Spiritual Gifts are still for today. That's what my articles and fantasy book are all about. Each one has a Biblical message of some sort to help the hurting and to inspire believers.
Comic books, like Bibles, can act as portals, transporting readers to a supernatural realm. That is a main theme in my book Speed of Sight, a Superhero Adventure. It is about an ordinary boy who reads a special comic book. This comic acts as a portal, transporting him to places he’s never been before and opening up his mind to the supernatural.
Like the Bible, this special brand of comic book inspires faith and gives hope to the broken-hearted. It enables the hero to see beyond his circumstances into a different, more powerful reality. As his home life falls apart, he sees the comic in his hand. It shines light on the evil forces that wish to ruin his life and shows him how to deal with them. After reading this comic, he finds himself sealed in a transparent pod which takes him on a trip through outer space.
Like Philip from the book of Acts, he gets “translated” from one place to another – in this case, it involves another realm. The comic acts as a catalyst, providing the faith fuel the hero needs on his journey.
While in this other realm, the hero meets the one who wrote the special comic books. This man, like Christ, is the author and finisher of the hero’s faith. With one touch of his pen, this Christ figure empowers the hero with supernatural abilities. These supernatural abilities enable him to defeat bullies and save lives.
Such abilities, in a broad sense, represent spiritual gifts. The ability to see things others can’t, for example, may correlate to words of knowledge, wisdom, or discernment. The ability to move at super speeds is like a supernatural form of transportation. Again, I think of Philip, or perhaps Enoch the Old Testament saint. He was the one who walked with God. Then suddenly one day he disappeared.
It was a miracle.
Miracles come from connecting with God and believing what He says.
As Daniel 11:32 declares, “Those who know their God will be strong and do exploits.”
Or, to quote Jesus, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do he shall do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” (John 14:12)
Such Bible words build faith and open portals to the supernatural. Inspired comic books, which enable us to picture those words, can do the same. That’s what Speed of Sight is all about. Feel free to check it out. If you like it, take the time to give it a thoughtful review.
After all, it’s all about that portal, the connection that enables us to transcend time and space in order to connect us with the supernatural.
Digging wells is important, I have discovered, for dispensing living water that refreshes thirsty souls. When I first received the prophecy concerning God’s Word pouring out of me, I experienced a flood of inspiration. It bubbled up in the form of poems, skits, humor, stories, and profound Biblical insights. Drops of truth few others had dug up shone like gems inside my mind. I couldn’t wait to share them.
Then the Philistines came along and sought to plug the writing wells I dug by faith, while I following in the footsteps of Abraham, the man of faith. The Philistines, fathers of giants, used destructive criticism to dump dirt on the golden nuggets that sprang forth from my well. I had barely started digging but they wanted me to stop. Their intimidation tactics made me want to give up.
“After all, why write something nobody cares about?” they whispered in my ears.
“What if no one reads this novel you’ve been working on for years?”
“This isn’t right. You’re too obsessed. This work consumes you.”
“It’s an idol, not a gift.”
Their taunts, though true, hit my ears like clashing gongs. Forget the “diamonds in the rough” I had unearthed. All they chose to feast their eyes on was the mess. As I listened to their digs, my pile of unpolished gems turned into a mountain of a writer’s block: huge, overwhelming, and impenetrable. With that as my focus, I’d never get anything to drink!
Let’s face it: Digging wells isn’t easy, but it’s the only way to move that writer’s block – because sometimes you have to move more mud out of the way to reach the water. Besides, that mud is packed with gems of inspiration. The more you dig, the more you’ll find.
For example, the first few gems you unearth may contain bits of dialogue. Later on, you may see some characters take take shape. Moreover, despite the fact that digging wells can be a years-long process, you’ll eventually hit water – but only if you keep digging.
Patience (aka long-suffering) is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22). It is also the first attribute associated with love in I Corinthians chapter 13.
How many people these days exhibit patience though? I know I struggle with it. I want people to be nice to me NOW. When they get impatient, I get upset. I am impatient for them to be patient! Oh, what a flawed world we live in. We have more flaws than we know.
But God is patient. I John 4:8 tells us that God IS love. To know God is to have this patient love living in us. As God the Father’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ demonstrated that love toward us (see John 3:16). It is a very patient love.
Acts 10:38 declares that Jesus did good and healed everyone that the devil oppressed. Out of love – the Father’s perfect love – He healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast out devils. His love was full of patience and endured much unbelief.
One time there was a man whose son had a deaf and dumb spirit. Jesus’ disciples could not cast it out. When Jesus heard this, it frustrated him. “O unbelieving generation! How long must I remain with you?” he said. “How long must I put up with you?” In other words, “How patient must I be?”
Why did he say that? Perhaps it is because people still questioned His ability to heal, despite the many miracles He had done. Imagine, for example, that you are an expert table maker. If anyone can make a table, you can. But despite the fact that people know you built thousands of tables, they question your ability to build another one. Perhaps they suspect your “table-building anointing” has run out. They asked your workers for help but they weren’t as skilled, so they wonder if perhaps you have resigned from the business.
“I know you did it before, but are you sure you can do it again?” they ask.
You know you still have what it takes to build tables, but most people doubt you can. Even after seeing you at work, they’re still not sure. You feel the patience draining out of you.
“Oh, puh-lease! You’ve doubted me a hundred times and I’ve had it up to here! No more, that’s it, I’ve reached my limit. I’m finished, do you hear me? Completely finished with you!”
That’s what Jesus could have said. But love is full of patience – aka long-suffering – meaning that it suffers long. Despite the continual episodes of unbelief His people demonstrated, Jesus showed them patience.
He said, “Bring the boy to me.”
The father made another mistake. He said, “If” – as in, “If you can do anything, please help us.”
Again, Jesus showed patience, by encouraging him. “If you believe, all things are possible to the one who believes.”
The father asked Jesus to help his unbelief and Jesus did.
The fruit of love is patience, and patience comes from God.
Have you ever tried jumping through hoops to get healed,
In search of a cure not yet fully revealed?
For example, how long do you think you must pray
To maintain your health so it won’t go away?
Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Isaiah 53:1
Perhaps if you could, you’d get healing right now,
Because if God would, He could heal you somehow.
But do you believe you must first act just right?
Because jumping through hoops might just make you uptight.
Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
Does unconfessed sin seem to block healing’s path,
requiring hoop jumping to shun God’s fierce wrath?
If so, how many sins would you have to confess
In order to get relief from all that stress?
When the evening came, they brought unto him many. . . with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick (to fulfill Isaiah 53:4, which says), “(He) Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” Matthew 8:16-17
Do you have to wait for the right place and time,
Jumping through hoops with no reason or rhyme?
While religious guys urge you to “Just go away,”
To “Come, get your healing some other bright day”?
And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? Luke 13:16
“Do you want to get healed?” Jesus asked someone lame
Whose condition for decades had stayed just the same.
He desired to be well, but the line was too long.
Besides, to jump such a hoop, he wasn’t strong.
Jesus said unto him, “Rise, take up your bed, and walk.” And immediately the man (became) whole, and took up his bed, and walked. John 5:8-9
But what if something tragic has beaten you down,
Because death’s own shadow just entered the town?
You can’t bear the facts staring you in the face.
Where can you find a trace of God’s unending grace?
Didn’t I say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God? John 11:40
We don’t need to jump through hoops to find healing. We just need to reach out to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)
Anointing for ministry is only as powerful as the sacrifice behind it. How well do ministers understand that sacrifice?
I Samuel 10:1 tells us that the prophet Samuel poured a box (or flask) of oil on Saul’s head when he anointed him to be king. Oil in scripture can serve as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who came upon Saul mightily. The Holy Spirit empowered Saul to do his job as king. David, who succeeded Saul, acknowledged this fact continually.
David had great respect for God’s anointing on Saul’s life. Many times in scripture he refers to Saul as “The Lord’s anointed.” David did not dare harm Saul, because He knew God’s prophet Samuel had indeed anointed Saul.
Saul started out strong, following after God. His anointing didn’t last, however. That’s because he didn’t appreciate the truth supporting his anointing. As a result, he acted foolishly. This happened as he prepared to do battle against the Philistines. Samuel, the man God chose to make the sacrifice prior to waging war (I Samuel 13:8-10), had not arrived within the set time limit. As his men scattered from him, Saul panicked. He took matters into his own hands and sacrificed the burnt offerings and peace offerings himself. As a result, the Holy Spirit left him (I Samuel 16:14).
B. The Failure of Man-made Sacrifice
Like Cain, Saul discovered the hard way that you can’t earn God’s favor through your own labor. Think about it: Cain offered to God the fruit of the ground over which he had labored with his own blood, sweat and tears. Saul pretty much did the same thing – not by offering fruit and vegetables contrary to God’s law – but by stepping into the priest’s role. Saul, who was not a priest, made the sacrifice himself. Did he take the time to ponder the meaning behind the sacrifice? Not likely.
The point is this: Forgiveness of sins requires the shedding of blood. The Jews knew this. To escape Egypt, they had to sacrifice a lamb and place its blood upon their door posts. Moreover, the lamb must be spotless, without flaw or blemish. For Saul to offer such a lamb rashly – and improperly as well, was a foolish thing to do.
In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus tells a parable of ten virgins preparing for a wedding feast. Five, he says, were wise. They had plenty of oil. But five were very foolish. They let their oil run out.
This parable leaves much to ponder. For example, if oil represents the Holy Spirit, how could the foolish ones let it run out?
Saul, I believe, was like one of the foolish virgins. He started with the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit left him because of his disobedience.
But the Holy Spirit never left David.
Both kings were anointed. What was the difference?
C. Saul Got the Box; David Got the Horn
Well, we might want to consider the difference in symbolism, because Samuel used a box (or flask) of oil to anoint Saul. However, he used a horn of oil to anoint David. The story behind the horn, of course, goes all the way back to Abraham and the sacrifice that saved the one God called his “only son.”
It all points back to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, foreshadowed in the symbolism of this story. How well do ministers of this gospel understand the meaning behind that sacrifice? Do we rest on Christ’s finished work for us or choose to take matters into our own hands?
I. The Comic Book That Shook Up His No-Thrills Summer Vacation
Pete was just an average boy resigned to a lazy, hazy, no-thrills summer vacation, but his best friend gave him a comic book that changed all that. It happened on the last day of school. Actually, several things happened to him on that day.
He began to see and hear what appeared to be a ghostly creature prowling about his house. When he tried to tell his parents about it, they acted as if he was nuts.
2. His sixth-grade teacher unexpectedly zapped the class with their choice of impossible summer project to do. Pete accidentally picked the wildlife research project.
3. The next thing Pete knew, his best friend Jack Tamer had pulled him aside and given him an illegal comic book – not to read but to hide.
II. Don’t Read It? That Makes No Sense!
I mean, come on. What child wouldn’t like a break from summer break, just long enough to curl up with a good book? Summer is supposed to be fun time, not fun-restriction time. You and I should know. July 4th is coming up. It’s Independence Day, not “Being Stolen From” day. For someone to try to steal the comic book was just too much. What school bully in his right mind would attempt something so bold and mean and majorly unfriendly?
Craig Crowburn, leader of the Bog Fog Gang, that’s who. He and his smelly slime guns with their evil, gushy, soggy tuna-fishy blobs added way too much mayonnaise to the mix. I mean –
Oops. I already said too much. After all, this about summer reading time, not some special PE class on fighting bullies.
Or is it?
III. To Read or Not to Read the Comic Book: That is the Question
Okay, back to my original point: The school year had ended. All Pete wanted was to go home.
Then Craig shot Jack with toxic slime.
Pete had nowhere to turn. Sitting next to Jack in the back of the bus where no one else could see him, he flipped open the page and began to read.
What happened next changed his life forever. He experiences the supernatural, miracle power of –
I mean, not to get carried away, but the comic book transformed Pete’s life. He became a hero. Now he faced more challenges than ever, as well as perplexing questions such as: Should he keep on reading or should he just hibernate away his summer doing nothing useful whatsoever?
To quote the first page, “The comic book had taken Pete on an amazing adventure. He couldn’t rest until he got it back.”
God’s kindness cures our blindness because it’s not there to remind us
Of that hideous black monster known as sin, For if He focused on our sin, we’d never win.
God’s Kindness To The Man Born Blind
“So, Master, who sinned – this man or his parents -, that he was born totally blind?”
Jesus’ disciples asked him (as recorded in the gospel of John, chapter 9), for they wished to know His mind.
“Neither He nor His parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “He was born blind so that God’s works (i.e. His miracle power) might be manifest in him.”
Jesus showed God’s kindness by healing the man’s blindness. This miracle opened people’s eyes to see that God is good. He knew a dark hour was coming, and he wanted them to see that anything apart from God is vanity (see Ecclesiastes 12:8-14).
“While I’m in the world, I am the world’s light,” Jesus said. The miracles He did gave proof that He was the Messiah, the Savior – not condemner – of the world (see John 3:17).
Jesus healed all sorts of people, not just the blind. To those who criticized Him for healing on the Sabbath, He explained that healing shows God’s kindness.
For example, in Mark chapter 3:4 Jesus compared healing a man’s withered hand to doing good and saving a life. Then in Luke 14:5, He compared healing a man with dropsy to pulling a donkey or ox out of a pit. In Luke 13:16, He used the analogy of leading an ox or donkey to water to describe his deliverance of a woman who had a spirit of infirmity. And in Matthew 9:6 he connected the healing of a paralyzed man with forgiving the man’s sins.
For “All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory,” according to Romans 3:23. “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.” (Isaiah 1:5). “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)
No one deserves a miracle from God. That’s the point. “But who has believed our report?” Isaiah asks in chapter 53, verse 4.
Those who think they’ve earned God’s kindness
Are still walking in blindness,
Not realizing that miracles aren’t granted
Based on their worth,
But Jesus wants them to undergo a second birth
So that they can see God’s kingdom come on earth.
“Believe the works (the miracles), that you may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him.” John 10:38
An angry god would condemn a blind man, but God’s kindness removes a person’s blindness every time.
Walking in Faith
God’s kindness removes our blindness by leading us to repentance.
“For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…” Romans 1:20
Jesus used something that He Himself had made to help a blind man see what had remained invisible to him since birth. He used his own spit mixed the dirt to anoint the man’s eyes.
At first glance, it might seem like a strange thing to do, but keep in mind that Jesus was pure and holy, without sin. Moreover, every part of Him, even His saliva, had been consecrated to God at His baptism. His spit came from a mouth that spoke God’s Word, defeating every temptation the devil threw at him.
Consider for a moment how tempted Jesus might have been to walk right past the blind man and refrain from healing him. Surely, he knew how it would anger the religious leaders to hear that once again He had healed a man on the Sabbath. The heartless, albeit religious thing to do would have been to wish the man well and leave him alone.
However, Jesus believed in giving him the things his body needed, which in this case happened to be sight (see James 2:16).
I believe that as Jesus spat into the dirt, He placed a seed of pure faith into it. He placed it on the man’s eyes, then sent him to wash in the pool of Siloam.
Jesus had provided the faith. Now it was up to the man. Would he take that faith and act on it or would he hide it like the talent burier in the parable? After all, he couldn’t see yet and I’m sure he needed some help getting to that pool.
This is where trust comes in, because if we really believe God’ kindness can cure our blindness, we’ll accept help from other believers. For even if one of them makes a wrong step while leading us to the pool of God’s Word, we’ll still make it. Then, when we apply that Word to the faith with which Jesus has touched our eyes, we can be cured of our blindness.
That’s what the blind man did. He activated Jesus’ seed of faith by going to Siloam (which means “sent”) and washing in the water. As he washed, he got his miracle.
The man’s belief in God’s kindness removed his blindness, because he saw that God was good and took the time to put feet to this faith.
Let’s contrast his view of God with the talent burier who called his master “a hard man.” (see Matthew 25:24) Because he saw him as a hard man, he hid his faith treasure in the dark, but his Master wanted that treasure brought into the light.
“For everyone that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” – John 3:20-21
Faith is a priceless treasure for those who see Jesus as He truly is.
Those who are blind to His kindness, however, tend to bury their faith rather than walk in it.
That’s why the master in the parable was displeased with the talent burier, for without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), “… for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
So much for keeping one’s faith to one’s self. Had the blind man buried his faith by neglecting to wash, he wouldn’t have been healed.
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” – James 2:26
Thankfully, the blind man acted on his faith. As a result, he received his miracle.
Religious Blinders
“Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” Matthew 15:14
The man who had been healed of his blindness was doing great. Then someone brought him to the Pharisees for questioning.
The religious leaders couldn’t get past the red lights flashing on and off inside their heads.
“Warning! Sabbath breach! No healing on the Sabbath.” The ideas that held those warnings in place remained firmly entrenched inside their minds. First, they questioned whether or not the man had actually been born blind. Then they asked who had opened his eyes.
They even called his parents in to verify the information. They acknowledged that yes, indeed, their son had been born blind.
“How is it that he sees now?” they asked the parents.
“We don’t know. Ask him,” answered his frightened mom and dad. They knew that if they said, “Jesus did it” that the Pharisees would kick them out of the synagogue.
So, they approached the healed man once again. This time, instead of questioning him, they assaulted him with their rigid, iron-clad opinion: “We know this man is a sinner.”
Instead of praising God that the man had been healed, they argued with him. That’s how cold religion treats God’s treasures.
“I knew you were a hard man.” Dig, dig, dig. “That’s why I wrapped my talent in a blindfold and dumped dirt on it.”
Like the men who blindfolded Jesus and insulted them as they beat up on him, the Pharisees trashed the ex-blind man and tried to invalidate his miracle.
The man who had been born blind thought they were crazy. “We know that God doesn’t hear sinners,” he told them. “But if any man worships God and does His will, God hears him. This is the first known time in history that any man has opened the eyes of the blind. If this man was not of God, he could do nothing.” (John 9:31-33)
Only a theologian with a very complicated view of God could mess up such a simple, child-like line of reasoning.
That’s exactly what those Pharisees were: complicated theologians. Their rigid perception of God’s law in regard to the Sabbath day holy blinded them to God’s greatest commandment:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind;and love your neighbor as yourself.” (see Luke 10:27, Deuteronomy 6:5, and Leviticus 19:18)
“You were born in sins,” they told the man. “How dare you lecture us?”
In other words, “If you were born blind, it’s because either you or your parents sinned.”
Apparently, the Pharisees had sin, not love, on the brain. Instead of rejoicing that God in His kindness had healed the man’s blindness, they kicked him out of the synagogue. How is that for loving your neighbor? How is that for loving God?
“For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” I John 3:11
“But he who hates his brother walks in darkness, and walks in darkness, and doesn’t know where he’s going, because that darkness has blinded his eyes.” John 2:11
God’s Kindness When Blindness Is Caused by Sin
Like When a Potter Dumps Ashes on Your Head
God’s kindness cures our blindness, no matter what the cause.
One time on television, a woman who had been blind came forward.to testify that she had just been healed. As it turned out, witchcraft had caused her to go blind. It was like a log of offense in her eyes and a stumbling block to her feet. In order to her to see God clearly, the lies behind the witchcraft had to be removed. The preacher’s gospel message removed those lies. That’s how God’s kindness cured her blindness.
The following scriptures talk about witchcraft and why God hates it:
“And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? For the living to the dead?
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:19-20
According to this passage, people involved in witchcraft or who possess familiar spirits have no light in them. The light they think they have is darkness. It is as if an invisible but very hairy potter has dumped ashes on their heads. The ashes look hairy, but boy are they scary!
Hairy Potter
“Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:31
“And the soul that turns after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a-whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.” Leviticus 20:6
“There shall not be found among you anyone that makes his son or his daughter to pass though the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD your God does drive them out from before you.” – Deuteronomy 18:10-12
As Jesus said in Matthew 6:22-23, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye is single, your whole body shall be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!”
We see a stark difference between light and darkness in Acts 13:6-12, which shows Paul confronting a sorcerer named Bar-jesus (aka Elymas). Paul and Barnabas were trying to speak God’s Word to a deputy named Sergius Paulus, but Elymas kept disagreeing with him. He wanted to turn the deputy from the faith. But Paul looked straight at Elymas and pronounced a judgment of temporary blindness upon him.
“And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.” (verse 11).
“Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.” (verse 12)
God’s kindness, demonstrated in the form of a judgment on the sorcerer, cured the deputy’s blindness. It also served as a warning to the sorcerer to turn from his wicked ways.
You can see why God hates witchcraft as well as any type of sorcery, which tries to put other gods before him contrary to the first commandment (see Exodus 20:3).
Idols
“Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people!” – Isaiah 57:14
angel at resurrection
God doesn’t want us bowing to any other gods, and He condemns all forms of idolatry. (For a more detailed description of what those are, keep reading the passage in Exodus. God doesn’t want us to have idols, because idols are like logs in our eyes. They get in our way and make us stumble. For those of us who like to justify our idols (and that’s everyone), consider this scripture:
“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they but they smell not.
. . . hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not:
Neither speak they through their throat.
They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusts in them.” – Psalm 115:4-8
Idols have eyes but don’t see, and the same holds true for those who worship them. Idolatry blinds people’s eyes to God, for we become like what we worship.
Ah, but greater is God’s Holy Spirit who lives in the believing Christian than Satan, who is the force behind all witchcraft and idolatry (see I John 4:4).
It is God’s kindness to remove such logs from our eyes. God’s kindness can cure our blindness if we’ll allow Him to.
Fresh Vision of God’s Kindness For a Lukewarm Church
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.” – Proverbs 29:18
God’s kindness cured Paul’s blindness,
Though that blindness came from Christ,
Because Paul didn’t fear Him
Until he was put on ice.
While he was on a mission hot
To jail all who believed,
A light shone on him suddenly.
What a shock the man received!
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.”
Paul thought that he was doing right,
Upholding God’s own law,
As he imprisoned Christians.
In his plan he saw no flaw.
A Pharisee of Pharisees,
He kept every command
Gamaliel taught him to keep,
Yet failed to understand
God’s grace supplied by Jesus
Who detained him on the road
And asked him as he trembled,
“Why do you kick against the goad?”
For Paul thought he was doing right.
His actions lacked no zeal.
His vision, though, lay broken,
Waiting for someone to heal.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.”
Like the man born blind from birth,
This Paul required a fresh start
To complete the miracle
That Jesus planted in his heart.
So, God chose Ananias
To act as His healing tool.
He placed his hands upon Paul’s eyes
And led him to the proverbial pool
Immediately, Paul could see again.
The scales fell from his eyes.
Like a man who had been newly born,
He arose and was baptized.
God’s kindness had cured his blindness,
So, he called on Jesus’ name,
For God had given him a vision,
And a calling free from shame.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.”
The vision Paul pursued
Was not to hold onto God’s law,
As if he knew to keep it like the One
Who has no flaw.
It was, rather, the Law of Liberty
That comes from Christ,
A vision centered on His grace
And not on cold advice.
God’s kindness cured Paul’s blindness, and that’s what God is doing in His church today. Can you hear Him speaking to us like Jesus spoke to the “Lazy-to-see-you” Laodicean church in Revelation 3:15?
He tells them, “Your works are neither cold nor hot.” In other words, they weren’t cold toward Jesus, but they weren’t on fire either. It’s as if they wanted to please everyone, but in the process could please no one. Instead of being hot or cold, they were just lukewarm, like a man taking a bath when he hears the doorbell ring.
“Who is it? Oh. It’s only Jesus. Tell him I’ll be there in a few.”
Meanwhile Jesus stands at the door and keeps on knocking. He wants to anoint the man’s eyes with special salve so he can see the stripes that paid for his healing.
God’s kindness waits to cure our blindness and give us fresh vision for our lives. The question is, will we accept his invitation?
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20
“Do you want to make your mountain move? Then before you start commanding, ask for understanding to lay aside all doubt. That’s what asking is about.” – original quote
“Ask, seek, knock. That’s what the Bible says. “Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened.”
Who has never heard this verse before? Perhaps a better question is, what is the hardest part about asking, seeking and knocking?
Let’s discuss the first part, asking.
To some of us, asking can be a hard thing, especially when those close to us reject our requests for information. Despite the saying “There’s no such thing as a dumb question,” people tend to treat questions like dirt. They make the other person feel as if he or she has asked a stupid question. That’s what makes asking hard.
Nevertheless, Jesus instructs us to ask. For if we ask, then we’ll receive an answer. Of course, the best person to ask is God Himself, because He is all powerful. He knows what you need before you even ask Him. Sometimes people don’t ask God anything until they’e desperate. That’s okay, because a question is a question. A request is a request. And if you don’t know what to ask God for, a simple “Help!” will do.
If you’ve ever asked God for something and received an answer, then you know the power of asking.
If not, then maybe you need to seek it.
II. Ask, Seek, Knock – Second, Seek
A. Seek Wisdom
“If you don’t seek, you’re up a creek because you need direction” – original quote
Do you know it’s possible to receive an answer but not recognize it when it comes? Perhaps it’s because you forgot you asked the question. Or maybe you didn’t completely like His answer or got distracted by something else you wanted more. If so, then maybe you’ve been asking the wrong question. Is it possible that God wants something better for you – something you’re not smart enough to think of asking?
If you think God is a know-it-all, you’re right. That’s why you should ask Him for wisdom, because He is more than happy to supply it.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)
In other words, God will never fault you if you ask Him for wisdom.
B. Seek Faith
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. for he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” (James 1:6-7)
Whoa, what’s this? It seems that asking for wisdom isn’t enough. We need to have faith too. How do we get that?
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
There’s something about hearing God’s word that gives us faith to receive what we ask from Him.
“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us: and if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petition that we desired of Him.”
That said, the best way to know God’s will is to know His word. That involves seeking.
After all, how can you know the wisdom contained in God’s word – the wisdom that shows you His perfect will – unless you seek it?
“My son, if you will receive my words, and hide my commands within you; so that you incline your ear unto wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry after knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding; if you seekher as silver, and search for her as for hid treasures; then you shall understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:1-5)
III. Ask, Seek, Knock – Third, Knock (The hardest part)
“You search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they (the scriptures)…testify of me. And you will not come to me that you might have life.” (John 5:39)
Jesus spoke these words to people who were really into reading the Old Testament but who found fault with Him, the Messiah to whom those scriptures pointed so many years before.
They might have had the asking and seeking down pat, but they didn’t seem to know much about knocking.
To knock involves taking a step of faith toward God, reaching out your hand and tapping on His door.
“I am the door,” Jesus said. “By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)
To “enter in’ involves more than merely asking and seeking. It involves friendship and a willingness to share life together. This is the kind of relationship Jesus spoke of in Revelation 3:20, to quote His words, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him and he with me.”
It is this relationship, this close knowledge of God, that allows you to come boldly before His throne of grace, in order to find grace and mercy to help you in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Knocking on God’s door involves submitting to his will, which is perhaps the hardest part of asking, seeking, and knocking. After all, don’t we all like to get our own way? To “ask, seek, knock,” you must surrender all.
Signs, Wonders, Miracles 