Stevemidkiff's Blog

Jesus tells a parable to show that at all times we ought to pray
and not get discouraged and give up

Luke 18:1

When things appear to be falling apart what do we do.

Jesus says we should talk to Him constantly about everything.

I heard someone say that things are going to hell in a hand basket.

That phrase is a bit weird but it refers to our lives falling into disaster.

I tried to research the expression. I guess it was coined during the
French Anarchy. When the guillotine was used for population control,
They would catch the head in a hand basket.

So what do we do when things are falling apart?

Do we focus the problems that are the cause of the catastrophe?
Do we get all knotted up inside?

Or do we plead with the only one who can give us an explanation of
the reasons for things unraveling and ask Him for solutions?

J. Ligon Duncan writes that our God is more willing to hear our prayer
than we are to pray it.

In this story Jesus describes a certain city that had a judge. We could
substitute for the word judge any city or state politician who makes
decisions that effect the lives of its citizens.

This politician didn’t fear God. That’s another way of saying He rejected
God. He didn’t fear the consequences from God for his decisions

This politician didn’t respect man. He didn’t care if his decisions hurt
others. He didn’t care about people’s basic needs. He sounds insensitive
and even ruthless.

It’s harsh when our political leaders don’t feel any natural shame for their
behavior. They can appear impervious to any appeal to what is right and
fair. It doesn’t matter to them how counterproductive their actions are.

Jesus said this was an impossible political leader. He didn’t care about
God. He also didn’t care about the effects of his decisions on others.
This is fraught with tragedy for people’s lives.

For this oppressed Widow this politician is her worst nightmare.

But she was undaunted, she was confident and she was determined.

She just kept coming to this politician with her complaints, saying,

‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’”

She was being taken advantage of and oppressed by her adversaries.

She’s a symbol of helplessness. She doesn’t have the assets to bribe
the politician. She couldn’t afford an advocate either. All she had was
her persistent unrelenting voice.

What a story. What an example of perpetual unrelenting continual prayer.
She had needs, she’d been wronged and she was helpless.

Everything was going to hell in a hand basket and she demanded a solution.

Jesus wants us to keep asking, to keep seeking and to keep knocking.

He is our deliverer.

There we saw the giants.

Numbers 13:33

How did the majority see giants everywhere?

How come only two men see God everywhere (God the giant killer)?

But Joshua and Caleb saw God!

The majority consensus is:

We can’t attack . . .they are stronger than we are”

Yet those few that see God say:

We should go up and take possession . . . for we can certainly do it

Giants stalking us everywhere.

Problems pursuing us from every perspective.

Impossibilities making us into insipid imbeciles.

Maladies, conundrums, bamboozlers spreading propaganda

We’re covered in brainwashing & fake news thicker then cottonwood fuze neck deep.

Are we going to overcome the giants or do we let them devour us like a cheap snack?

The national Israeli network said:

This promised land that God has led us too is full of those who are “devours all living things in it.”

Sounds like God leads us all into one horror thriller after another barbaric panic attack

So I guess God’s the bad guy.

Two men, Joshua & Caleb implored the terrified Israeli millions:

“Do not be afraid . . . , because we will swallow them up” Num 14:9

Where’s the conquering attitude?

With God being for us who can be against us?

Aren’t We stronger by overcoming them? Isn’t it a blessing to have giants to defeat.

Isn’t it suppose to be that the one with faith in God can chase a 1000 giants away?

How about two with faith in God can chase 10,000 giants away?

Yes, without overcoming faith, we will be swallowed up by the giants.

Yes, without overcoming faith, we’ll be consumed by the impossibilities that block our path.

We need a spirit of faith

Yes we have the same spirit of faith, Paul wrote about it in 2 Cor 4:13,

I have believed, and therefore have I spoken.

We too believe, and therefore we speak,

We’re sure God raised up the Lord Jesus

We’re sure God will raise us up also with Jesus 2 Cor 4:14

For all these things that are taking place (giant impossibilities)

Are for our sakes, so that more grace, so that more of God’s favor

and so that more spiritual blessing (in giant slaughtering power)

extends to more and more people and multiplies through the many,

That more thanksgiving may increase and reverberate to the glory of God. 2 Cor 4:15

Therefore we do not become discouraged

We don’t get all puny and become utterly spiritless,

We don’t cave in to exhaustion, and become whacked out through debilitating fear

Yes, some of us are older. We have a laundry list of comorbidities.

Yes we’re a pile of pathological nightmares.

But God says:

Though your outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away,

yet by Christ’s Spirit, our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day. 2 Cor 4:16

For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) these ugly giants,

is ever more and more abundantly preparing & producing & achieving for us an everlasting

weight of glory

A glory beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons & all calculations,

a vast & transcendent glory & blessedness never to cease! 2 Cor 4:17

Here’s the key to being a giant slayer.

You know, It’s a nice achievement to have on our resumes

Since we consider & look not to the things that are seen

stop talking about the problems

quit sizing up the giants

No, but look at the things that are unseen

for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting)

but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting. 2 Cor. 4:18

I have grandsons who love to dress up in costumes as super hero giant slayers

And really, in Christ, that’s who we are!

The Gates of hell is not prevailing!

Satan and his minions are not the dominating force!

Yes, our body is like a temporary ramshackle tent,

Yes, we groan under the burden and sigh deeply

Yes, we’re weighed down, depressed, oppressed

Yes we want to put off this body

Yes we want the clothing of the Spirit

Yes we want this mortal (our dying body) to be swallowed up by resurrection life 2 Cor. 5:5

God has fashioned us, and He’s preparing and making us fit for this very thing (giant massacre)

God has given us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of His promises 2 Cor. 5:6

Yes, through God, we are always full of good, hopeful & confident courage;

We walk by faith

Yes, faith regulates our lives

Yes, faith regulates our conduct

Yes, faith gives us a powerful conviction of belief in our relationship to God

Yes, through trust & holy fervor; we walk not by sight or appearance. 2 Cor. 5:7

Yes, we have confidence & hopeful courage 2 Cor. 5:8

Yes, we are constantly ambitious & strive earnestly to be pleasing to Jesus 2 Cor. 5:9

Yes we’re conscious of being in awe of the Lord with respect & reverence

we seek to win people over to persuade them

it’s not the problems we talk about. No, It’s God we talk about 2 Cor. 5:10

Yes, the love of Christ controls, urges & impels us on in a constrained force

Jesus lifts us above it all

Jesus love is the most powerful force in the universe.

Jesus died for us, now we’re dead to everything but Him. 2 Cor. 5:14

Yes, Jesus is our life. We live no longer to ourselves. (We’re dead to the giants)

Yes, we live for Him Who died and was raised again for our sake. 2 Cor. 5:15

Consequently, from now on we don’t estimate & regard anything from a human point of view

We’re now ingrafted in Christ

We’re now a new creation (a new creature altogether)

the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] are gone.

The new has come! 2 Cor. 5:17

Yes all things are from God,

He allows the giants,

He allows the problems

He allows the things that appear to be devouring us

He allows the laundry list of comorbidities

He allows the pile of pathological nightmares

He allows the outer person to be [progressively] decaying and wasting away

But through Jesus Christ we’re reconciled friends.

We’re now face to face with Jesus

We’re now receiving His supernatural favor,

We’re now in harmony with God Himself

He’s given us the ministry of reconciliation to bring others into harmony with God 2 Cor. 5:18-19

God through Christ, is reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself,

He’s not recording & holding against us our faults, flaws, sins & trespasses

God has canceled them by reconciliation. Through Jesus we’re harmonized with God

This is total restoration to favor

Christ [virtually] took on all our sin to Himself. Jesus Who knew no sin,

Now in and through Christ we have become endued with His righteousness,

We’re now viewed as being in Christ and examples of the righteousness of God

So we can put on our giant slayer outfits

When You said, Seek My face

(inquire for & require My presence as your vital need)

Our heart says to You, Your face

(Your presence)

Lord, we will seek You, we will inquire after You

Psalms 27:8 | AMP

Listen, to us God, we’re calling at the top of our lungs:

Be good to us! Answer us!” When Your heart whispered,

“Seek God,” our whole being replied, “we’re seeking You!”

The message

The face of God is “the express image” of His personality. 

There’s a dictionary called the idiom dictionary

An idiom is a phrase with metaphorical meaning figurative not literal

One idiom

“On the face of it”

Means without knowing all of the relevant facts; at first glance.

to the casual eye, it’s called face value or surface knowledge

which is superficial

Another idiom

“At first blush”

means our initial impression without going deeper

Many of us know the Lord by initial impressions or surface & superficial knowing

We need to go deeper into His person. We need to become intimate and trusting

We need a face to face relationship

A Face to face relationships mean the exchange of personal thought

A Face to face relationships mean the expression of feeling

A Face to face relationships mean the experience of friendship

A Face to face relationship means the engagement of closest intimacy

All the beauty in the universe comes from the light of God’s face.

The face of God, the personal face of the personal God is figurative

language referring to the expression of his character

We have the privilege of interacting with God’s perfect nature & untarnished personality

We open our various access points to God our ears our eyes and our mouth.

We open our mind our heart and our feelings 

The evidence of faith is exhibited in our delight in sharing our heart in His ears

The proof of trust is our pleasure in relishing His eyes on our life

The verification of hope is our ability to wait on Him for his solutions and strength in challenges that come from his mouth. 

He raises us above the crushing weight of perplexity by setting us on the rock of his truth as he lifts our view through his communication.

Cast your burden on the Lord (release the weight of it to Him)

and He will sustain you; He will never allow His believers

(those He’s made righteous to be moved)

(Jesus keeps us from slipping, falling, and failing)

Psalms 55:22 | AMP

Pile your troubles on God ’s shoulders—

He’ll carry our load,

He’ll help us out.

He’ll lift us up.

He’ll never let us topple into ruin.

Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament by journaling letters often

Instructed through autobiographical experiences

In 2 Corinthians 11

He describes his hasty departure from Damascus:

A mob had surrounded the house Paul was in.

“And through a window in a basket I was let down by the wall, and escaped.”

He was “let down” by others.

2 Corinthians 12.

He describes a man “in Christ who was caught up to the third heaven.”

He was “caught up.”  By the Lord

People let us down

Jesus lifts us up

Give us oil in my lamp,
keep us glowing glowing glowing

Give us oil in my lamp, we pray.
Give us oil in our lamp,
keep us radiant with Your vibrance
Keep us euphoric till the break of day.

Sing hosanna, sing hosanna,
sing hosanna to the King of kings!
Sing hosanna, sing hosanna,
sing hosanna to the King!

Give us love in our heart,
keep us sharing sharing sharing

Give us love in our heart, we pray.
Keep us caring caring caring

Give us love in our heart,
keep us connecting, contributing & clarifying
Keep us communicating till the break of day.

Give us joy in our heart,
keep us singing singing singing

Give us joy in our heart, we pray.
Give us joy in our heart,
keep us enamored exalting extolling.
Keep us praising till the break of day.

Give us faith in our heart,
keep us praying praying praying

Give us faith in our heart, we pray.
Give us faith in our heart
Keep us certain convinced and confiding
Keep us trusting till the break of day

“God is doing 10,000 things in our life and we may be aware of three of them.”

Fox

We’re aware of little that God does in our life.

Of course we notice the unanswered prayers

We’re aware of our hard struggles

We notice the heavy worry that weighs down over the uncertain.

Time to ask for clarity on those 10 k things.

Ask Him to show us more of His glory,

Ask Him to reveal His amazing grace towards us,

Ask Him to open up the way he works in all the details of our life.

“Open our eyes Lord, to see Your wondrous things”

Psa. 119:18

We ask
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of glory,

Would give us the Spirit of wisdom

Would give us the revelation in the knowledge of Him,

We ask to have the eyes of our hearts enlightened,

We ask that we would know what is the hope to which He has called us,

We ask to understand the riches of His glorious inheritance,

We ask that He make us comprehend the immeasurable greatness of His power for us who believe”

Ephesians 1:17-19

We have our worries
We have our fears,
We have our griefs
We have our sorrows

We confess our sin

We express our desperate need

We delight in God’s cleansing grace

We have all those things we want God to do in my life & in others lives.

We need healing,
We need provision,
We need restoration
We need salvation

We ask God to work in our life
We ask God to move in our life

We ask God to work & move in
others lives

God has done so many things

We’re grateful as we think of all He has done.

He has never failed to provide

He’s steadfast in faithfulness

We beg for eyes to see His glory.

We plead that we’d be amazed and wonder-filled
at who He is
and what He’s done.

We open our heart to see God as God and ourselves as dependent on His grace.

To see His sovereign hand
in all things,
the small details
the big details

To see God whose always watching

To see God whose always working.

To see God whose always cares for every bird that falls to the ground

To see God whose always involved in
the minute details of each hair on our head

Mt. 10:29-30

All we encounter each day,

God directs each & every event in our lives.

God let us Rejoice in Your Wonder

God let us sing Your praises

God let us testify to others of all
You’ve done.

We will ponder all Your works

We will meditate on Your mighty deeds

Psalm 77:12

We well speak of all Your wondrous works!

Psalm 105:2

Jesus let us see Your glory in calming the wind and rain

The wind and rain obey You

And that You care about us

What happens if some don’t believe?

Does their unbelief make the faith of God ineffective?

Rom. 3:3

Does our faithlessness cancel God’s faithfulness?

No!

God keeps His Word even when everyone is lying through their teeth.

His word stands

Our Rejection doesn’t faze God.

But every scrap of our sorrow is unbelief.

Our joy is found in the faith that our past is forgiven.

Our joy is found in God’s enabling power

Our joy is found in our bright hope of our future with God

No one can change our joy.

When we stagger at Gods promise through unbelief,

we don’t enjoy the promise

Faith doesn’t merit an answer

Faith doesn’t in any way earn anything

But God, makes believing a condition of receiving

God the Giver has a sovereign right to choose His own terms of His gifts.

Samuel Hart.

Unbelief says

“How can such and such things be?”

Unbelief is full of “hows”

But faith, has one great answer to the 1000s of “hows,” and that is GOD!

C. H. M.

Praying accomplishes so much with so little

Our Lord Jesus Christ says pray

ONE BELIEVING PERSON,

and the history of the world will be changed.

Why not be that person?

The Prayer of faith brings Omnipotence to our petitions.

When prayer is breathed, earth & heaven, the past and the future,
say Amen.

Christ prayed such prayers.

P. C. M.

“Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer
except that which lies outside the will of God.”

Please be merciful to us, Your our Father & God,

Fear comes from all around

We get scared at the slightest.

We’re scared right now.

Save us from ourselves,

Save us from from all who attack us

We’re surrounded by odd situations

we feel set up by sneaky people

We thought they were friendly

We thought we were in their favor

But it’s always about them

They make themselves feel or look better at our expense.

Remind us when we are afraid to trust in You

We hold to each word You say to us

We are trying to trust You

Instead of fearing what others might do to us.

Don’t let others–
those who would harm us
those that attack our character
those that put a stain on our reputation,

They are sneaky,
They are snoopy
They are spying
They want to trip us up
They gloat over us
They twist our words.

Defend us from them, Lord God; trip them up.

We know, yes we admit we’re complaining,

Please hear us;

You’ve said we need to seek You

You’ve told us to cry out to You

Gather in each tear that drops from our heart

Wipe all our sorrows away.

Turn on our enemies and come to our needs

Give us Your Love

Give us Your assistance

We need You

We call for help.

We know that You are for us

Your Words, each one is precious to us

We will try to trust You

We will refuse to fear what others are trying to do to us.

Help us to keep our eye on You, O God;

We owe you infinitely more than our gratitude can express,

You have delivered us time after time, over and over

You catch us when we trip,

Help us walk in Your light

Keep us out of the dark shadows

You are the light of our life.

Psalm 56 paraphrased

When we look at the list of our difficulties

We only see a catalog of our triumphs.

The greater our troubles,

the louder our song of praise at the last

Spurgeon

Lord, You Know

We trust You

We Lean not on our own understanding

Proverbs 3:5

The term understanding means human logic

There are things we know we know

We also know there are known unknowns

we know there are some things we do not know.

But there are also unknown unknowns

the ones that we don’t know we just don’t know

it’s these things that tend to be the difficult things

We have to Dump the faulty human logic

There’s the wisdom from above

It’s pure.
It’s also peace loving,
It’s gentle at all times,
It’s willing to yield to others.
It’s full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds.
It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.

James 3:18

There’s the wisdom from below

It‘s mucked up with bitter jealous
It’s damaged with selfish ambition
It’s tainted with boasting and lying.

This messy selfishness is not God’s kind of wisdom.

This is earthly, carnal, and demonic wisdom.

This lower wisdom is the quagmire of disorder
and evil of every kind

We need God to speak to our dry bones

That we might live,

Lord God, You know. Just speak Your Word

God tells us not to lean on our own understanding,

Our ability to figure everything out is faulty

The beginning of Wisdom from above is humility

Humility leans on the Lord

We say, “Lord, You know.”