Bible Study

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Pray in your own words. Speak plainly to God; ask at once for what you want. Name persons, name things, and make a straight aim at the object of your supplications, and I am sure you will soon find that the weariness and dullness of which you often complain in your intercessions, will no more fall upon you; or at least not so habitually as it has heretofore done.”

You may embrace prayer with the utmost respect, yet at times you find that your own practice of it lacks purpose and vitality. You don’t spend time with God like you know you should and you don’t pray for things God would have you pray for.

Connect to God Through His Social Media—Prayer is a wonderful message on prayer that teaches what the Bible has to say about the topic. Connect to God as never before using His vehicle for social media: Prayer.

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To celebrate the launch of this new eBook, I am giving it away from free for the next 5-days. That’s right, starting tomorrow November 22, 2013 and continuing through November 26, Connect to God Through His Social Media—Prayer is your to download absolutely free. When the free promotion ends, Connect to God Through His Social Media—Prayer will be available at its regular retail price of $2.99.

The Sound of Unbelief’s Silence

By Victor Font Leave a Comment

My wife and I enjoy our morning quiet time together with the Lord. With a fresh cup of coffee in hand, we sit and read the Bible, share a devotion from Kyle Sutton’s book, Honey Out of the Rock, and then pray for the matters of the day. In today’s Honey devotion, titled Faith, Courage & Loyalty,, Kyle expounds Luke 1:5-7:

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.—Luke 1:5–7

You probably remember the rest of the story. The angel Gabriel visits Zacharias while he is ministering at the altar of incense. Gabriel announces that he and Elisabeth will conceive a child and they are to call the child John [The Baptist]. Because Zacharias questioned Gabriel’s announcement, the angel took his voice away for his unbelief.

As we read today’s devotion, my wife picked up on an interesting point that had previously escaped me. Luke 1:62 says:

And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.

Officially naming the child took place at the circumcision ceremony. With friends and family present, those in attendance made signs, or hand signals, to Zacharias to confirm the child’s name. This begs the question, why would the guests have to make signs to Zacharias instead of just asking him? The reason is because Zacharias was deaf as well as dumb. Was his deafness the result of his old age or did the angel Gabriel take away his hearing at the same time he removed his voice?

I believe that Gabriel took away Zacharias’ hearing and voice. Unbelief led to a profound silence in Zacharias’ life, a silence that caused him to retreat inside of himself and examine his own relationship with God. When he confirmed the child’s name as John, Zacharias’ health was restored. Filled with the Holy Ghost, Zacharias offers up one of the most elegant, prophetic prayers in Scripture:

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,—Luke 1:76–77

As Christians, all of us go through periods where our belief and trust in God waiver. When circumstances get difficult and seem impossible, fear often countermands faith. It is during these times, that we, like Zacharias, are spiritually deaf and dumb. We fail to hear the still, small voice of God as He directs us; and praise for Him is far from our lips. But fear not, we are in good company. David said:

But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.—Psalm 38:13

Thankfully, for Christians unbelief is generally a temporary condition, and again as Zacharias, God restores us to full health in due time. But did you know that there is an unbelief that sends a person to hell? In fact, unbelief in God is the only sin that ever sends a person to hell. Eternal life with God, or salvation as it’s called, can only be obtained by believing in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Salvation is not about religious practices, rites, rituals, or good works. It is about our belief in Christ alone.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.—Romans 10:9–10

Based on this verse, if belief saves a person, then logically unbelief leaves a person unsaved. Saved means an eternity in Heaven. Unsaved means an eternity in hell. It’s your choice to belief or not.

God’s Social Media: Prayer—Part 2

By Victor Font Leave a Comment

Jesus’ earthly ministry was remarkably brief, barely three years long. Yet in those three years, as must have been true in His earlier life, He spent a great amount of time in prayer. The Gospels report that Jesus habitually rose early in the morning, often before daybreak, to commune with His Father. In the evening He would frequently go to the Mount of Olives or some other quiet spot to pray, usually alone. Prayer was the spiritual air that Jesus breathed every day of His life. He practiced an unending communion between Himself and the Father.

He urged His disciples to do the same. He said:

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.—Luke 21:36

The early church learned that lesson and carried on Christ’s commitment to continual, unceasing prayer. Even before the Day of Pentecost, the 120 disciples gathered in the Upper Room

These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.—Acts 1:14

That didn’t change even when 3,000 were added to their number on the Day of Pentecost:

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.—Acts 2:42

When the apostles were led to structure the church so that ministry could be accomplished effectively, they said:

But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.— Acts 6:4

Throughout his life, the Apostle Paul exemplified this commitment to prayer. Read his epistles and you’ll discover that praying for his fellow believers was his daily practice. To the Roman believers he said:

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;—Rom. 1:9–10

Other examples of Paul’s commitment to prayer include:

I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;—1 Corinthians 1:4

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;—Ephesians 5:20

Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,—Philippians 1:4

We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,—Colossians 1:3

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;—1 Thessalonians 1:2

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;—2 Thessalonians 1:3

Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:—2 Thessalonians 1:11

I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,—Philemon 4, (AV)

His prayers for believers often occupied him both “night and day”

Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?—1 Thessalonians 3:10

I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;—2 Timothy 1:3

Because he prayed for them so continually, Paul was able to exhort his readers to pray that way as well. He urged the Thessalonians to:

Pray without ceasing.—1 Thessalonians 5:17

He commanded the Philippians to stop being anxious and instead:

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.— Philippians 4:6

He encouraged the Colossians to:

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;— Colossians 4:2

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;—Romans 12:12

And to help the Ephesians arm themselves to combat the spiritual darkness in the world around them, he said:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;—Ephesians 6:18

Unceasing, continual prayer is essential to the strength of a believer’s relationship to the Lord and his or her ability to function in the world.

<= God’s Social Media: Prayer—Part 1

God’s Social Media: Prayer—Part 3 =>

God’s Social Media: Prayer—Part 1

By Victor Font Leave a Comment

My wife and I took our daughter to college for the first time in August 2013. She attends school in Wisconsin, 1,700 miles away from home. It’s the first time we’ve been separated by such a long distance, even residing in different time zones. She is very busy at school. Between classes, studying and work, her life is hectic. Thanks to technology, we do get a chance to Skype occasionally, and when she can she’ll phone us to chat.

Whenever the phone rings and the caller ID says it’s her, we experience a moment of pure elation that we have another opportunity to talk to our little girl. No matter her age, she’ll always be our little girl. If you’re a parent, you know exactly what I’m talking about!

After such a recent call, I started pondering this matter of prayer. I thought about the excitement and joy we feel and how we tend to drop whatever we’re doing to spend precious little time with her. Music and TV is turned off. We walk away from the computers. It’s time to focus on her. It doesn’t matter how busy we are, when she calls, we want to give her our full attention, catch up on each other’s lives, pray with her, and help her in any way we can.

Then it dawned on me. God is our Father, our parent so to speak. The Bible is clear that the ultimate purpose of our salvation is to glorify God and to bring us into intimate, rich fellowship with Him.

“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”—1 John 1:3

If we, as imperfect human parents, can experience such joy when our children reach out to us, how much more so does God, our perfect parent, experience joy when we reach out to Him in with His technology: prayer. Hebrews 4:16 even implies that He’ll also drop everything He’s doing to pay attention to us. Imagine that, the God of all creation excited and focused when we call!

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a Welsh Protestant minister, preacher and medical doctor who was influential in the Reformed wing of the British evangelical movement in the 20th century, once wrote:

Prayer is beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul. Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face with God (Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 2 vols. [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979]).

The essence of prayer is simply talking to God as you would to a beloved friend—without pretense or disrespect. Yet it is in that very attitude toward prayer so many believers have trouble.

Because communion with God is so vital and prayer so effective in the fulfillment of God’s plan, the enemy constantly attempts to introduce errors into our understanding of and commitment to prayer.

For many, prayer has been replaced with pragmatic action. Function overrides fellowship with God; busyness crowds out communication. For others, prayer lacks a sense of awe and respect. Their efforts are superficial, disrespectful, and irreverent. Then there are those who believe prayer is designed to make demands and claims on God. They attempt to force Him to do what they believe He should do for them. Finally, for some prayer is nothing more than a routine ritual.

You may hold prayer with the utmost respect, yet you find your own practice lacks purpose and vitality, so you don’t spend time with God like you know you should. While there are many reasons Christians struggle to pray, there is one overriding factor.

Lloyd-Jones writes,

It is the highest activity of the human soul, and therefore it is at the same time the ultimate test of a man’s true spiritual condition. There is nothing that tells the truth about us as Christian people so much as our prayer life.

…Ultimately, therefore, a man discovers the real condition of his spiritual life when he examines himself in private, when he is alone with God.

…And have we not all known what it is to find that, somehow, we have less to say to God when we are alone than when we are in the presence of others? It should not be so; but it often is. So that it is when we have left the realm of activities and outward dealings with other people, and are alone with God, that we really know where we stand in a spiritual sense.

For Christians prayer is like breathing. You don’t have to think to breathe because the atmosphere exerts pressure on your lungs and forces you to breathe. That’s why it is more difficult to hold your breath than it is to breathe. Similarly, when you’re born into the family of God, you enter into a spiritual atmosphere wherein God’s presence and grace exert pressure, or influence, on your life. Prayer is the normal response to that pressure.

Unfortunately many believers hold their spiritual breaths for long periods, thinking brief moments with God are sufficient to allow them to survive. But such restricting of their spiritual intake is caused by sinful desires. The fact is, to be fully functional as a Christian; every believer must continually be in the presence of God, constantly breathing in His truths

Because ours is such a free and prosperous society, it is easier for Christians to feel secure by presuming on instead of depending on God’s grace. Too many believers become satisfied with physical blessings and have little desire for spiritual blessings. Having become so dependent on their physical resources, they feel little need for spiritual resources. When programs, methods, and money produce impressive results, there is an inclination to confuse human success with divine blessing. Christians can actually behave like practical humanists, living as if God were not necessary. When that happens, passionate longing for God and yearning for His help will be missing—along with His empowerment. Because of this great and common danger, Paul urged believers in Eph 6:18

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

And in Col. 4:2

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

Continual, persistent, incessant prayer is an essential part of Christian living and flows out of dependence on God.

God’s Social Media: Prayer—Part 2 =>

What is the Opposite of Faith?

By Victor Font 1 Comment

The classic Biblical definition of “Faith” is found in Hebrews 11:1–3, which says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

Faith

In the context of this article, the word “faith” as defined in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition) could mean one of the following:

Belief and trust in and loyalty to God
Belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion
Firm belief in something for which there is no proof
Complete trust

For me, faith is a combination of the 1st and 4th definitions. I belief in, have complete trust and loyalty to God our creator—our Lord Jesus Christ. As for the 3rd definition, believing in something (God) for which there is no proof, the Bible says something different. There is proof!

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.—Psalm 19:1

The Bible, in its entirety, is proof of God, but many don’t agree that the Bible is the true, living Word of God. Based on Psalm 19:1 alone, if you just look around at the creation, you can see God’s handiwork in its majesty!

I also don’t accept the 2nd definition, belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion. A religion is a personal set or institutionalized system of attitudes, beliefs, and practices. It is rituals and rites that may or may not eventually lead someone to a personal relationship with God. I have a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that began when I accepted Romans 10:9-10 as truth.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Notice that there’s no mention of religion in this verse. Salvation is a result of our belief, not the product of any good that we’ve done. Jesus is the object of our faith, and the Bible drives our practices and beliefs. True Bible-believing Christianity is a relationship with the Living God. It is not a religion.

Doubt

When you heard the question, “What is the opposite of faith?,” Your first thought may well have been “The opposite of faith is doubt.” Many people believe this. For sure, there is a type of doubt that is so completely negative it will jeopardize an individual’s faith. But there is also a more common type of doubt known as Socratic Doubt that causes people to question aspects of their faith. Socrates taught that belief in anything beyond a shadow of a doubt can be dangerous, and that clinging to what we thought we knew can trap us and keep us from truly knowing anything. He advocated questioning our beliefs until we could be sure of the truth.

Questioning our beliefs can be healthy and serve to strengthen our faith as we seek God’s will in our life and pursue a personal relationship with Him. Consider Mark 9:23–24:

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

The father in this story expressed his faith in the Lord and his doubt at the same time. At times, even the most faithful will struggle with their faith, but it doesn’t mean that they’ve lost it or never had it in the first place.

Certainty

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a luncheon with the North Carolina Executive Roundtable. The guest speaker was Sandy Costa, former President and Chief Operating Officer of Quintiles Transnational Corporation. His topic was The 4 Strategies Of Building Trust (In A World Where It’s Rapidly Disappearing). In one of his points, he said he believed the opposite of faith is certainty. After all, if we knew everything that was going to happen, we wouldn’t need faith at all.

It certainly requires no faith to know that we’ll all die someday and that each passing day brings us closer to that often feared event. It also takes no faith to know that our tax burdens are getting heavier and heavier and that there is no legal way for us to escape them. True faith, however, breeds certainty in a Savior who loves us unconditionally and welcomes us into His presence with open arms. Consider Hebrews 4:16:

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Faith gives us the certainty that God welcomes our prayers, and that His mercy and grace are ever present in our time of need.

Reason

For those who think faith is an irrational belief without any supporting evidence, the opposite of faith is reason. The ancient Greek philosophies were largely based on reason. The Apostle Paul encountered this form of opposition from the Epicureans and Stoics.

Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

Today, there are no Epicureans and Stoics of whom I am aware, there are however, Atheists and Humanists who value reason over Biblical faith. Yet, in their belief system, they are still exercising the 3rd definition of faith, they have a firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Whether they think it highly unlikely that God exists, or whether they just have not been presented with proof they consider sufficient, they are doing the same thing as Christians. They are adopting a belief without certain proof. They are exercising faith.

Fear

Fear is the last opposite of faith we’ll discuss. Take a look at Mark 4:35-41:

And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

In this passage of Scripture, Christ clearly equates fear with a lack of faith. Faith then is courage and fear is cowardice! There is a lot of fear around us today. I don’t know too many Christians who don’t fear something, unemployment, sickness, death, taxes, not being politically correct, not being accepted by other people or whatever. Fear stunts our growth and renders us ineffective for Christ. Fear is never from God. 2 Timothy 1:7 says:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Overcome the oppositions to your faith today. Pray for courage and increased faith, and turn away from the things that render you ineffective for God.

Blessed Are They…

By Victor Font Leave a Comment

One of Jesus’ most will-known messages, found in Matthew 5 and Luke 6, is commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. A portion of that message, known as the Beatitudes, is found in Matthew 5:3–12 and Luke 6:20–23. The term “beatitude” does not appear in the Bible. It derives from the Latin beatitudo which literally means “blessedness.” The theological and ethical concept of “beatitude” has long been understood to mean a sense of well-being before God’s presence.

The derivative terms “happy is” and “blessed is” are commonly found in the Psalms (used 26 times) and Proverbs (8 times). They are also used in other OT books. These beatitudes are pronounced upon the person who is righteous, having faith and hope in God. They are signs of a life lived in fellowship with the Lord, in the experience of forgiveness, and in the love and favor of God. The person so blessed is in touch with the fruitfulness of the Creator himself. Such a one lives a fulfilled life, a life as God intended it to be lived before him. Only God can bless, for he alone is holy. So when the Scriptures speak of humans “blessing” God, the term has another connotation, that of acknowledgment of God’s mercy, forgiveness, love, and glory.

Sometimes though, blessings don’t always arrive in ways that we think or desire that they should. Consider the following verses:

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.—Matthew 5:10–12

Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.—Luke 6:22–23

I’ve personally experienced this type of blessing often since Christ saved me in 1976. Each time, it has served to increase my faith and determination to serve our Lord with greater resolve. And while I don’t remember the details of every one of these opportunities, there are a few that have been indelibly etched into my mind.

The first time came when I was working as a Paramedic at the Jersey City Medical Center. After experiencing salvation, I became an enthusiastic Bible student and sharer of God’s Word. One verse that caught my attention is Proverbs 11:30:

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

One night I was working the graveyard shift and started sharing the Gospel with my co-workers. At one point, they physically grabbed me and lifted me above a wall that was just outside of the ambulance garage. On the other side of the wall was a 30-foot drop onto bedrock. They told me that if I didn’t put the Bible away and stop talking to them about God, they would throw me over the wall onto the bedrock floor. I never expected my co-workers to react so violently to my inexperienced attempts to share the Gospel with them.

Another blessing came in 1985 when I co-owned Bayonne Computer Center with a business partner, Chet Szymanski. We had just received a significant financial blessing with our sales and wanted to celebrate what the Lord had done for us. We had an old sign in the back of the store with removable letters. I decided to hang it in our front window with the phrase, “Praise Jesus, for He is Lord!” A few days after hanging the sign, we were awakened by the police who had responded to our burglar alarm. Someone had thrown a metal garbage can through the plate glass window on the side of the store where I had hung the sign. Luckily, the insurance company covered the vandalism and replaced our window.

A week or two later, there was an instant replay of the broken window incident. Again, in the middle of the night we were awakened by the police. The same window had been smashed, again with a garbage can. We covered it with the plywood we stored in the back room after the first incident. This time though, the insurance company wouldn’t cover it. It cost over $600 to replace the pane of glass. The next day, I moved the sign from the window and placed it on the wall in the back of the store.

Soon after the broken glass incidents, we received hate mail. An anonymous letter arrived from someone identifying himself as a local Jewish merchant. He said he was offended by our use of Jesus’ name and demanded that we remove the sign permanently. We never did find out who sent the letter, but wished he had the courage to speak to us directly. There was a small office supply store a few blocks up Broadway that was owned by Orthodox Jews. They frequently displayed their Star of David and holiday decorations. I often wondered how they would respond if they ever got a letter demanding the removal of their religious icons. We left our sign up in the back of the store.

Months later, we discovered that the man who lived in the apartment above our store was the one who smashed our windows. He struggled with alcoholism and admitted that on both occasions he was drinking heavily the nights he threw the garbage cans through our plate glass. He was angry with God and felt the sign was “rubbing it in his face,” whatever “it” was. We forgave him and moved on.

What I learned from these experiences is that as we continue to grow in our Christian lives, we will encounter various forms of prejudice and persecutions. We should not be afraid when these blessings come, but embrace them, ask the Lord for strength, and trust in Him to deliver us.