Will Davis Jr.'s Blog, page 27

Praying for Spiritual Authority

The following is from Pray Big for Your Life. 

Chapter 8

In Jesus’s Name: Prayers for Spiritual Authority

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

Janie wasn’t quite sure what was going on. Whatever it was, she knew she didn’t like it. She also knew that she needed help. It had started as a simple, vague feeling—kind of a heaviness. Janie even had felt a little sad at times, but she didn’t know why. She remembers feeling tired, and she had very little energy for important things.

The vague, heavy feeling lasted several days. As it lingered, Janie’s emotional condition waned. Her close friends and family told her that she was uncharacteristically irritable and prickly. She was having more conflict over seemingly insignificant things, and she didn’t possess the energy or desire to walk through the appropriate relational mending process.

Janie was beginning to think that maybe she was sick or depressed. Then things got crazy. In the short span of three days, her husband lost his job, her teenage daughter wrecked her car, their refrigerator quit running and had to be replaced, and they had two random overdraft charges from their bank. After all that, Janie no longer thought she was sick, she thought she was losing her mind!

As she was telling a close Christian friend about her own feelings and the string of “bad luck” that her family had been through, Janie made a connection she hadn’t seen before. About three weeks earlier, Janie had decided to start praying more faithfully for two unbelieving friends. She knew that they were both at pivotal places spiritually and that they needed serious prayer. Janie had covenanted with God to pray and fast for them. And that was when her trouble had started. Her vague and heavy feelings had begun almost immediately after she had started praying more for her friends.

Janie’s Christian friend smiled at her. She then looked at Janie and said, “Janie, I know what’s going on. This isn’t bad luck. You’re not depressed and you’re not going crazy. You’re being oppressed, and we’re going to pray right now in Jesus’s name that Satan will leave you alone.”

 

A Biblical Reality

While oppression is not a biblical term, at least not in the sense it’s used most frequently today, it is a very biblical concept. When Christians speak of spiritual oppression, they’re talking about the persistent increase of satanic resistance or all-out satanic attack on a believer’s life. Oppression can be as subtle as the vague heaviness that Janie felt or as overt as the attacks on Job’s family and livelihood recorded in the second chapter of Job. But it is real, and it is most commonly seen in the lives of Christians who are serious about living for Christ and building his Kingdom.

The Bible gives us much insight into the reality of oppression. Biblical writers in both Testaments believed and talked about the work of Satan and his demonic hordes in the world. But it was the Apostle Paul who offered the most detailed instruction regarding oppression.

In 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, Paul called for forgiveness within the church so that “Satan might not outwit us.” He then commented that “we are not unaware of his schemes.” The implication is that the devil is indeed planning ways to create chaos in and damage Christ’s church, and that we should neither be naïve nor ignorant concerning his works.
In 2 Corinthians 11:14, Paul taught that Satan was crafty enough to masquerade as “an angel of light,” and thus greatly deceiving believers.
In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul admitted to having a “messenger of Satan” who was tormenting him. In this case, God actually allowed the demon to continue its work as a means of keeping Paul humble and dependent on God.
Paul warned the believers in Ephesus about prolonging their anger and thus giving the devil a place or foothold in their lives (Ephesians 4:26-27).
In Ephesians 6:16, Paul also instructed the Christians in Ephesus to “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
In 1 Thessalonians 2:18, the Apostle shared with the Thessalonicans that he had tried to visit them on previous occasions but that Satan had thwarted his plans.
Paul warned Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:14-15 about the real temptation young widows face of being lured away from Christ into a life of following Satan.

From these verses and others like them, we can discern several realities about the devil. Consider just these few:

He is extremely powerful and well-organized
He is totally opposed to God and anyone who loves and serves God
He works around the clock to thwart and hinder the ministry of the Holy Spirit in and through believers in the world
He is capable of both deceiving and even leading astray followers of Christ
Big biceps, rock-hard abs and/or a loaded bank account are totally useless when it comes to opposing Satan

If you are a Christ-follower, you need to know that Satan is your number one enemy. He will do anything to make you as ineffective as possible in your walk with God, and he doesn’t play fair. The biblical writers taught these truths, not to scare us, but to prepare us. If you’re going to live the spiritually fruitful and joyful life that God calls you to, then you’ve got to know how to fight back against the devil. And prayer for yourself is going to be your primary weapon.

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No Sword

 

Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand. 1 Samuel 17:50

When David killed Goliath, it served notice to both the Israelites and the Philistines that there was a God in Israel who would fight for his people.

Nothing about David’s victory over Goliath was conventional:

David was a runt—a small young man in his early teens. Goliath was a HUGE man.
David was inexperienced in war. Goliath was a seasoned killer.
David was unarmed and unprotected. Goliath had full body armor and shield-bearer.

This verse points out the miraculous and unconventional nature of David’s victory—there was no sword in his hand.

God doesn’t feel limited to working through conventional human means. He often does—like the healing he brings through great medical care and medication, or meeting financial needs through the generosity of others.

But he is equally if not more likely to use methods that seem almost foolish in human terms. I mean, who in his right mind sends a teen armed only with a sling and a few stones out to face a seasoned warrior? And who tries to feed a multitude with only the provisions of a little boy’s lunch? And who gives orders for a handful of relatively uneducated and untrained men and women to take his message to all the world?

The answer, of course, is God.

Don’t limit God to working only through your human experience. Don’t expect him to always do what is most efficient, pragmatic and reasonable from the human standpoint. Expect God to work in ways that give him the glory and grow your faith.

Holy God, teach us to trust you. Teach us to look for your work in the unconventional. In Jesus’ name . . . .

 

 

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Waiting on God’s Word

 

My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word. Psalm 119:81

A few weeks ago I took some time off from the church I serve because I was dealing with some chronic fatigue, anxiety and depression. I had been trying to function in that condition for a while, and the rest was way overdue.

That first week off was very difficult, and so for comfort and strength I turned to my favorite Psalm, Psalm 119.

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible—176 verses. It’s theme is the glory and power of God’s Word.

I read Psalm 119 several times a day for the first several days of my time off. I would read it silently, and then I’d read it aloud.

The phrase in this verse jumped out at me–I wait for Your word. David used it multiple times in the Psalm. And even though I’m not completely sure what David meant by waiting on God’s Word, it’s exactly what I was doing.

When I was at the lowest physical and emotional point I had been in decades, I found comfort in God’s Word.

When I was so spiritually winded that I couldn’t pray, I prayed through God’s Word.

When I needed hope and perspective, I found it in God’s Word.

When I needed brutal truth spoken to me, it was there in God’s Word.

For me, waiting on God’s Word means that I trust his promises and even in my darkest moments, I will wait for them to kick in.

My soul was indeed languishing. God’s Word was all I had. Waiting on it was all I could do.

What about you?

Father, thank you for the faithfulness of your Word. Teach us to wait on your promises. In Jesus” name . . . .

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The Power of Generosity

 

What follows was originally published in my book Pray Big for Your Life. 

 

On April 16, 2007, the day of the tragic shootings on the Virginia Tech University campus, I was standing on the exposed foundation of a building in Chalmette, Louisiana. I was there with two elders from our church, meeting with a local pastor. The foundation was all that was left of his church’s building. It had been completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

The pastor, Derek Buchert, was making a valiant effort to reclaim all that the storm had taken. His hometown of Chalmette had been completely devastated by the storm. In the year after Katrina hit, most of the churches had decided to relocate in other, less flood-prone areas. As a result, there was no spiritual voice in the town. The residents were left to face their despair and devastation with no church support. In the year after the storm, the suicide rate in Chalmette was the highest in the country.

Derek and his wife, Bonnie, refused to leave. They knew that God had called them to the area and that they had to stay. They chose to suffer the hardships of rebuilding after the storm with the people who also remained behind. But they had no place to meet. The little prayer chapel on their campus that the storm had spared was too small to house their church. They needed a new space—but they couldn’t afford anything.

While we were standing on the foundation talking and praying, Derek pointed to an empty auto repair shop across the street. It would be the perfect location for Derek’s church to move into while their building was being rebuilt, but the owner wanted far more in rent and finish-out costs than the church could afford. That’s when the spirit of extravagant giving–the kind shown by Mary when she poured out her costly perfume on Jesus’s feet–kicked in. One of the two elders from our church immediately got on his cell phone and started making calls. Within the hour, he had approval from our missions team to officially adopt Derek’s church as one of our sponsor ministries and he had commitments from the members of his small group to fund the lease on the repair shop—three thousand dollars a month—for an entire year.

Within a few weeks Derek was able to move his congregation into his new and fully furnished facility. They also began offering the only functioning children’s ministry in the area. Today, the church is growing, lives are being given hope and spiritual encouragement, and families are being discipled. The ultimate impact of that one elder and his small group’s generosity will be impossible to measure.

That’s how giving works. It spreads, grows and multiplies. It gives hope and encouragement. And, it changes lives.

Lord, Teach Me to Give

Are you willing to pray the spiritually revolutionary prayer of asking for a giving heart? I don’t believe that generosity just happens. Unless you’ve been gifted with the spiritual gift of giving, becoming an extravagant giver like Mary might be a struggle for you. It isn’t always natural to look for ways to let go of your resources. Conventional wisdom teaches that we should hang on to what we have, not release it. I’m just greedy and selfish enough to be tempted by the allure of more. That’s why I pray for a generous spirit. That’s why I’m asking God to teach me to give. I want to be a giver, but I know I won’t become truly generous if I don’t invite the Holy Spirit to change me.

Pray for a generous, giving spirit. Pray for a heart like Mary’s that looks for opportunities to give extravagantly to the Lord Jesus. Pray that you will sow generously, give cheerfully and that God would equip you to be a blessing to others (see 2 Corinthians 9:6-8). Pray 2 Corinthians 9:12-13 for yourself: Lord, I pray that as I give, those who are blessed by my giving might overflow with thanks to you. I pray that your people might be led to praise and bless your name because of the gifts you’ve allowed me to make.

Discussion Questions

Would you describe yourself as a generous person? Why or why not? Is giving finances to your church or other ministries a priority? Why or why not?
How cynical are you about churches and giving? How much baggage do you have about preachers who are always asking for money?
What reasons do people give today for not giving to churches? List as many reasons as you can and be as specific as you can.
This chapter mentioned several benefits of and reasons for giving. Which do you think is most important or compelling? Why?
What do you think would happen in your life if you started praying for a generous Spirit? How might your life be different?
After reading this chapter, how are you going to pray differently for yourself?

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Coming Soon to a Church Near You

Hello friends, I pray all is well with you.

As most of you know, I took a medical leave of absence back in August because of a diagnosis of depression and overall fatigue. I was in a very weakened condition and wasn’t much use to anyone.

Fast forward six weeks, and I’m doing better. I’ve gotten on medication for the depression, I’ve gotten a lot of rest and I’ve tried to do nothing more complex than filling a bird feeder, cleaning out rain gutters and digging up stumps.

I’m still not where I want to be–that’s going to take a  lot more time–but I’m definitely better. Better enough, in fact, to try to start preaching again.

This weekend I’ll teach live at the Saturday night Four Points service. Sunday, we’ll show that message to all the communities, include Four Points. I’ll take the Saturday-only teaching approach for a few weeks and see how I feel. I hope, if all goes well, to be back to more of a full teaching and work load sometime in November.

I’ve learned a great deal about the topics of work and rest over these last few weeks, and I’ve had to face a few personal demons and confront why I wasn’t more inclined to take time off and practice Sabbath. Thus, I’ll be teaching on the topic of Sabbath the first few weeks of October.

Many of you have written, called, email or texted. You’ve also prayed. Thank you all so much for the love, support and patience you’ve shown Susie and me as we’ve walked this out.

Steve and Jillynn Shaver Day

On another, perhaps much more important matter, Steve Shaver is ending his ministry run at ACF. Steve’s been a great friend, colleague and leader at ACF for over a decade and we need to love on him and Jillynn well before they go. The weekend of October 11/12, after each service, we’ll host a reception for Steve and Jillynn on the ACF Four Points patio. The Saturday night service will be a big shindig, including a catered supper, climbing wall and bouncy house. So even if you attend a different ACF community, come on over around 6:30 or 7 and celebrate the Shavers with us.

I do hope you will try to get to one of the Four Points’ services next weekend and express your love and appreciation to the Shavers.

Blessings to you. I’ll see you this Saturday at Four Points or on the wall on Sunday.

 

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Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; wh...

 

 

Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them.

For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will

stumble in them. Hosea 14:9

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Be Sensible

 

Likewise urge the young men to be sensible, Titus 2:6

What an interesting word choice for Paul. Twice in this chapter the Apostle urged Titus to teach sensibility to his disciples.

What does it mean to be sensible? We’re prone to link it with common sense. You know, having enough smarts to get in out of the rain.

But that’s not what Paul meant. Sensibility, in the biblical sense, means much more.

Bottom line, it means to be sober. It speaks of a seriousness of thought. It’s sound-mindedness.

I think Paul was juxtaposing the walk of a disciple with that of the young men who were consumed with Greek culture. The pursuit of pleasure, drunkenness and carousing were the norm. It was just how they lived.

Find a typical young man in Paul’s day and he was usually under the influence of something—a girl, strong drink, or even his own lusts and passions.

And against that backdrop Paul called the Christian young men to be sober.

So, how’s your sobriety level? Would you pass Paul’s sobriety test? I don’t mean just alcohol, I mean distractions. Sensible, sober people are clear-minded and not distracted. They’re focused on higher things than those around them. Kingdom things.

Father, help us to not be distracted by the temptations of this world. Help us to be sensible and sober-minded. In Jesus’ name . . . .

 

 

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In Due Time

 

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

Galatians 6:9

I know that many of you are in waiting mode. You’re faithfully serving, some of you in less than ideal circumstances. You’re doing good, and not necessarily seeing any immediate fruit. You’re praying, and the answers are slow in coming.

This verse is for you.

In due time . . . . God will honor your efforts in due time.

You are not laboring in vain. You not wasting your time. You are not foolish.

Rally your spirit and do not let yourself grow weary. Memorize this verse and pray it back to God. Pray that he will honor your efforts and give you the strength to keep going.

Until due time:

Until that wayward child returns to God

Until that lost loved one finds Jesus

Until the lakes are full and the drought is over

Until revival sweeps through our land

Until you have that life companion you’re praying for

Until you are debt free

Until the healing comes

Until due time.

Father, make us steadfast in doing good. Honor our efforts and hear our prayers. May we reap the blessings of the good we are sewing. In Jesus’ name . . . .

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Unconditional Salvation

 

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. Romans 11:6

Many believers still think that salvation is conditional. That somehow if they don’t live faithful enough lives or do enough to merit their salvation, that God will ultimately reject them.

In other words, God’s grace has its limits.

That’s why I’m so glad verses like this are in the Bible. Paul’s point is simple: If our salvation has anything to do with how we live, either before of after we’re saved, then it ceases to be grace.

The point of grace is that we can’t do anything to earn it, either before we’re saved or after it. We’re saved by the unconditional, wildly irrational love of God. And after we’re saved, we’re secured in God’s family by that same wild, irrational love.

Bottom line: you never deserve salvation. Not on even your best day.

That’s why it’s called Grace.

Today, God wants you to live and love with abandon. He’s got you. If you fail, he’s still got you. Walking on spiritual eggshells was never what God intended for you.

Holy God, thank you for your wild, irrational love. Help us to live and love with abandon today. In Jesus’ name . . . .

 

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True Conversion

 

Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3

We have our concept of conversion all wrong. We think that God wants to make us into super-humans. We think that being Christians means that we have to leap tall buildings and walk through brick walls. We think that it means we’re supposed to have all the answers.

But none of that is what Jesus offered. Rather that offering sophistication, Jesus offered simplicity. Rather than offering stress and busyness, Jesus offered playfulness. Rather than making us strong in ourselves, Jesus offered his strength. And rather than giving us all the answers, Jesus offered faith.

In this verse, Jesus equated conversion with childlikeness. In other words, the more childlike you are, the more Christian you are.

Hmmmmm . . . . That’s a far cry from the complex, stress-filled and anxiety-ridden “Christian life” I’ve been living lately. Somewhere along the way I misplaced simplicity.

I think it’s time for me to lean back into my true conversion and be a lot more like a child. Less serious, less worried and less hurried.

What about you? Have you lost the simplicity of your faith? Jesus didn’t come to make us Christian adults—you know, the super humans with all the answers. He came to make us into little children, his little children.

Lord God, help us to embrace today the simplicity and childlike faith you want us to have. In Jesus’ name . . . .

 

 

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