do you say when someone asks you about Jesus?  Do you ever take the opportunity to testify to your belief in God?  It is not hard to testify about what God means to you. 

Simply fill in the following statement:  "I was ________ and now I am __________, because of Jesus."  How would you fill in the blanks??  We would love to hear your statement.

Testimony??

In John 9, we read of the story of Jesus encountering a man who had been blind from birth.  He spat on the ground, made a mud and covered the blind man's eyes.  He then instructed the man to go wash himself in the pool of Siloam.  The man did as he was instructed and, once washed, he could see.  his eyes were opened.

Wow!  What a testimony this man had to tell.  In verse 11, we see that he did, indeed, start telling people how his sight had been restored.  Not only was his physical sight restored, but his spiritual sight had also been restored through this miracle.

Now, we don't have this kind of testimony to give - obviously.  But, many of us have had "awakening" experiences.  To give your testimony, you don't have to have an elaborate story - just relate to others how your spiritual sight has been restored. 

Perhaps many people do not "testify" for Jesus because they feel they don't have an awesome story to tell.  Maybe they think that the way God opened their spiritual eyes is not spectacular enough that anyone will listen.  Again, it does not have to be a spectacular story. 

Our lives can be the most powerful testimony we could ever give.  If we strive to live within God's will and make him foremost in our lives, others will see the change in us - they will be able to see Jesus in our lives.  This, in itself, is a very powerful testimony.

Be sure that you are walking the path God has planned for you to walk.  Be kind and considerate to others - treat others the way Jesus would have treated them.  If you get a chance, tell others how God has moved in your life.

Remember - you may be the only "Jesus" someone sees. 

My Prayers Are Not Answered

Do you ever feel that your prayers are not answered?  Most of us do at one time or another in our lives.  We have a decision to make – we have a need – we have a want – we are concerned for a loved one – all these things are common occurrences.  With our economy in the state it is today, many prayers are simply for basic needs.

But, sometimes we feel that our prayers are not answered.  We wonder why – we are told in Matthew 7: 7-11 that our prayers will be answered.  So – where is our answer?

Matthew 7: 7-11 tell us: (KJV)

⁷ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

⁸ For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

⁹ Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

¹⁰ Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

¹¹ If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Matthew 7: 7-11 (NASB)

⁷ “^[a]Ask, and it will be given to you; ^[b]seek, and you will find; ^[c]knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or what man is there among you ^[d]who, when his son asks for a loaf, ^[e]will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or ^[f]if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? ¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

We read this and wonder why our prayers are not being answered. I cannot tell you how many times I have faced this same frustration.  This led me to look further than Matthew for answers.  In Micah 3:4 we are told that our prayers will not be answered if we are still purposely sinning.

“Then they will cry to the Lord, But He will not hear them;  He will even hide His face from them at that time, Because they have been evil in their deeds.” (NKJV)

In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells us to pray with humility in His parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the Temple.

And, perhaps my favorite, in James 1:6 we are told to ask in faith.

So, yes we are told to ask and we shall receive.  But, as you can see, there are some conditions attached to this.  Are your prayers not answered because you are continuing to live a sinful life, only praying to God when you have a need?  Are you praying with humility?  Or do you have an attitude of self-importance?  Are you asking in faith?  Or, are you saying to yourself, “this isn’t going to happen, but” and then praying?

Also, the Bible does not tell us that our prayers will not necessarily be answered in the way we want them answered.  We see the world and our lives through a “daily” view, but God sees the “big picture” and wants the best for us.  Therefore, we may need something a bit different than what we prayed for.   It may be that our prayer is actually answered, just in a different way than what we expected.

This is a face paced world.  We cook with convection ovens and microwaves.  We upgrade our computers constantly so that they will be faster.  We buy new cell phones to get the latest speeds.  We are an impatient people.  So, when we pray for something, we want an answer right away.  When we don’t get it, we are frustrated.  It may not be that our prayer will not be answered.  We have to remember that God does thing in His own time and His time is NOT our time.

So, next time you pray, be sure to include praise for God, be sure you are not purposely continuing to engage in sinful activities, be sure you have a humble attitude and be sure you actually believe God can grant your request.  Watch for your answer – don’t try to put a time limit on it – saying I want an answer in two days.  Sit back and rest in the knowledge that God will meet our needs and that he hears our prayers and wait patiently for your answer.  If you don’t receive the answer you expected, rest assured that you received the answer that was in your best interests.

Me or God?

I talked with a friend last night concerning this very subject.  When I am praying for guidance in making a decision or in making future plans, how do I know that what I come up with is from God – or is it just me?

            I know that I am very strong-willed – sounds better than saying I tend to be stubborn.  I also tend to think very logically – look at things logically.  And, I have a lot of influence over myself – that pesky strong-willed thing.  I tend to look for very logical answers to a decision or when making future plans.  Knowing this about myself, I tend to doubt whether my decisions are God’s will or my own will.  So, let’s go to the authority – the Bible – and see what we are told about this.  Particularly since, strangely enough after having just discussed this last night, the devotional I received this morning, compliments of Dr. Charles Stanley and the InTouch Organization, deals with this very subject.  Does God work in mysterious ways or what??

            We first look at the main scripture for this devotional, I Corinthians 1: 18-29.  This passage of scripture plainly tells us that relying on our own wisdom is foolishness.  In verse 18, regardless of the translation you are currently reading, we are plainly told that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise.  What does that mean to you?

            If my wisdom is destroyed, it no longer matters whether I had a low level of intelligence, an average level of intelligence or a genius level of intelligence.  It no longer matters what all I had stored in my trunk of experiences.  If my wisdom is destroyed, my manner of thinking, whether logical or otherwise, is irrelevant.  I will be like a newborn baby – totally dependent on my Father. 

            This is where Faith comes into play.  Hebrews 11:1 defines Faith as:  “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” (NLT)  So, if I am left with no wisdom, no more logical thinking and am as a newborn baby, then I had better have faith – otherwise I have absolutely NOTHING.

            Sounds ominous doesn’t it?  It is exactly at this point though, that God can start to work in our lives, leading us to sound decisions and plans – and blessing us along the way. 

            Given this revelation, perhaps my prayers should be simply for the faith to await His guidance in decisions and plans instead of praying for an answer.

Choices

Most of us have taken vacation trips which took us several miles away from home.  By several, I am referring to over 200 miles.  We don’t give it much thought, but this country is crossed with interstate highways that can take us pretty much to whatever destination we choose, or at least close to the destination.  And, if you are like me, I am sure when you head out on your trip you have it mapped out and know exactly what route you will take.  Most of us will route our trip to take whatever interstate highways are available to get us to our destination.  Why?

The interstate highways afford the highest speed limits without the aggravation of traffic lights and “small town” speed limits to deal with.  This means that we can reach our destination much quicker, therefore allowing us to begin our relaxing vacation much sooner.  At least that is the train of thought most of us follow when planning the trip.  In other words, in our minds, our vacation is the destination – not the trip.

What if you changed your planned route?  What if you took “side roads” instead of the interstate highways?  Your answer, like most people, would be that it would take longer, be more aggravating, and delay you reaching your destination, thereby delaying the start of your vacation.  You would have to deal with lower speed limits.  You would have to deal with even lower speed limits through all those little towns along the way.  You would have to deal with traffic lights and stop signs.  In short, it would delay your vacation.

In reality, we might want to try this sometime.  What might you be able to see in those small towns that you are missing?  What wonderful sights might be along those side roads that you will miss?  Might you be able to stop and lunch at a small town café, among very friendly residents, instead of running through the drive through of a fast food place at an interstate exit?  Could it be that the trip itself might be an enjoyable part of the vacation?

In Matthew 7: 13-14 (NKJV), we are told, ¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

In the NLT version this is stated as:  ¹³ “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. ¹⁴ But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

Think of this in the context of taking a trip that we talked about above.  Yes, we have the freedom to choose the route we take.  Yes, our human nature is to take the interstate route because it is easier and faster.  Yes, it is our right to choose between the two.

Matthew 7 13-14 is telling us that the route to eternal destruction is the equivalent to the interstate route.  It is the easy way, the popular way and the route the majority of people may choose.  But the route to heaven is like the side road.  It is not as convenient, it is a slower route, there are more obstacles to deal with, it is more difficult, and it the less chosen route. 

But our eternal vacation is our final destination.  While the side road, the narrow way, may have more obstacles, it is more fulfilling and ultimately gets us to our desired destination.  Just as we may miss wonderful sights and other delights by not taking the side roads on our vacation trip, we may miss wonderful opportunities, blessings and delights in our life by not taking God’s narrow path. 

Jesus makes it clear in these verses in Matthew that the interstate route may be convenient, but it will not take us to eternal rest with God in Heaven.  So, as for me, I will take the side roads!