The World's Most Dangerous Prayer

As I have confessed before in other posts, I have been struggling with a bad attitude and anger issues this year. I really get the sense that God is dealing with me on this issue in a very serious way. I see a chain of events forming in my life that may bring this issue to a head. Rather than focus on all my problems, which I can’t change and only make me angrier, I am trying to work on what I can change: ME!

I want to become more godly and Christ-like. I want to become a man of virtue and character. I want to walk in the safe path of wisdom that leads safely through the fire and shadow of death to deliverance, rather than the comfortable path of foolish leisure that leads only to permanent destruction.

Today I will share with you what I studied in my own personal Bible study this morning. I am seeking God’s wisdom about being a patient and gentle man, rather than a hot-tempered fool. Some confuse patience with weakness. I have assumed, incorrectly, that patience with situations or people who are wrong is somehow weakness. I have let my impatience and frustration at a problem or people drive me to acts of quick-tempered folly. However, patience is not weakness it is wisdom. Self-control against opposition is not a lack of conviction; it is waiting for the appropriate time to implement your conviction for success.

Proverbs 16:32 says, “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.” Patience can be mightier than physical force. A man who controls his temper can be more powerful than a man with the power to destroy an opponent. Rather than destroy a city, wouldn’t it be better to be patient and see if the king of that city can be won over by your virtue in the face of the difficulty.

Jesus could have destroyed us all because of our sin. Rather than be quick-tempered and destroy the world in one fiery blast, Jesus came and suffered among us and died on the cross for our sins. He did this to save us and persuade us to follow his ways. Proverbs 25:15 says, “Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.” Isn’t patient persuasion better than the cost of destruction?

Now granted, there will be some who still will not listen to reason and mock the patient love of God. Their destruction will be complete but it won’t be because God was hot-tempered and did not patiently wait to give people and opportunity to be saved. 2 Peter 3:15 says, “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.”

Notice that Peter calls Paul’s discourse on God’s patience “wisdom.” Wisdom is patient. No wonder I am so often a fool. Proverbs 19:11 says, “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” Patience is a sign of wisdom and virtue. If I have a lack of patience, then I must have a lack of wisdom. Ouch! Wisdom and patience are bound together and cannot be taken apart. Patience and forgiveness bring you glory.

Proverbs 14:29 says, “A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.” When I go off in anger or show a lack of patience it is like a large neon sign flashing over my head, “LOOK HERE IS A FOOL!” How many times have I put my folly on parade? And you always end up saying, doing, or being something you regret. When you don’t apply self-control to justified anger, your impatience will lead to foolish acts of sinfulness. As it says in Proverbs 14:17, “A quick-tempered man does foolish things.”

Next time you feel a lump in your throat, your face goes flush, and you burn in anger remember trust in God and wait on him to fix the injustice or show you a path of patient wisdom to take to address the problem. Don’t just react with base fleshly responses, but look to the Scriptures for the patient gentle path that brings God’s power to play.

Proverbs 29:22 says, “An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.” If we are hot-tempered and have a short fuse, we will commit many sins. We will bring guilt on our own soul if we act emotionally rather than deliberately after contemplation of wisdom. James 1:19 teaches, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” There is the path of wisdom.

We also see that hot-tempered anger and impatient foolishness is unfortunately contagious. Proverbs 15:18 says, “A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.” A harsh angry response only makes matters worse. With a slow methodical, logical, loving, gentle response of patience, a quarrel will die down and be extinguished with the cool waters of reason, compassion, and forgiveness. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

If we respond in a kind and patient manner, people will be more likely to do the same. It will expose their foolishness, if they rage on in the face of grace and peace. Likewise, an impatient and angry response will breed more quarrels and dissention. A quick temper is a contagious disease. Proverbs 22:24-25 says, “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.” Notice that having a short fuse is a trap. It’s a snare. Don’t fall into it by hanging out with those already in its evil grasp.

There have been many hardships I have had to endure because of my temper. As a child I ended up in the hospital with stitches because in anger I reacted foolishly to my sister’s acts of injustice by jumping through French doors which led to her bedroom. I never did that again. I am sure God allowed that pain and didn’t spare me, because he wanted to teach me a lesson about physical violence. Now I am not a physically violent person in my anger. I had a hard lesson to teach me that. I still have a scar. I still have trouble with patience and controling my tongue. I fear a hard lesson about my tongue is coming soon and I prefer to learn the easy way rather than the hard way. I know God loves me enough to let me endure hardship to try to teach me the wisdom of patience.

Proverbs 19:19 “A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.” If you have a child, friend or employee who is hot-tempered and you help them escape the trouble their quick-temper brings, you will have to help them again later. Sometimes the only way to learn is to follow foolishness to its bitter reward. I hope to avoid this by following wisdom in a path of peace and patience. Asking God for patience may be the worlds most dangerous prayer. He has a way of answering that prayer. Dear God, help me to take the steps to change and have the wisdom to be patient in the face of anger.

SOME BAD NEWS AND SOME GOOD NEWS

Why Some People Believe Democrats are Anti-Christian
This is a picture of a metallic car sticker which was being offered by the Washington State Democratic Party on their official web site. The sticker is of the Christian fish symbol and cross emblazoned with the word "hypocrite" on a background of hellish flames. After a massive negative public reaction, they quietly removed it. However, at no time was there an apology offered. Click here to see the original page.

A Mom's Prayer Of Faith Answered As She Tosses Baby Out of Burning Apartment

NEW YORK — Tracinda Foxe, 30, was cornered by smoke and flames in the Bronx apartment on Wednesday when she went to the window with son Eric Guzman. She prayed "'God, please save my son,'"and then dropped her 1-month-old son out a window to the crowd below. The infant was caught safely by Felix Vazquez, 39 who just so happens to play catcher for his employer's baseball team.

Mr. Vazquez gave the baby mouth-to-mouth resuscitation — a skill he just so happened to have picked up two decades ago as a teenage lifeguard — and the mother was rescued by firefighters. "I prayed that someone would catch him and save his life," Tracinda said. And he did! Both were treated at a hospital and released.

Watch the vidoe here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,178786,00.html

God says in Psalms 50:15, "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

What are we teaching the children....

Who do kids know more about today, Santa or Jesus?

Have you lied to your kids? Click Here

Is the death penalty wrong?

Convicted murderer Stanley “Tookie” Williams is going to be put to death tonight. His impending execution has rallied the anti-death penalty crowd and also brought the reaction of several Hollywood actors. Click here to read the facts. Now everyone is debating the death penalty again. Should this man who founded a gang responsible for thousands of deaths, and who was personally convicted of four murders be executed?

Has he truly changed and deserve clemency when he…

1. Has yet to admit the murders he was clearly convicted of doing?
2. Has yet to show any remorse for killing four people?
3. Has claimed he wrote children’s books which were actually written by ghost authors who used his name?
4. Will not give up the names of current member of his gang who are bringing in drugs all over the U.S.?

To see why the L.A. Times says Stanley “Tookie” Williams should die click here.

But all this talk about the death penalty brings me to one reader’s question.

Question: “Is the death penalty wrong? Didn’t Jesus say to ‘love our enemies”?

Answer: The question whether or not the death penalty is right is an often-asked question because of what seem like contradictory statements in the Bible. However, with a careful look we will find that these statements are not contradictory but are teachings given to different people in different roles. We will find that the death penalty is not wrong and is the government’s responsibility given by God.

On a personal level Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:38-45, "You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

In this chapter Jesus is going through and quoting all the maxims of the religious teachers of his day and refuting them. Here he is refuting personally taking vengeance. It was a common misinterpretation of Scripture in Jesus day to take verses written as commandments to judges and government officials and apply them to the individual.

The term Jesus refutes about taking an “eye for an eye” is from God himself. It can be found in Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20 and Deuteronomy 19:21. In each of these passages, it is talking about what a judge and a court are to do. It gives requirements for witnesses, and other legalities. This command of taking an “eye for an eye” was a command for the civil court system not the individual.

The teachers in Jesus day were abusing the above passages by applying them to personal circumstances. The courts were to give justice not the individual. As individuals, we are to give mercy and not take vengeance ourselves.

The Apostle Paul instructs us in Romans 12:19-20, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

So the instruction for the individual Christian is to never take vengeance because that is God’s department. For instance, if someone were to murder your loved one, it would be wrong for you to kill him or her. Vengeance belongs to God. Leave room for Him to do his job. Instead we should love our enemies just as Christ loved us when were his enemy by our many sins.

So how does God take vengeance? We know it belongs to Him. How does he execute his justice and vengeance up on the evildoer? God’s word goes on to explain right after Romans 12 where it says not to “take vengeance”, who his “agent of wrath” is in Romans 13.

Romans 13:1-4 plainly teaches, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”

So Romans 12 gives us the rule for the individual. We are not to take vengeance or an “eye for an eye” but we are to forgive and love our enemies. Romans 13 teaches that God takes vengeance on the “evildoer.” And to do this God has established “governing authorities.”

Notice Romans 13:4 says that the government “does not bear the sword for nothing.” Swords were not used in Paul’s day to tickle people with. They were used to kill people. The government is established by God and has the right and the responsibility to kill evildoers.

This God given role of government is why the Christian should support both the military and the civil justices system in executing justice against the wicked. Government is God’s “servant” and His “agent of wrath.” To not support them or thwart their work is to thwart God’s justice.

In Jesus day the teachers took instructions to judges and courts in the Law and abused them by misapplying them to the individual. The ironic thing is, that today, many teachers take Jesus teachings to the individual and abuse them by misapplying them to the government, military or court system.

We should support our courts as long as their actions are justly applied against those who do evil. They are God’s servants to give us justice and punish the evildoer. Our police, judges, and prison guards are God’s servants to give us justice and they deserve our honor.

Genesis 9:6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man."