New Blog Site

I am in the process of transitioning to a new format for my blog, which will include a new name, site, design, and emphasis.

Darkened Glass Reflections made its debut this evening, at http://darkenedglassreflections.wordpress.com/. I expect to update this new site more frequently than I have in the past. It will mainly contain brief meditations or reflections growing out of my personal devotions. The first post discusses some thoughts about obedience and accepting the call of God, based on recent readings from the story of Noah.

Some readers may be curious about the blog’s title. It is inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:12 (KJV), which reads “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” God calls us to humble fellowship with Him, through faith in Jesus Christ. Today, we know in part; but we walk by faith knowing that someday we will know Him fully, even as He knows us.

If you currently subscribe to Mike’s Blog, I encourage you to subscribe to Darkened Glass Reflections.

Principles of Fasting

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that you fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And you Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18, ESV).

Fasting is probably the spiritual discipline that Christians are most likely to avoid. Many of us are willing to begin our day with a “quiet time,” or to set aside time for prayer, Bible reading, worship, or fellowship. Fasting meets resistance, though. If you invite people to join in a fast, there is a strong likelihood that you will hear some creative excuses for not participating. In fact, many churches completely avoid the subject or present it as little more than a noble exercise for Old Testament prophets, New Testament apostles, Jesus, or some wildly ascetic monks. They think that the ordinary Christian is not supposed to fast.

It is important to note, though, that Jesus expects His disciples to fast. In the passage at the top of this article, Jesus did not say, “If you fast.” He clearly said, “When you fast.” For a true disciple, the question is not whether you will fast or not. It is when and how you will fast.

What, exactly, is fasting? A simple definition is: fasting is to abstain from food and/or drink for spiritual purposes. It is not merely to skip a meal, but to consciously commit yourself to self-sacrifice so that you can more fully devote yourself to seeking the Lord.

When we fast, we subdue our physical urges so that our spiritual nature may grow stronger. All humans have several parts to our nature (body, soul, and spirit). We often nourish one part over the others. For example, I might sometimes devote so much attention to caring for my physical well-being that my spiritual life does not get the attention it serves. In fact, human nature being what it is, most of us are much more prone to cherishing our fleshly sides instead of the spiritual. When we fast, though, we put our spiritual needs first. This may be what Paul was speaking of when he wrote, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Some translations substitute words like “buffet,” “beat,” or “subdue” instead of discipline here.

The emphasis during a fast, then, is on spiritual growth, not on weight loss or other physical benefits. During a fast, a Christian should concentrate more attention on his spiritual and moral concerns, giving them higher priority in his life. The person who is fasting chooses to pray, study Scripture, or otherwise connect with the Lord at times when he or she would otherwise be eating. We sacrifice physical strength to learn how to lean on God’s spiritual strength. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Frequently, when people think of fasts, they envision 40 days and nights in the wilderness. Although it is true that Moses (Exodus 34:28), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), and Jesus (Luke 4:1-2) all fasted in this way, they are the only people in Scripture to do so. None of them made a regular habit of such extensive fasts, either. Jesus went on only one 40-day fast, at the beginning of His public ministry. Elijah went on a 40-day fast at a crisis moment in his ministry and the history of Israel. Moses was the only one who went on two 40-day fasts, both of which were centered around receiving the Law from God. All of these fasts occurred under very unusual circumstances, during true crisis moments in salvation history. Most fasts in Scripture were of a much shorter duration, usually only one or two days.

Many, perhaps most, fasts in the Bible were performed by an entire group, such as the nation of Israel, an army, or a local church. It was not unusual for a spiritual leader to proclaim a fast, and for everybody under his authority to join in.

In addition to the different lengths of time for fasts, there are also different degrees of fasting in the Bible. Some were quite thorough. In many cases, people had only water; in other cases, they had neither food nor drink of any kind. Occasionally, a person or group would abstain from solid foods and drink only liquids.

In Daniel 10:2-3, we read how the prophet fasted for 21 days, abstaining from any “tasty food, meat, or wine. At that time, Daniel probably went on a strict diet of fruit, vegetables, grains, and water. This passage, along with Daniel 1:8-16, provides the biblical foundation for what is known as “the Daniel fast.” [For more information about the Daniel fast, see: Susan Gregory, The Daniel Fast (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2010), or visit her website at www.daniel-fast.com. You can find other excellent resources by searching for "Daniel fast" on any search engine.]

Although not strictly biblical, many traditional churches permit a lighter version of fasting wherein a person abstains from a specific food type during a period of fasting. For example, the Roman Catholic church urges its members to abstain from eating meat on Fridays; fish is permitted, however. During Lent, members may be encouraged to give up one food item. This can be a very good habit to pursue, especially for those who are otherwise uncomfortable or inexperienced with fasting.

When choosing this option of giving up a specific food item, I would urge three specific guidelines: (1) It should be food that you really enjoy. (2) It should be one that you will notice giving up. Do not “give up” something that you rarely eat and will not notice is missing from your diet. (3) Set a goal that is both realistic yet challenging. You should give up a food that you can realistically abstain from for a specific period of time, while ensuring that it involves at least a noticeable (not torturous) sacrifice.

Fasting should be distinguished from other forms of abstinence, which often serve as alternatives to fasting. Such form of abstinence have biblical foundation. For example, in 1 Corinthians 7:5, Paul gave instructions for married couples who decide to abstain from sexual relations for a mutually acceptable period of time, so that they may devote themselves to prayer. This advice could easily be extended to other kinds of leisure activities. Most American Christians would profit immeasurably from a television “fast”!

Finally, I believe that fasting should be a lifestyle choice for all Christians. Early Christians fasted to some degree on Wednesday and Friday, which contributed to the development of the season of fasting known as Lent. Although the New Testament never commands a specific time to fast, the principle of regular fasting is scriptural. Such practices, including both regular weekly fasts and periodic longer ones, would be a blessing to any Christian’s spiritual growth.

All Christians should commit themselves to this challenging means of spiritual growth. If you have a specific medical condition (such as diabetes), you should check with your doctor first. Even if you are unable to commit to an intensive fast, you can at least commit to a Daniel fast or a simple abstaining-from-one-food fast that a medical professional would approve.  (Note: A hearty appetite or lack of self-control is not a “specific medical condition”!)

It may also prove helpful to abstain from a favorite activity during your fast days. That way, you can dedicate much more of your time and energy to the Lord. Spend you free time studying God’s Word and praying. Fasting is a challenge, but for those who persevere, it is also a pathway to greater spiritual growth.

Give Thanks In All Circumstances

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, ESV). Sometimes, this can be the hardest command in Scripture to obey. Thankfulness can easily drown in a whirlpool of self-pity when life’s circumstances cloud our view.

About 15 years ago I was in a meeting where everybody wrote a “gratitude list.” We all brainstormed things for which we were thankful, trying to see how many blessings we could write. As I recall, I filled a page rather quickly and was making substantial headway on the other side of the sheet of paper. There were not too many glamorous or exotic items on that list; it was mostly rather basic, ordinary things to appreciate, like health, family, a job, etc. Although fame and fortune were not on the list, there were many little things that I was grateful to have in my life.

About nine months later, I stumbled upon that list again. It still said  ”Gratitude List” at the top of the page, but this time the title should have read “Emotional Kick in the Face.” Almost every item on that list was gone. Marriage? My wife and I were going through a bitter separation, child custody battle, and divorce. My son? I had not seen nor spoken to him in months. My job? Nah; I only found the list because I had just been fired.

I realize this is not the standard lead to an article about thanksgiving. However, thankfulness demands a right perspective. If we base our sense of security on things that can change or disappear, we have little reason for gratitude. We need to cherish things that last instead of those that are temporary or unreliable.

Saint Paul wrote often about the attitude of gratitude in his New Testament letters. Yet, he did not have an easy life. When he would discuss his credibility as a minister of the Gospel, he did not whip out a diploma from an esteemed seminary or point to his popular television show and huge megachurch. Instead, he validated his apostolic ministry by writing, “I am a better one—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea” (2 Corinthians 11:23-25). It does not sound like he had much reason to give thanks, but his perspective was vastly different from that of most men. He had written, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Situations and circumstances are temporary. If your life and joy are tied to things that are temporary, your gratitude will lack security. There will be no foundation. Temporary blessings bring temporary gratitude. However, the opposite is true as well: temporary hardships bring temporary sorrow: “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

This life is temporary, but eternal life last forever. People may change, fail, or betray, but Jesus will never fail us.

Within five years of that gratitude list experience, I could write a newer, better one. In 2000, I celebrated Thanksgiving with a new wife, who has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. I have spent the last 14 years working in publishing (I had always wanted to do something with books or magazines; scientific journals will do). While the workplace has been stressful in recent years, thanks to economic challenges in the publishing industry, it still beats every other job I had before. A few months after finding the gratitude-list-turned-kick-in-the-face, I gained some fairly generous visitation rights with my son. Today, I enjoy chatting with him once or twice per week over the phone, and during part of those conversations I get to talk to my 2-year-old grandson (the 7-month-old is usually too busy to chat). I have obtained some great blessings over the years, but I had to go through some painful times before I received them.

Perhaps it was the hard times that enable me to appreciate the good things I have now. James 1:2-4 says, ”Count it all joy, my brothers, when you trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” God often prepares us to receive a blessing by allowing us to grow through trials. Even on Thanksgiving Day in 1996, when I felt like my entire world was collapsing around me, I could thank God that He still had a plan and purpose for my life.

When I was an assistant pastor, our church would occasionally sing a worship song with these lyrics: “Give thanks with a grateful heart / give thanks to the Holy One / give thanks, for He has given Jesus Christ, His Son.” No matter what else God may give us, He has already given us a great blessing by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. He has given us a gift that allows us to call upon the name of the Lord and be saved (Romans 10:9,13). No job, earthly blessing, or human relationship can compete against such a great gift.

Thanksgiving is a very appropriate climax to the month of November, as it leads to the conclusion of the church year. We begin November by observing All Saints’ Day. This feast day, observed by most traditional denominations, gives us the opportunity to thank God for the example of great men and women who served Christ faithfully. It encourages us to follow their example, which included maintaining an eternal perspective. It also reminds us that, like the great saints and martyrs of ages past, we have been offered an eternal home that far surpasses anything we have on earth. We end the month by thanking God for all the blessings He bestows on us throughout the year. Immediately after Thanksgiving, we begin the season of Advent, as we thank God for sending His Son Jesus into the world for our salvation.

Who Are You and Who Am I?

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rockI will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:13-19, ESV).

In this Gospel reading, Jesus confronts the disciples with a question every believer must ask. “Who do you say that I am?”

The question seems simple enough to Christians today, because we can look to the Bible, church creeds, statements of faith, and 2000 years of church history for guidance and wording. Yet, before asking this question, Jesus asked a more generic question: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

“What are people saying about me?” The responses were diverse: People compared Jesus to (and probably confused him with) some of the great prophets of Israel’s history. Any Jew would be honored to be compared with Elijah. Jeremiah was also a hero of the faith. John the Baptist was a recent superstar of the spiritual scene. All great role models.

Many people today will have seemingly noble descriptions of Jesus. “A great moral teacher.” “One of the greatest spiritual and religious leaders of all time.” “A great philosopher.” Once again, most of us would be flattered by such monikers.

Yet, as Peter realized, Jesus was more than that! “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Numerous men throughout history have earned some of the other titles people have ascribed to Jesus. Yet, only Jesus can be called the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. Only Jesus can be called the Son of the living God. Only Jesus is God in human flesh.

Revelation 19:11-20 give us a few more titles of Jesus. This passage, describing Jesus’ second coming in glory, tells us that he is also named or called:

• Faithful and True
• The Word of God
• King of kings and Lord of lords

Ah, yes, and Jesus even has a name written that nobody knows but himself (Revelation 19:12)!

Those names and titles tell us about Jesus. Like Peter, we are blessed by God if we know who Jesus is and what his name means.

Although Peter does not verbalize it, Jesus answers a question many of us ask ourselves. “Who am I?” Perhaps this is more of a challenge for modern Western man. After all, in Jesus’ day, most people accepted a destiny from birth. Peter was a fisherman because his father was one, most likely. Most men simply accepted the career and calling of their fathers. However, just as Jesus has many names and titles, he now bestows a new name, a new title, on his friend. In the process, Jesus tells Peter who he is, and declares his calling in life.

“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19). You are more than Simon Bar-Jonah, humble fisherman from an insignificant little town on the coast of the Sea of Galilee. You are Peter: a rock of strength. Jesus recognized Peter as a man with inner strength, who could be a leader for the church he would leave behind.

When Peter recognized Jesus’ divinity, he could discover his own dignity. When he could rightly discern the truth about Jesus, he was able to hear from Jesus about who he was.

It is the same for all of us. First, we must come to know the truth about Jesus. He asks us, “Who do you say that I am?” Can you tell him the truth about who he is? Your answer should be something like this: “You are the Christ, the Son  of the living God. You are Faithful and True. You are the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords. You are my savior, the only way into heaven.” He is not just a great role model or wise teacher. He is more than that.

As God, he is able to reveal to you the truth about who you are. Too many of us wander through life, trying to decide who we are. We spend our lives in a perpetual identity crisis. Acknowledge Jesus as he truly is. Then, ask him who you are. What is his purpose for your life? He will never steer you wrong.

Fellowship

“So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:41–47, NASB).

Fellowship is one of the church’s most vital functions. However, many Christians are unaware of the meaning or urgency of fellowship.

Some churches have almost no fellowship. People go to church, shake hands with the pastor as they exit the building after service, and go home. They spend little or no time with other church members until the next service.

Other churches enjoy a brief social time after service. They might provide coffee and refreshments in a social hall or other room after the service. Here, people can sit down and talk with their fellow church members. Whereas this is a vast improvement over churches that offer no fellowship, it is still insufficient.

Conversation inside a church building does not necessarily equal fellowship. I can easily discuss sports, television, music, current events, or the weather with people in the church building after service (with the obligatory cup of coffee in hand), but that does not make it fellowship.

The Greek word for fellowship is “koinonia.” It comes from a root word meaning “common,” and elsewhere in the New Testament it is translated as “contribution,” “participation,” or “sharing.” In each case, something is held in common. So, mindless chitchat or casual conversation about the weather and news does not equal fellowship. Fellowship begins when two or more people share their hearts, souls, innermost feelings and ideas, and struggles.

Scripture gives several indications of true fellowship. In Acts 2:44–45 we learn that the early Christians shared their possessions with one another. This practice was so complete that, a few chapters later, we read that there were no needy Christians. The wealthier Christians sold their possessions so that they could give the money to the poor (Acts 4:32–35)! Isn’t it strange that few ministers preach about that passage, especially in churches that proclaim the “prosperity Gospel”?

The basic lesson here is that the church should take care of its members. This care may be material or financial if a person is in need (especially if through no fault of their own), but the church should also provide emotional, social, and spiritual support for its members. The fellowship in a church is often compared to relationships in a natural family or, even more intimately, to the relationship between parts of a physical body. In fact, the church is also called “the family of God” or “the body of Christ.” Romans 12:4–5 says, “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually, members one of another.”

Every human body has trillions of cells, comprising thousands of organs, muscles, bones, and other parts. Each of these works to help the others: the heart shares its blood with the rest of the body; the digestive tract shares its food with all other cells in the body; and the lungs share oxygen with the rest of the body.

The human body has certain parts that seem more vital, but they need the other parts as well. Paul writes that Christ is the head of his body (Colossians 1:18). One might think of some church leaders as the spinal column and nervous system: bringing messages from the head (Christ) to the entire body. Others are the church’s blood, heart, lungs, eyes, feet, and hands, fulfilling different functions to help the other parts. Just as an entire human body suffers when one of its parts is injured, ill, or destroyed, the entire body of Christ suffers when one member is unable to fulfill his or her role. When separated from the body, that church member suffers much like a severed bodily organ does.

This points to a very important function of fellowship. We gather together to share our spiritual gifts with one another. Every Christian has a unique mixture of spiritual gifts which he or she should use for the “common good” of the church (First Corinthians 12:7) to build it up (First Corinthians 14:12). God does not grant spiritual gifts so that the believer can serve himself, brag, or pretend that he or she is a spiritual giant. Instead, He pours out His gifts so that we can bless those around us. We should all seek the Lord’s guidance, so that we may know the gifts He has given us, and may use them to bless others.

Fellowship also enables us to receive encouragement from one another. Hebrews 10:24–25 shows that we should “consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

It is not easy to be a Christian. Sometimes we are tempted to give in to sin. Sometimes friends, family, or coworkers seek to discourage our walk with the Lord. Satan often tempts us with his demonic accusations. All of this happens, in addition to the ordinary problems that all people face. When we fellowship with other believers, we may tap into one another’s strength. The one who has walked through a particular valley before us can guide us along the way. The one who knows your secret sin can pray for you and share his own victories and struggles with you.

A final aspect of fellowship that comes to mind is correction and confrontation. Perhaps this is the reason many Christians do not like real fellowship: when everybody knows you, they know what you are doing wrong! According to the Bible, when we know a Christian is practicing sin, we have an obligation to restore that person (Galatians 6:1), which involves confrontation to encourage repentance (Matthew 18:20).

Fellowship removes Christianity from the realm of abstract ideas and forces it into practical reality. We cannot merely say we love our neighbors; in fellowship, we actually learn to love our neighbors, even though they may not be too lovable. If we are sinning, somebody with whom we fellowship may be aware of it, thus helping us to acknowledge and experience our need for confession, repentance and forgiveness.

Fellowship with other believers gives us a greater glimpse of God. When we confess our sins during private prayer, it is easy to gloss over them and pretend it is a trivial matter that does not affect God or anybody else. However, when we confess our sins to a brother or sister in Christ who loves us, we feel embarrassment about them; we see the hurt or grief of the other person; and we also experience their love, compassion, and forgiveness. God reveals Himself most fully in fellowship. This is why Jesus said, “Where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst” (Matthew 18:20)?

Fellowship does not “just happen.” It is easy for believers to hide in the house of God. We often need to make an effort to cultivate fellowship. It does not happen so much through programs. To achieve fellowship, we need to consciously cultivate relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. Do not just go to church; bond yourself to other believers with whom you can connect as members of Christ’s body, both on Sunday morning in the house of the Lord, and throughout the week in everyday life.

Daily Prayer for God’s Presence and Guidance

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And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed (Mark 1:35, ESV).

When one reads Mark’s Gospel, it is easy to notice the miracles and healings. Mark emphasizes action. He talks about what Jesus did, more than about what He said. In Mark 1:29–39, Jesus healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law and others, casting out demons and performing other miracles. Although Mark tells us that Jesus preached, he does not report much of what He said.

However, in the middle of the story Mark mentions another important aspect of Jesus’ life. Although He was a miracle worker and preacher, He was also a prayer warrior. There are many ways in which we can never hope to be like Jesus; He was God in human form and the Savior of the world, two of many things we can never become. However, He was also a man of prayer, and this is one aspect of Jesus’ personality we can all learn to imitate.

The idea of Jesus praying raises some tough questions for some people. Why would Jesus need to pray? If He needed anything, couldn’t He just perform His own little miracle to get it? Didn’t He already know all things? If He has all wisdom and power, isn’t it safe to assume that He did not need any help from anybody, even His heavenly Father? Such questions betray a misunderstanding about both Jesus and prayer.

Yes, Jesus is the Son of God and He is all-powerful and all-knowing. However, as part of the triune God, Jesus always worked with His Father and the Holy Spirit. He never ministered without them. Jesus’ very nature demanded close communion with the Father. Jesus received guidance and directions from His Father, and through the Father’s guidance was able to perform His mighty miracles.

It is no accident that Jesus was praying just before He told Peter that they needed to leave Capernaum and go to the nearby villages to preach (see Mark 1:36–38). Perhaps, during His time of prayer, the Father revealed that He must not stay in one town too long. There were so many towns, so many people in need of the Gospel, and Jesus had so little time in this world. Jesus knew it was time to move on because He had met with His Father. Furthermore, since Jesus received His itinerary from the Father through prayer, it was that much more difficult for people to distract Him from His mission and His divinely ordained schedule. Jesus received counsel and direction through prayer.

Many Christians, however, tend to treat prayer like the Home Shopping Network or a department store. We pray when we want to get something. If we are sick, experiencing financial difficulties, or dealing with other serious crises, we pray. If all is going well, God may not hear from some of us for several days or weeks. In some cases, we might not pray for months until a crisis erupts.

Yet, if we find Jesus praying often, don’t we need to pray even more? If we find Jesus getting up early in the morning and finding a quiet place to pray, don’t we need to do the same? Jesus prayed for His Father’s guidance. Likewise, we should make prayer a priority. Every one of us needs to set aside time to pray, as a first priority (not just when there’s “nothing better to do”) and ask God for direction and strength to overcome any challenges we may meet.

Perhaps the most familiar story about Jesus praying is when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane shortly before He was betrayed (Luke 22:39–46). His plea was one of the most familiar prayer requests in the entire Bible: “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

This should be our prayer as well. In Twelve Step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, the Eleventh Step is ”[We] sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” Not only is this excellent advice for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, but it is also an important lesson for Christians.

As we pray, our first priority should be communion with God. Particularly in evangelical and Pentecostal circles, we speak of having a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” Relationships, particularly intimate ones, involve spending time together. In recent years, there has been a debate about whether “quality time” or a quantity of time is more important in fostering healthy families. When people started emphasizing quality time, it developed into an excuse for parents to spend long hours at work, devote little day-to-day time to their children, and then justify it by “making up for it” with “quality time” on a vacation. Recent studies, though, have generally shown that relationships are best fostered by a regular quantity of time. It is more important to spend regular time together when building a relationship, than to cram a lot of quality time in at sporadic intervals.

We should nurture our relationship with God through regular quantities of time as well. As we pray, we should make intimacy with God our primary goal. We should become keenly aware of God’s presence. We know He is with us! You should be so confident of His presence that, if somebody should ask how you can be so certain there is a God, you might be tempted to say, “How can I doubt Him? I just talked to Him this morning. He was right there in my room! Of course there is a God!” Let us pray, believing that God will grace us with His presence, because He will do it.

As we pray, God reveals His will for our lives to us. He sees the big picture that none of us can imagine, so we should be eager to know His will for us. Sometimes His will is not easy. He will call us out of our comfort zones. He will convict us of our sins and call us to repent. God’s will is usually not popular. He will frequently call you to choose between doing what is right and doing what is socially acceptable. This is not comfortable, but the eternal rewards far outweigh our momentary discomfort. That is why we also need to pray for the courage to carry out His will.

In the last year or two, I have resumed a concerted effort to wake up earlier in the morning. My alarm goes off around 5:30 AM, so that I can pray for at least a half hour before driving to work. I have noticed that the days that I spend the most time in prayer are usually my best days. The circumstances I face are not necessarily easier on those days. I might face the same workload, traffic, and other sources of stress, regardless of whether I pray or not. However, when I leave my house with the peace that comes only through prayer (Philippians 4:6–7), He gives me greater strength, wisdom, and patience to get through the day.

I invite you to take that challenge. Spend some quality time with God before you leave for work in the morning. Get up a little earlier (I admit, that is the hard part; the snooze button will beckon you) and read God’s Word before you leave. Ask God for wisdom, strength, courage, peace, and all the other spiritual blessings you need. Cast all your burdens, including the needs of those you love, on His broad shoulders so that you do not have to carry them all day long. Invite our Lord Jesus Christ to walk with you, guiding and directing you throughout the day. Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you with His divine presence so that you can make it through the day.

America’s Wake-Up Call: Ten Years Later

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I originally published the following article in October 2001 in The Wilderness Cry (the newsletter of my church at that time, Nassau International Assembly). This article was written approximately two weeks after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I share it again (with very little change) as a reminder of one response to those events when they were fresh in our memories, and to look at where we have gone as a nation since then. When I originally published this article, I told people that I hoped America would not hit the snooze button. Now, I hope we have not unplugged the clock and thrown it through the nearest window.

America received a shocking reminder of the horrors of war and the suffering that is common in too many countries when hijacked planes, serving as “flying bombs,” crashed into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. As I write this article, more than two weeks after the tragedy, only about 300 bodies have been retrieved and over 6000 are presumed to be buried underneath the rubble that once comprised the two largest buildings ever erected by mankind.

These events revolutionalized people’s attitudes and perspectives. Americans united: volunteering to help dig through the rubble or aid those who were digging; donating blood; praying for all who were involved in the tragedy. God was mentioned on television more frequently than He has been in a long time. Even the most unlikely television networks, including ESPN, MTV, and VH1, followed the events (sports and entertainment seemed quite trivial in the face of disaster), and several cable networks halted ALL programming in the hours that followed these events. Gossip columnist Liz Smith, in her September 12 column, admitted that her reports about the private lives of celebrities were too trivial in the face of such tragedy.

Will such changes last? I fear they will not. Within days of the catastrophe, people were already looting stores near the World Trade Center, and unethical opportunists were operating telemarketing and Internet scams, obtaining donations for phony charities that were allegedly helping those affected by the World Trade Center bombing.

As a Christian, this troubles me because these events may be a foretaste of biblical prophecy’s fulfillment. The first time I read the book of Revelation after I came to Christ, I was struck by how much ”Babylon” in Revelation 18 reminded me of New York. (The fact that Long Island has a town named Babylon suddenly seems to be more than a coincidence!)

A noticeable example of this similarity is the pride that so typifies New York, and the rest of America as well. As our nation’s leaders claimed the terrorists committed an act of war, I am reminded that no act of war has occurred within the United States in a long time. As a result of this sense of security, we have come to boast as Babylon did that “I sit as a queen and am not a widow, and will never see mourning” (Revelation 18:2). Especially in New York, we assumed that we would never see war or suffering. How naive we were!

Genesis 11 reveals how God responded to human pride in mankind’s early days. Some time after God judged the world through a flood, people began to build a great tower, saying, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the earth” (Genesis 11:4). We usually call this structure the Tower of Babel; however, this is the only place where English Bibles do not refer to “Babel” as “Babylon.” The tower is more appropriately called “The Tower of Babylon.”

The tower of Babylon’s builders sinned in at least three ways. First, they sought to exalt themselves instead of God. Second, they chose to congregate in one area of the world, rather than obey God’s command to fill the earth (see Genesis 9:1). Finally, they appointed alternatives to God; archaeologists have discovered the ruins of towers in the area of Babylon that contained early zodiac symbols. Some people believe the biblical Tower of Babylon was such a “ziggurat.” People were seeking wisdom from the stars rather than from God. Likewise, modern man has come to trust in money rather than Jesus Christ.

Additional similarities between New York and biblical Babylon abound. Revelation 18:2 refers to Babylon as a “dwelling place of demons and prison of every unclean spirit.” New York, as well as the rest of America, has taken great pride in its tolerance of different religions (although biblical Christianity is frequently rejected with the claim that “there is no absolute truth”). Certainly all nations have become drunk from the wine of New York’s immorality as it has become the media and information capital of the world. Much immorality is disseminated from New York via diverse media, polluting the minds of millions.

Finally, the merchants of the earth have become rich by New York’s sensuality (Revelation 18:3). As you read Revelation 18, you will find that Babylon is a major financial and economic center, just as the World Trade Center and nearby Wall Street have been the world most important economic hub. As we have sought riches without righteousness, and money without morals, we have prepared ourselves for divine discipline or judgment.

Several aspects of the World Trade Center catastrophe bear at least a cursory resemblance to Babylon’s judgment in Revelation 18. “In one hour such great wealth has been laid waste” (Revelation 18:17). It is true that only part of New York City was destroyed, and that it took a little over an hour. However, we can see that such a prophecy can easily be fulfilled in New York City. Revelation 18:19 mentions people throwing dust on their heads in mourning, while weeping and crying out. While people may not have intentionally thrown dust on their heads on September 11, thousands were pelted with the dust of the crumbling buildings as they wailed in fear and despair. People cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, even as smoke rose from the World Trade Center’s rubble days after the attack. Immediately following the attack, the smoke even be seen from the International Space Station orbiting Earth. Four hours after the building fell, Joyce and I saw the giant smoke cloud rising as we drove across an overpass in Oceanside, New York, about 30 miles away from the World Trade Center.

Let me emphasize that this is only a wake-up call. It is time for Americans, and especially Christians, to realize that God can judge our nation in fulfillment of even the most shocking biblical prophecies. He can do it in our lifetime. While certain elements of this prophecy have not yet been fulfilled, we now can see that God is able to fulfill such frightening prophecies of judgment in our lifetime. However, He is also able to restore and bless our land if we return to Him (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Even though America probably has more Christians than any other nation, we should still prepare for judgment. We may have higher moral standards than many other countries, but whenever God gives much, He expects much. We have failed to bless other countries, choosing to pursue wealth, comfort, pleasure, and other forms of self-gratification. We have chosen our own paths rather than to serve God and act as a light to the world. God used unrighteous, idolatrous nations to chastise Israel in the Old Testament. Why would He refuse to do so to use today?

Americans can, and probably should, expect our worldly enemies to inflict more violence against our land in the days and years to come. At this time, Christians should heed God’s call to come out of Babylon (Revelation 18:4); that is, we should come out spiritually, separating ourselves from the moral laxity, greed, lust, selfishness and pleasure-seeking that permeate our culture. In the days ahead, we must pay greater attention to God and show greater concern for the spiritual, emotional, and material needs of our fellow humans.

I pray that the heightened concern for others and the greater interest in things that truly matter will not dissipate in the days to come. I especially pray that we, the Body of Christ, remember the lessons of recent days. Let us commit ourselves to greater moral and spiritual purity and more intense service to God.