Desire Is Essential for Success
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5: 20, 21).
In other words “Confusion comes and people are discombobulated.”
In case you missed it, that means confused, embarrassed, upset, broken, or mixed up. Are we there yet?
There is an optional lifestyle. It is to “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
If you delight yourself in the Lord that means you are pleased to do His will. Hence, God and you have the same desire. God is not going to let His will go undone. Remember now you and God have the same will at this point. When His will and your delight are the same the result is the desire of your heart is done. It is the good life.
Knowing and doing God’s will is the most fulfilling and satisfying lifestyle.
Why fight against yourself by refusing to do God’s will?
Prayer is best when our desire and His will are synonymous. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15: 7).
Desire and “do” are ideally aligned when God’s will is involved. Scripture warns “…but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have” (II Corinthians 8: 11).
Consider this illustration. Six frogs were on a log. One jumped in. Another decided to follow. Next, two decided to jump in. How many frogs were left on the log? Five, the first jumped in but the others just decided to jump in, but never did.
God has a desire, will that is, regarding your salvation, and is clear about it. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3: 9).
Some translations use the word “desire” instead of “willing.” That is, He does not desire for anyone not to be saved and enjoy heaven. His desire is for all to be saved. To not be saved one has to deny His desire for them. It is hard to find anything about that verse that supports any form of Calvinistic predestination.
“The starting point of all success is desire” wrote Napoleon Hill. If you want to be a diligent fulfilled Christian may your desire to be very strong. Do it.
Self-Rule Results in Self-Ruin
Let me tell you a Bible story. At first you might think it childish, but if you stay with it you might find it prophetically profound.
God put Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden and told them they could eat of every tree with one exception and that was the tree in the midst of the garden. God defined what was good and what was evil.
Along came Satan, represented as a serpent, the tempter. Let the story be told as in the original.
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden.
And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3: 1 – 5).
You will be like God, knowing good and evil. A glimpse of what God is like is that He knew good from evil. Satan was telling them they would no longer need God to tell them good from evil. They could do it instead.
That is us today. Society in general is saying what is good and what is evil and it is a reversal of God’s standard.
Isaiah warned people would do so saying of them, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5: 20). Bingo!
Dan Desmarques, author of 30 Amazon bestsellers asks, “Why be human when you can be a god?” Some have settled on being a god, their god, themselves This results in a contrasting divided culture. That is where we are.
Biblically there was a convoluted day when there was no king, and “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21: 25). Today without the King of Kings ruling every person engages in self-rule based on their own personal determination of right and wrong.
There is a distinct difference between self-rule and self-control. Self-control is essential for coexistence. Biblically self-control is spoken of as a “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5: 22, 23). It is the result of being Spirit (God) controlled and living by His standards of right and wrong.
Self-rule involves the individual setting the rules and doing what he or she determines is right or wrong. It is being the god of self-determined good and evil, right or wrong.
Who is your God? Candidly, is it the object you see in the mirror? Or, is He the God you see in Scripture?
Thy Kingdom Come
“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6: 9 – 13).
Note first this is not the “Lord’s Prayer.” He didn’t pray for it because it includes “Forgive us of our debts (sins). It is the “Model Prayer” He taught His followers to pray as a pattern for our prayers. It is not meant to be recited, but prayed.
We are to pray “Your kingdom come.” It is yours so come and reclaim it.
A kingdom coup decant occurred in Eden when Satan successfully tempted Eve and through her, Adam. God’s perfect world was despoiled when evil entered the moment mankind rebelled.
Ever since Jesus gave us the Model Prayer we have been entreating Him to come again and restore His rule. We pray, “Your kingdom come,” meaning please come and restore your rule. The prayer concludes “Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory.” What kingdom? The one for which we pray “Your kingdom.” It is yours Lord, come and completely restore it as in the creation you designed it to be. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Heavenly rules prevail in heaven. That rule on earth is what we are praying for every time we pray the Model Prayer. Come, dear Lord, and enact that rule.
In the restored kingdom there will be no more temptations. The tempter will be in chains.
What a day that will be. Oh glory!
Unfortunately many “pray” this prayer nonchalantly not realizing they are asking God for a completely new world order. Followers of Jesus hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness to be established on earth.
Whenever you pray be more conscious of the one to whom you are praying than about which you are praying.
It is not to be prayed with a desire to be personally delivered from the world’s disorder, though we will be, but by submitting to the will of God. The purpose of prayer is not to get my will done on earth; it’s to get God’s will done.
Our desire is for Him to triumphant in reclaiming control over what is His, He created it. “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1: 3).
Pray that His name be sanctified and glorified throughout the universe. Therein His name would surely be “hallowed.”
Our prayer is for God’s kingdom and God’s will to be done. Till then we are to live like kingdom people in obedience to our all glorious King. Live within your sphere of influence, claiming it as a bit of His kingdom.
Trump’s Triumph
America has been blessed once again a privilege few societies have been blessed to do, we have transferred from one administration to another as chosen by the people.
You may not like the people involved.
You may not like partisanship.
But you have to like the process.
It is indeed a privilege you have to cherish.
Donald J. Trump is now officially our President. In his Inaugural Address he called this the Golden Age and pledged himself to an unimaginable series of actions. Bottom line, there is no way he can achieve all he has pledged himself to do. However, based on his past you can be confident he will try.
Challenges abound, such as, making our borders secure, bringing law and order to our cities, purging our educational systems of non-academic subjects and returning to a basic core educational curriculum. Returning our armed forces to a position of power purged from misdirection WOKE indoctrination will be a heady responsibility. Closing the border and deporting illegals will be popular, but have emotional acts. A popular promise met with standing applause was, “We will drill, baby, drill.”
The president also repeated his claims that the Justice Department was weaponized against him. As his “top priority” he would be creating a country that is “proud, prosperous and free.” Sounds good.
A plethora of other promises were made, none greater than going to Mars. Hopefully that won’t sidetrack some more earthly needs. Reclaiming the Panama Canal which was given to Panama is a complex matter. The issue of tariffs is an iffy matter that hopefully will not apply to all countries, only China. That is a two edged sword.
How does the Gulf of America sound?
Many of his promises are virtually impossible. Knowing that he said, “Impossible is what we do.” May it be, by God’s good grace.
Expect failures, the agenda is too extensive not to have some failures. Don’t become preoccupied by them to the point of overlooking the success.
The president declared that he believes his life was spared “for a reason….” I was saved by God to make America great again,” he said. Hopefully it was, and hopefully he will be used to that end. In that light every member of the praying population should make and keep a commitment to continue to pray for him.
A former governor of Louisiana told me that when he made a decision with which the Christian community was not pleased they abandoned him. However, when he made decisions that displeased the antithetical groups they were right there the next day as friends continuing to plead their case.
Let’s not fail to prayerfully support the Trump administration. It appears the proposed members of his cabinet will all be approved. Each has the capacity to serve well. They, too, need our prayers.
President Trump said, “National unity is now returning to America and confidence and pride is soaring like never before,”He continued, “In everything we do, my administration will be inspired by a strong pursuit of excellence and unrelenting success. We will not forget our country, we will not forget our Constitution, and we will not forget our God.”
Awakening from what the opposition might consider a stupor, criticism has begun and can only be expected to rise from anger to a vitriolic crescendo.
There is another group of opponents that pose a threat to the life of our president. Ask the Lord to shield and defend him …. and for God to bless America.
The Triumph of Trump
January 20, 2025! It is Martin Luther King Day, the NCAA D-1 National Football Championship, and the Inauguration of our 47th President.
Each event has its own constituency. To each their own is the one of importance. To them all congratulations.
The one with the most long lasting result is the inauguration.
Many Christians prayed for Trump to be elected.
As a result Donald J. Trump is now officially our President. In his Inaugural Address he called this the Golden Age and pledged himself to an unimaginable series of actions. Bottom line, there is no way he can achieve all he has pledged himself to do. However, based on his past you can be confident he will try.
The President declared that he believes his life was spared “for a reason…. I was saved by God to make America great again,” he said. Hopefully it was, and hopefully he will be used to that end. In that light every member of the praying population should make and keep a commitment to continue to pray for him.
“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (I Timothy 2: 1, 2).
I have prayed for some presidents I didn’t like, but I have prayed for them because of this passage.
President Trump is an imperfect flawed person like the rest of us, so we can’t expect perfection from him. Neither does it mean he can’t be used by the Lord to achieve His will. God can use a crooked stick to draw a straight line.
At 8:00 AM, just before the Inauguration the President, Vice President gathered in St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square, known as the Church of the Presidents, for a worship service. This is a tradition begun 92 years ago. The press reported every president since then has gathered there for such. Not so. Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States, was inaugurated on Thursday, January 20, 1977. Hours before the inauguration he, Vice President Mondale, the President’s Cabinet, the Joint Chiefs, their wives and other dignitaries gathered in the First Baptist Church in Washington, NOT St. John’s, for worship. I know because at the request of the President I planned the service and spoke at it. He asked me to do both.
As such, I had to provide the Secret Service a list in advance for them to do a security check. When I arrived at the door, the agent in charge told one more person than the number on the list was there. Panic! I checked the list and identified the “extra” person. It was me. I left my name off. Fortunately I had worked with the election enough that I was known by the agent and he cleared me to enter.