He Leads Me

May 13, 2013 | Articles

“We speak often about seeking the will of God without fully understanding what it means. Since we understand the importance of knowing the will of God for our lives, I would like to dwell primarily on the role of prayer in seeking His guidance.”

How do I pray to seek God’s leading?

Genesis 24 is the basis for the answer to this question. First, I want to establish that the whole Bible is a book of guidance. As you read the scriptures with the thought of God’s guidance in mind, you see His leading on nearly every page. From Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses to the prophets of the old and new testaments, God gave His people direction, because guidance is God’s design and plan for His people. As sure as He is God, we may count on Him to guide us in decisions great or small. David writes, “The steps of a good man are ordered by God….” (Psa. 37:23) John writes, “He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:3)
The question is not, “Does He lead us?” But, “How do I receive His guidance into my life?” We receive guidance through prayer.
Eliezer, Abraham’s servant in Genesis 24, prays a prayer that clearly outlines the elements of seeking God for guidance. We understand his prayer for guidance in the following points:
  • Faith
  • Knowledge of God
  • Presentation of self and need to God
  • Question
  • Confirmation
  • Worship
Abraham sent his servant Eliezer to find a bride for Isaac. Concerned about doing his job well, Eliezer asked Abraham these questions, “What if the woman we choose will not come, shall I then take Isaac back to your family?”
Abraham replied that he must not take Isaac back to his family. He then made a statement of faith. He said that God would send His angel before him and that he would bring back a wife for Isaac. Abraham prepared faith by which Eliezer could join himself to the purposes of God. When Eliezer prayed at the well, he based his prayer on the faith of Abraham.
Eliezer prayed: “O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham.” Gen. 24:12
1. The first step in a prayer for guidance is faith. Find a basis for your asking and stand on it. This is your faith. If God did it for others, He will do it for me. What has God promised? Study the promise that applies to your situation and make it yours by prayer. Speak aloud your assurances of God’s leading with faith. Do not cancel your prayer by negative speaking after you leave the prayer closet.
Eliezer knew that God led Abraham and that Abraham walked by faith in God’s promises. Eliezer based his faith on his knowledge of Abraham’s God.
2. Knowing God is indispensable in praying for leading. Learn to know God by your daily interaction with Him in prayer. If you know how to hear from God, you will know how to receive His guidance. Search the Word of God, and base your prayer on the knowledge of God’s leading in the lives of others. Recently I read a news report of a well known visual bible society who sent several thousand videos of the life of Jesus to the police department of the country of Hungary. Along with the videos they sent this message: “We want the people to know that they have to pray…, and that it is important to pray to know who Jesus is.” In praying for guidance, it is important to know Jesus and His way of leading us.
Eliezer continued to pray, “Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give they camels drink also: let the same be she that thou has appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shown kindness unto my master. Gen. 24:14
3. Present yourself and your need to God. Eliezer informed God where he was and what was happening. Often in rehearsing our situation before God, things become clearer. Sometimes the answer lies within us, and as we present the need to God, the answer rises to the top along with the need. However, in Eliezer’s situation, he presented the need and waited to see what would happen.
“And the man wondering at her held his peace…” As Eliezer finished speaking, a young woman named Rebekah came to the well. When he asked her for a drink, she offered to water the animals as well. While she watered the animals, he stood and watched her, wondering if she was the woman for whom he had prayed. Even at this point, he was unsure if this woman was the right choice.
He then asked her who her family was and, when she told him her family name, he knew that God had answered him. (Gen. 24:21-23)
4. Question. There are questions that may arise as we are waiting on God to unfold His plan. Often we question God and ourselves. Do not be afraid to ask God for a sign. He will honor your sincerity and faith.
“And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.” Gen 24:24
5. Confirmation. When we ask for a sign and receive it from the Lord, it is not wrong nor is it against faith to ask for confirmation. I would like to point out that there were requirements in place before Eliezer set out on his journey. Abraham told him that the woman must be from his family in the land that he had left years ago and that he must not take Isaac take back to that land. Eliezer prayed with those requirements in mind. When Rebekah gave the family name, Eliezer knew that God had answered him and that he had satisfied Abraham’s requirements.
We also should have requirements in place when we seek the
Lord. How else shall we know when he has answered us? When God meets our requirements, it is often a confirmation of our guidance. Words spoken by others can also be a confirmation of what we have heard from God.
Eliezer then worshipped and said, “Blessed by the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of His mercy and truth. I being in the way, the Lord led me…to the house of my master’s brethren.” Gen. 24:27.
6. Worship. “I, being in the way, the Lord led me,” is a striking example of God’s method of guidance. If we will start walking or seeking for an answer, the Lord leads us. We cannot sit and wait for something to fall out of the sky. If we bring our request and requirements before God, desiring His help, He guides us as we begin to move forward. After He has led us, then we worship in thanksgiving.
Worship the Lord because He was mindful of your need. He heard and led you according to His mercy and truth. When He has answered you, be thankful, and praise Him. Tell others in bold testimony how He led you. It will inspire others to seek the Lord. In addition, your worship sets the stage for another time when you may need His guidance. Thankful worship will draw Him nearer, as He inhabits the praises of His people.
David reminds us in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd,…..He leads me….” Remember that guidance is part of the inheritance of God’s people. He does lead us as we inquire of Him. Pray in faith, in the knowledge of God, and by presenting your need before Him. Do not be afraid to question God when you do not understand what is happening. He will answer, and worship naturally follows. God sent His Spirit into the world to guide us. It is our privilege to receive His leading into our lives by prayer.
Yours in prayer,
Cheryl Craft
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye” (Psa. 32:8).
To Do: In your next time of decision, apply these principles. Discover that God will lead you all your life decisions. Learn to inquire of the Lord before you act.

Break Out

Feb 5, 2013 | Articles

“It is easy to become set in our thinking and in ways. In fact, we can become so accustomed to one way that we can’t conceive of any other way to do something. This settled pattern limits and confines our thinking. “

It is easy to become set in our thinking and in ways. In fact, we can become so accustomed to one way that we can’t conceive of any other way to do something. This settled pattern limits and confines our thinking. We become rigid and fit that expression of “being set in our ways.” If we could change just one thing in our thinking, we could change our deeds and enter a whole new phase of operating in life. It is true that our ability to do stops at our ability to conceive or think.

 
Israel was so used to prison and the slavery of Egypt; they didn’t know how to enter into the freedom promised them. Their spirit was the spirit of enslavement. They were subject to another’s will and word. They had no idea how to be free or even believe it was possible to enter a land of promised freedom. But before these people died they birthed a generation with the spirit of freedom and these were the ones who claimed the Promised Land and entered into it.
 
In church situations it is possible for us to be so used to the struggle, the little results, and the labor that we don’t have any idea how to begin a revival or even maintain one. We see it as a dream or an ideal but we have the struggle mentality—enslaved to our rigid thinking. We need to break out!! If we could shake ourselves free from a struggle mentality and break out to a faith mindset, we could see the renewal or personal growth we long for.
 
How do we do that? We do it by breaking out of the mentality that tries to control everyone in our orbit, even God. I have seen hard working pastors and families who long for a move of God but don’t have the faintest clue about how that happens and or the part they have to play in it. The problem is control. They try to control God the way they control everyone else. Revival is a God thing and we will never see a revival if it has to filter down through our struggle mentality.
 
The key is to move into the flow of God in prayer and find out what He wants to do, when he wants to do it, and where he wants to do it. This requires submission and obedience to God, but most of all it requires submission in prayer. Many factors are involved, but first we must get a mindset it is possible. This is why the first generation of Israel that left Egypt lost their promised land. Like Israel we limit God because we set boundaries for Him forgetting that God works outside the boundaries. He works beyond the limits of our finite minds. Israel limited God and questioned whether or not He could set a table in the wilderness or give meat and bread (Psalm 78:19-20; 41). They only knew one pattern and that was struggle. They did not know how to trust and believe that God could provide even outside their own way of thinking.
 
We set boundaries and patrol them because of our fears and insecurities. No one comes in or goes out unless we say they can. We want to be in charge of our lives as well as everyone else’s. We even add God to that list. In prayer we devise a plan of spiritual growth and ask God to move within that plan. We think we know how something should work and we tell God that is what needs to be done. We limit him to the confines of our minds and its experiences.
 
But God is infinite and cannot be confined. When we move past the limits of our minds and move out into the realm where God is then nothing shall be impossible to us. To him that believes (goes past his own limits) all things are possible. It is natural to move in set patterns but to move outside the obvious is to move in the supernatural realm.
 
God help us to move on out past our own gates and fences to walk in the realm that knows no boundaries—the realm of faith. We must give up our control and let God be God not asking Him to move within our boundaries but to move into His realm where there are no fences. As we move outside the realm of our own thinking we enter into faith.
 
When Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood, He said to her, “Your faith has made you whole.” She moved out past the barriers of her own experience and thinking. She said within herself, “If I can but touch Him, I will be made whole.” With this thought she entered into the territory of Jesus which has no boundaries and she was healed.
 
Let us break out of the mindsets of struggle, enslavement, and control. We can do all things through Christ for He has set us free from the bonds of slavery. If we give up our control and submit ourselves to God, we will have the faith to trust Him. He then will lead us beyond the limits of our horizons. That is Break Out!!
~Cheryl Craft
This article is taken from Brother Bean’s seminar on prayer, his book, “Prayer,” will bring you into a deeper relationship with God. Also available in Spanish.

No Language but a Cry

Nov 12, 2012 | Articles

“Many years ago I read a story about a child who could not speak but could only make pitiful cries. Her story is a sad one.”

Many years ago I read a story about a child who could not speak but could only make pitiful cries. Her story is a sad one. She had many physical defects as well as emotional problems caused by a family who abused her unmercifully. Because of this trauma in her life, she turned inward into her own silent world for self-protection and would not talk. When noticed or questioned by an adult, she could only cry.

She was admitted to a children’s home at a very young age. The resident doctor took her under his wing and began to work with her. After many years of loving care, patient counseling, and corrective surgeries, the child was delivered from her silent prison and able to speak.

I was reminded of this story this week as I read of the bondage of Israel in Egypt. (Ex. 2, 3) They sighed and cried because of their bondage. The Scriptures tell us that their cry came up unto God, He heard their groaning, and remembered His promise of deliverance to Abraham. Because of their crying, God looked upon them and said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people…have heard their cry…I know their sorrows. And I am come down to deliver them, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land…” a cry began the journey from prison to freedom.

At some point in our lives, we may be able to identify with either the child, who made her own prison, or with the nation of Israel, who found themselves enslaved by an unsympathetic king. No matter what the case may be, our deliverance begins with a cry.

~Cheryl Craft

Great Faith

Jun 8, 2012 | Articles

“Jesus pointed out various levels of faith during his earthly ministry. He remarked that people had no faith, little faith, unbelief, faith the size of a mustard seed, and great faith. “


Jesus pointed out various levels of faith during his earthly ministry. He remarked that people had no faith, little faith, unbelief, faith the size of a mustard seed, and great faith.
 
Twice in Jesus’ ministry, he pointed out great faith: He said to the Roman centurion, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel” (Matthew 8:10); He then said to the Syro-Phoenician woman, “ ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour” (Matthew 15:28). It is interesting to note that both these people were Gentiles. They had no hope in partaking of the promises of God, nor were they included in the covenant that He had made with Israel through Abraham. Showing great faith in His ministry, however, these Gentiles received Him, while the Jews, to whom the promise of Messiah belonged, doubted and debated His identity. As we focus on the great faith of the Syro-Phoenician woman, we want to examine why Jesus called her faith great.
 
The Greek woman of Syro-Phoenicia did not just appear out of nowhere without any knowledge of Jesus or faith in God. She lived in the region of Sidon, a country where faith seemed to dwell in the hearts of its citizens. God sent Elijah to Sidon to be cared for by a widow. Jesus mentioned this area in His rebukes to the cities that would not repent and receive His ministry. He told them that if He had worked miracles in Sidon, they would have repented long ago. People from many lands were counted in the multitudes that followed Jesus. Could this nameless Greek woman also have been in the Galilee area and heard Jesus speak and see the wonders He performed, or could she have been present on the day He fed the five thousand? Whatever her story may be, when Jesus arrived in Sidon, she heard of His visit, and in faith came to ask His help.
 
Even though she believed, her road of faith was not smooth. Jesus tested her faith at every turn of the road. In our prayer experience, events orchestrated by God also test our faith and desire. In this story of the Greek woman, we see the tests of faith clearly defined. If at any point she had failed the test, she would have not received the answer to her prayer. Like her, we may also have to pass the faith test in order to receive answers to prayer. We see her faith revealed by her believing that Jesus was the promised Messiah, her persistent asking, and her humility in worship.
 
The first test of faith she met was the silence of Jesus. He refused to answer her prayer. Silence is the greatest rejection. He did not even recognize her presence by a courtesy greeting. Even though she recognized Him as Messiah and this was more than the Jews would acknowledge, and even though her love and compassion for her daughter must have touched Jesus, yet He would not answer her. The silent rejection of Jesus can imbalance us, because we desire to feel His nearness as a sign that all is well. To seek after God and not receive His response deters us from further seeking. If we don’t desire greatly, we stop praying, never to receive our petition. The Syro-Phoenician woman passed the test of silent rejection. She persisted in asking.
 
Jesus taught that one of the principles of prayer was to keep asking, seeking, and knocking (Matthew 7:7). This is not only a principle of prayer, but one of faith. If you believe that someone has something that belongs to you, and that all you have to do is ask, you will keep asking until you receive it. Many times we don’t receive answers to prayer because we don’t know for sure God has it for us, or we’re not sure He wants to give it to us even if He does have it. At that point, our faith breaks down because we doubt. Consequently, we stop asking and break the principle of faith that says to persist.
 
Faith persists in asking because faith believes it will receive. The Greek woman, not receiving an answer from Jesus, turned to the disciples for help. Asking Jesus to turn her away, they verbally rejected her. What a great discouragement they were to her! They would not stand with her in prayer for her need. We, too, may have to stand alone in prayer in our hour of need. After long hours of seeking, it may seem that God is not aware of us. This is a crucial point in prayer. If we lose courage and give up asking, all will be lost. Praying past discouragement brings us another step closer to our answer. Like the Greek woman, if we will press on in prayer, pleading our cause, we will hear Jesus respond. She passed the test of discouragement. She continued asking, however, with a different approach.
 
She fell at His feet and worshipped. She was closer to her answer, but still had one more test to pass. Worship is a part of the equation of faith. We worship the One whom we consider worthy. She believed Him to be the Son of David, the one the Jews called Messiah. She understood that this title carried with it power, love, and compassion. She exalted and honored Jesus by falling at His feet in worship.
 
After she worshipped, Jesus began talking to her. Nevertheless, He did not answer her but faced her with a cold, unpleasant fact. Jesus told her that He only had bread for the children, and it was not right to throw it to the dogs. In other words, He said that the bread belonged to those who were worthy of it, for those to whom it had been promised. “You are not worthy to receive what I have to give,” was His statement of conclusion. This was her final test. What did she reply? “Yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table” (Matthew 15:27)? In effect, she said, “Yes, I know I am unworthy, but even those who are unworthy receive from You.” When she made this statement, she won Jesus’ heart and His praise. She had touched His mercy, the essence of His nature. He could not resist her any longer. She passed the final test of faith when she admitted her unworthiness of His mercy.
 
In praying past silent rejection, discouragement, the cold unpleasant facts of a situation, we at last enter into humility, touching His mercy. We then can hear the echo of His voice speaking to us, “Great is your faith, let it be to you as you have desired.”
 
As Smith Wigglesworth said, “Great love produces great faith.”
~Cheryl Craft

Are You Listening, God?

Apr 1, 2012 | Articles

“It is a sign of the times that we should ask this question. Those of my generation have seen the world change from faith to faithlessness. Twenty or thirty years ago we didn’t have to ask, “Is God listening to me when I pray?”

It is a sign of the times that we should ask this question. Those of my generation have seen the world change from faith to faithlessness. Twenty or thirty years ago we didn’t have to ask, “Is God listening to me when I pray?” Everyone, whether a believer or not, believed God heard them when they prayed. Our world today has become desensitized to God’s Spirit. This has seeped into the church world. We now ask the question, “Is God listening to me when I pray?”

It is a good question and a sign that we are waking up to prayer and seeking God. We want to hear a response from God when we pray and so we ask, “Is God listening to me when I pray?” In a word, “yes” God does listen when we pray. We all like to be heard. Parents say to their children, “Are you listening to me?” Teachers in a classroom tell their students to listen carefully so they will be able to do well on the test. Pastors encourage their church members to pay attention to the sermons that will help them. We all want to be listened to and to be understood. We have this same need in our relationship with God. When we pray, we want to know God is listening. We can be sure that He listens to us and hears our prayers. We can know by this one thing:” When God has our attention, we have His.”

God is listening for your prayer. Are you praying?

~Cheryl Craft

Meet Me at the Door

Dec 14, 2011 | Articles

“Several years ago the freedom to pray in the public schools of America was taken away by law. Those who wanted to pray at the beginning of their school day chose to meet outside the school building at a designated place. They chose the flagpole. This idea quickly became popular, and we saw newspaper photos of praying students holding hands around the school flagpole. When students called to each other, “Meet you at the pole,” it was understood that they were to gather there to pray. “

Exodus 33:9-10

Several years ago the freedom to pray in the public schools of America was taken away by law. Those who wanted to pray at the beginning of their school day chose to meet outside the school building at a designated place. They chose the flagpole. This idea quickly became popular, and we saw newspaper photos of praying students holding hands around the school flagpole. When students called to each other, “Meet you at the pole,” it was understood that they were to gather there to pray.

Centuries ago God established a meeting place for prayer. It was not a flagpole, but the door of a tent. God told Moses to meet Him at the door of the tabernacle, and He would speak with him there. When Moses stepped into the door of the tent, the presence of God filled the doorway as a cloud, and God talked with Moses. (Ex. 33:9-10)

In the doors of tents, tabernacles, and homes, miracles took place. Abraham was sitting in the door of his tent when the Lord appeared to him. (Gen.18:1) Sarah heard the promise that she was to bear a son as she stood in the door of the tent. (Gen. 18:10) At the door of the Tabernacle Aaron and his sons were washed with water, offerings were made, God met and talked with Moses, giving him instruction for the people.

Relationship takes place at the door. “My Beloved extended his hand through the opening of the door…” (Song 5:4-5)

In the New Testament we read: “And all the city was gathered together at the door, And He healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils…(Mark 1:33-34)

This shows us that there is a door of entrance into the Spirit of God. I would like to call this door, the door of awareness.

In the beginning God and Adam had an open door policy, communing together as kindred spirits. When Adam disobeyed God, the barrier of sin blocked the door of awareness. We read about the “voice of God” walking through the garden calling to Adam, knocking at the door of Adam’s awareness. It is also true that He is calling out to men today to become aware of Him. John writes, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with him and he with Me.”

In this new year determine to listen for God’s voice, meet Him at the door of spiritual awareness and enjoy His company.

~Cheryl Craft