Today’s Thought

By Sylvia Gunter
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In a typical year, thousands of Christian leaders leave the ministry. Our “professional” staff is increasingly beat up, discouraged, burned out, frustrated, tired, isolated, and running on empty. Their wives are usually hurting as badly or worse. This ought not to be. All of them could be far more victorious and fruitful for the kingdom if they had the effectual fervent intercession of their people.

Spiritual leaders should be our most prayed-for people.  Without prayer, spiritual leaders will accomplish only what they can do in the power of their flesh, which is our tendency with a talented, energetic, educated, well-funded, and well-staffed organization. But with prayer, God will do what He can do. Each leader needs a support-base of trained, seasoned intercessors, who will be committed to lifting up his or her needs each day. As long as Moses held up his hands, God’s side prevailed in the battle for the kingdom in the valley below. When he tired, Aaron and Hur came alongside to hold his hands up until the victory was won. 

David knew the power of surrounding himself with battle-seasoned fighters whom he called his “mighty men.” (Using this Scriptural term does not exclude women who are mighty women of prayer.) They were faithful to guard him from danger, to defend him, and to win battles for him. They were covenantally committed to him. This translates today to effective, serious intercessors who are called of God and who faithfully pray for spiritual leadership. 

Study the brave and victorious actions of David’s mighty men in 2 Samuel 23:8-39. Study their exploits on David’s behalf and especially their character in 1 Chronicles 11:10-12:40. They were brave warriors who strengthened themselves in the Lord with David. They lived and fought in close fellowship with David. They were experienced soldiers, helpers in war. They were ready for battle, fully armed with every weapon and skill. They stationed themselves in their place at all costs, united in purpose and undivided in loyalty. They were courageous, fearless, and faithful men who strongly supported their leader. They willingly took risks for him, persevering against impossible odds. They got God’s assignments, acted in the power of the Spirit, understood the times, and listened to God to know what to do (1 Chronicles 12:18,32). 
 
Unfortunately, today the body of Christ is usually a very disjointed army of God. You as a member of the body are called to be mighty man of prayer for your spiritual leaders. Pray that your spiritual leader with lead your fellowship of believers to have a sense of the possibility of God. Pray that you will be a fellowship of men and women who seek God, love him, and follow him with the anointing of Spirit that produces vitality in body life.
 
Pray diligently that your spiritual leadership will be an example of how to seek God, will demonstrate how they follow the Holy Spirit, will challenge you with the word that God has for the church, will equip you by teaching you how to apply the Word, and will release you to serve in the power of the Holy Spirit. People in this kind of spiritual community can best live in the vitality of the anointing of the Spirit and be right with God to do the work of Jesus in the world        
          to preach good news to the poor,
          to proclaim freedom for prisoners
          and recovery of sight to the blind,
          to release the oppressed,
          to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.
          Luke 4:18-19.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/08/26/sg_men-of-prayer/

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Sylvia Gunter lives in Birmingham with her husband John, now retired from his position as a telecommunications executive. They have three adult children, and two grandkids.
To learn more about Sylvia Gunter:
http://www.thefathersbusiness.com/author.php

By Sylvia Gunter
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There are three classes of people: those who have been in the desert, those still in the desert, and those who have your day coming in the desert!  If you have been there, you need no explanation from me.  If you haven’t been there, no words of mine will explain it to you.  It is not a popular topic, and God’s people perish for lack of knowledge. 

Being “on the backside of the desert” is not a self-inflicted inconvenience or a detour because of our spiritual slackness.  It is one of God’s major destinations for those He wants to take deeper.  He is deliberate in leading us into the desert to speak tenderly to us and to make our trouble a gateway of hope.  God says, “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope” (Hosea 2:14-15).  There we give ourselves to Him in a new way, and He affirms to us that we are bound to Him forever in righteousness, justice, unfailing love, and compassion (Hosea 2:19-20). 

God has purposes and blessings for us in the desert and afterward.  From there, we will know Him as Lord more deeply.  He wants to sharpen our listening skills to His voice alone.  He wants us to know that the only proper response when there is nothing we can control is to trust that He is in control, and He can’t get it wrong.  He wants to show us that there are only two places to go: down and out, or right up into His lap.  He gets us where we can’t move in our flesh, because He must do everything of eternal significance by His Spirit.  In the heat of the desert, He burns up or blows away all the wood, hay, and stubble of our pride, confidence, and striving.

The Bible says that John the Baptist grew strong in spirit in the desert (Luke 1:80).  There, he preached the message of the new entrance of God into the affairs of earth (Matthew 3:1).  The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert (Matthew 4:1, Luke 4:1).  Luke 4:14 tells us that Jesus came out of the desert in the power of the Spirit and preached his first public sermon: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).  This was His mission statement for the three years of His earthly ministry and His ultimate ministry to us and for us.
   
What lies ahead?  Based on the experience of the Israelites, we can expect more giant obstacles, more resistance by the heathen and hell itself, fiercer battles, and more confrontation with the forces of darkness.  That is the bad news.  The good news is that there are great things to come: more positioning as the Body of Christ to move corporately, more victories, more blessings, more light, more power in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, more of His presence, and more of His glory made manifest in our world.  For the joy set before us… !

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/08/21/sg_view/

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Sylvia Gunter lives in Birmingham with her husband John, now retired from his position as a telecommunications executive. They have three adult children, and two grandkids.
To learn more about Sylvia Gunter:
http://www.thefathersbusiness.com/author.php

By Sylvia Gunter
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On a trans-Atlantic flight, the airline provided me with a little travel kit.  There was a toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash for not offending; a comb for looking good; and socks to keep my feet cozy.  There was also a light-blocking sleep mask, ear plugs to muffle all sounds, a warm blanket to snuggle up in, and a pillow for my head.  I made my nest in climate-controlled comfort with someone to periodically serve me mass-produced, pre-packaged, warmed-over food and be available for my needs at the touch of a call-button.  The finishing touch in the travel kit was a “Do Not Disturb” sticker.  The humor of it hit me: that’s the state of most of the church in America.  Our baggage is checked through to Destination Heaven, and we are meanwhile settled in climate-controlled comfort, wearing our “Do Not Disturb” sticker.  Don’t bother to wake me till we get there.

Do you want more of God’s presence?  He is causing your holy hunger to want something He is poised to give: more of His glory.  He will not abandon you or leave you unfulfilled.  Be enormously grateful for what God has shown you, but there is more still, so never be content with the present level of your intimacy with Him.  Holy hunger for Him compels you to seek Him earnestly, even desperately.  If you desire more of God and more of His gifts, God’s mercy and grace are working in your heart.  Like the apostle Paul, keep pressing on toward the prize for which God has called you: to enjoy His presence forever, starting now.

God promised these benefits to God-seekers:

He will let us find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13).  He will hear, forgive, and heal the land (2 Chronicles 7:14).  He will show us His gracious favor (Ezra 8:22).  We will not lack any good thing (Psalm 34:10).  He will give us life (Amos 5:4).  We will understand justice (Proverbs 28:5).  He will give us floods of righteousness (Hosea 10:12).  He will give us all the essentials of life (Matthew 6:33).  He will answer our prayers of faith (Hebrews 11:6).

God is pleased when we pursue Him and communicate with Him in our own unique way.  Pursuing intimacy with God is different for each person, and it will be different for the same person in different seasons of life.  God is pleased with our fellowship with Him in prayer (Proverbs 15:8) and in His Word.  He is pleased when we delight in Him as a Person (Psalm 34:8) and in His greatness (Psalm 46:10).

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/08/19/sg_do-not-disturb/

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Sylvia Gunter lives in Birmingham with her husband John, now retired from his position as a telecommunications executive. They have three adult children, and two grandkids.
To learn more about Sylvia Gunter:
http://www.thefathersbusiness.com/author.php

By Sylvia Gunter
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“It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13.

Do you need to renew your covenant with the Lord to seek Him with all your heart and soul?  You may need to renew your commitment to Him, if you exhibit these unhealthy spiritual “vital signs” of an unhealthy heart.

- You have little hunger for the glory of God and true righteousness.

 - You have allowed idols of self, self-effort, reputation, success, money, comfort, security, recreation, or image to take first place in your life.

- You feel you have nothing to repent of.

- You take pride in your religious accomplishments or those of your church.

- You are not sensitive to God’s still, small voice and cover up your spiritual dryness.

- Your heart has grown cold for the lost, and you don’t make Christ known as a lifestyle.

- You rationalize areas of personal sin while maintaining the outward image of faithfulness.

- Some of your relationships are characterized by hostility, long-term unresolved differences, or coldness.

- You spend most of your discretionary time watching television or participating in other activities of no eternal value.

- You are more concerned with what you want than what God says.

- Your giving is routine, out of duty, more or less a business transaction.

Ask God in what areas of your life He desires to work.  Wait quietly and prayerfully on Him to show you.  Submit to Him in every area.
 
Pray, “With Your help, Father, I will seek You with all my heart and soul to bring into my life a deep and thorough brokenness, leading to genuine repentance, that my heart would be completely Yours.  I will seek You as my first Love and my Lord.”

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/08/11/sg_hows-your-heart/

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Sylvia Gunter lives in Birmingham with her husband John, now retired from his position as a telecommunications executive. They have three adult children, and two grandkids.
To learn more about Sylvia Gunter:
http://www.thefathersbusiness.com/author.php

By Sylvia Gunter
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Beloved, listen with your spirit to the Word of God in Ecclesiastes 3:1.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”

Beloved, your Father has appointed time as the stage for his eternal purposes in your life. I bless you with knowing that he has appointed and oversees your point in history, the times and seasons, the events and the experiences, the character and significance of all things that pertain to you. I bless you with knowing his direction of your life, when he doesn’t let you see the end from the beginning, so that you will seek him, his heart, and his wisdom at all times. Time serves his overarching plan, even when life seems senseless and without aim or explanation. I bless you with knowing that everything unfolds under the eye of his providence, even when the pieces don’t seem to fit, and his ways are a mystery to you. I bless you with knowing the certainty of how you fit into his time and space, history and the future. As it was said of Queen Esther, “Who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

 I bless you with knowing that your Father’s appointed and anointed time for everything is beautiful from his perspective of eternity. I bless you with trusting his bigger picture, when you can only see some of the particulars. I bless you with being right in step and on time, not running ahead or lagging behind. I bless you with sensitivity to the seasons of the Spirit, the movement of the Spirit, and the moment of the Spirit.

I bless your spirit with an anointing for time and timeliness. I bless you with knowing your Father’s birthing seasons and with letting die those works that are not his. I bless you with knowing his timing to plant a new vision or dream and to pluck up something that is past its season. I bless you with not erecting idols or monuments to works that he is not presently blessing.

I bless you with your Father’s time to laugh about what makes him laugh and to weep about those things that break his heart. I bless you with your Father’s time to dance with abandon with the Lover of your soul. I bless you with your Father’s time to scatter seed and time to rejoice gathering in the harvest. I bless you with your Father’s time to embrace those people, values, and purposes that he blesses and to refrain from affirming anything that is not his vision for you. I bless you with his time to search for the hidden treasures of love and wisdom, for hope and faith, and to give up as worthless all self-effort and striving. I bless you with his time to keep that which is silver, gold, and precious stones and to throw away all that is wood, hay, and stubble. 
 
I bless you to mend some relationships and to tear away from soul ties which your Father did not author. I bless you to know his time to be silent, and when it’s time to speak, I bless you with knowing the time of his dealing in another person’s life and whether you are to be involved and how. I bless you with your Father’s time to love what he loves and to hate what he hates with righteous passion. I bless you with his holy time for war with the real enemy and his time for peace because of the grace of the cross.

Beloved, your times are safely in his hands. I bless you with enjoying your Father’s good gift of time. I bless you with savoring all the richness of the present moment. I bless you and entrust you to God and the word of his grace, the message of his heart that builds you up and gives you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself. I bless you in Jesus’ name.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/08/08/sg_time/

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Sylvia Gunter lives in Birmingham with her husband John, now retired from his position as a telecommunications executive. They have three adult children, and two grandkids. To learn more about Sylvia Gunter: http://www.thefathersbusiness.com/author.php

By Sylvia Gunter
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Waiting on God was one of David’s secrets of being a man after God’s own heart. David went in and sat before the Lord (2 Samuel 7:18). God was his confidence, and he trusted Him in every aspect of his life: for guidance and instruction (Psalm 25:5), for help and defense (Psalm 33:20), for victory over his enemies and vindication (Psalm 37:7,9,34; 52:9), for deliverance from trouble and destruction (Psalm 40:1, 59:9), for His refuge from treachery and oppression (Psalm 62:1,5), for His forgiving love (Psalm 130:5-6), and much more. 

 Nothing tries our faith like waiting on God for answers to prayer. Waiting tests our submission to Him as our trustworthy Authority. Waiting is not necessarily resignation from all activity; it is submission to God’s better idea. Waiting on God means that all of our life is brought under God’s umbrella of authority and direction. If we run ahead of God, we will be painfully chastened by turmoil, exhaustion, and failure. Taking matters in our own hands has ample instructive precedent in God’s Word. Think of Abraham with Ishmael, Saul’s usurping the role of a priest, Israel looking to Egypt for help (Isaiah 30:1-3), or walking in the light of our own fire (Isaiah. 50:11.)

What do we learn while we are waiting? We learn God Himself. God is revealing His perfections, His impeccable ability to be in charge of every detail. His timing is split-second. He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omni-caring. He works all and in all. He gives confirmations of His ever-presentness. He gives us assurances of His real power over the enemy that is not seen. His Holy Spirit focuses us. We want proof, but faith is the substance (not the evidence) of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). The Holy Spirit says, “I am giving you the substance of faith.” He gives the grace to await His purposes until the precise moment when He gives evidence that He was working all along. Without this faith, it is impossible to please Him, for all who come to God must believe that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).      
 
In community with other believers, as we humble ourselves and open up to receive from the body of Christ, we will be strengthened to see the full kaleidoscope of His plan and be encouraged in the grace of waiting.

How Do We Wait?

• Prayerfully  Psalm 25:4-5 
• With strength and courage  Psalm 27:14, 31:24
• Rejoicing and trusting in His holy name  Psalm 33:21
• Based on the fear of the Lord and His unfailing love Psalm 33:18,22
• With hope  Psalm 33:20, 39:7
• Patiently  Psalm 37:7, 40:1; Habakkuk 3:16, Romans 8:25,
    Hebrews 6:15
• Obediently  Psalm 37:34, 119:166; Isaiah 26:8-9
• Desiring Him  Isaiah 26:8-9 
• Single-mindedly Psalm 62:5 
• Expectantly  Psalm 123:2, Micah 7:7
• Believing His Word  Psalm 130:5
• Assured He is all we need, He is our portion  Lamentations 3:24
• Quietly  Lamentations 3:26
• Always  Hosea 12:6
• In anticipation of joy  John 3:29
• Eagerly  Romans 8:19,23

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/07/30/sg_how-do-we-wait/

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Sylvia Gunter lives in Birmingham with her husband John, now retired from his position as a telecommunications executive. They have three adult children, and two grandkids.
To learn more about Sylvia Gunter:
http://www.thefathersbusiness.com/author.php