Don't Underestimate the Power of Your Faith in God

Have you ever wondered why some people get answers to their prayers so frequently while others continue to struggle in life?  Some live in victories and others in perpetual defeat?  One simple difference can be found in their attitude toward God.  Do they come to God in faith or fear/worry?  Worry never gets what it worries about while faith always gets what it believes for!  Throughout human history, God has always honored those who exhibit unswerving faith and trust in Him.  This we see recorded in Hebrews 11 where the writer, with personal experience and the examples of others, states that “without faith it is impossible to please God and those who come to him must believe that He is and that He rewards those who seek Him diligently” (11:6).  

The first part of the foundation of our faith has to do with the person and the being of God – “that he is”.  He is Yahweh, the God who says “I am that I am”.  He is the God who says “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end”.   God was known to the children of Israel as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  But when Moses asked his name, He said, “I am that I am”, I am “Yahweh” and “I will be with you”.  For the first time God revealed his nature and being to Moses; an ever present God.  When Moses went to Egypt, he had this real sense of God’s presence with him – “that God is”.  Long after Egypt, and in wilderness God told Moses to lead the people by himself.  Moses once again begs and says “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here” (Ex. 33:15).  Thus, the writer of Hebrews knows the necessity of one’s faith in God’s nature, his person and his presence. 

The second part of the foundation of our faith is the character of God “that he rewards those who seek him diligently”.  God is a good God who delights in answering our prayers, “How much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7:11).  When we come to God, we must have this unswerving faith in the goodness of God.  Jesus said “Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mk. 9:23), “Ask anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:14).  David said, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will fulfill the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4).  God loves to answer the prayer of faith! 

Rev. William Haslam, in his autobiography Yet Not I, talks about a couple he met in 1862.  Husband was known as Happy Peter.  They both had terrible case of rheumatism that made them invalid toward the latter part of their life.  As they needed someone to take care of them, there came a time when they were about to be separated in different social institutions.  Happy Peter and wife asked the Lord to stop such separation.  They were deeply in love with each other and devoutly faithful to God.  In an amazing twist of tale, a well off and benevolent lady heard of their plight.  She decided to rent a room for them and provide for the upkeep so long as they would live.  Happy Peter and wife lived in that room and when many years had gone by, Rev. Haslam came to town as their new Parson.  He was greatly encouraged by witnessing their unswerving faith in the goodness of God; even in their suffering and pain, they always found reasons to praise God and wore the countenance of unending happiness; thus Happy Peter!

One day while Rev. Haslam was reading the paper, he was startled by the news of sudden death of that precious lady who took care of Happy Peter and wife.  Greatly worried about their fate, he gently broke the news to them.  They listened with eerie silence and after a pause, Peter’s wife said “Thank God for all the kindness that dear good lady did to us; and thank God, He is not dead”.  Yes, their human benefactress was dead but the God who moved her heart to take care of them was still alive.  What a faith!  Amazingly, Happy Peter and his wife lived their days on earth without a care as God moved others’ hearts in their behalf.  God honors his children’s trust in him.

From my personal life, the pictures below are examples of God’s faithfulness in answering our prayers for our ministry in Nepal.  My wife and I were married in January 10, 1993 while serving in a church in Kathmandu pioneered by an American missionary sister who had come to Nepal nearly two decades earlier.  Few months into that pastorate, I had serious disagreement with this dear lady who had already developed such a dictatorial method of ministry in which Nepalese were not worthy of any respect and eventually in the summer of that year, we moved out of that church.  We moved out of her ministry leaving her furious for not being able to punish us; we found, prior to us, she had other victims too.  By the fall of that same year, my wife and I and 8 other victims started to gather for prayer in our living room and eventually decided to turn that prayer meeting into weekly church fellowship. 

But alas!  Such news of us starting a church made her more indignant.  She being the “Boss” of largest denomination in Nepal, demanded her faithful pawns in the committee to do everything possible to destroy us while she went on to demonize us in the eyes of all foreign missionaries in and outside of Nepal.  I was physically attacked by one of her missionary friends known as Michael (forgot his last name), and verbally insulted from the pulpits by another couple who were then leading Operation Mobilization (OM) in Nepal. 

The Nepalese brothers who made their living under her mantle came with full fury to silence us and our ministry forever in the guise of their denominational authority.  Our crime was; we refused to be mistreated and abused by this precious anointed American missionary sister!  But they refused to listen to us and demanded absolute surrender to ladyship.  They demanded us to apologize for questioning her treatment of Nepalese and her ways of handling finances that came in the name of ministry.  No Nepalese could or can ask her how she handles the money that comes for the ministry.  She is the final authority!  Of course that is how all “missionaries” handle the money in every developing nation. The natives have no rights to question the expat missionary! 

We refused to surrender to such an abusive leadership, but they wouldn't leave us alone. They found better ways of destroying us without firing a bullet.  My wife and I were teaching in different bible schools so that we could sustain ourselves and also support the new church plant.  Our precious missionary lady and her obedient pawns began a campaign to stop us from getting any teaching jobs in any of the bible schools in Kathmandu.  Married just about a year before, having a newborn son, pioneering a church in one of the most heathen cities of the world without anyone supporting us, and with no technical education except theology; teaching in a bible school was our only means of surviving.  

She knew we had no other means of survival in Kathmandu; just before we had moved out of her property, she had visited us with one of her pawns and demanded to know if we were receiving foreign donations.  Her pawn was more abusive to us on that day as this was his opportunity to show her how faithful he was to his ladyship. My wife and I told them that God did not call us to hunt for foreign donations as they were doing, He called us to serve him.  So, she knew we had no other source of making a living except teaching, and this precious anointed Pentecostal missionary sister in Christ along with her tongues speaking Nepalese followers called upon the heads of these bible schools (we were teaching in two places at that time) and demanded them to fire us.  But the heads of these two bible schools refused to bow-down.  They took the bullet for us and refused to fire, and for that we will be forever grateful to them!  This was the first sign that God was not finished with us. 

Then, she and her company started to pronounce curses on us from their pulpits.  They commanded their leaders and believers to shun us; never to speak or greet us even when they meet us on the way and till today, some of the faithful followers have been keeping this promise.  When they see us, they do not know which way to turn their heads!

But we never doubted the presence of God with us and by 1996, our little fellowship had taken the shape of a church. We were miraculously protected, provided, and preserved against all odds in the face of such a merciless physical and spiritual attack.  The picture above was taken in 1999; Pastor Ganesh I are standing in the piece of property that we were able to purchase for the church.  It was an amazing work of God how this property was provided.  It will take another chapter to recall the whole story.  The picture below is of our current church in that property.  Time permitting, I shall indulge in letting my readers to go through the miraculous workings of God in meeting our needs, keeping us in Kathmandu and sustaining us in spite of a powerful opposition from a powerful missionary along with her powerful denomination in Nepal. 

The thing is; never doubt the power of God’s grace to a person who dares to believe in his presence and character.  Mark 9:23 has been my guiding verse over the years and every time I remember our experience in Kathmandu from 1993-1996, I cringe within myself and ask, “How could we survive?” such a merciless attack from so many anointing brothers and sisters in Christ! Like Joseph’s brothers, these brothers and sisters of mine in Christ were determined to destroy us but today, the Lord has been our banner and our provider! 

David and Bathsheba: Mission and Injustice

Whenever I hear preachers talk about David’s adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, they invariably point out to the dangers of sexual sins.  Whenever any prominent preacher falls in sexual sin, s/he invariable cites David’s example and start confessing.  If the sinning preacher finds in danger of losing the ministry position, s/he would go so far as to say “David confessed to God, God forgave him, so why should I be subject to any kind of disciplinary action?”  Countless times, I have heard David’s fall as a warning against sexual sin.

While sexual sin is so heinous and so destructive in itself, God’s anger against David was not so much for his sexual impurity but against the injustice he committed against a loyal and defenseless man Uriah.  Through Prophet Nathan, God rebukes David, “I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites” (2 Samuel 12:8-9).

The evil in the eyes of the Lord David committed is not so much the adultery but the injustice against an innocent man.  David had plenty of women in the palace to satisfy his lust.  This was not a sin committed by impulse and lack of judgment due to the blinding passions aroused by the naked body of Bathsheba.  It was a sin deliberately committed after carefully investigating and knowing who she was.  David investigated her background, found out whose daughter and wife she was.  Instead of respecting, protecting, and honoring the loyalty and the service of Uriah, David was overcome by the lust for the beauty of Bathsheba.  Instead of being the protector of his servant Uriah’s property, David committed covetousness against a helpless man. 

He takes away everything Uriah had.  To cover up his sin, he commits another heinous crime; he kills Uriah.  Covetousness led to murder.  It was the worst kind of injustice one can imagine.  A poor man, a loyal shoulder, a person willing to lay down his life for the king was mercilessly robbed and brutally killed by a powerful man who was supposed to protect him.  This was the sin God counted against David for the rest of his life.

In Christian missions and charitable organizations, there is so much injustice committed but hardly anyone talks about it.  Orphans, widows, elderly and the helpless from the poorer nations are paraded and sold in the market places of the affluent nations in the name of charity.  Evangelists, pastors, missionaries working in some of the most difficult places on planet are auctioned in the churches and Christian marketplaces in the affluent part of the world in the name of supporting native missions.  But only a fraction of what is collected in these endeavors ever reaches to those who are being sold.  The agents in the charities are paid salaries like as if they are working for multinational financial corporations.  The mission agents gather all the money that comes in the name of supporting native missions and in no time they become businessmen, entrepreneurs, bankers, realtors, politicians and you name it.

The orphans, widows, elderly and the helpless only exist in papers and videos provided to the donors who pride in their charity while the middlemen/women turn themselves into millionaires.  The sincere evangelists, pastors, and mission workers continue to labor for their Lord in spite of lack, need and suffering while the money that came in their names goes into enriching the clever and donor connected leaders who are busy in fabricating stories like David did to cover up his sins.

This is injustice in its most despicable form.  Like Habakkuk, we need to cry out and ask God “how long O God?” (Habakkuk 1:2). 

Christian Success

In today’s world, success is measured by fat bank account, thin body, and viral popularity.  The purpose of life is all about here and now on earth.  But Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19-21).

Jesus invites us to have a right perspective in life.  The things stored on earth are going to be destroyed.  Either they will be destroyed slowly by moth and rust or suddenly by thieves.  Even if we have them until the end, we will have to leave them behind.  After all, there will come a day when we shall say goodbye to this world and enter the world God has prepared for us.

According to Jesus, there is a strong possibility of sending our treasures ahead of us to the world where our treasures will be safely awaiting us when our time to leave this earth comes.  How shall we store our treasures in heaven?

1.     Jesus said “work for the food that will not perish” (John 6:63):  This food is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the true bread of life.  Whatever we do, it should be done by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Make Jesus the center of all your work in this world.  Your life, your family, your job, your business, your profession, and your everything ought to be centered in Christ.  In this way, you lay up treasures in heaven.

2.     Jesus said “seek God’s kingdom and righteousness” (Matt. 6:33, 10): Our work and prayer life should be motivated to bring God’s kingdom and righteousness in the place where God has kept us on this earth.  For everything we do, we must have this deep sense of longing to see our surrounding change into God’s kingdom where Jesus is glorified and people are blessed.  In this way, you lay up treasures in heaven.

3.     Jesus said “whatever you did to the least of my these brothers, you did it to me” (Matt. 25:31-46): Earlier in chapter 19 of Matthew’s gospel Jesus talks to the rich young ruler and tells him to sell everything and give it to the poor.  When the rich young ruler went away sad because he could not sell his property due to his greed, Jesus turns to the disciples and says “…don’t lay up for yourself treasures on earth”.  Then in chapter 25, Jesus expands as how the feeding a hungry, giving drink to a thirsty, welcoming a helpless stranger, clothing a naked, visiting a sick, and meeting a prisoner; all these actions were actually done to Christ.  In other words, while we are on earth, we must not be motivated by greed but by compassion.  We use our material possessions to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves.  In doing this, we seem to be laying up treasures in heaven. 

4.     Jesus said “go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15):  Jesus gave this awesome responsibility of sharing the gospel to save the lost into our hands.  The Bible gives us clear command to preach the gospel with all our life here on earth.  Every soul that would be saved from our sharing the gospel will be the treasure in heaven.

5.     Paul said “your help for the mission work will be credited to your account” (Phil. 4:14-20):  Philippian church had been a constant supporter of Paul and his companions so that they could preach the gospel in many other places.  In his letter, Paul thanks them and says that what they gave is actually stored into their account.  What they gave was a fragrant offering, acceptable and pleasing to God and thus God would supply all their needs from the stored treasures in heaven.  So, when we give for the cause of preaching the gospel, we lay up treasures in heaven.

Success for a Christian is therefore, to lay up treasures in heaven.  When our time on earth is done, God will welcome us into his kingdom where our treasures will be beautifully displayed.  Let us live with Christ as the center of our lives and compassion as the guiding principle of life.  Let us pray and do everything we can to share the gospel in order to have many souls in God’s kingdom.  Apart from this, all other success you will have is going to be left behind.

Learn from Your Enemy (1 Samuel 16)

The way God works in our lives is amazing and baffling at the same time.  God abandoned King Saul, and asked Samuel to anoint a new king from among the sons of Jesse.  Samuel goes for the external appearance in choosing a new king but God commands him to look into the heart of the man (1 Sam.16:7).  Out of eight sons of Jesse, the last one, David the unlikely, is chosen to be the new king. 

As Samuel anoints David the shepherd boy for the task of leading a troubled nation as its king, the shepherd boy himself had no clue as what he was getting into.  Yes, he had the experience of leading his sheep in the woods and protecting them from the wild beasts.  But leading a rebellious nation, a nation in decline and surrounded by its enemies could have never crossed David’s mind.  Yes, he was a daring shepherd who stood against the lions and the bears, but leading a nation torn asunder from within by its ruler could not be so much a possibility for the shepherd boy.  If at all such an opportunity came his way, he had seven elder brothers who would be far more promising than him for the task ahead.    

Even Samuel’s judgment failed.  After rejecting seven handsome and promising sons of Jesse, he asks “are these all the sons you have?” as if he was wondering whether God had made a mistake in calculating Jesse’s sons.

Finally when David appears in the scene; Samuel leaps to his feet and anoints the ruddy, handsome looking lad.  Oblivious to the human eyes witnessing the scene, the Bible says, “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power” (1 Sam. 16:14).  

From now onward, the Spirit of the Lord would become David’s companion and guide to lead him in all his physical and spiritual victories.  But there came a time in his later life in which he was so close in losing the companionship of the Spirit.  In such a time, he cries out to God and laments; “Do not cast me away from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me” (Ps. 51:11).  David knew the dangers of living a life without the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.  He left no stone unturned to repent from his sins so that God would be merciful to allow the presence of the Spirit in his life. 

David could never imagine of a life without the guiding presence of the Spirit because, right about the time he was anointed by Samuel, something had happened to Saul and David knew it.  In 1 Samuel 16:13, David receives the Spirit of the Lord and in the very next verse it says “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil (injurious) spirit from the LORD tormented him”.  From that time onward, Saul was a man hunted and tormented by this evil spirit.  Saul’s people tried everything to set him free from this spirit but they could not.  As a last resort, they tried to see if music could soothe Saul’s tormented soul.  Amazingly, David happened to be the man who would play the anointed music to relieve Saul from the torment of this spirit.  Because of his music, David would also become Saul’s armor bearer.

The way God works is amazing.  When God brought David in Saul’s palace as a musician and later as armor bearer; it was for David, much less for Saul.  David was given the opportunity to learn some of the most valuable lessons of his life. 

First, David saw how life can lose all its pleasures and purposes when abandoned by God.  Saul’s life was to serve David the lesson of his lifetime that if he ever allowed this separation of the Spirit from his life due to his sins, he would have nothing left in his hands.  At one time, with his own sinful humanity, David went toward this direction and in Psalms 32 we see him returning with broken bones due to the power of un-confessed sins.  He says “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away…Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’ – and you forgave the guilt of my sin” (32:3-5).  David could never imagine of living a life like he saw Saul living without God’s favor upon his life. 

Second, by bringing David in the palace and putting him so close to Saul, God was teaching David the art of kingship.  God used the abandoned and rejected king of Israel to teach David the art of rule and royalty.  Yes, many times David was nearly killed by Saul.  But when God has his finger upon a life, not a hair would fall without his will.  David proved to be a man after God’s own heart because in all his dealings with Saul, he never once expressed hate and bitterness toward a God appointed king; God only has the right to dethrone the king he put upon the throne.  Even when he could easily take Saul’s life and usurp the throne, though tempted at first, David followed the prompting of the Spirit, allowing God to take control of the situation.  He rebukes himself and his people for even thinking a thought like that (1 Sam. 24:5-7).

Those of us who love God, like David, whether we are in the field tending sheep, whether we are in the palace playing some musical instrument to soothe a tormented soul, whether we are the armor bearer to a leader helping him to fight, whether we are sitting upon the throne ruling over our kingdom; whatever be the station in our lives, let us learn like David the lessons he learned.  Let us not live in sin and lose the abiding presence of the Spirit; let us live in repentance.  Let us also not be bitter for the suffering and hardship that come our way when God prepares us for the task ahead.  Like David, let us live in the Spirit and be a faithful shepherd, a musician, an armor bearer and a king for God’s glory!  God has a way of using our difficulties and our enemies for our training and benefit; all we got to do is to rest in God and live for his glory like David did while our enemy works in our behalf at God's bidding.