However...
One must never let a theological construction override biblical instruction. Systematic theology is never better than biblical theology. Even if you don't understand what the LORD reveals in His word, don't sit around in the dark until you do.
Flip the switch.
Believe in the Word of God over the doctrines of men.
For example, when it comes to prayer, those of us who believe in God's sovereignty have a tendency to trust God and His goodness, and as a result, avoid prayer and any petitions. "God will work it all out for good whether I pray or not," is the common misperception.
The Bible is clear. Heaven moves when people pray.
For example, Daniel prayed in Daniel 9 for his people (the nation of Israel). He pleaded for the LORD to forgive them for their rebellion. Heaven moved as Daniel prayed. The angel Gabriel came to Daniel and said:
"At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come..." (Daniel 9:23).
When God's people pray, heaven begins to move. At the beginning of Daniel's prayer, a command (from heaven) was issued, and Gabriel came to Daniel with a response to his supplications.
But in the very next chapter (Daniel 10), there is a different outcome. Daniel begins praying, and he prays for twenty-one straight days. During the time that he prays (and fasts) there is no answer from heaven. Gabriel does not appear on the first day, the second day, the third day, etc... Finally, on the twenty-first day, Gabriel appears to give heaven's response to Daniel's supplication.
Remember, in the previous chapter, Gabriel is sent and appears "at the beginning of" Daniel's supplications. But here, in Daniel 10, it takes twenty-one days for Gabriel to appear. Why? What Gabriel says about his delay in responding to Daniel's prayers is revealing.
"From the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days..." (Daniel 10:12-13)
The "prince of the kingdom of Persia" is not a man. It is a fallen angel - a demonic entity - that sought to hinder heaven from bringing Daniel an answer to his prayers, a refreshment to his soul, and Divine protection for his life.
But I also know that if I am in the middle of a deep conflict over losing something very precious, the enemy will fight against any comfort from heaven being brought my way. Daniel felt deep agony over the end of God's covenant with Israel, and he cried out in his pain to the LORD, seeking relief. Hell fought the messenger from heaven for twenty-one days.
Take heart. If you have been placed by God in a position of leadership, and your circumstances are such that you are beginning to feel as if there is no hope for the future, no stability in the present, and no confidence in God's deliverance in your past - and you are praying for mercy - take note of biblical theology. Understand that a delay in heaven's response may not be of God. It may be from your enemy.
Or, to put it succinctly.
The more Kingdom impact you are having on the earth, the more Satanic assaults you'll be having in your prayer.
Keep on praying.
Keep on pleading.
Keep on trusting.
Gabriel is coming.
27 comments:
Awesome Brother Wade, for we wrestle against spiritual wickedness in dark places. We must pray with ceasing.
"For example, when it comes to prayer, those of us who believe in God's sovereignty have a tendency to trust God and His goodness, and as a result, avoid prayer and any petitions."
Wade, I did not know this.
I suppose it is one of those things we have to chalk up to being a "mystery" of God, in regards to the angel being delayed by the enemy's intrusion. Obviously, it was God's will for Daniel to receive the message/refreshment from Gabriel, but that was delayed by demonic forces. Would that mean that demonic forces can interfere or delay God's response and if so, wouldn't the sovereignty of God make that impossible?
I agree with your entire post and proposition and I accept the Scripture as it is written, but the entire topic of prayer and its impact on the course God takes and the ability of God's adversaries being able to interfere with what God has determined are all a mystery to me. At least, that's about the only way I can address these aspects of the workings in the spiritual realm.
Wade,
I believe you have the wrong name in this sentence: “But here, in Daniel 10, it takes twenty-one days for Daniel to appear.”
I have a problem with praying as Daniel prayed since Jesus tells us how to pray in John 14:13-14 NLT:
“You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Wonder if the devil is terrified if people pray in the name of Jesus? I believe he’s fooled some to pray in the name of Mary.
Wade,
More important to our nation than Daniel is Ecclesiastes 10:16 “Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child…” (KJ)
Or, today it would be, when your President is ‘sleepy Joe’.
All I know is that God is sovereign, and that I must pray.
That's the best Calvinist answer I can give.
Neil,
Is there a time to stop praying?
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stop praying and get the people moving…” (Exodus 14:15 Living Bible)
I think it’s time to put feet to our prayers.
One way to put feet to our prayers is to VOTE.
Today is voting day on many issues.
By the way, Today’s show on OUTNUMBERED shows ‘sleepy Joe Biden’ sleeping at the Climate Summit until an aide woke him up.
Is there a time to stop praying?
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6.7-8).
God knows exactly what you're praying for. You don't need to go on and on and on for him to hear.
And then there's Ecclesiastes 5.1-2
"5 [a] Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2 [b] Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. "
"God knows exactly what you're praying for. You don't need to go on and on and on for him to hear."
That brings up the issue of "What is 'prayer'".
Of course it is correct that it is futile and worthless to have long, meaningless, prayers. Jesus certainly made that clear in saying that we are not to have vain, meaningless prayers because God already knows what we need before we ask.
However it does seem that God responds to those conversations we have with Him that may go on for hours or days and that may well focus on situations in our lives that are weighing heavily upon our hearts. Jesus certainly modeled how our relationship with our Father should be. He spent countless hours in conversation with His Father and would ask that situations be changed even when there were times that it did not.
I consider my prayers to be more "conversational" in nature most of the time but then I suppose we all have those occasions when our prayers are more ceremonial and meant to represent a group. More often I approach it as being a personal and intimate time with our Father and like to think of it as sitting at His feet and having a very personal time together.
Wade,
The last comment on Post 10-29-21 has several BAD games advertised. One is so bad, this warning is given:
“This blog may contain sensitive content. In general, Google does not review nor do we endorse the content of this or any blog. For more information about our content policies, please visit the Blogger Community Guidelines.”
CHRISTIANE,
Would you Google? “Big Dipper, Fairbanks, Alaska”, and tell what pictures it shows, and what it says about Hez Ray.
Hey REX RAY,
found it:
"Prior to 1968, the building now known as the Big Dipper was an aircraft hangar located in Tanacross, Alaska. Constructed during World War II, the building saw little use after the war.
In 1968, Hez Ray, a teacher and coach at Lathrop High School, organized a crew of high school students and volunteers and undertook a project to move the derelict hangar to Fairbanks and repurpose it as an ice skating arena. Coach Ray's initial group of boys were “First Boots on the Ground” in the beginning of the enormous project. The incredible story of this adventure is in Coach Ray's book “The Big Dipper, A Dream is Born”. (Copyright Hez Ray, 2014) (ISBN 978-0-692-22659-9) [2] The group purchased the hangar for a dollar and, using equipment donated by Fairbanks construction companies, dismantled the building and moved it to Fairbanks. The volunteers then reconstructed the building in its present location from the dismantled parts of the hangar. After rebuilding the hangar, the volunteers built an ice rink and bleachers inside, but due to a lack of resources the building itself was reconstructed essentially as it had been in Tanacross. Heated restrooms and locker rooms with showers were added in 1972–1973. The building itself remained unheated until its 1980s renovation, with large portable space heaters normally associated with airplane hangars used on occasion in the winter, in an attempt to provide some heat to the facility during events. "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dipper_Ice_Arena
CHRISTIANE, CHRISTIANE,
I can’t believe my eyes. How did you do all that in seven minutes after I asked you???
REX RAY,
no problem . . . it's called 'google, copy, paste'
how is Judy's head bump? I hope the egg-sized knot on her head went down with the ice pack on it, but if she still has head-aches or gets nausea, she'll need to go to the ER, you know
Head bumps can be tricky. I fell on the back of my head forty years ago. Haven't been the same since. I was carrying a load of library books and went down like a rock but didn't pass out. My little daughter was with me. We went home and I used ice, and had a lot of head aches and some nausea, but I couldn't go to the hospital because my husband was away at sea in the Navy in those years. I toughed it out. I should have had my head examined. Yes, you can quote me, LOL
Hope Judy is feeling better. You take care.
CHRISTIANE,
A bump on the head, huh? Well, it’s good to have a reason. :)
Judy is feeling fine.
Texans will vote in November on whether governments can limit religious services - The Washington Post
If voters approve the measure, known as Proposition 3, it would add a clause to the Texas Constitution forbidding state or local authorities from prohibiting or limiting religious services.
Yesterday, we voted yes to the above.
PS.
If Proposition 3 fails, Christians might as well live in China.
Even having to vote on it is scary. What is America becoming?
Rex,
That's cool about the Big Dipper Ice Arena and Hez. Remind me, is Hez your uncle?
Wade,
The Big Dipper project was my twin brother, Hez. He was named after our Uncle Hez.
When Uncle Hez was 85, he chopped down a 3-foot diameter Bois d’Arc tree with an ax. Once two brothers thought he had cheated them at ‘trades day’, and at the next trades day, they were going to beat him up.
He was standing in his wagon, when they walked up. He wrapped a bailing-wire around his hands and pulled it in two.
(They had to tell this on themselves, or no one would have ever known what they said to each other: “I don’t want to bother that old man.” “I don’t either.”)
Maybe people don’t know how strong bailing-wire is.
When I was grown, I tied one end around a tree and the other to a hoe handle. I laid on the ground with my feet against the tree and pulled, but couldn’t break it.
Uncle Hez was strong but the strongest of the five brothers was Uncle Don. After Dad served in World War I, he wanted to wrestle his older brother, but he didn’t want to. Dad kept insisting until Don grabbed his arm and told him to start wrestling.
“Let go of my arm!” (He tried to pull away using both hands.)
“No; go to wrestling.”
Don put him on his knees with one hand.
OK, I’ll get on the subject.
“…God either promotes it, prohibits it, or permits it.”
It’s interesting in what ratio the Lord does the 3 things.
If we were robots, we’d be prohibited from doing anything wrong, so “prohibit” in my opinion is not number one.
The choice between “promotes” or “permits” depends on is there more ‘good’ in the world or more ‘evil’?
I believe Jesus would say permits because he said:
“…The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 NLT)
“Gabriel is coming” is only a figure of speech and wouldn’t be in the ballpark of what Jesus has done for us:
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. (John 14:16 KJ)
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth…” (John 14:16-17 NLT)
Anyone,
Old subject, and I don’t believe its ‘How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?’ :)
Does Jesus have any DNA of Mary now?
And if not, how/when was it removed?
"Does Jesus have any DNA of Mary now?
And if not, how/when was it removed?"
He must have had Mary's, King David's, DNA prior to His resurrection. I would "guess" that when Jesus was resurrected everything changed, but not sure. Good question for speculation, though.
I'm thinking that when Rex Ray receives his resurrected body that his metabolism will be transformed. We will still have the appearance of who we were in our pre-resurrected state but at the same time being supernatural, eternal, physical creatures.
Personally, I believe that Jesus modeled for us what our resurrected bodies will be like and if that is the case, others will know and recognize us according to who we are now, we will be able to show up wherever we want to be without being restrained by physical objects, like doors and still eat and drink. Don't guess we'll wear glasses! Should be awfully nice!
But again, I am imagining based upon the bit of information the Lord has provided.
RB Kuter,
Thanks for replying.
Surrogacy is an arrangement, whereby a woman agrees to bear a child for another person [God] who will become the child's parent after birth. Wikipedia
I believe there’s two Scriptures that gives information if Mary was the mother of Jesus or if she was a surrogate mother:
1. “For God loved the world so much that he gave HIS one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NLT)
2. “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he said to his mother, Woman, behold thy son!” (John 19:26 KJ)
If Mary was his real mother, Jesus would be the only person in the world to call their mother “Woman”.
In the Incarnation, I believe Our Lord took our entire wounded humanity to Himself in order to heal it. Our entire humanity: all the line of it all the way back to Adam and Eve, our original human parents.
A traditional prayer proclaims this: 'in Him, with Him, and through Him . . . '
In the eastern Church tradition, there is a prayer, this:
"“. . . You are the Life of us all, the Salvation of us all, the Hope of us all, the Healing of us all, and the Resurrection of us all.”
I'm no longer understanding what I thought was how Christ is seen by people of different denominations, but in the traditional Christian faith, Christ comes with healing in His Hands, as the Great Physician, to care for the wounded children of Adam and Eve, from the ages to the ages (back to the beginning and until the end of time).
I don't understand the denomination(s) that feel it is of no use to pray as that seems to be more of a result of some 'other gospel' than what Our Lord taught. So much of the sacred Scriptures themselves include prayers and the ways of praying, although they may be done differently among Christian people, help to unite them 'in Christ'. I would question the 'doctrine' of any denomination that told some people they had no chance to go to heaven, that they were already 'predestined' either to heaven or to hell, so nothing they did mattered, not even prayer. What kind of God do such people worship?
If people want to understand 'God', let them look to Christ the Lord for that understanding, not to some 'other gospel' or to some cultic leaders. You can't go wrong if you keep your eyes on Christ and 'hear Him'. If it's His 'humility' that people do not understand, then they can contemplate the meaning of the crucifixion. If it is His being the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, God, that people do not understand, let them contemplate that He can, with a Word, raise the dead to live again.
What is this 'other gospel' that assures people that there is no need to pray???
I don't understand this or where it came from, but it is not what Our Lord has taught us, no.
Asia Live Casino - Online casinos in the USA - Jin Nhuah
Casino online is an online casino operated by 더킹 카지노 주소 the South African gaming government. This is 온라인 카지노 라이센스 mainly 카지노 사이트 가입 쿠폰 due to the South African 샌즈 카지노 도메인 Government 샌즈 카지노 가입 쿠폰 licensing authority,
Post a Comment