Here's your June 2013 Trail Mix. May it spiritually nourish and bless you!

Years ago, I worked as a field supervisor, and then program manager, for the old federal/state funded CETA [California Employment Training Act] Program. We recruited folks that were chronically unemployed or underemployed and had no where to go in life, but up. Through CETA, we matched these folks up with training courses and employers who were willing to train them to fill jobs at their place of business. It was so gratifying to prepare these folks to be gainfully employed, again and have their dignity back with a paycheck in hand!

The Family of God is comparable to the old CETA Program. It takes folks from this life, lost in their sin nature and nowhere to go but up, into the Family of God by way of their personal remorse, confession of faith, and act of repentance, which bring them to the place of being born-again! Once the child of God enters the Family of God through their personal confession of faith, they begin a life long, spiritual On-the-Job-Training-Program for the Kingdom. Training them for the day they will be wedded to the Heavenly Groom [Jesus] and enter the Kingdom as the bride of Christ, sitting in judgement of the angels, who in this life, have charge over us (1 Corinthians 6:3).

Because we are in a spiritual form of OJT for the Kingdom, one important part of our training is in the arena of prayer. It is imperative to understand the importance of developing a solid prayer life in our relationship with God; and it is mandatory that we grow in our knowledge of, and the use of prayer, through faith, which equates to having total confidence in what we hope for, and assurance in that we cannot see!

With that said, let's examine some profound statements, from some prominent men in the church, about the power of prayer!
"Prayer may just be the most powerful tool mankind has." - Ted Dekker
"Prayer is our most formidable weapon" - E. M. Bounds
"Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the mighty arm of God" - Charles Finney
"We can do nothing without prayer." - E. M. Bounds
"Prayer puts God's work in his hands-and keeps it there." - E. M. Bounds
"Prayer, like faith, obtains promises, enlarges their operation, and adds to the measure of their results." - E. M. Bounds
"Wherever the Church is aroused and the world's wickedness arrested, somebody has been praying." - A. T. Pierson,
Finally, and never forget this: "Satan trembles when we pray...The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayer less studies, prayer less work, and prayer less religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, BUT TREMBLES WHEN WE PRAY!" - Samuel Chadwick
From where I stand, prayer is merely talking to the Father as His child. It should be something each of us wholeheartedly welcome and enjoy participating in. And, it should be done, as Paul said, "without ceasing!" I have discovered over the years that talking to God is the most productive part, or parts, of each day I live. In fact, I look forward to talking with Him. And in contrast to when I was younger, I now look forward to talking to Him, as many times as possible, in order to break through walls, climb out of pits, and get over the mountains I come face-to-face with!

Prayer serves to draw me closer to Him; and it reassures me that no matter where I am on the Narrow Path, He is merely a word away. I grow more confident with each chat, that whatsoever my needs; He is not only willing, but going to provide a way....after we talk! And at times, I view prayer to the act of bathing, because when I finish my chats I come away, fresh and alive; knowing that I have drawn closer to him in prayer.

Finally, prayer allows me to do something for others. Something each of us has been asked and expected to do. It is our responsibility, as a church, to lift up those around us, in prayer. It is so gratifying and spiritually uplifting to exit prayer knowing that during my many daily interludes with the Father, I have unselfishly taken the needs of my brothers and sisters to Him, and on their behalf, agreed with them for Him to meet their needs and not leave them alone in their battles. More importantly, I am more confident than ever, that He is going to make a way for them as He does for me.

Truly I am learning as Paul tells me (Romans 12:15), to "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."

May 2013 - TRAIL MIX, Enjoy!

As we traverse the Narrow Path, we often like to refer to ourselves as Christians, born-again believers, Baptist, Catholics, Methodists, non-denominational, Assemblies of God, Charismatic, spirit-filled, or simply believers in God [if I omitted your particular denomination, I am sorry, I only have so much room to write].

However, if I am interpreting Jesus correctly in John 20:21-23 (RSV), where Jesus said, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so, I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit" he was deputizing* each of us to go forth into the world and be his proxies with the full spiritual power of authority of heaven to do his work, in His name, to a lost and hungry world.

This is an amazing directive, and it places upon the shoulders of all believers the spiritual mantle of authority to carry things out, here on earth, in His name for His glory.

Think about this....when you say, I am calling the local Sheriff's Department to report a crime, who shows up? The elected Sheriff himself, or a sworn deputy? The elected official is not going to be available for a large area of people, so that official deputizes as many men and women as needed to represent them and do the work of enforcing the law of that particular county. Try telling the deputy that stops you for breaking a traffic law, or when they have a warrant for your arrest that you will only surrender to, or accept the ticket from the "Man" himself?

You will be in handcuffs before you finish your statement, and the sad thing is, you may never see the Sheriff himself, because the deputy was sworn to uphold the laws and do the work of that person, giving them full power to act in the Sheriff's name, no matter what the circumstances may be.

That brings me to this month's Trail Mix. Jesus told you and I, that while we sojourn this Narrow Path, we are to traverse it as if he were himself traveling across it. Meaning that you and I have ALL His power to do his bidding to enforce his divine will in His stead. And that bidding is accomplished through prayer. Prayer is the main job of the church. And in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLV), Paul reminds the church that they are to," Be full of joy all the time. Never stop praying. In everything give thanks. This is what God wants you to do because of Christ Jesus."

And we are being entrusted with this ultimate power of prayer because as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:3 (NLV), in heaven, God will trust us to take charge over, and judge the angels [who, by the way, have no need to pray, because prayer is a gift given only to mankind]. I consider the fact that we are deputized t do the bidding of the church while here on earth, to be a form of on-the-job-training!" We are learning with each step we take on the Narrow Path, so why are you standing around complaining or wringing our hands over the difficulties that beset you?

Do you not realize that he promised to not only be with you on the path, but as He said, we have the very presence of His spirit within us while he is in heaven building and preparing our condominiums? Child of God, you were deputized for a reason, and that was to grow in your authority to take full control over these things you come personally with along the path, in Jesus's name. And by taking full control in His name, we are enforcing the heavenly principles here on earth, as they are in heaven [like in the Lord's prayer - pray: that our Father in Heaven shall permit his will do be done here on earth as it is done in heaven]!

Does this mean that we can have anything our heart desires? No! However, it does mean that we will always have what is allowable within his perfect, and sometimes permissible will, for our life and the life of those we pray for! Now, that is one awesome truth and a promise for the ages! Selah!!!

Shalom,

Pastor Paul

*Credit for the teaching of "deputizing" the church goes to Dr. Paul E. Billheimer and his best-selling book, "Destine for the Throne

As a child, in my house, April meant Spring cleaning, and no one cleaned more thoroughly than my mom. She had my brother and I take furniture out of each room, so she could get to the nooks and crannies of every corner in the house, and then she'd have me use my baseball bat to beat the dust and sand from the rugs she meticulously stretched over the clotheslines. Spring cleaning was a ritualistic event, and there was one thing I could count on after a week of cleaning every room in the house, and that was that the house was as clean as it could possibly be. We'd repeat this event in the Fall, and right before Christmas.

Well, it is Spring, and this month's Trail Mix is a thorough prayer of cleansing that ALL of us need to do from time-to-time, or, in my case, time-to-time often means several times a day or week, especially when I am given over to the flesh within me. Anyway's, I couldn't think of a better prayer in the entire Bible to clean us from head to toe and from everything in-between, then Psalm 51. The remorseful Psalm of King David when he finally realized his sin with Bathsheba was totally not what God would have ordered for him.

I can only challenge each of you to prayerfully read this Psalm, and where its words are applicable, to ask the Holy Spirit to apply the cleansing to your heart and soul in order to present you before God, completely repentant and remorseful for the things in your live that have been committed by way of commission or commission, or both, so that you can stand before God righteous and ready to be used in a way the glorifies the Father with all aspects of your life.

Let's pray: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to the multitude of Your tender mercy and loving-kindness blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly [and repeatedly] from my iniquity and guilt and cleanse me and make me wholly pure from my sin! For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; my sin is ever before me.

Against You, You only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified in Your sentence and faultless in Your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in [a state of] iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me [and I too am sinful]. Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart.

Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall [in reality] be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness and be satisfied; let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my guilt and iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Your presence and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted and return to You.
Deliver me from blood guiltiness and death, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness (Your rightness and Your justice).
Open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
For You delight not in sacrifice, or else would I give it; You find no pleasure in burnt offering. My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Then will You delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, justice, and right, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then bullocks will be offered upon Your altar."

Remember, the Path is Narrow, and Jesus told us it would have its difficulties. In 1 John 1:5-10, This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

Spring cleaning is necessary for all of us who travel across the Narrow Path; so allow the light of the Holy Ghost to enlighten you as He searches those nooks and crannies of your heart, spirit, language, thoughts and walk [life]. If it is true that confession is good for the soul, this month's Trail Mix should put some "pep back into your step!" as it reconnects you to the Father.

Shalom,

Pastor Paul