Walk with P & me 09

Walk with P & me  09

Note:  Blog numbers show the order they are written NOT published.  Some may not make it to the post – don’t want to TMI you.

Prayer – is dangerous

I have a previous blog on prayer I may or may not publish but this one I can.

Patti and I prayed together last night. Usually we just pray individually – but last night it just seemed necessary and good.  We each prayed silently and just being on our knees close to one another was a blessing.

As I began to pray my mind started to race with fear and schemes and all that junk.  So I began to pray the model prayer.  I got through “our Father” and then got stuck at “Hallowed be thy name.”  I stayed there the whole time.

I got caught between two ideas.  The first was that we are to bring glory and honor to the “name” of God.  The second was:

For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."  (Rom 2:24)

Now remember – this is my prayer time so if any of this sticks on you – I talking about me.

I accepted that in way I know and ways I have not seen, God’s name is blasphemed by the “Gentiles” (unbelievers) by me.  When I fail to walk the walk or talk the talk – bam!  When I sit and grouse about the culture and launch out on political rants – bam.  When I suggest that non-believers be bound by the same yoke I am – bam!  We I fail to be gracious and loving and faithful to the Way (Acts 24:14) – bam!

Yes, I am very very aware that unbelievers have little if any true understanding of the Way and that their expectations of believes are, to say the least, skewed but that should not hinder me in walking it.

I, like a lot of believers can be distracted by the sins of the culture and the sins in politics but you know – that isn’t my problem.  My problem is the battle between my flesh and the spirit.  It is all too easy to look at the world and demand the world (or our country) live according to my faith and the waste energy and resources trying to make them.

The church needs to separate from the state – the culture.  We are to be light in it not contenders in it.  Our fight – ok, my fight is for my being conformed to His likeness and to encourage the same in other believers. 

I realized – confessed and repented of my propensity to get real interested in that speck in the eye of another – especially culturally and politically – and to ignore the giant Red-wood in my own.  I even realized – confessed and repented of my propensity to get hung up on the mess the “church” has become.  That is a prayer problem – I am my problem.

The day is coming when all creation will know the truth.  Some will say “Amen,” others will say, “Uh oh!” 

The separation of church and state (even church and culture) has become a comfortable institutional thing; an us and them thing.  Well Toto – welcome to Kansas.  It is first and fundamentally a ME and IT thing.

God says, “Michael,”

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.  (1Jn 2:15-17)

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.   (Heb 11:13)

Less than 90 days till the election.  Do we really think we can change God’s timetable by a vote?  Or are we vainly hoping that we will dampen the hate the world has for us by a vote?

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  (Eph 6:12)

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2Co 4:4)

Whomever we elect, they will not “hallow” God’s name.  They won’t bring the Kingdom of God.  they won't slow the persecution, trial or tribulation of believers.  By slow attrition I have consistently lost some of my brightness because I have been distracted from individually and consistently “Hallowing His name.”  The result is that the blasphemy He suffers increases.

I am at a point where I want to declare that I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God, a member of His household and own no allegiance, have not duty and recognize no authority save His.  I live in the USA but I am an alien – a stranger – loyal to a different “country” and a different “King.”

I know I mixed up a lot of I’s and we’s in here and I apologize – that’s the teacher in me.  But this is about me and His work in me.  What those in rebellion towards God do or don’t do is only my concern in as much as it is His.  But I have to question if I can continue to play their game on their court by their rules.  I’m afraid I can’t – I mean really afraid I can’t – but I trust in Him for He is sovereign – nothing in the work of man can hinder His will.  Of course having said that I have to accept the truth:

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.   (Joh 15:19)

Certainly what follows is Paul’s experience but should we expect any less for/of ourselves?

·      For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  

     But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 

     We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 

    For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (2Co 4:6-11)