Faith Matters Podcast

Disturb Us Lord Day 4

Powerful Prayer Begins Where Complacency EndsSomeone once said, “Complacency is a blight that saps energy, dulls attitudes, and causes a drain on the brain. The first symptom is satisfaction with things as they are. The second is rejection of things as they might be. ‘Good enough’ becomes today’s watchword and tomorrow’s standard. Complacency makes people fear the unknown, mistrust the untried, and abhor the new. Like water, complacent people follow the easiest course — downhill. They draw false strength from looking back” (Bits & Pieces, May 28, 1992, page 15).In Amos 6:1 (AMP) the prophet declares, “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those on the mountain of Samaria who are careless and feel secure.” The children of Israel had grown apathetic in their prosperity and comfort. They had lost their sense of urgency and were not concerned about the things of God. But their perceived security was a myth. The mercy of God that held back disaster was stretched to the limit, and in Verse 7, God says the party is over! “Therefore, they will now go into exile at the head of the exiles, and the sprawlers’ banqueting will pass away” (NASB). Only after disaster had struck and the nation found itself in the chains of captivity did it turn to the Lord again.God forbid that we should have to be shaken out of our complacency by tragedy or disaster. How much better it would be if we would remain vigilant in prayer, recognizing that even in the good times, “…your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8 KJV). Powerful prayer begins where complacency ends.

Disturb Us Lord Day 3

Disturb Us, Lord!The Urgency of RevivalI am an evangelist who works on the front lines of the battle for souls in some of the most difficult, dangerous, and remote locations on earth. For us, prayer is not a luxury or an accessory – it is a matter of survival. The prophet Jeremiah spoke of a dreadful day that is fast approaching when multitudes of lost souls will declare with eternal regret, “The harvest is over, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” As the clock counts down the final hours before the end of the age, it is the heart of God that none should perish, but all should come to repentance that motivates us to go into all the world and preach the gospel (see 2 Peter 3:9).Everybody seems to want “revival,” thinking it is a pleasant and enjoyable experience. But to be revived is to be shaken out of a state of slumber, to be jolted out of apathetic complacency, to be alarmed, awakened, and startled. Too many churches that are praying for revival have a “Do Not Disturb” sign hanging on the door. However, a revival that fits neatly into a comfortable cradle is not revival at all. There is an increased urgency in my spirit and a growing awareness that God desires to raise up a mighty army of intercessors on the earth in these last days to spark a prayer revolution that will touch the world.These will be those who pray as Jesus did, not out of religious duty, but out of a relationship with the Father. Let’s be like the disciples and cry out for Jesus to teach us how to pray, “Teach us to touch heaven and to impact the earth. Teach us to be fervent and effectual, to move mountains, to break chains, to cast out demons, to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to impact cities and nations, to change the course of history and bring heaven to earth. Teach us to really, really, really pray!”

Disturb Us Lord Day 2

Utter DependenceI must have prayed for weeks before I preached my first sermon at 14 years of age. I pleaded for God’s help and blessing, knowing that without it I would be a miserable failure. Today, I often preach more than twelve times in a single week. I no longer feel nervous, even when preaching to crowds of hundreds of thousands, and therein lies the danger. Although I feel comfortable and confident behind the pulpit, I must continually remind myself that my sense of security is just an illusion. I could preach the most articulate sermon with the most extraordinary delivery, but I would still be a miserable failure without the blessing of the Lord.We must not take God’s mercy and faithfulness for granted in the good times and confuse presumption for faith. In nations, individuals, families, and businesses, complacency has the same effect; it is the enemy of victory and the ally of defeat. In no other area is complacency so lethal as in the prayer life — especially when everything is going well. I find that the more secure we feel, the more danger we are in, because it is in comfort that we can so easily forget our utter need for God. That’s why, before I get up to preach, I pray the prayer that used to be said in the classrooms of America before prosperity made her apathetic towards the very One who had so blessed her: “Almighty God, I acknowledge my utter dependence upon You and beg for Your blessing.” It is this awareness of our complete dependence upon God that will make us diligent in prayer. If you lack this consciousness in your life, chances are you are sleepwalking through the perilous wilds of complacency.

Disturb Us Lord Day 1

Complacency: A Lethal EnemyThe pounding at the door rattled the entire house just before the foot of an impatient Roman soldier kicked it from its hinges. Peter was still in bed when the guards grabbed him and hauled him into the dusty Jerusalem streets where a prison wagon was waiting. The high priest had exercised his political power and commanded that the disciples of Jesus be rounded up like ordinary criminals to be incarcerated in a common prison. But with the evening would come to an extraordinary miracle. Acts 5:19 says, “But the angel of Lord by night opened the prison doors and brought them forth.” What a glorious deliverance and testimony! God had demonstrated His power once again, and these early followers of Jesus must have felt invincible.I think what happened next is typical of human nature. It would appear that in the midst of great victories, a cloud of complacency had dulled some of the believers’ spiritual senses. In Acts 12 we read that the persecution against the church continued. But this time it was Herod who had initiated the arrest and instead of seizing all the apostles at once, he started with James, the brother of John. Everyone assumed that James would be fine. After all, God had delivered the apostles from prison once before, and surely, He would do it again… or would He? We read of no prayer meetings, no vigils, and no intercession. All was well and no one was concerned until the church was devastated by the dreadful news: James was executed at the hands of the wicked ruler. Complacency is among the most dangerous enemies of the believer because it is so easy to fall into and very difficult to detect in our own lives before we are rudely awakened.

Better Decisions Day 5

What does love require of me?This clarifying, but terrifying question should stand guard over our consciences. It should serve as guide, signpost, and compass as we navigate the unavoidable complexities inherent in every relationship. It should inform how we date, parent, boss, manage, and coach. It should form a perimeter around what we say and do in our roles as spouses, coworkers, and neighbors.This question gives voice to God’s will for us on issues where the Bible, as well as all other religious literature, is silent. It fills the gaps with disquieting precision. It succeeds where concordances fail. It quashes the insipid justification, “But the Bible doesn’t say there’s anything wrong with ______.” It closes loopholes. It exposes hypocrisy. It stands as judge and jury. It’s so simple. But it’s so inescapably demanding.Our final question, fueled and informed by Jesus’s “as I have loved you” command, intersects with every imaginable relational scenario. We are all tempted at times to ask or wonder how little we can get by with relationally—the very thing we don’t want the person on the other side of us to consider. This question calls us to account. When presenting this concept publicly, I often ask the audience to commit the following to memory:When unsure of what to say or do, ask what love requires of you.We don’t need chapter and verse. We have something better. Namely, Jesus’s new, all-encompassing, inescapably simple command. We are to do unto others as our heavenly Father, through Christ, has done unto us. He did what was best for us. We, in turn, are to do what’s best for others, even when less-than-what’s-best is embraced as acceptable by the others.Love.Love fills the gaps. Love reduces the friction created by our limited insight, knowledge, and judgment-inhibiting experiences. There is much I don’t know. There are things I’ll never understand. But my ignorance does not impede my capacity to put others first.So while I’m not always sure what to believe, and while my views on a variety of things continue to mature and change, I almost always know what love requires of me.I bet you do, too.

Better Decisions Day 4

Join Andi and Brian Hale as they read God's Word.