Pray Always

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. —Luke 21:36

We are living in perilous times, surrounded by filth and violence, when men search for answers and can find none. Through this whirlwind of depravity comes the still, small voice of God saying, “Pray always,” because prayer is effective! (James 5:16).

Prayer opens the door for God to do His work in a world desperately in need of His intervention. The righteous have a job to do, and it begins with prayer. The world around us is crying out for our intercession. The unsaved need our prayers to bind the hindering spirits that keep them from receiving salvation. The sick need our prayers for healing. The oppressed need our prayers for deliverance. Our families, neighborhoods, and workplaces need our prayers to rebuke the forces of darkness that threaten to sweep over them.

Too often we hear, “There’s nothing left to do but pray”—but there has never been anything else to do but pray!

Holy Spirit, when I have nothing to pray or don’t
know how to pray, then pray through me
teaching me how to intercede for others.
Lord, always keep me praying
in the Spirit. Amen.




God Has a Time for Your Success

Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. —Daniel 5:29, KJV

God had a message that He wanted to give to everybody just before the end, and He wanted to do it His way. So here was the handwriting on the wall.

What do the words mean? Everybody knew what they meant. They knew the words were, “Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.” The word mene simply means numbered; it was in Aramaic, and everybody knew the word. Tekel means weighed. Upharsin means shared. They knew what the words meant, and yet they didn’t know, because Belshazzar knew in his heart of hearts there had to be a hidden meaning.

Daniel was needed again, and yet they didn’t send for him at first. I suppose the last person Belshazzar wanted to send for was Daniel. He wanted to defy his father’s God, the God of Israel.

It may be that you are waiting to be noticed and to be used, and they are sending for everybody else but you. Don’t worry about those who are sent for first.

Daniel had been refined over the years; he had been put to one side, and he wondered, “Will God ever need me again?” Daniel was waiting for this moment, and though there is no doubt he had been refined by the Holy Spirit as God chiseled away that which was unlike Jesus would be, Daniel was still in preparation.

You still need preparation. You never outgrow the need of preparation, but you may ask the question, “How will they know about me if I don’t pull some strings?” Well, they came looking for Daniel, and they’ll come looking for you. How will they know about you? It may be that the president will send for you, or an advisor to the president, but they will find you. God has a way of bringing right to the top those who are ready for it. The worst thing that can happen to you is to succeed before you are ready, and only God knows when you are ready.

Excerpted from The God of the Bible (Authentic Media, 2002).




What Is in You?

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. —Matthew 12:34

A rotten egg sailed past Buddy Robinson, an old Pentecostal preacher, and struck the deacon standing next to him. As the stench of the egg covered the deacon, he started cussing up a storm.

A second egg caught Brother Robinson right in the middle of his forehead, and as it trickled down his face, he began shouting and dancing all over the platform.

The deacon said, “I don’t understand it. When I was hit with the egg, I went to cussing; but when that rotten egg hit you, you went to praising.”

Brother Robinson, who stuttered like Moses, gave his reply: “You already had the c-c-c-cuss in you. When that egg hit you, it just knocked the c-c-c-cuss out of you. But when I got hit with a rotten egg, I had p-p-p-praise in me, and it just knocked the p-p-p-praise right out of me.”

Whatever is in you will come out of you in a time of stress, trial, or crisis. Deposit the Word in your heart that you will not sin against God (Psalm 119:11).

Jesus, purify and cleanse me. With Your baptism
of fire, burn away all the chaff in my life. Amen.




Authentic Leadership Defined

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. —Daniel 3:16-17, KJV

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were being trained for authentic leadership, although they may not have known it at the time. There are two kinds of leadership: authentic leadership and passive leadership. What is needed is authentic leadership, and this is determined by how we react to temptation and testing. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were now to undergo a real trial. Here were three men that decided to stand up and be counted.

These three men were characterized by a prior commitment—they had decided long before what they would do. Courage like this is planned in advance.

These three men didn’t need to look at each other and wink or nudge; no, they looked straight at the king and said, “We don’t have to answer you, and we don’t have to defend ourselves; we can tell you right now.”

Real strength is not in seeing how close you get to temptation without yielding; it is avoiding temptation altogether. When there is that kind of commitment, and temptation comes, you don’t have to pray about it.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego lived by what I can only call the impulse of the Spirit. Their peers listened for music and they fell down. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego listened to the impulse of the Spirit and they stood up. Unimpressed, the king had them bound and thrown into the burning fiery furnace.

Whenever you are in the fire, you know where to find Jesus. He is in the fire, and if you want to be changed from glory to glory, you may want the shortcut. I wouldn’t blame you for that. Just remember this, though: if you are ever given a trial, what can only be called a fiery trial, see it as God issuing to you an invitation on a silver platter to be changed from glory to glory. In the fire you will find Jesus there; you will find Him to be real, and you will be amazed and say, “Look who’s here.”

Excerpted from The God of the Bible (Authentic Media, 2002).




A Dove or a Pigeon?

Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.” —John 1:32

The Bible does not say that the Spirit came down from heaven as a pigeon. There would probably have been nothing unusual about a pigeon descending on an individual—or even remaining. There are some differences (at least in temperament) between pigeons and doves. A pigeon—at least the pigeons of Trafalgar Square—would adjust to nearly any situation, but almost certainly a turtledove would not.

I often wonder how often many of us have confused a pigeon for a dove at a spiritual level. We may hastily assume that the Dove has come, but a more objective examination might just show that it was a pigeon! Such possibility has given me a new phrase—”pigeon religion.”

I fear that so much today purports to be the presence of the Spirit—but in reality it is nothing more than pigeon religion.

It is my view that the genuine presence of the Holy Spirit is not as common as we may want to believe. It is also my fear that many of us have run slipshod over this matter and have forgotten that the Holy Spirit is a very, very sensitive person. I know that I have been very guilty in this area. I have done some things—and not done others—that I later realized have grieved the Spirit.

We all claim to want God’s blessings on us—and even take strong public stands for the truth! But often there seems missing a real conscientiousness with regard to grieving the Spirit by attitudes and words. It is as if we think our official positions or titles exempt us from having to watch what we say. The sober truth is, God will not bend the rules for any of us, whatever our  positions may be.

Excerpted from The Sensitivity of the Spirit (Charisma House, 2002).




If the Thief Be Found

Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; but if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. —Proverbs 6:30-31

The Bible says the thief must restore what he has taken sevenfold—if the thief be found! Sadly, many Christians cannot tell the difference between the God we serve and the adversary of our souls. Jesus said, “When he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers” (John 10:4-5). What tragedy we will suffer if we cannot recognize the voice of our Shepherd and distinguish it from the voice of the thief!

Only when you hear the Shepherd’s voice regularly will you be able to recognize it. Reading the Word and spending time in prayer and communion with Him will teach you to discern His voice. When you learn the difference between the voice of the Lord and the voice of the adversary, you will be able to stand up to the thief and demand he restore what he stole, sevenfold.

Don’t allow the enemy to get away with anything. Speak the truth of God’s Word aloud right now.

Jesus, I overcome the enemy by the word of
my testimony that You are Lord and Savior
and by the blood of the lamb. I am
saved by Your shed blood. Amen.




Pat Robertson: It’s Time for Cain to Quit Presidential Race

Pat Robertson, himself a former contender for the Republican presidential nomination, is calling on Herman Cain to throw in the towel.

On CBN’s The 700 Club this week, Robertson said allegations of sexual misconduct and long-term affairs were too much for the businessman-turned-politician’s campaign to endure.

“It’s time to get out,” Robertson said, indicating that Cain couldn’t win the nomination. Robertson’s comments come at a time when Republican candidate Newt Gingrich is gaining major momentum.

The 81-year-old Robertson also said Cain, the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, was “good at making pizzas” but is “over his head” in the realm of foreign policy. Cain recently stumbled in a broadcast interview on foreign policy topics.

Cain has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct, including the most recent accusation from a Georgia woman, who who claims she had a 13-year affair with him.

Cain has said he will decide whether to continue his campaign on Friday.




Rhode Island Governor Wages War on Christmas

A Christian business owner might take back the Christmas tree he donated to the State House for the annual Christmas tree lighting celebration—and he has made his reasons clear to the governor of Rhode Island.

For the past five years, John Leyden, owner of Big John Leyden Christmas Trees, has donated a Christmas tree to the State House Rotunda for the annual event. This year, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee proclaimed the Christmas tree must be referred to as a “holiday” tree. Chafee says it cannot be called a “Christmas tree,” claiming this counters Rhode Island’s founding as a haven for religious tolerance, where government and religion were kept separate.

The governor’s decision shows clear discrimination against Christmas. More than 70 percent of Americans polled would rather be wished “Merry Christmas” than “Happy Holidays.”

Chafee, however, is ignoring a resolution recently passed by the State House Legislature that stated trees during this season would be called “Christmas trees.” State Representative Doreen Costa, a co-sponsor of this resolution, has said she will hold her own Christmas tree lighting celebration for those who want to actually celebrate Christmas.

“Anyone knows the green, pointed, prickly trees we decorate in December are called ‘Christmas trees.’ A Christmas tree celebrates only one holiday and it is called Christmas,” says Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel and dean of Liberty University School of Law. “Gov. Lincoln Chafee ought to wake up and exercise common sense. By trying not to offend people he has offended the vast majority of people, and he has made his action look absurd. He ought to immediately reverse his decision and do the right thing by calling the tree by its proper name.”

Citizens have the opportunity to help bring back Christmas to the state of Rhode Island. Call Gov. Chaffee’s office today at (401) 222-2080 and urge him to reverse his decision.




Islamophilia, Democracy and Political Correctness

True Democracy can no more take hold in Islamic soil than a rose can grow in a glass vase … no matter how much water it contains. This is a true statement and many Islamists know that this is a true statement.

Tell that to the politically correct segment of our society. This segment, whether it is the mainstream media or foreign policy makers, is afflicted with “opposite disorder” or better described as “Islamophilia.” What is Islamophilia?, you ask. It is the irrational and self-destructive desire to show how enlightened and morally superior you are by bending over backwards to embrace the Islamic cause.

We even see rampant Islamophilia in the highest levels of the U.S. military—and it has cost some of our brave U.S. service men and service women their lives. We all remember the attack at Fort Hood, Texas, when Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan entered the Soldier Readiness Center, shouted “Allahu Akbar!” (“Allah is greater!”), then opened fire on scores of unarmed soldiers, including a pregnant woman who later died.

By the time Major Hasan was brought down by civilian police officers (he survived with paralyzing injuries), he had killed or mortally wounded 13 people and left 29 others injured.

Soon after the attack, we learned that U.S. intelligence agencies had actually monitored emails between Hasan and the radical Al-Qaida imam Anwar al-Awlaki. Hasan had been setting off alarms in the intelligence community for months, but the politically correct military bureaucracy ignored the warning signs.

Hasan, who had trained as a psychiatrist at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, was a frequent disciplinary problem, yet his superior officers promoted him to the rank of major, apparently to avoid appearing “intolerant” or “Islamophobic.” During his residency in psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he required extra supervision because of his extreme views.

While at Walter Reed, Hasan delivered a PowerPoint talk to a roomful of mental health staff members. His subject was Muslims in the U.S. military. Among the points listed in his presentation: “We [Muslims] love death more [than] you love life!” and “Fighting to establish an Islamic State to please God, even by force, is condoned by the Islam.”

One of Hasan’s classmates recalled that presentation: “We asked him pointedly, ‘Nidal, do you consider Shari’a law to transcend the Constitution of the United States?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ We asked him if homicidal bombers were rewarded for their acts with seventy-two virgins in heaven and he responded, ‘I’ve done the research—yes.’ Those are comments he made in front of the class … I was astounded and went to multiple faculty members and asked why he was even in the Army … Political correctness squelched any opportunity to confront him.”

And the political correctness continued even after Hasan killed more than a dozen soldiers at Ford Hood. Army Chief of Staff George W. Casey, Jr., sent a mass email to soldiers expressing his concern about a potential “backlash against our Muslim soldiers and civilians.” Casey went on NBC’s Meet the Press and said, “Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse.”

Now, that is an astonishing statement. If our “diversity” ever becomes a “casualty,” that will be a worse loss than the real casualties—the dead and wounded victims of the Fort Hood shooting! At the very highest levels of our military, our leaders are so anxious to be thought of as “tolerant” and “politically correct” that they openly value cultural “diversity” above the lives of our fighting men and women. That is why the military kept promoting Nidal Malik Hasan, even though he was clearly a threat to his fellow soldiers. The military bureaucracy bent over backwards to keep the Army from appearing to be “Islamophobic.”

Islamists can never appreciate or pledge an allegiance to the constitution or the flag, only to the Shari’a and the Caliphate. That is why, to them, democracy is a folly or a tool to reach power. Once there, ALL forms and trappings of secular democracy will be swept away into the dust bin of Jihad. As a Christian who loves ALL people but not ALL systems I pray that the mainstream media and government officials will be cured of this deadly disease before it is too late for ALL of us.

Dr. Michael Youssef‘s expertise on the Islamic culture and the Middle East in today’s post-modern world is actively sought by hundreds of thousands of followers around the globe. With a Ph.D. from Emory University in social anthropology, his Egyptian heritage gives him particular insight into the cultural and religious entanglements of international affairs. 
It is estimated that over 10 million viewers/listeners around the world are tuned in every week through an international Christian media ministry founded by Youssef, . It broadcasts via radio and television to over 200 countries and in over 20 languages. Follow Youssef, a common sense intellectual and renowned author of 24 books, on twitter @michaelayoussef and through his news blog, .




Atheist Group Sees Backlash From Attack on War Memorial

Seventy thousand Americans have spoken, but will the government listen?

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) is leading the charge to urge the National Forest Service to allow a Montana World War II memorial—a statue of Jesus—to stay in place, despite opposition from an atheist organization.

“This memorial has been a part of the history and heritage of that region for nearly 60 years. For the federal government to succumb to the intimidation tactics of an organization with a flawed view of the Constitution is disturbing and inappropriate,” says Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ.

“The law is clear: This statue does not create a constitutional crisis. The statue’s setting does not convey any government religious endorsement of religion. It is a historically important memorial designed to commemorate the sacrifice made by those killed in World War II.”

Inspired by mountaintop monuments they saw during the war in Europe, World War II veterans from the Knights of Columbus placed the Jesus statue on Montana’s Big Mountain at Whitefish Mountain Resort in the 1950s. The statue, they said, was meant to commemorate the service of local WWII veterans as a war memorial.

Now, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF)—an atheist group that has challenged the National Motto, the National Day of Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance—is challenging the display. Calling the war memorial “a ruse and a sham,” FFRF is urging the National Forest Service to end the Knights of Columbus’s long-standing lease, forcing the display to be removed. The government initially agreed with FFRF to end the lease, but when a massive public outcry ensued, the government put that decision on hold—reopening the issue to public comment.

In a letter sent on Thursday to the federal government on behalf of more than 70,000 concerned citizens, the ACLJ asked the National Forest Service to renew the lease, saying the display is an important historical memorial.

The ACLJ cites Supreme Court and appeals court precedent to argue that removal of the statue could actually convey disrespect for the brave soldiers it was meant to honor, sending a signal that the government is not neutral, but actually hostile, on matters of religion—something the Constitution specifically prohibits. Even the Montana Historical Society recognizes that the statue “has long been a part of the historic identity of the area” and remains “a local landmark,” making it “a historic part of the resort.”

Atheist groups are using similar intimidation tactics in cases being countered by the ACLJ, including an attempt to pressure the Marine Corps to take down a cross memorial at Camp Pendleton and the U.S. Army’s decision to remove a cross displayed outside a chapel at a military base in Afghanistan.