Prayer…Our Privilege and Our Responsibility

I recently had a phone conversation with a loved one that left me shaken. It seems they no longer think of God in the same manner in which they used too! Their view of Him is as the world’s.

It’s hard to say exactly when this turnabout happened, but I know prayer is needed. This entire situation made me take a strong look at how as citizens of the Kingdom we should be praying. I must say I’ve come to the conclusion that overall we need to do better, especially those of us in the Western World.

Looking back over my life in Christ, I see there was a time when prayer was all about Me! And as a babe in Christ that is understandable, because even in the natural it is all about the newborn, baby and toddler. It takes time for them to realize it is not all about them. It took time for me to learn to pray for others, and even then I would often pick and choose who I wanted to pray for.

We can be all over the place when it comes to the—how—when—and where of it all.

I feel the reason we don’t know how to pray is a general lack of understanding of whom God is and what it means to be a new person in Christ when we first get saved. We really don’t have a clue and what happens is we often fall into the wrong hands. And when I say, “Wrong hands” I am referring to the many books on the market giving formulas on how to pray, church congregations making it a musical event with a bunch of screaming and hollering, misleading TV preachers and well meaning friends and family who don’t really understand themselves.

Think about if every woman who has ever had a miscarriage, still born baby or a baby die in the womb before birth prayed daily for others who are experiencing this great loss—what would that look like in the heavens?

If every mother who has had to bury a child were to pray daily for those who will live through that experience today—what a difference that would make!

Suppose every woman who is in a loveless marriage, not only prayed for her marriage, but prayed for all her sisters who are in the same place she is—what would that be like?

As you battle breast cancer, what if you pray daily for all your sisters who are battling cancer and their families too? If you have ever been hungry, homeless, unemployed, physically abused, imprisoned, or on drugs—what if you prayed daily for those who are experiencing these things in their lives now—how would that affect the Kingdom of God here on earth?

The Bible tells us that we are to comfort each other with the same comfort in which, God comforted us in our time of need. And why is that? Because though I can encourage anyone in God’s faithfulness, I don’t know the ache of losing a child, but some of us do and we can speak to the place of pain that only experience can reach. I don’t know what it is to be in a marriage with an abusive husband and fear for my life, but some of us do, and therefore we know how to pray for others in that position in a way that only experience allows.

My heart is heavy because there seems to be great confusion when it comes to prayer.

We live in a culture that is all about—me—bigger and better. We are worrying God about education, the house on the hill, a new car and having a husband.  We’ve been duped into thinking that there is a special and elite group of prayer warriors and intercessors and therefore they have been called to pray for the more serious situations. Wrong! There are no such people, these titles are made up. We (as God’s children) are called to pray for the serious stuff and world situations. It is our responsibility to pray for peace in Jerusalem, and our brothers and sisters who are being massacred each week, raped and sold into slavery.

It is our responsibility to pray for our government and country. It is our responsibility to pray for those who are experiencing hard times and great difficulties in life and pray they don’t give up on God. It is our responsibility to pray for the Body and for those who are lost.

We are instructed to pray without ceasing and that is why I chose the picture for today. We can talk to God while washing dishes, doing laundry, riding the bus, waiting at a light, dusting the furniture, brushing our teeth. It is not about the time you might have to spend on your knees in the morning or before you go to bed, it is to be a constant. The Holy Spirit lives in us, we should be tapping into His lead every single day. And the more we do it, the more our conversation with Him will change.

As I look at what is going on in the world and what is to come, I’ve started praying daily that I will be able to stand no matter what. Truth is we like to think we would, but until we are put in that position we won’t know for sure. I pray that if I were in a public place that was sieged by Muslim extremist and they asked who was a Christian, I would be one of the first to stand, even if they threatened to kill one of my daughters or grandchildren.

There is so much evil going on in this world that we must step up and take our responsibility of prayer seriously—not assuming others have it covered.

Any place in life that you have struggled and been set free, pray for those who are where you used to be. You see sisters, if we pray daily for those who are living in hells we were delivered from, then things would be covered. All we have to do is believe that God hears us.

As with all privilege there comes responsibility. All who go by the name, “Christian” have been given the responsibility to pray for others and the world. If you need a title, then we are ALL prayer warriors and we are ALL intercessors. Amen!

Until next week...

Blessings and Hugs,

Ponnie

Why Do We Just Follow Along?

Most people follow along as they have been taught, assuming that what they believe and do is right. They take their beliefs for granted. Most do not take time to prove why they do the things that they do. ~David C. Pack~

Top left is a picture of me (60 years ago) and two of my cousins. It was Easter of 1955 and there was a good chance we were the best dressed kids on the block and at church that Sunday. You see, that’s what Easter was all about for me and my family—new outfits for church—dyed eggs—baskets full of chocolate, jelly beans and marshmallow peeps. And a big family dinner, with all the trimmings!

Where was Christ in all of this?

Hum, I guess He was somewhere in the church sermon.

Easter Sunday was a day (and still is) many were dragged to church by well meaning mothers, grandmothers and wives! There was a level of noise that usually wasn’t present (we were taught to sit and be quiet) from all the children and babies not used to being in church. My biggest memory for years was wishing the preacher would hurry up so I could get home to my Easter basket full of goodies, have a hardboiled egg and some of my aunt’s wonderful potato salad!

There really wasn’t anything special or out of the ordinary concerning Jesus on this day.

Eventually the passing of the torch came and I became part of the preparation for the dinner feast. I started baking strawberry short cakes with homemade whipped cream and cheery cheese cakes to compliment my mother’s roasted leg of lamb. By then, I had to purchase my own “Easter outfits” if I wanted to be dressed for the occasion. It was then I stopped going to church on Easter and just showed up for the dinner—I just didn’t see the point!

No one complained that I hadn’t attended the morning service. There would have only been a problem if I didn’t show up with my homemade desserts.

When my oldest daughter was born, I embraced the tradition of dressing her up for Easter. Why? Well, for one, I knew I wouldn’t hear the last of it if I showed up for the dinner with her in an everyday outfit. And there were a couple of times my mother took her to church with her. I must note it was often the only time my mother went herself.

As time has passed, people no longer dress up as much to go to church; they buy new casual outfits to go to Easter brunch, the zoo, movies and down to the shore.   

Truth is, people are not getting saved because of the celebration of Easter. Why should they? It is difficult to see Christ and the Cross in the midst of the Easter parade, Easter bunnies, Easter candy, colored eggs, Easter outfits and Easter shoe sales. And worst of all—the Easter egg hunts that a lot of church congregations have. None of it has anything to do with the death and resurrection of the Messiah on the Cross.

Once I became serious about my life in Christ, I began to grow (still am) in the Word of God. And what happens to any of us when we do this, the Holy Spirit begins to enlighten us in the Holy Scriptures and truth.

For the past few years, I’ve been studying my Jewish roots as a Believer. Our Savior was born a Jew and was raised by Jewish parents. Yes, He was God, but He thought it not robbery to give that up to come into the world as a man to save the world.

My studying has led me to the Jewish feasts and what they stand for. For instance, what many Christians refer to as “The last Supper” was really a Passover feast or “Seder”. Do we really understand what it means that Christ became our Passover lamb?  The more I began to study what this Passover means for us, the more I began to question the Easter celebration and its origin. I could not find it in the Bible.

With some understanding of how the Jewish calendar is calculated, and remembering that God started a new day at sunset, it made me question even more Good Friday. How is it, there’s a Good Friday every year? That is impossible? If something happened on a Friday one year, even though it might be the same date the following year it would not be the same day? The Jewish Passover never is. In 2014, it started Monday, April 13^th and ended Tuesday, April 21^st. This year it is Friday, April 3^rd (at sunset) and ends April 11^th (at sunset).

I began to have a sneaky suspicion we were making stuff up? And as I researched, I found out we have taken on traditions whose roots are steeped in pagan celebrations.

Probably at this point, some of you are annoyed and ready to stop reading. I ask that you don’t…please!

Here is a link to the booklet, “The True Origin of Easter” by David C. Pack. It is a lengthy read, but well worth the time. I’m not asking anyone to take his word at face value, but I am asking you to get into the Bible and see for yourself. Question God—ask the Holy Spirit for truth and revelation concerning the matter.

Over the years I’ve encountered the argument that the Sunday Easter celebration is good because it is the one time in the year that people come to church. I know that to be true from my own upbringing and family, but what does that mean?! If we as Believers do our job and disciple folks (not drag them to church) there would be no truth to this. And I’ve heard the defense for the Easter egg hunts on church grounds is a way to involve families and is an outreach to children in the community.

As a Believer, do you really think it brings joy and honor to God to have kids on their hands and knees looking for eggs in the name of the Son? Do you have any idea where this tradition came from?

If we pick up the Cross every day, love our neighbors as we love ourselves, give to those in need, take care of the widows and fatherless, forgive and live each day to please God and deny Him nothing—folks would be flocking to get to know Jesus from the overflow of His love through us.

Sisters, it is time to hanker down in the unadulterated Word of God and let traditions go.

Easter does not look anything like Christ to the world. This past week, Wal-Mart commercials were singing here comes peter cottontail (to the point my 10 year old granddaughter was singing it), Burlington Coat Factory has affordable Easter outfits for the entire family, Payless is having a huge Easter shoe sale, Dairy Queen has frozen cakes you can have “Happy Easter” written on. This is just a small sampling of what is being projected for Easter. But yet, we hardly hear much about how our Christian brothers and sisters are being killed daily for Christ.

Yesterday morning it was reported that 147 were massacred at a Kenya college. Somali Islamist militants killed all who were not Muslims. When asked, “Who is a Christian?” many stood up and were shot, but there were those who were afraid and were killed only after they could not recite from the Quran. We want our children to be able to stand for Christ, even if it means death, but planting seeds of tradition in their hearts versus truth, puts us in murky waters.  

You like dying eggs with the kids? Don’t stop. Do it for fun after Easter, and buy all the peeps, jelly beans and chocolate bunnies (which will be 70% off) you want the day after Easter.

Christ has forewarned us that there will be a great falling away, the world will be in such a position that if possible even the elect would be fooled. And last but not least, on Judgment Day, many who cry out “Lord, Lord!” shall be told by our Savior, “I never knew you.” and will be placed with the goats.

This is something to really meditate on. Are you sure you will be counted as the “elect” or will you be one who is fooled and led astray? If gunmen were to storm the mall you were Easter shopping in and asked, “Who is a Christian?” would you stand tall knowing they are going to kill you or would cower?

Until next week...

Blessings and Hugs,

Ponnie

The Hungry Years

Recently I was listening to the song, “The Hungry Years” by Neil Sedaka, and the words touched my heart in a way that moved me to reflect on how our lives can be with God.

The premise of the song is how he and a love had so much more during their hungry years together versus now when they seem to have it all. They paid the price of letting their love grow cold as they lived to meet their goals, not realizing that everything they wanted was everything they already had. Bottom line, he missed the hungry years when they were closer and he wants to go back.

This can be us when it comes to our relationship with the Lord.

When I look back over my life as a Believer, the best decisions and growth I’ve made were in the midst of the hard times in life. It was during those times; I clung to Jesus like a wet tee-shirt and learned more about His finished work on the Cross and God’s great love for me. But! I also see the times when once the fire or testing eased and things got better—I slow walked back into the exact thing He desired me to come out of. 

We all have a hunger in us. It can be basic and unique at the same time. The basic is, either we hunger for the things of this world or we hunger for the things of God. The unique depends on what we want and how bad we want it in our own individual lives.

There is a spirit in America that seems to have hold of many who say they follow Christ. It is a spirit of casualness.  Yes, too many only know the Savior of the world causally. I would have to say that falls under, “Being lukewarm,” wouldn’t you agree? No, maybe some of you don’t agree because I’m talking about you. But that is okay, because if what I have just said smarts in anyway, I praise God! Because it means He is poking you.

My life was such a messy, mess when I decided to follow Christ. And it took time to follow Him in a way that I knew in my heart there was going to be, no turning back! It took the hungry years or shall we say, “Trials and tribulations!”

Sisters, there are too many of us who if we don’t make a decision soon, will find ourselves without oil in our lamps and not prepared at all for the Bridegroom. (Click to read the 2014 blog How Much Oil Do You Have?) We are putting along, and hungering and thrusting after the things of this world and are blind to what is happening to us. We have moved to the point of defending and justifying our foolishness, versus take correction. We are not, studying the Word of God. Yet! We will be the first to run sobbing and begging Him to ease the pain when times get rough.

I think Paul says it best, “¹¹ Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your [spiritual] hearing and sluggish [even slothful in achieving spiritual insight]. ¹² For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God’s Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]! ¹⁴ But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.” (Hebrews 5:11-14 Amp)

I now possess a gratefulness in my heart for the hard times and hungry years, because that is what it took to bring me to a place in life to know who the God of the Bible is. And also to be able to walk in the Freedom of the “finished works of the Cross,” and have confidence I will be able to stand in the midst of what is about to come. Do I have it all together? No way! The more I learn, the more I realize just how much I don’t know. But studying God’s Word and living to please Him, is important to me.

Sisters, no one will be able to stand with just a casual relationship with Christ. It puts you in jeopardy of being part of the great falling away that is to come (some might say it has already started), or even worse—told to go with the goats because our Savior will declare that He never knew you. Is that what you want?

The promise of the inheritance of the Kingdom of God is for those who love Him. And Jesus says, “If you love me you will obey my commands.” It is impossible to obey His commands if you don’t know what they are? And I am not talking about the 10 Commandments of the Old Testament either.

It is time to get serious and stop drinking milk and eating the regurgitated meat of others.

Two weeks ago, I challenged you to give up a television show that was questionable for 2 weeks and replace that hour with reading your Bibles. There were some who defended how watching certain shows was a judgment call and just entertainment. My concern is—when did we start watching what God calls sin and calling it entertainment?

With Easter coming up soon, I challenge you to read at least the book of Matthew and John this week. Also cut back on television and social media. Close off the noise and distractions of this world and see what God has to say to you concerning the price Christ paid on the Cross for us, and what it entails to be a true follower of the Messiah.  

Girls, it could mean the difference between spending eternity in Hell’s fires or eternity with God!

Yes, it is just that serious.

Until next week...

Blessings and Hugs,

Ponnie

How Prepared Are You for Life?

I live in a country that has made education a god. And like all false gods, it has let folks down. The lure of the god of education is that it will set you apart from others; give you an elite status and most of all—prepare you to live the good life.  Therefore many have gone after this god, in hopes of securing a great future. But in truth, it has produced a generation of people who are steeped in debt (they may never get out from under), and a job market that doesn’t have jobs for all these highly educated people. So, where they thought they were investing and preparing for their future, they are now working jobs they didn’t need a college degree to do and are not making enough money to live and pay their debts at that same time. And the bottom line is—they are not well prepared for the future at all. In fact to many it looks pretty bleak.

Now I also live in a country that at this time still has great freedoms in being a Christian. Not as much as just 10 years ago, but still something to behold compared to our brothers and sisters in other lands. But how long is that going to last?  And are we spending our time and efforts preparing for what’s to come?

I think too many of us are not!

You might wonder why I feel this way and where I’m getting my information. Well, the Bible tells us, (in fact Jesus himself) that there will be a great falling away, near the end times. And He also tells us that on Judgment Day, many who think they are in—will be out. So, this information alone is enough for me to draw my conclusion, but I also see with my own eyes, many who are not prepared. Because the little things are knocking us down and throwing us for a loop.

Recently I was in the book of Mark and something Jesus said really jumped out! He was explaining the parable of the sower that sowed seed and fell in four different places. But the seed that fell among the thorn and thistles plants struck me the hardest because I see the working of it very clearly today.

Mark 4:18-19 Amp—“¹⁸ And the ones sown among the thorns are others who hear the Word; ¹⁹ Then the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless.”

Yup girls, this is what is happening to us!

Too many Christians are anxious. Too many of us are very distracted by foolishness and too many of us are spending way too much time pursuing America’s god of education and pushing God out. We can go an entire week without much sleep or rest to get a 12 page paper done or cram for exams and even work two jobs to get a degree. But we will not spend a good hour in the Word of God.  

I hear women expressing how tired they are all the time, but they still find time to watch television shows that are very questionable. Now, I am not the television police or trying to do the Holy Spirit’s job, but the Bible warns us of certain things—yet we continue to play with fire.

Have you noticed lately how more and more homosexuality, lewd and perverted sexuality is casually being put into TV shows? I have! Just a week or so ago, I was watching a show on the food network around 4:00pm in the afternoon with my grandchildren (ages 10, 7 and 4), when a steamy and vulgar commercial came on for Fifty Shades of Grey. I started shouting, “Close your eyes, CLOSE YOUR EYES!” as I scramble for the remote to change the channel. And yes, I wrote them about it, but they never responded. The program is rated “G” for general audiences, so why are you showing “R” rated commercials?

The past 2 weeks I have seen women kissing women on shows that in the past have had nothing like that, and the sad part was it brought nothing whatsoever to the story line. But some of us are feeding off this type of programming and we see nothing wrong in it. In fact we like to post about it on Facebook, and want to hold conversations concerning the latest episode. And you are the first ones, complaining about life and begging for prayer when something tough comes your way.

And that is because we are not as prepared for life as we should be. We are allowing the things of this world to creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it is becoming fruitless in our lives. You see ladies, the writer Shonda Rhimes, has nothing on Moses, King David, Isaiah, Peter, Paul or any of the other great writers of the Bible.

I have a challenge for you sisters. If you watch any type of TV show that has a story line, of sex, adultery, homosexuality, greed, murder, foolishness and mayhem—I challenge you to fast from it for 2 weeks straight and replace that slot with studying the Bible. That includes too much time on Facebook complaining, or pinterest (lusting) or anything that has you resembling the ones Christ describes in Mark 4:19.

Why?

Because things are getting ready to change in this world as we know it, and too many of us are not going to be able to stand because we are not prepared for what is about to go down.

Even if you find yourself in a season of thorns and thistles, God is more than able to turn that around so your heart is full of good soil, and can give great increase into your life. Read Mark 4:1-20 Amp (click here).

The time is NOW to dig into the Word of God and solidify your relationship with Him. It will be impossible to build an ark once the storms hit. And they are coming.

Until next week...

Blessings and Hugs,

Ponnie

The Bondages of Christendom (Part 8…Are You in the Right Ministry?)

When we think of the word “ministry” as Christians we are usually referring to being of service or to serve others. Therefore we have the prison ministry, the hospitality ministry, visiting the sick ministry, the children’s ministry, the singles ministry…and a host of others. Didn’t want to name them all, but just want to make sure we are on the same page.

Since I can remember I had always been taught about Jesus. I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, but I went to Sunday school as a kid, a Christian overnight summer camp for about 5 years, and church on Sundays with my aunt and a Seventh-Adventist boarding school for 3 years. So, Jesus was a name I was very familiar with. In the mid 80’s I was starting to feel the call of the Lord, and I started attending a Baptist church with a co-worker and his wife. One Sunday I decided to join.

Immediately following the service I was swarmed by a bunch of women trying to over talk each other to ask me to join their ministry. I really didn’t have a clue as to what they were talking about and truthfully they scared me. This was my first encounter with the new and improved church ways since I had denounced going to church back in 1970.

No. I didn’t join any of their ministries. In fact I didn’t stay a member there for too long.

While growing up and going to church with my aunt, I often found myself in the basement while service was going on setting tables for the guest who would be eating afterwards. I hated it and promised myself that I would never miss the service making preparations for folks to eat when I was grown.

I had a made up mind that I would not be a Martha, but more like Mary her sister, before I ever knew who they were. ~Smile~

Eventually I did get to use my administrative talents to help at a church I was attending and loved. But that didn’t last long, because the head of the ministry was a mean spirited woman and I had to cut her loose. But like everyone else, I too wanted to fit in somewhere. I wanted to be of service. Yet, I didn’t have a clue about true service and was just beginning to get some of God’s Word into me. And most of the stuff people asked me to do I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to clean the bathrooms, (I think people should be paid to keep the congregation building clean.) I didn’t want to work in the nursery because though I do like children, I don’t like everyone’s children. I don’t care for fresh, rude and unruly kids and you find a lot of that in the nursery.

After awhile I began to feel useless and feelings of being unworthy and unloved by God began to set in. That was until; I learned in women's bible study—that was not the case!

Have you ever been made to feel guilty if you didn’t agree to do something in the church? This is a huge problem for women. I can’t speak for men, because as you all know I write to women from a woman’s perspective.

One of the churches that supported me (greatly) as an inner city missionary would have many different social gatherings and the women were asked to bring prepared foods. I felt I had an obligation, but in my spirit I hated doing it, so as time went on I did my best to get out of as many of them as I could. When asked by one of the elders wives, (not my elder) why I was even part of their congregation since I didn’t come to most of the functions the women held, my response was, “When you have something for the women in the community, I’ll be the first to sign up and help. We always have teas for the women in the congregation, why not have one for the single mothers and their daughters in the community?” She never bothered me again.

Women have been bullied into certain duties in the church congregations for years. And I say bullied, because there is a mindset that because you are a female then this is what you are supposed to be doing—even if deep in your heart there is no joy. And though miserable, we are afraid to stand up and say, “No!” Often because of what others might think but also a sense of disappointing God.

Sisters that is not God’s MO! And besides, we cannot disappoint God, He knows all about us.

I’ve head TV preachers tell women who are having trouble conceiving that they should sow seed by working in the nursery! There will be no magic in doing that. In fact the motivation is to try to manipulate God in some way.

Our first and foremost ministry is our service to God. But even in that He has an order. Next is our family. As women, we can’t be involved in ministry where it leads us to neglect our husbands and our homes. If you are a mother, you cannot neglect your children either.

There is a season for everything in life. For some of us (especially in the younger years) it is all we can do to care for our home and family. A lot of us also work outside of the home. There is a season for mothers and wives to mostly be home. And if this is your life, don’t allow anyone to bully you into serving on a ministry that will take you away from that. And often single women are expected to do even more since they are not married and don’t have children.

Our spiritual gifts complement our ministry. And that would stand to reason, because God does not call us to do anything and not equip us with what we need to succeed.

I taught women’s bible study for 2 years in church, but after that it was always in my home. I was given the gift of hospitality so that it would be used with my service “aka” ministry. My home, (not the church building) is where I have housed the homeless, feed the hungry, and cared for the sick. But if I had allowed others to bully me into doing things in the congregation, I would have been hindering God’s real purpose for me. You see sisters, most of us are not meant to be workers in the buildings we call church. We are called to be disciples. 

When we allow others to dictate to us, what we should or should not be doing it becomes a problem. Anytime we are doing something that is supposed to be benefiting the Kingdom, yet we are tired and miserable—something is very wrong.

Many of us are gifted and have talents that are to be used for the congregation, but even in that we should be doing what we are called to do and not what someone says we need to be doing.

Back to the main theme of this series…everything for us is relational. It is through an intimate relationship with God, we find the path that He has for us. And in our appointed destiny there is joy and peace. Not frustration, discord and unhappiness.

This is the last of the series “The Bondages of Christendom” and I pray it has been a blessing. I want to thank all who have written to me to share and encourage me. I love you much!

My dear sisters, I can’t say this enough—study your Bibles. There is “Freedom” in Christ Jesus!

Until next week...

Blessings and Hugs,

Ponnie