Daily Manna from Heaven

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” -Isaiah 26:3

“God has not given to us the spirit of fear,” wrote the Apostle Paul years ago, “but of power, of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7,NKJV). That last concept is an interesting one “a sound mind.” The Greek word sophronismos comes from a verb that means “to be in one’s right mind; to think sensibly or to be sensible or serious.” It is the ability to think through a situation without fear or worry, and to determine what is God’s choice in the matter.

What a promise! Yet the fact of the matter is that most people today lack this very ability. Tossed by fear and uncertainty, their thinking is clouded and they vacillate from one opinion to another. God can give you the ability to think straight, says the venerable Apostle of the Christian faith. While I have great hesitancy in saying that it is always God’s will for a person to find physical healing (though God, being sovereign, most certainly does on occasion heal people in a supernatural way today), I can still say that it is God’s will for you to exercise the sound mind which Paul talked about.

Paul’s statement is a simple forthright declaration of this fact. God is not the author of debilitation or messy thinking! One of the first steps is breaking out of the mold which often paralyzes us, causing us to doubt, to vacillate, to hesitate to trust God. It’s the difference between being conformed to the mentality of our age and striving to view life in a different perspective—the way God sees things. The word “impossible” isn’t part of His vocabulary.

“How? Tell me how?” you may be thinking. First, realize that everything that happens to you affects the whole of your life: emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Now, strive to visualize a plastic cylinder several inches wide and ten inches high. Inside are three pieces of wire mesh joined in the center, dividing the cylinder into three areas which are separate yet vitally related to each other. Now for a moment conceive of an outside pressure that slowly begins to bore a hole in the outside of the cylinder.

Finally a hole is complete, and the contents of the cylinder begin to drain. The drill punched a hole through only one part of the cylinder, but the level lowers as the contents drain through the wire mesh. That cylinder represents your life, and its three compartments are the emotional, the physical, and the spiritual. When your emotional life is affected, your spiritual life will also be affected. This does not mean that you have been alienated from God. It simply means that you are facing a period of testing.

When you face emotional stress, it is easy to play junior psychoanalyst and to spend your time assessing where you went wrong. This may be a waste of time; rather, realize that God wants you to be healthy emotionally and spiritually, and begin to think His thoughts and to live His way.

If you are God’s child through faith in Jesus Christ, He is within you all right, and you can hear His voice saying, “Be still and know that I am God; let me work this out relax.”

God has not given to us the spirit of fear but of power, of love and a sound mind; therefore, trust Him to meet your needs today and leave tomorrow in His hands. God wants you to think soundly, wisely, and maturely. You are the child of a King.

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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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“You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.” -James 4:2

For what do you pray? Wealth? Health? Enough money to meet next month’s payments? Or possibly for your daily bread, enough to eat today? Often our prayers are like grocery orders placed with the Divine. We tend to do most of God’s work for Him ahead of time and figure out just what we think is the solution to our needs, then ask Him for whatever we think will solve the problem.

I have been thinking about what we often pray for in relationship to some of the prayers that are recorded in the New Testament, which were often a good deal different in nature and scope from what ours are today. I am thinking in particular about Paul’s prayer which is recorded in his letter to the Colossians.

In all probability Paul never got to the city of Colosse, which is located in central Asia Minor about 100 miles to the east of Ephesus. But he did know something about their needs, and he knew an awful lot about prayer and the nature of prayer. After a few words of introduction Paul told them he thanked God for them every time he thought of them. This is something we do not always do for some folks.

Epaphras had come from Colosse to minister to Paul, who happened to be in house arrest at the time in the city of Rome. Here is what he wrote– which, incidentally, is all one sentence in the Greek text. “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…” Notice that he did not pray that they might succeed. He did not pray that they might be blessed with great wealth as a token of their profound spirituality. He did not pray that their kids would fly right.

He simply asked God to give them spiritual wisdom and understanding; and then from this would come a number of things:

1) They would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and please Him by their lives.

2) They would be strengthened with his might and power so that they might be steadfast, patient and joyful.

3) They might give thanks to the Father who had delivered them from the power or domain of darkness and transferred them to the kingdom of His beloved Son “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” You can see the entire text in Colossians 1:9 14 in your New Testament; and I hope you will take a few minutes to dig it out for yourself.

What strikes me as so different about Paul’s prayer is the fact that he asked that they might fit into God’s plan, whereas most of us pray that God will fit into our plans. There is a big difference. Instead of thinking of God as an office boy who desires this and that for us (while we are still the center of attention, the focal point and recipient of God’s help).

Have you learned that one of the reasons why our prayers go unanswered is precisely that we attempt to use God rather than ask for wisdom and spiritual understanding that He might use us, and in so doing, resolve the problems facing us? James, the half brother of Jesus, talks about this in James 4:2. “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.” It is the point of view that makes the difference when you pray. Think about it!

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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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“Always keep on praying….” -1 Thessalonians 5:17, Living Bible

A Christian brother who lives in Africa tells about the men and women in his village who felt a need to have a place of prayer where they could escape from the rest of the tribe, a quiet, peaceful place of solitude. And certainly, living in a village where there were many people, finding such a place became a challenge.

When a group of young Christians began to discover the power of prayer, they began going out into the forest at the break of day to read their Bibles and pray. The African brother telling the story said that if one becomes unfaithful and neglects taking time for prayer, the other believers will soon notice and will reprimand him by saying, “Brother, the grass is beginning to grow on your path.”

Whether you live in Africa or in Tokyo or Manila, it is not easy to find time each day for prayer and Bible study. Yet, nothing is more important to your spiritual development than taking time for prayer. S. D. Gordon wrote this about the importance of prayer, “The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It is not the only thing, but it is the chief thing. The great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; not those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time to pray.”

May I ask you, as our African friends put it, “Is there grass growing on your path to a prayer closet?” In other words, do you find time in a busy schedule to put the practice of prayer into operation? You may be one of those who are convinced that prayer is important, but you do not get around to bending the knee. Priorities have to determine the use of our time, because when it comes to our time we all have exactly the same amount.

Prayer is the oil that makes the machinery run smoothly. But it is more than this. To pray you do not have to recite words out of a prayer book, or go through a ritual, you can just let the words flow out of your heart in conversation with God. When you pray, whether it is individually or with your employees—yes, people do that—your day will go better.

One of the greatest misconceptions of our day is that prayer is reserved for only the professionals and those about to face a life-threatening operation. Don’t you believe it! Theologians may not fully understand it, but the least significant child of God can put it into practice. You can pray about everything your personal needs, your husband or wife, your children, your neighborhood, your world. You can pray about specific needs of your family and friends physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, too.

Pray for your government; for officials; for fellow Christians; even pray for your enemies, asking God to touch their lives; you can pray about anything, anytime. ” You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” Jesus told His disciples (John 14:13,14).

I just picked up a new edition of The Merriam Webster dictionary, and among the definitions of prayer is this: “a slight chance.” Prayer is no chance; no happenstance of fate. It is the result of a relationship established through Jesus Christ which lets you as God’s child come into His presence and share your deepest needs with your heavenly Father. It is still the greatest power in the entire world, and there is nothing that takes its place. You can prove that fact for yourself.

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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” -Jeremiah 29:13

A pastor began his message reading Psalm 42. He read, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” He had no sooner asked the question of the psalmist, “When can I go and meet with God?” when the voice of a little child, about six years of age, loudly proclaimed, “Right now!”

At least someone was listening, and although the pastor hadn’t expected an answer to that rhetorical question, the simplicity and honesty of the child’s response was far more moving and sincere than anything anyone could have said.

When can I go and meet with God? Right now! Suppose, just suppose for a moment that you were to have an audience with the Creator, the Almighty who knows neither beginning nor ending, the Alpha and Omega, the Supreme Judge of the Universe, what would you say? ”Just a minute,” you may be thinking? “All those titles sound rather scary, and besides, I don’t know what I would say.”

If, however, God is your heavenly Father, and you know that you are His child, and besides, every day you spend time in His presence as you open your heart in prayer, there is nothing frightening about meeting with Him. If you had a meeting with a business executive, say, an acquaintance with whom you do business, no doubt you would think about your presentation– what you would say and the order in which you would present your case. If, on the other hand, you were meeting a close friend for lunch, you would probably just talk in random sequence. As you thought of something important, you’d just say it, right?

Well, when you meet with God, on occasion both approaches are valid. You don’t have to prepare a sales presentation when you talk with your heavenly Father. You can just say what’s on your heart. But if the prayers of Paul in the New Testament form a pattern for our prayers (and I believe they should), there are certainly elements which should be included in our prayers. Like what?

First, the ingredient of thanksgiving. Before you ask God for anything, focus on what He has already done for you. Sometimes this necessitates reflection, pondering God’s goodness in the past, momentarily forgetting the needs that you have. “Pray continually,” says Paul, adding, “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:17,18). To the Philippians Paul wrote, “…In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Next, include the element of worship and praise. This changes your focus from what you want to who God is, and it is amazing how quickly your problems get dwarfed when you really see the greatness and majesty of the Almighty. A few moments of reflection on hymns or songs such as Jack Hayford’s “Majesty,” or the old favorite, “How Great Thou Art,” begin to liberate your downtrodden spirit.

As you reflect, search your own heart. Call this confession. “If we confess our sins,” writes John, “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Then comes the petitions or requests. “We have not because we ask not,” wrote James, the half-brother of Jesus. John 16:24 commands, “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” “When can I meet with God?” asked the psalmist. Why not take the advice of a little boy who suggested, “Right now!” Yes, why not?

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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” -Matthew 18:19

General George Patton believed in getting things done. He once told a chaplain, “There are three ways that men get what they want: by planning, by working, and by prayer.” When rainy, foggy weather stopped the Allied Forces intent on liberating Germany, Patton telephoned the Third Army Chaplain and said, “This is General Patton. Do you have a good prayer for weather?”

The chaplain came up with one in a hurry, and Patton had it printed and distributed to the 250,000 men under his command with the order to pray for good weather. “I am a strong believer in prayer,” he said. When the weather couldn’t be changed by hard work or by planning, Patton resorted to prayer.

Everyone, however, doesn’t share Patton’s enthusiasm for getting things done through prayer. A contemporary of the Russian novelist, Dostoyevski, whose name was Turgeniev, wrote that “whatever a man prays for, he prays for a miracle. Every prayer,” he said, “reduces itself to this: ‘Great God, grant that twice two not be four.’”

Donald Cole points out that H. L. Mencken used to laugh at prayer. When he signed his letters, “I am praying for you,” he considered that to be wildly humorous. I, suspect, however, that on his deathbed, Mencken changed his mind.

As the Titanic listed in the icy waters of the cold Atlantic and people began to realize the unsinkable ship was about to go down, the orchestra began playing, “Nearer My God to Thee,” and people began praying.

If I had never attempted the broad jump, and I was on a roof with safety a mere six feet away, I can tell you for sure that I would be highly motivated to give the leap my very best try. But if I had trained for the Olympics as a broad jumper, then, a six feet or two meter leap would be a pretty simple feat.

The difference, of course, would be the discipline and training. That’s why the one who prays only as a ship is going down, or prays only at the bedside of a dying loved one, or only as a plane tosses in angry clouds, is not sure whether his prayer is a grasping for a wild hope that God will hear him, or knows that in the time of trouble, his father will hear his voice.

For you who want to discover something of the power of prayer, may I suggest that you start training today. “How?” you may be thinking. Let me put it like this. If I wanted to learn how to acquire a skill, I’d begin by getting some of the best books available and hearing what the experts have to say.Does that work with prayer? Yes and no.

Taking time to study both the contents of the prayers which both Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul prayed gives you a structure, something to use as a guide. There are times when I have read some of Paul’s prayers—say, those recorded in his letters—and said, “Yes, Lord, that’s how I feel. Increase my understanding and give me wisdom. What Paul prayed is what I want and need.”

But in the final analysis, you have to learn to pray yourself. Prayer is conversation, remember? It has to come out of your heart, not out of a book. A study of Paul’s prayer, however, shows that he prayed for others, he prayed for friends, for enemies, for situations, for safety, for deliverance from difficult problems, for physical needs, for deliverance from those who hindered the work.

He prayed with other believers in small groups, on his own, in times of worship and praise. General George Patton was right. Prayer is a means of getting things done, God’s way.

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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” Put your hope in God for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” -Psalm 43:5

No individual can really be educated apart from a knowledge of the Bible, and the book of Psalms in this grand book contains some of the most beautiful and thought-provoking passages and prose of all the world’s great literature. I, for one, marvel at the profound emotional insights which you find described here—the same emotions and feelings we grapple with today.

In Psalm 42 and 43, which were probably written as one, the writer voices a recurring theme. Three times he asks, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” Three times, he speaks of the solution: “Put your hope in God,” he says, adding, “for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Hey, friend, can you relate to that? Do you ever face personal bouts with discouragement and depression? You really know things aren’t as bad as you feel, but you just can’t quite get on top of things. You aren’t alone. The writer of this psalm felt the same way 3000 years ago, and the answer to his problem can be your answer as well.

“Hope in God,” he says–not the stock market, not your beauty or charm, and certainly not your ability to fix things. Following two deep valleys of human suffering, Norman Cousins authored a book entitled, The Biology of Hope. “The human spirit,” he wrote, “can’t be diagnosed or dissected.” What Cousins described as “the human spirit,” the writer of Psalms called “soul.” Therapy, tranquilizers, counseling and surgery can never surpass the power of hope when it comes to healing.

In these two psalms, the writer begins by saying that as the deer pants for water, so his soul pants for God, yet he says that tears have been his constant companion. In this soliloquy the writer makes three “I” statements which provide guidelines for us when we feel cast down and our souls are disturbed within. Here they are: First—“I remember…” Then, “I will say to God…” and finally, “I will go to the altar of God.”

When you reach the valley of despair, looking in your rear view mirror is OK. It’s positive to look behind and recognize the hand of God, remembering His blessings on your life. That’s what the psalmist did. He talked about going to the house of God “with shouts of joy and thanksgiving.”

He remembers how in bygone days, God made him a focus of love and gave him a song in the night. No, he didn’t feel like doing this. Remembering was a conscious matter of his will, and so is it for you, too, friend. Forcing yourself to remember is like building a platform upon which you reach towards the strength of the Almighty.

The second step in climbing out of his misery was a frank admission of his depression to God. “I say to God my Rock, ‘Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?’” That’s plain talk. Telling God exactly how you feel is therapy of the soul. It’s OK to let the tears flow. That’s part of breaking up the hardness of what life has done to you. Tears can be a powerful catalyst for healing.

Then the psalmist said, “I will go to the altar of God,” whom he described as “his joy and delight.” There’s just enough time to share a closing thought: When the psalmist was depressed, he turned to God, not on God. There’s a big difference.

He was convinced that God is a refuge and strength, the One in whom he could hope, and the One he called, “My Savior and my God.” When you ask that question, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” remember, the psalmist’s solution: “Put your hope in God,” and then you will find cause for praising Him who is your Savior and God.

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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” -Proverbs 16:3

“If you want to make God laugh,” says a post-it sticker, “make plans!” And what is the real message—that you should never try to plan anything? No, but rather, when God is left out of your plan, your game plan may never happen. There is a proverb which says, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33, KJV).

Whether you climb a mountain, traverse an ocean, build a house or a high-rise building, run in the Olympics, or attempt to plant a garden—or for that matter, do about anything—there are scores of factors over which you have little, if any, control. Like what? Like the economy, the weather, the availability of goods and services, the flow of electrical current that can wipe out machinery, the capriciousness of trade and surpluses, and a host of other things. The reality is, there are a lot of factors which we take for granted over which we have very little control. Does this mean that we should sit on our hands, waiting for God to make things to happen? Not unless you are expecting a new outpouring of Manna from heaven. God honors planning and hard work, but what makes God laugh is the presumption that men and women often have which ignores Him entirely.

Take, for example, the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, one of the most powerful men who ever lived, who was the dread and fear of all the earth. He’s the one Daniel tells about whose heart was filled with pride, and God finally said, “Enough!” His mind snapped and he “ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes,” so wrote Daniel (see Daniel 5:21).

A generation ago, Christians often signed their letters using two Latin words, Deo Volente, which means, “God willing.” They recognized that God—not chance or fate—is the final arbiter of what happens to us in life.

Presumption is a sin which God detests. Want to make God laugh? Then make plans and leave Him out of your plans. Apparently this is not simply a problem which we who are living in the twenty-first century struggle with. It’s an old one. James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote about this very situation when he penned the letter which bears his name–which, incidentally, was probably the first New Testament book.

He wrote to Jewish Christians—probably merchants—and said, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:13-16). How could it be any plainer?

Presumption was the sin which Jesus condemned when He told the story of the merchant who boasted, “I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones.” “A fool,” is the way Jesus described him, using a rather strong word.

A closing thought. There is a very “up” side to what may appear to be a “down-issue.” It’s this. When you make plans which you feel are within the scope and purpose of what God wills, and you ask Him to guide and bless your efforts, you can then trust that He will give you His best. Well does Proverbs 16:3 say, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Then it is we who will laugh with joy.

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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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