Do you know why people don't live for Christ? It's because they don't know
His Word, or know His Word but are backslidden and rebellious. People go
into sin because of sinful PRIDE. I believe the main reason why God hides
from us is to TEST OUR FAITH. Luke 18:1-8 is about
'The Unjust Judge' and teaches us this
vital truth.
Our degree of faith is measured by our consistency in prayer. Since Hebrews 11:6
teaches that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God, it becomes quite
clear WHY God would seem to ignore us. I've lived long enough to know that
God almost ALWAYS works in unseen ways behind the scenes. In the Old Testament book
of Esther, “God” is not mentioned one time. Yet we see God's omnipotent hand
at work throughout the entire beautiful story. The one great lesson to be
learned from the book of Esther is—When you cannot see the HAND of God
at work, trust the great HEART of God!
When You Can't See the HAND of God, Trust the HEART of God
This truth is also beautifully demonstrated in the life of Moses in the Old
Testament book of Exodus, chapter 2. Pharaoh demanded that every male Hebrew
child be murdered. Moses mother hid Moses, placing him into a makeshift
basket made from bulrushes. She put him into the Nile River and he floated
away. Moses' little sister watched, following along to see where the basket
went. Pharaoh's daughter sees the basket and orders her maidens to fetch it.
When she sees the goodly baby boy, she loves him and decides to raise him as
her own. Moses' little sister, Miriam, doesn't tell Pharaoh's daughter that
it's her brother. She asks Pharaoh's daughter if she should fetch one of the
Hebrew mothers to breast feed the baby. Pharaoh's daughter agrees and pays
Moses' mother to breast feed her own son until he was grown, not knowing
that it is actually her son. Pharaoh's
daughter hadn't a clue of what was going on. God is truly more than amazing!
My friend, if this true story doesn't make you want to jump up and shout,
“Hallelujah, praise the Lord!,” then you'd better check your pulse! Only God
could have arranged this! Only God could have done these amazing things. I
want you to think about this precious story in the Bible every time that you
pray and feel like God is not answering. This story so wonderfully shows how
God's hand of omnipotence works behind the scenes in each Christian's life.
Don't ever think that your prayers are in vain. There is a God in Heaven,
and He hears every Christian's prayer. Whether He answers or not depends on
many factors, including how we live and treat others. God USUALLY answers
our prayers in ways that WE DON'T EXPECT. When you pray, expect the
unexpected! God's hand is not seen working in days, weeks, months or even
year, but in decades. You're never wasting your time when you pray. Prayer
works, one way or another, prayer works. I don't like when secular humanists
talk about prayer as being “a good therapy.” Neither do I like when
religious people talk about the “power of prayer.” The power is not in the
prayer my friend, it is in our great God in Heaven!
Again,
when you cannot see the hand of God, trust the heart of God! Remember again that
“God” is not mentioned even once in the Old Testament book of Esther, yet we
see repeatedly how God's sovereign plan and omnipotent hand beautifully and
faithfully worked behind the seen in the lives of His own. This ungodly selfish
American society wants GOD ON DEMAND, but God is not like TV ON DEMAND!
You cannot control God. There is no remote control with buttons you can
press to make God do what you want Him to do, when you want it, how you want
it! God is not for sale!!!
By the way, while I'm preaching, I'd love to fire the person
or persons (after I tar and feather them) who designed the remote control
for my Samsung Blu-Ray player! The idiots put the “Home” button right next
to the “Play” button, so if I hit the wrong button (which I always do) I
exit the movie. I could write a book on the retarded things people design.
All the restroom sinks in the local shopping malls have the faucet 2 inches
from the side of the sink, so water goes all over the counter. Clearly,
someone wasn't thinking! When I visited the Houston, Texas airport last
year, on layover, I was so impressed. They've remodeled the whole place.
They put push buttons on all the toilets, so people can use their feet,
instead of breaking off the handles as they do everywhere else. Someone
finally wised up! I admit, I have been using me feet for decades to press
those handles. The faucets extend over the middle of the sinks. Bravo!
Two-thumbs up for the Houston airport! I visited Pensacola, Florida, because
I am thinking of moving there. If not, North Carolina is on my list too, God
willing. Perhaps I'll find a wife in a Bible-believing church there. I can't
even get Match.com from Guam. This is like Gilligan's Island. God is so
good, I am not complaining. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
I truly do want to do God's will, but
like Paul did most of the time, I have to figure it out on my own. The
Bible verse that I think I hate the most is found in Philippians 2:12,
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling.” I don't want to work out
my own salvation. Boy, I hate that! I am so, so, so, so, so glad that God is
completely in control of my eternal salvation, and not me! The Bible says to
work out “YOUR OWN SALVATION,” not God's salvation! This simply means that
God saves our eternal body and soul, but we have to figure out this earthly
life on our own, with His guidance (Proverbs 3:5-7). Someone has suggested
that B.I.B.L.E. is an acronym for Basic Instructions Before
Leaving Earth. I like that! For every precious answer found in
the inspired Word of God, there are a dozen more unanswerable questions!
Scientists are continually discovering that they have been wrong in their
former thinking.
Pray For Holy Spirit Power
We've let the superficial take the place of the supernatural in our
churches. One of the reasons why God hides from us is that churches become
social clubs, music concerts and gatherings, but the Word of God is no
longer preached. Few churches pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to come
down. Unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down, you're just wasting your
time...
THE
SPIRIT'S ABIDING (MP3, Dr. Hyles; all is vain unless the Spirit
of the Holy One comes down!)
Most churchgoers these days are mere religious workers and haven't been
taught to seek and pray for the power of God's Holy Spirit. We must realize
that without Christ we can DO NOTHING (John 15:5). Colossians 1:28-29,
“Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom;
that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in
me mightily.” It is God's Spirit that I rely, trust and
pray to use my humble labours to transform lives for Jesus Christ.
I cannot change anyone's life, and neither can you. If I have ever made an
eternal difference in anyone's life through my online ministry, it was
solely the power of the Holy Spirit of Christ working through me. Galatians 2:20 is one of my favorite Scriptures,
“I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
I continually pray for God's Spirit to work in people's minds and
hearts as they visit my ministry websites, which are really the Lord's
ministry and websites.
If you go about things on your own, the Bible warns in James 4:6 that God
resists the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Humble Christians are
praying Christians!
“Insanity because
we're in sin!”
—Brother Lester Roloff
(1914-1982), from the sermon “Steps
In The Degeneration Of Our Nation.”
Don't Hide From God, Do Pray And Abide In The
Scriptures
Certainly, no one can hide from God (Hebrews 4:13), but many
people try to hide from God. The wicked world tries to block God out of
their minds through Hollywood movies, like the “Da Vinci Code,” which
portrays Christ as a mere man and not deity. The film was produced by actor
Ron Howard (yes, “Richie” from the “HAPPY DAYS!” TV series). Mr. Howard is
an unsaved man who rejects and blasphemes Jesus Christ. It's so sad. No one
can ever come to the Father unless they come to the Son, Jesus the Messiah.
Jews who reject Jesus as their Messiah DON'T have the Father. They are
headed for the fires of Hell in their sin of unbelief. This is tragic and
sad. The heathen world hides from God through sin, false religion, the lies
of evolution and false science.
But even many born-again Christians try to hide from God, by
quitting church, neglecting the Scriptures, getting stiff knees and
following their own will. Being stiff-necked and stiff-kneed are synonymous!
In other words, if you haven't been praying, then your knees have become
stiff from not kneeling down. Of course, you can pray in any bodily
position, I'm just making a point. It's your heart's condition that God is
interested in, not how limber your body is. Due to my neurological health
afflictions in my neck, it is so uncomfortable to kneel down that cannot
concentrate to pray, so I pray while sitting , standing, resting and
walking.
The important thing is that we always pray. And the Bible
does literally teach us to ALWAYS PRAY! 1st Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray
without ceasing.” The Christian life is one of total and continual
dependence upon God to live the Christian life THROUGH US. This is why we
must always pray, about everything, placing every care, burden, decision,
worry, heartache and even our trifle feelings into God's complete hands.
Philippians 4:6-7 promises peace that passes all
understanding, knowing that we have through prayer placed everything into
the Lord's hands. Your NEVER wasting your time when you pray. I've learned
to just pray and not look for results or answers. Most people pray, don't
see immediate results, and then quit. They know nothing of Biblical prayer.
If you never learn anything else about prayer, read about and understand
the Lord's parable of THE UNJUST JUDGE
in Luke 18:1-8.
Proverbs 14:14 warns that, “THE BACKSLIDER IN HEART SHALL BE
FILLED WITH HIS OWN WAYS.” I've been there before, and so have you if you
are saved. The Christian life eventually boils down to full surrender to
God, when we say, “NOT MY WILL BUT THING OH LORD!!!”
DAY BY DAY
(MP3, Dr. Hyles; We need a good old-fashioned dose of 7-day-a-week
Christianity!). Pray! Pray! Pray!
There are numerous reasons why God may seem to be ignoring
us, but the important thing is to seek after the Lord as the Bible teaches.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us to diligently seek God. This means more than just
visiting a church building each Sunday. This means more than listening to
radio ministries. It means “SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES” for yourself as Jesus
commanded in John 5:39. But without faith it is impossible to please him:
for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek him.
Most Christians live selectively by a small handful of
Scriptures which they have memorized, that they feel comfortable with.
However, we need to read and ponder over all the Scriptures, and take heed.
I just quoted to you 1st Thessalonians 5:17 about praying without ceasing,
but take a look at all the surrounding passage of Scripture. God expects
much more from us as Christians..
1st Thessalonians 5:14-25, “Now
we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the
feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that
none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good,
both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without
ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove
all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of
evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your
whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
Brethren, pray for us.”
There is so much meat in the preceding passage of Scripture.
Notice that the Bible says to give thanks “IN EVERY THING,” not necessarily
FOR EVERY THING. I am not thankful that my car breaks down, but I am
thankful to God in spite of anything bad that happens. That's what this
Scripture means in verse 18.
Notice that we are commanded to pray for one another in
verse 25. We are commanded not to quench the Spirit in verse 19. We quench
the Spirit of God by not obeying these commandments in the holy Bible. We
are commanded to rejoice always in verse 16, and to not render evil for evil
unto any man in verse 15. Verse 14 commands us to comfort and help the weak,
and to be patient toward all men. Verse 20 commands us not to despise Bible
preaching (prophesyings). We are to test (or prove) all things in verse 21,
by shedding the light of God's Word upon it.
Notice the precious promise in verse 24 that God is the One
Who does all these things through us if we will yield to His Sprit's leading
in our life. The Holy Spirit ALWAYS leads us with the Holy Bible. There's no
such thing as the Holy Church. The Church has always been flawed, imperfect
and full of sin (just take a look at the seven churches of Asia Minor in
Revelation). The last church of Laodicea was so messed up that God had
nothing good to say about them.
God desires to walk with you, if you will walk with Him. In
James 4:8 the Lord promises to draw nigh unto you, if you will draw nigh
unto Him. We do this by praying. We do this by reading, memorizing and
studying the Scriptures (I only use the precious King James Bible). We do
this by thinking. Yes, thinking. Most Christians don't spend hardly any time
thinking beyond them self. Philippians 2:4-5 teaches that Jesus “THOUGHT” on
the things (burdens, needs, afflictions, et cetera) of OTHERS.
Literally, Jesus spent His life always thinking about
OTHERS. Jesus thought about their needs and ways He could help them. Jesus
thought about the sick, poor and even the arrogant Pharisees. Jesus took
time, patiently in John chapter 3, to teach Nicodemus. The Lord thought
about OTHERS. I promise you that if you'll just take a few minutes every day
to think about something nice, helpful, encouraging, spiritual or beneficial
for someone else besides yourself, that it will totally transform your life.
When you stop in a store to buy a drink, always get one for the other
person with you. When I went for my second neck surgery in 2010 in San
Diego, California, I asked a cab driver where the best local pizza
place was. He drove me to Uno's Pizzeria, and I bought him a couple slices of pizza too
with my money.
That is Christianity.
Do you feel like God is HIDING from you dear friend? The
Lord's very presence keeps you breathing (Acts 17:25). God is “NOT FAR
FROM EVERY ONE OF US” (Acts 17:27b). God made the promise: “Draw nigh
to God, and he will draw nigh to you...” (James 4:8b). Yet, every
believer goes through arid spiritual times in their life when they feel like
God has abandoned them. I sure have! But I have learned not to go by my
feelings.
Do you remember when Jacob came to deceive his father Isaac?
What saith the Scripture? Genesis 27:21, “And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come
near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my
son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. And Jacob went near unto Isaac
his father; and he felt him, and said,
The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of
Esau. And he discerned him not, because his hands were
hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.” From this Bible
story we learn a great truth—always go by THE VOICE, and never by what you
FEEL! Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Never go by your feelings dear reader, always go by the written Word of God!
God will seem to hide from us sometimes, and He will. But we
KNOW that God is near to us if we are near to Him (James 4:6-10). My friend,
when you draw near to God, you will enjoy wallowing in the Scriptures as
much as a pig enjoys wallowing in the mud! I'm telling you,
