A Manual for Living

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Jill English Johnston

“These are the wise sayings of Solomon, David’s son, Israel’s king—
Written down so we’ll know how to live well and right,
to understand what life means and where it’s going;
A manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair;
To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality.
There’s something here also for seasoned men and women,
still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—”
Proverbs 1:1-5 (MSG)

Why am I here?  What does life mean?  Where is it all going?
How can I live well? How do I know what the right course of action is?
If I’m inexperienced, where can I gain wisdom?
Where I’m experienced, what else can I learn?

Do you ever ask any of these questions?
Where might we find some answers?

I love the way The Message lays it out. Proverbs. A manual for living.
I could use that. Could you?

If so, then I invite you along this month (God willing and the creeks don’t rise, as my Grandma used to say), to explore this book of Proverbs.
With a little reflection.
And a lot of prayer.

Reflection
God’s wisdom existed before the world began. He made the earth by His power and He preserves it by His wisdom (Jeremiah 10:12). His wisdom is revealed in Christ Jesus. For our benefit, He made Jesus to be wisdom itself (1 Corinthians 1:30). In His wisdom, He created everything through Jesus (John 1:3).
We are called to be careful how we live. Not living like fools, but like those who are wise (Ephesians 5:15). If we need wisdom, God tells us to ask, because He is generous and will give it to us (James 1:5). And He does not give the world’s wisdom, because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to Him (1 Corinthians 3:19).
Instead, we find the wisdom in Christ Jesus. In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding (Ephesians 1:8).  And the wisdom we receive from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere (James 3:17).
His wisdom never ends. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen (Revelation 7:12)

Prayer
Heavenly Father,
You are True Wisdom and You are ready and willing to share Your wisdom with all who seek.
I confess. I have chased after worldly wisdom. I have believed the lies the world and the enemy tells. I have relied on my own insight. I have thought I was wise in my own eyes.
But no more.  I want the wisdom you promise.  I want to know your kindness, your wisdom, and your understanding. I want the peace and goodness your wisdom brings. Please guide me on this journey.
Bring along others on this journey as well. Other wisdom seekers. Let us seek You together.
Thank you for being a generous Father and for not leaving us to our own demise, but offering us everything we need for life.
In the precious name of Jesus, from whom all wisdom flows, Amen.

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Power of Prayer

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Jill English Johnston

Continuing our month on the promises of God.  And not forgetting the power of prayer.

The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. Psalm 34:17 (NLT)

Recently, I was with a group of beautiful ladies and we prayed together over a dear friend who was going through some struggles.  As we prayed, with some of us laying hands on her and many of us taking turns to pray out loud over her, I became overwhelmed by the intensity and significance of the moment.

I have prayed this way many times, but this time I experienced the joy of glimpsing several beautiful images as we prayed.

Being a lover of powerful stories, the images came as the scenes from the works of  favorite authors.

In Robert Jordan’s & Brandon Sanderson’s Gathering Storm, a scene in the climax focuses on a young woman, Egwene.  She holds a high position of authority but has humbled herself and allowed herself to be held captive.  In doing so, she has, without intending to, positioned herself to be at a pivotal location during an enemy attack on her people.  The enemy that comes against them seeks to take them captive and enslave them.

In the story, the Creator blessed Egwene with the ability to control the elements of her world (earth, fire, water, spirit, and air) and she can use these abilities, this Power, to fight the attacking enemy.  She also has the ability to combine her Power with other women with the same abilities. Unfortunately, during the attack, the only women available to combine powers with are those with little experience and sometimes little strength in the Power.  But it does not matter, because as they combine their Powers, their power increases exponentially.  And provides a formidable weapon against the enemy.

A magnificent scene. Imagine. These women, surrendering to one another, submitting to the Creator, and joining their powers to wage war against the attacking enemy. Taking their stand. Refusing to be taken captive.  Fighting for one another and for others who cannot defend themselves.

The scene played in my mind as we prayed and continued to linger with meaning long after.  We have been blessed with faith and prayer. They are formidable weapons. In surrendering to one another, submitting to our God and joining our prayers, we wield them against the attacking enemy. We stand, refusing to be taken captive, fighting for one another and for those who cannot defend themselves.

That is the power of prayer.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

 

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He Says Yes!

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Jill English Johnston

And He means it.

For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.
2 Corinthians 1:20-22 (NLT)

January.  A month filled with promise because we mark it as the beginning of a new year.  New chances.  New changes.  New commitments.  But as the calendar flips to February, do we rejoice because of promises kept or do we mourn the fact that promises have been broken?

Although others might let us down and we might also disappoint them or ourselves, we can stand firm in the knowledge that our God never will.

I have to admit, however, there have been times in my life when people or circumstances made my faith waiver.  Would God really come through this time?  What if God doesn’t answer my prayers the way I want him to?  Why did he let this thing happen in the first place?

How am I to respond in these moments?

  • With continued trust in his promises because his unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him (Psalm 32:10).
  • With the belief that he is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does (Psalm 145:13).
  • With quiet expectation because my hope is in him (Psalm 62:5).

Oh, put God to the test and see how kind he is! See for yourself the way his mercies shower down on all who trust in him. Psalm 34:8 (MSG)

Yes, God has made us many promises and Yes, God is a Promise Keeper.

 

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This Thing Called Prayer

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Jill English Johnston

“For most of us prayer serves as a resource to help in a time of testing or conflict.  For Jesus, it was the battle itself.”
Philip Yancey, Prayer; Does it Make any Difference?

I have looked at prayer as a means to get what I want.
Relationship with the Father
healing for sick family/friends
Salvation for those I love who don’t know the Lord
Help in struggles
Desires of my heart
Provision for me and for others
Answers to questions

But what if there’s more? I can almost grasp it, but can’t quite
The battle. The struggle.
I want healings like Jesus promised and the early church experienced
I want to see thousands to come to know the Lord.
I want to see the gates of hell crumble.
I want victory.

Yet, as Jesus prayed, his victory did not look like a victory at all.
It looked like defeat. The end.

As I struggle with prayer, I wonder.

Jesus prayed, and the Father’s will was so different from how I would have done it.

A friend of mine, who recently purchased a lovely home, told me about a comment an acquaintance  made.
While touring their new home, the acquaintance said how much he would love to have what they have.
Her husband said later, but what we have comes with everything we have gone through. Would he be willing to have the whole package?
You see, in the years preceding, the couple had walked a very difficult path, and even now, they still have difficulties. His health had taken a life threatening turn for the worse and required surgery and a long healing process. And she still struggles with undiagnosed problems resulting in chronic pain.
Would this acquaintance desire the house if he had to walk what they walked in order to get it?

So, too, I want the healings, the conversions, the great victories, but am I willing to walk what my Rabbi walked? Or his followers?
Or do I want it within the context of my comforts and pleasures?

I say, yes Lord, I want more of you.
But please, temper the pain, the struggles, protect me and those I love, and diminish the enemy’s attacks.

I say, yes Lord, I want more of you.
But am I willing to say, Lord, thy will be done?

I wonder.

“…I fall back on the promise that Jesus prayed for me… not that I would never face testing, nor ever fail, but that in the end I will allow God to use the testing and failure to mold me into someone more useful to the kingdom, someone more like Jesus.”
Philip Yancey Prayer; Does it Make any Difference?”

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Prayer Warrior – what does it mean?

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Jill English Johnston

Passage: Nehemiah 2:11-4:20
Key verse: Nehemiah 4:20
“Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

The story goes that a man named Nehemiah, serving a king in another country, heard about his beloved city lying in ruins, vulnerable to enemies and disheartening his people.

So Nehemiah prayed, then asked the king for the time and resources needed to go to his city, assess the situation, and begin repairs.

These things, the king provided and Nehemiah went.

But once the repairs to the city wall were underway, enemies rose up against him and his people. The people could not do the work assigned to them because they were always defending themselves against enemy attacks.

Nehemiah divided the people in half. Half he armed to protect the workers, and the other half went about the work. In this way, the wall was rebuilt, the city was safe from enemies and the people rejoiced.

What might this mean for us?

It takes different skills and talents to rebuild a wall, and it takes different skills and talents to be about the work the Lord has given us to do.

Paul, in his letters to the early Christians, describes the different gifts God has given us so we can do what Jesus has called us to do: love God and love our neighbor.
See: Matthew 22:37-38; Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:11-13;                  1 Peter 4:8-11

However, we should not be surprised that when we use these gifts for God, the enemy attacks. The enemy does not want us advancing God’s kingdom into his territory. He does not want to see lives restored or hope renewed or hearts returned.

In fact, our enemy is active and prowling around to see who he can devour. He is an thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy.
See Romans 5:8; John 10:10

Much like the enemy in Nehemiah’s day.

How should we respond?

Like Nehemiah, we need to position warriors to protect the workers.
Prayer Warriors
See: Romans 12:12; Ephesians 3:14-17; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2-4;   1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Timothy 2:1-4,8

In this way, the work can be done, lives will be restored, hope renewed and hearts returned and the people will rejoice.

Has God called you to be a Prayer Warrior?

Grace & Peace

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