Category: Luke

Posted in Luke

Knocking Prayer

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’ Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.” I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness (shameless persistence) he will get up and give him as much as he needs.” Luke 11:5-8

Years ago my daughter told me that she wanted to have an operation on her jaw. Her teeth didn’t line up right so she lived with constant pain and had difficulty chewing things. There were two possible solutions: One was affordable and would cut down the pain as well as slow the deterioration; the other was expensive but would actually make her better.

We didn’t have the money. I told the Lord in prayer that we didn’t have the money to do what really needed to be done. We were already making sacrifices to put her and her siblings through college and I just felt like all my resources were tapped. “Not all your resources,” was the whisper I heard in my spirit. Was there a bank account somewhere I had forgotten about? As I began to think about other resources, I thought of my relationship with my mom.

To do everything for my daughter didn’t just mean using money we had, it had to include me humbling myself before my mom and asking her if she would help. To say “no” to my daughter without at least asking my mom for help, would not be doing everything possible.  Because of my mom’s generosity, I rejoice to say that my daughter had that operation, and now, years later, has no trouble with her jaw.

Have you included your relationship with God when you think about your resources? You may not have what others need, but you know Someone who does.

Posted in Jude, Luke

Falling Away

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.” Luke 8:13

Few things are as distressing to me as those who fall away from faith after once walking with Jesus. How can we help people get a firm root down, so that they don’t fall away when things get difficult? Instead of giving my opinion, I want to quote a man who led over a half million people to Christ in the 19th century. The notable thing about Charles Finney was that a survey taken at the time showed that 85% of those who responded to Christ in his meetings were still walking with the Lord ten years later. Compare these results to surveys of Moody’s converts that showed only 30% remained, and one survey of Billy Graham’s converts that showed only 3% were still faithful to the Lord a year after coming to the altar. Here’s how Finney preached the gospel:

“We should present to their minds the character of God, his government, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the plan of salvation, any such thing that is calculated to charm the sinner away from his sins, and from pursuing his own interests, and that is calculated to excite him to exercise unselfish and universal love. On the other hand, his own deformity, selfishness, self-will, pride, ambition, enmity, lusts, guilt, loathsomeness, hatefulness, spiritual death; all these things should be brought to bear in a burning focus on his mind.  Man’s depravity should then be held up against the great love, the infinite compassion, the meekness, condescension, purity, holiness, truthfulness, and justice, of the blessed God. These should be held before him like a mirror until they press on him with such mountain weight as to break his heart.” (Reflections on Revival Pg 40-41)

I will close with precious words from Jude 24: “Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”