Exodus 20:12 (NKJV) “Honor (כָּבוֹד ḵâḇôḏ) your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

The meaning of the word translated honour is the Hebrew word ḵâḇoḏ/kabed which means to be heavy, to make weighty, to value. It also carries with it the meaning of abounding. So to honour someone is actually to recognise a person who is weighty in value, influential, worthy of respect. To honour is to place weight or value on a person and that relationship. Attached to the word ḵâḇôḏ is also the meaning of abounding. An environment of honour will cause a person and the relationship with that person to flourish and abound.

The word ḵâḇôḏ is also used in a negative sense in the Old Testament. When used in a negative context ḵâḇôḏ means burdensome, severe, or to be heavy.

To (dis)honour is to be burdensome, to treat severely and to create an atmosphere of heaviness. Remember the prefixdis is the latin for “apart or having a negative or reversing force”. Dishonour means to treat the person apart from honour. It is to set aside the value or worth of that person and the relationship you have with that person. (Dis)honour also has the effect of reversing the environment of honour which produces abundance in a person and the relationship with that person.

Keep these definitions in mind and let’s look at the first mention of the word ḵâḇôḏ in the Bible.

Genesis 13:1-4 (NLT) So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev, along with his wife and Lot and all that they owned. (Abram was very rich (ḵâḇôḏ) in livestock, silver, and gold.) From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before. This was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and there he worshiped the LORD again.

Abraham had just come back to Canaan from Egypt where he nearly lost his wife and feared for his life. God spared the both of them by Divine intervention.

The word rich there is the word ḵâḇôḏ. Don’t miss what the passage is trying to teach us here. The word ḵâḇôḏ is in the midst of an act Abraham was doing to show how much he valued his relationship with God. Abraham knew why he was living in abundance. It was his relationship with God that produced the environment to flourish in abundance. How do we know that? The first thing he does after leaving Egypt was to make his way back to the place he first built an altar to God and he worshiped the Lord again. It shows us how much “weight” or value he placed on his relationship with God rather than the riches he had accumulated. True prosperity is found in a relationship that places weight and value in a relationship with God. Wherever God is honoured, people flourish in their lives.

That was the first use of ḵâḇôḏ in the Bible. Let’s look at the use of ḵâḇôḏ in the context of weightiness and oppression. For this we turn to the life of Pharoah.

Exodus 5:6-9 (NLT) That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen: “Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves! But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to our God.’ Load (ḵâḇôḏ) them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!”

When Moses, under the command of God, confronted Pharoah and challenged him to let God’s people go, Pharoah’s reaction to Moses’ challenge was to burden the people further. Note the phrase “load (ḵâḇôḏ) them down” . Here we see the word ḵâḇôḏ used in the negative sense. “Load (ḵâḇôḏ) them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them to listen to lies!”

He called the will of God and the voice of God lies. When we (dis)honour God, we tend to (dis)honour other relationships as well. Pharaoh placed no “weight” or value on a relationship Nneither did he place any value on the people of Israel. The result of such a relationship absent of honour is heavy, burdensome and oppressive.

In the end, the legacy Pharaoh was building on the backs of others crumbled and history tells us his final destiny. (Dis)honour, a life apart from honour can never flourish. It will destroy you and everything you build.

Now let’s get back to our original text – Exodus 20:12

Exodus 20:12 (NKJV) “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

The text is one of ten “utterances” or what we call the Ten Commandments. They were the most significant words conveyed to the people of God. They were an invitation to God’s people to live and relate to God and each other according to how God values others. The Ten Commandments is structured in a way where the command to honour parents were placed between 4 commandments that were to do with people’s relationship with God and 5 commandments that came after that which was to do with their relationship with others.

Before this commandment to honour father and mother are 4 commandments which are directed towards God. They relate to a person’s relationship with God:

1. Exodus 20:3 (NLT) You must not have any other god but me. – God’s position

2. Exodus 20:4 (NLT) You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image – God’s image

3. Exodus 20:7 (NLT) You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God – God’s name

4. Exodus 20:8 (NLT) Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy – God’s day

After the command to honour your father and mother are 5 commandments that are towards others – they relate to a person’s relationship with others:

6. You must not murder.

7. You must not commit adultery.

8. You must not steal.

9. You must not testify falsely against your neighbour.

10. You must not covet

In between the commandments that will flourish your relationship with God and your relationship with others is this command to honour your father and mother. It seems obvious to me that this is the bridge between our relationship with God and others. We learn to do relationship with God and with others in our family environment.

How does one learn to honour God? You learn it in the relationship between parents and children. If we learn to cultivate a culture of honour in our relationship as parents and children, chances are we will be relating to God within a culture of honour.

How does one learn to honour relationships with others? You first learn it through a relationship with parents or children. When individuals learn to live in an environment of honour at home, chances are they continue that lifestyle in their relationship with others.

In other words, if you want to know whether you are honouring God and others – a good gauge will be whether there is a culture of honour in your home between parents and children.

Another thing I want you to notice from this text – there’s a promise that comes with honouring your father and your mother – “your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you”. This is not just about longevity of life. It is more than that. It is about flourishing and abounding in your life. It’s about living in “the land which the LORD your God is giving you”. What was the land God was giving them?

He promised them this right from the beginning –

Exo 3:17 (NLT) I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey

What land? Land “flowing (zûḇ) with milk and honey. The Hebrew word for flowing (zûḇ) literally means – gushing, flowing in abundance. Gushing milk implies abundant cattle. Gushing honey says that not only will the land have an abundance of honey made by bees but also honey out of dates – so abundance of fruit. So you see the link between – honour and abundance. Remember one of the meanings of honour is abounding. An environment of honour will cause a person to flourish and abound.

So drawing from this text we can see the value of creating an environment of honour. To honour someone is to recognise a person’s value and that they are worthy of respect. To honour is to place weight or value on a person and that relationship. An environment of honour will cause the persons and their relationships to flourish and abound.

On the other hand, the absence of honour causes a relationship to become burdensome. It is severe, heavy and oppressive. It becomes a heavy yoke. To (dis)honour is to set aside the value or worth of that person and the relationship. (Dis)honour has the reverse effect of honour where a person in such relationship does not experience abundance.

I’ve been hovering over the first chapter of the Book of Revelation in recent blogs, seeking to hear the Spirit of God speak into the current situation we find ourselves in and how we as a christians should respond. To that extent I have embarked on a series of sermons with our church family, exploring the message Jesus gave to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. The opening statement of John to the readers cannot be overlooked. It sets the tone on how the reader approaches the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:3 (NKJV) Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

The book is not a reference guide to current affairs. It is not to be treated like another document foretelling the future like Nostradamus or the ancient seers of the Mayan civilization. The reader is blessed for reading the book but with the reading comes the responsibility to hear (listening with the intention to understand). Not only is reading and hearing with understanding required, but the reader must also make a deliberate decision to keep it (to attend to it with great care). A time component is added to it indicating the urgency of the season the reader was living in.

The lack of exposure to the book of Revelation may be the reason why the church has lost her urgency in the way she carries out the Father’s business. How we have approached the book has to be reviewed too. So much of what we take from this book is to do with speculation and projection. We speculate dates and times of Christ’s second coming and project current events to back these speculations. We forget the clear instructions of our Lord to the apostles:

Acts 1:7-8 (NKJV) And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The instruction is clear. The apostles were asking if God was going to restore the Kingdom to the nation Israel. They were treating the apocalyptic literature the way their forefathers did. Speculating and projecting times (chronos) and seasons (kairos) in light of the nation Israel. We are doing the same thing this time with the church.

The message of the book of Revelation is for the heart not for the head. That is the reason why it is full of metaphors, symbols and allegories. The intention is to make space for the reader to allow the message of the book to reveal the condition of his or her heart – to read, to listen in order to understand and act accordingly. The final instruction and warning in chapter 22 is sobering and should cause us to remove our shoes as we approach this book.

Jesus’ instruction

Revelation 22:7 (NKJV) “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

And John’s warning

Revelation 22:18-19 (NKJV) For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

So in these next few blog entries, I want to look at the first three chapters of the book of Revelation, seeking to listen with my heart what the Spirit is saying to the church.

The message to the seven churches

John is told to write letters to seven churches that were a physical presence in seven cities in what is modern day Turkey. It was a message from the head of the church, Christ our Lord, given to the apostle John with clear instructions on how to administer the revelations John had received.

Revelation 1:19-20 (NKJV) Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

The scope of the book

John was told the scope of these revelations he was to receive. They were things past, present, and the future. When exposed to unfamiliar information, the brain tends to process things logically based on these three categories. It will first attempt to draw from experiential knowledge from the past and interpret the information based on that experience. If the information is relevant for the present, decisions are made not to reinterpret the information in light of current events but to make decisions on how to reapply the knowledge gained in the past to navigate current situations. We do the same when anticipating future events. Based on past and present experiences we plan how to act if and when similar events occur to us in the future.

The book of Revelation however is a book of mysteries. No two generations have experienced exact same situations. The context and environment the church finds itself produces conditions which it needs to react or respond to. The book of Revelation provides principles and practices that can train and equip the church of every generation to stay faithful to Christ.

The posture of the reader

The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

John received instructions that the completed work needed to be sent out to seven specific churches. Seven letters, addressed to seven “angels” and seven churches. The term “angels” used by Jesus is the greek word aggelos – which literally means messenger of God. In most usage in the New Testament the messengers have been supernatural beings sent by God and so nearly always translated as angels. In this particular context however the word aggelos cannot possibly be angels. Five out of the seven aggelos and their churches were given stern rebukes and told to repent. They were required to make adjustments in attitude and behaviour before Christ’s return. Nowhere in Scriptures do we see angels being chastened or requiring repentance (apart from the fallen angels who have already been judged). The word aggelos must surely be meant for those who were entrusted with the message and given the responsibility to steward that message in the churches they were shepherding. Along with these aggelos, the ekklēsia (church), believers who have gathered around these aggelos and the message they were representing were receiving direct feedback on their representation of Christ to the world.

Let me say this, I believe leaders carry an aspect of God’s message and those who gather around that message have a responsibility to steward that message faithfully till the end. Every local church family has a distinct way of expressing the message of the gospel God has entrusted us with. We need to ensure we are focusing on that and not trying to be something we are not. So many churches try to emulate mega churches to the point they infuse a DNA that is so foreign to the call and message they have been untrusted with. I do not mean a different gospel but a different expression of the gospel that is unique to that particular community of believers. The uniqueness of a particular “lampstand” that is witnessing Christ in a particular locality is uniquely fitted for purpose to react and respond to the environment they are in.

I will use the two “lampstands” that I have been entrusted to shepherd in our city as a way of explaining my point. Together with my wife and a team of amazing and committed men and women of God, I pastor two churches that have distinctly different composition of believers and ways of expressing their faith. Both churches however are led by the same Pastoral and leadership team. As aggelos of these two “lampstands”, we want to be faithful to preaching the whole gospel of Jesus Christ. We do realise however there are a few distinct “messages” that we have been particularly assigned to bear witness to because of the unique spiritual and physical environments we find ourselves in as a corporate body of believers.

Through seasons of spiritual warfare, challenges and victories, we have come to realise that there are distinct lessons we have learnt as a body of Christ that have become very much who we are. Distinct messages like:

• “Church means family” – We don’t do faith alone. When one suffers we all suffer with them. When one rejoices we all rejoice with them. We are brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters – we are family. To realise that every individual who has gathered around this message has to make room in their immediate circle they consider family and expand that to include the new family which is the local church they now belong to.

• “Sickness and poverty are not part of God’s Kingdom” – We are convinced that the Scriptures teach us that every good gift comes from above, from the Father of lights in whom there is no shadow of turning. In other words good things come from heaven. Sorrow and evil are not from heaven and not part of the Kingdom of God. We believe strongly that when faced with sickness and poverty in our midst, it is our duty to pray until we see that eradicated in our midst. We will hold on to that message faithfully till Christ’s returns. Everything we do – whether it is praying for the sick, or helping an individual navigate through their addictions, or the grocery parcels we distribute to the poor in our community is backed with this strong prayer – Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So as we approach the book of Revelation, we do not come as a casual reader reading another literature from the apocalyptic genre. We come as either aggelos or the church that is gathered around the message (the gospel) and distinct expressions of the message that are unique to the environment we are in.

The format of the letter

Before John gives details of the vision he saw, he is instructed to write seven messages to seven churches. There is a set template that he uses to address each church. Christ reveals Himself to each church in unique and distinct ways that speak into the unique environments each church find themselves in. The Lord then proceeds to use the following format:

• Commendation – “I know your works” – The message to most churches carries with it a recognition of the challenging context the church is in and how their are responding to those challenges in order to be faithful witnesses of Christ.

• Criticism – “I have this against you” – Five of the seven churches receive strong criticism and rebuke from the Lord because they have allowed the environment they were in to affect the conditions of their hearts. The Lord highlights behaviour or attitudes that were harming their testimony.

• Correction – “Remember… be faithful… repent… hold fast… strengthen…” Every church was given areas to address immediately in order to restore the light in their lampstands. There were areas to adjust, make changes and to overcome.

The 7 heart conditions

Each church was in a city that had distinct spiritual atmosphere which was hostile to Christ and the gospel message. The hostility experienced by the church produced a condition of the heart that began to affect their relationship with Christ and their ability to be witnesses for Him.

• The church in Ephesus – A heart that lacked love – “you have left your first love” (Rev 2:4)

• The church in Smyrna – A heart that was overwhelmed by prolonged suffering – “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer” (Rev 2:10)

• The church in Pergamos – A heart of compromise that became a stumbling block to others – “Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel” (Rev 2:14)

• The church in Thyatira – A heart that was corrupt – “that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants” (Rev 2:13)

• The church in Sardis – A heart that was dead to the things of God – ”you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Rev 3:1)

• The church in Philadelphia – The heart that persevered and remained faithful – “you have kept My command to persevere” (Rev 3:10)

• The church in Laodicea – The heart that was “stale and stagnant” – “you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot” (Rev 3:15)

Each church had a specific context they lived in that produced a heart condition that required specific actions in order to be overcomers.

As we reflect on the messages to these seven churches, let us look more closely to the conditions of our own hearts. Every time we struggle to obey God, its always to do with the matters of the heart. The heart of the matter is always the matters of the heart. Jesus when teaching on the condition of the heart in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13), quoted the prophet Isaiah to address the problem with disobedience.

Matthew 13:14-15 (NKJV) And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed

Isaiah gives us a window into understanding how our hearts can become calloused, unbelieving and disobedient. It has to do with what we are seeing and what we are hearing. The eye gate and the ear gate are entrances to our understanding. Your understanding will determine how you respond.

Seeing and hearing affects the condition of your heart. The condition of your heart determines how you will respond to God. Your response to God will determine your life and your testimony.

DAILY REVELATION FROM GOD IS SO IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY HEART. GOD REVEALS HIMSELF THROUGH HIS PRESENCE, HIS VOICE, HIS WISDOM AND HIS WAYS.

Everyday look out for God activity. Don’t focus on what the devil is doing, or what evil people seek to do. Focus on God happenings – good things are God things – then you will be able to rejoice and be thankful.

SEEK TO EXPERIENCE GOD’S PRESENCE EVERYDAY. IT WILL CREATE A THANKFUL HEART.

SEEK TO HEAR HIS VOICE DAILY. IT WILL CREATE A TEACHABLE HEART

THEN SEEK TO ENQUIRE OF HIM DAILY. IT WILL CREATE A DISCERNING HEART

SEEK TO FOLLOW HIS WAYS. IT WILL CREATE AN OBEDIENT HEART

A W Tozer said it well:

“The world of sense intrudes upon our attention day and night for the whole of our lifetime. It is clamorous, insistent and self-demonstrating. It does not appeal to our faith; it is here, assaulting our five senses, demanding to be accepted as real and final. But sin has so clouded the lenses of our hearts that we cannot see that other reality, the City of God, shining around us. The world of sense triumphs. The visible becomes the enemy of the invisible; the temporal, of the eternal.”

As we look at the messages given to the seven churches, let us approach it consciously evaluating the condition of our heart in each of these situations the believers found themselves in. In this fast paced, everyday world, our attention is so divided that God can sometimes be an after thought and pursuing God an activity when we can spare the time. The reality is, the only way we are going to experience the complete healing and restoration we are longing for, is if we pursue God with all our heart. The problem does not lie with the world or the external environment we live in. It really is about the condition of our hearts.

THE HEART OF THE MATTER IS ALWAYS THE MATTERS OF THE HEART

My last blog entry focused on what I called the invisible war. We are at war. Our enemy is not flesh and blood but an invisible host of powers and principalities. We looked at how these invisible hosts are layered, methodically organised and deceptively tucked behind “flesh and blood” – individuals and corporate entities. They are able to attach themselves on individuals and organisations lying in wait for an opportunity to kill, steal and destroy. As Walter Wink put it “When a particular Power becomes idolatrous, placing itself above God’s purposes for the good of the whole, then that Power becomes demonic.”

Seeing how deceptive our enemy is and the smoke and mirrors that appear in our daily struggles, the danger is always to wage war against the immediate human intermediaries in front of us. The apostle Paul cautions against that.

Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

The moment we engage with human elements in our battle, we lose our purpose as ambassadors of Christ. The church’s purpose on earth is to exert Christ’s authority on earth so that men and women are freed from the bondage of sin and demonic control. When we treat the human elements in this invisible war as our enemies, we lose the right to be a blessing to them as we are called to be. We need to focus on the real enemy behind the human elements and corporate bodies. We need to battle against the invisible forces behind the evil that is being done and minister the good news of Christ to the individuals and organisations that are visible on earth – calling them back to their original purpose to serve their Creator and Redeemer. Making the distinction between our war against the invisible forces in the heavenly realm and our ministry to the visible elements in the earthly realm is critical in spiritual warfare.

The only way we can successfully wage war against demonic powers while preserving our divine call to seek and save the lost is to make prayer our weapon of choice. I’m not talking about meaningless word utterances that we sometimes call prayer. I’m talking about relentless prayer. The type of prayer that is persistent and unrelenting, until we see the enemy retreat and give up spiritual territory. The prophet Daniel saw this form of battle raging in the heavenlies in one of his visions.

Daniel 7:21-22 (NKJV) “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.

Relentless prayer is our only weapon in this invisible war. Praying and keeping on praying until God speaks the word of judgment on our enemy. That favoured judgement will turn the tide in our battle and give us the ability to posses the kingdom. The end result will not only be an end to spiritual hostility and invisible barriers but also a redemption of lives and corporate structures.

Delayed prayer – a favoured strategy of the enemy

Paul spoke of being aware of Satan’s devices or schemes.

2 Corinthians 2:11 (NKJV) lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

One such scheme or device I have noticed that is frequently used by the enemy is delayed prayer. The reason the devil focuses his attention on delaying answers to prayer is to create an illusion that God has not answered our prayer.

Answered prayer is the most spiritually exhilarating and nourishing thing you will experience in your faith journey. Answered prayer always takes you to another level or dimension in your relationship with God. Answered prayer produces unshakable convictions. That is why Satan’s main activity is to delay answers to prayer. I have come to a place in my christian journey that I no longer believe there is such a thing as unanswered prayer. Unanswered prayer creates inconsistencies with the Word of God. That old strategy of the serpent – “did God really say”.

Unanswered prayer is an attack on the Father’s character

Unanswered prayer is a character assassination against God. Unanswered prayer suggests that God is not listening. He doesn’t care. He is not that good Father the Bible claims Him to be. Unanswered prayer accuses God of reneging on His promises. Unanswered prayer is inconsistent with the nature of God. Even the ungodly prophet Balaam prophesied about the unchanging nature of God in the context of His promises.

Numbers 23:19 (NLT) God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

To allow a belief system that accommodates unanswered prayers is to bring God down to a human level. To fail to act on a word is a lie. To allow the notion that God can fail to do what He promised is tantamount to calling Him a liar. No relationship can survive lies. Unanswered prayer will eventually create a divide between God the Father and the child of God.

Unanswered prayer is incompatible with the power of the name of Jesus

The Bible is adamant in declaring the pre-eminent, supreme, invincible, unlimited power of the risen Christ. Look at some of the bold statements of Scripture pertaining to the power of Jesus Christ.

John 14:12-14 (NLT) “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

Philippians 2:9-10 (NLT) Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth

Acts 3:16 (NLT) “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.

Colossians 1:15-18 (NLT) Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.

The Bible is full of emphatic statements about the inexhaustible power of Jesus Christ the risen Saviour. To believe in the possibility that our prayers might not get answered, is to relegate to a lesser power the person whose name we use as guarantor in every prayer we utter.

So I have decided to no longer allow myself to believe that there is such a thing as unanswered prayer. I believe to accommodate any idea that God does not answer prayers dilutes the power of prayer. So to me unanswered prayer is not a thing. I have concluded that every unanswered prayer in my life is actually a delayed prayer. I want to present two case studies to prove my point.

UNANSWERED PRAYER: CASE STUDY 1 – Daniel 10:1-13

The prophet Daniel was in a position where he was troubled because he was facing the possibility of an unanswered prayer.

Daniel 10:2-3 (NKJV) In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

He is in mourning. What was he grieving about? Daniel received a vision but was waiting for answers in response to his vision. He saw turmoil ahead but didn’t know what to do or how to respond to it. The twenty one day wait for an answer caused him grief. Why? I believe because he sensed that it was inconsistent with the nature of the God he served.

DANIEL RECEIVED AN EXPLANATION FOR THE DELAY

Daniel 10:12-13 (NKJV) from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.

Note the phrase “from the first day”. In other words God’s nature is to answer prayers immediately. The angel was giving no room for Daniel to develop a theology that God sometimes does not answer prayers. There can never be any space for doubt to fester. When we engage in prayer it must be with a sense of certainty that God hears and God responds to every prayer.

Matthew 7:8 (NKJV) For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

It would seem like Daniel had such confidence. That is probably why he went into grief mode as he couldn’t understand the seeming indifference to his plea on God’s part. I find the opening statement of the angel very revealing – “from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard”. God hears every prayer the moment it is uttered. If God hears, God responds. It’s the Father’s nature. He responds to the voice of His children.

John 14:13-14 (NKJV) And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Answered prayer glorifies God (renders or esteems Him glorious). Every answered prayer magnifies, brings honour, gives weight to who God is. If answered prayer glorifies the Father then unanswered prayer damages His name and His reputation. That is why Daniel needed to know this – “from the first day…God heard your prayer” and dispatched the answer. So there was never any question whether Daniel’s prayer was going to be answered. It wasn’t unanswered prayer – rather delayed prayer.

The angel gives us some incite into the going ons in the invisible war when a prayer is uttered by a believer.

• “but the prince of Persia withstood me” – delayed prayer is the enemy’s strategy.

• “Michael came to help me” – spiritual warfare is real.

• “I have come because of your words” – Daniel’s persistent and heightened prayer gave momentum during the war that was raging.

That’s the importance of refusing to settle for unanswered prayer. When we allow ourselves to believe God has decided not to answer our prayer, we accept something that is not a Kingdom principle. God has not given that to us. A decision to settle on the idea of an unanswered prayer robs us of our inheritance and robs God of His glory. Daniel knew the nature of God. He answers when we call on Him. So he kept on praying until he got the answer. Relentless prayer is a powerful weapon in this war against demonic delay to our prayers.

UNANSWERED PRAYER: CASE STUDY 2 – Luke 18:1-8

The parable of the persistent widow is an important lesson for every believer who is in the midst of delayed answers to prayer. Jesus told a story of an unjust judge who did not fear God neither did he fear man – he wasa rule unto himself. A widow harasses him until he gets worn out and gives judgement in her favour. The lessonJesus draws from this parable is the most important teaching on prayer as far as I am concerned. Let’s unpack that:

Luke 18:6-8 (NKJV) Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

• We see the response of God in the midst of delayed prayer – God will “avenge”. It’s a very strange word to use in the context of prayer. The greek words poieō ekdikēsis was used. The word poieō means to execute and the word ekdikēsis means revenge;. Jesus was implying that God will execute revenge for every delayed prayer.

  Why avenge? – because delayed prayer is an onslaught against the nature of a good Father who gives good things to His children. Delayed prayer implies God doesn’t care; God’s not there; God’s forsaken me;

  Why avenge? – because your pain is His pain. Christ bore your suffering and the fact you are still suffering negates the work on the cross. It’s not ok. It will never be ok

• We see the response of a believer in the midst of delayed prayer – “elect who cry out day and night” . Relentless prayer is our only weapon when faced with delayed prayer. Why cry out day and night? It’s because you know it’s out of character for God not to respond to your needs.

• We see the right idea of God to hold on to when facing delayed prayer – “bears long with them”. God is not distant from you. If anything He is closest to you when you are in the midst of your battle for an answer to your prayer. There is a sense that God is affected by the delay as much as we are. He bears long with you. He is at your side while the war rages on.

• We see the right attitude to cultivate in the midst of delayed prayer – “He will avenge speedily”. There is no such thing as unanswered prayer. Just delayed prayer. It is the nature of God to answer prayer.

DON’T MISS THE POINT OF THE PARABLE

Luke makes it very clear why Jesus told us this parable.

Luke 18:1 (NKJV) Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart

If there was such a thing as unanswered prayer, it would be cruel on Jesus part to string us on and say keep praying and don’t give up. Jesus was making it really clear – prayer is always answered. When you prayer you need to be prepared to keep on praying until you receive the answer to your prayer. That’s how prayer works – you pray and God answers. So when you haven’t received your answer – keep praying. When faced with unanswered prayer you should know that is not an option. Keep praying – not just persistently (continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition) but relentlessly (with unceasing intensity).

Jesus’ summary statement after the parable is a sobering thought.

Luke 18:8 (MSG) But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?

Unanswered prayer gives me an out to stop praying. Delayed prayer puts the responsibility on me to keep praying, believing that God always answers prayers. Are you willing to be persistent – not only persistent but relentless in your praying until you see your prayer answered? That’s the faith Christ will be looking for when He returns.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS UNANSWERED PRAYER – JUST DELAYED PRAYER. KEEP PRAYING – IT IS THE NATURE OF GOD TO ANSWER PRAYER.

One of the most significant contributions the apostle John’s apocalyptic writing has given us is a window into the unseen world. The visions John saw in the Isle of Patmos was filled with animals, mystical and Biblical creatures, woven into a narrative that was full of symbolic meaning. Christians throughout the centuries have treated it with a whole wide spectrum between taking the book to be overly literal, to parking it in the too hard basket and deciding to get to it one day. Some choose to use it as a crystal ball and predict dates and events that lead to Christ’s second coming. Others find it as a useful tool to scare folks into the Kingdom.

The recent pandemic has stirred up renewed interest in the book as folk seek to bring parallels between the book of Revelation and current global events. My focus however is a practical one. I’m going to a passage in Revelation to use it as a spring board for us to understand an important theme throughout the Bible – the existence of an invisible war.

Revelation 12:7-9 (NLT) Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

The idea of an invisible war is not intellectually appealing to our western worldview. We have glorified the sciences to the point anything that is not based on scientific evidence is seen as either untrue, superstitious or insignificant to modern man. Any conversation around angels and demons or supernatural powers and principalities are usually avoided. The Western Church is not spared from such embarrassment. We gloss over passages in the Bible that refer to the supernatural and reassure ourselves that our focus should be on good living rather than engaging in thoughts and beliefs that are so heavenly minded but of no earthly use.

The Bible however has no reservation about acknowledging the presence of evil forces. Jesus himself engaged with demonic forces and spoke openly about the devil’s sole purpose to kill, steal and destroy. The New Testament authors recognised that the church and it’s activities were in direct opposition to unseen evil forces. What is clear in Scriptures is the fact that we are in an invisible war.

The attacks of the enemy however are not blatant, frontal assaults. They are layered, methodically organised schemes, with a long term strategic plan to deceive even the elect. If we were to see it coming, none of us would ever align ourselves with the devil. As children of God, we are hard wired to recognise the enemy of our soul. That is why his strategy is to use a combination layer of demonic power displays and men and women deceived by evil and fleshly ambitions. In Revelation 13 John saw a three layered smoke screen created by the devil to deceive the world into worshiping him – the dragon who is the mastermind of this strategic scheme, beasts empowered to do “astounding miracles” and beasts empowered to speak words against God and deceiving “all the people who belong to this world”. The strategy taken at face value seems to indicate that the devil deceives by creating optical illusions and ideological blinkers.

The apostle Paul put it this way:

Ephesians 6:10-12 (NKJV) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Paul is making it really clear that whatever opposition we are experiencing as christians are not merely occurring in the physical realm. We are battling forces we cannot see. The word “wiles” in the NKJV is translated as “strategies” in the NLT, and “schemes” in the NIV, NASB and ESV. It is the greek word methodeia which means travelling over (a picture of being taken on a journey). It speaks of a deceptive scheme that is present, lying in wait to carry us away on a journey of deception with the purpose of eroding and eventually eradicating Christ’s influence in a believer’s life. These supernatural demonic forces are organised in such a way that they are deceptively tucked behind “flesh and blood” individuals and corporate entities.

Biblical scholar Walter Wink’s ground breaking trilogy on Powers and Principalities released in the eighties is as relevant as it was when he first wrote them. In his book “Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament”, Wink speaks of two poles, the invisible and the visible that are co-dependant in their existence:

“I will argue that the “principalities and powers” are the inner and outer aspects of any given manifestation of power. As the inner aspect they are the spirituality of institutions, the “within” of corporate structures and systems, the inner essence of outer organizations of power. As the outer aspect they are political systems, appointed officials, the “chair” of an organization, laws-in short, all the tangible manifestations which power takes. Every Power tends to have a visible pole, an outer form-be it a church, a nation, or an economy-and an invisible pole, an inner spirit or driving force that animates, legitimates, and regulates its physical manifestation in the world. Neither pole is the cause of the other. Both come into existence together and cease to exist together. When a particular Power becomes idolatrous, placing itself above God’s purposes for the good of the whole, then that Power becomes demonic. The church’s task is to unmask this idolatry and recall the Powers to their created purposes in the world – so that the Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, through the Church, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is (Eph. 3:10, JB).”

For those of us who have lived in the either/or world of spiritual warfare on one hand or social action on the other, Wink brings another perspective of how the physical (visible) and the spiritual (invisible) worlds cannot be seen separately. If we truly want to see transformation occur, if we are serious about seeing our prayer for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, then we need to engage in both the invisible and the visible world.

The first step towards engaging in this invisible war is to be aware that what we see in the visible has invisible structures that hold them together. Whether it is something christians may perceive as “good” (eg the church) or something somemay perceive as intrinsically evil (eg communism), it is in the idolatrous practices that make it susceptible to demonic influence. A christian organisation, with Kingdom values and Kingdom vision can very easily be influenced and manipulated by demonic powers, when leadership begin to idolise certain agendas, ideologies or belief systems at the expense of their testimony. You see it clearly manifested in unChristlike behaviour in the Board room or careless engagement with the outside world irrespective of the harm it is causing to their relationship with God or those they are engaging with.

The invisible war is as real as the visible struggles we experience on a day to day basis. Unless we begin to engage both dimensions simultaneously, we are not going to see the transformation we are longing for in our lives, our families, our cities and our nations. There are three players in this two dimensional war. Divine influence and demonic manipulation both operate in the invisible, while worldly systems and human interactions are visible and tangible. If we are to affect both the physical and the spiritual, the invisible and the invisible, we must see spiritual warfare as both intercessory prayer to dislodge spiritual strongholds in the invisible realm and active engagement with individuals and organised structures if we want to impact the visible.

We need to recognise that the battle begins with thinking patterns. It is always first and foremost a battle of the mind. Words become seeds that form patterns of thought. The first three chapters of Genesis is our clue. The perfect world that was good and very good (Genesis 1-2) began with these three words – “And God said”. The carnage that followed from chapter 3 onwards began with three words – “did God say?” Words carry ideas and thought patterns. That is why it is critical that christians know where their thoughts are dwelling in.

Philippians 4:8 (NKJV) Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Every idea begins with a thought. Then a pattern of thoughts (mediations) create ideologies and systems of thinking. These systems of thinking become habitual thoughts and dominate our worldview and influence the way we talk and act. If the thought originates from God then the end result will be creative and redemptive. If the thought is not from God then it has a potential to be corrupted and manipulated by human or demonic influence. Here then is our starting point if we truly want to engage in the invisible war.

Invisible warfare requires supernatural weapons

If we are to engage in dismantling the powers and principalities that dominate our environment, we need to accept the fact that an invisible war cannot be fought through physical means. Invisible forces require us to engage with divine weapons.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NKJV) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

Paul makes it clear where the focus of our warfare is – every ideology, religious belief, cultural worldview, societal norm that sets itself above God. In other words the moment anything that becomes more important than what’s important to God (loving God and loving neighbour as self), that thought process is idolatrous and should be taken down. How? Moment by moment monitoring of every thought ensuring it is subdued to the obedience of Christ. Our words and our actions as we interact with each other and with the world will reveal to us how effective we are. For a start I suggest these practical habits:

Believe in the supernatural

Whether you believe it or not invisible forces are present and are influencing your environment around you. Burying your head in the sand is not going to make it go away. The sooner you embrace the fact that the supernatural is real, you can then lean on the Holy Spirit and engage in this invisible war.

Fill your mind with Scriptures

Understand that the strategy of the enemy is focused around thoughts and habitual thinking patterns. To encounter these “traveling thoughts”, be aware of what you are filling your mind with. Stop filling your mind with the junk in the internet. It will only reinforce carnal thinking and make you susceptible to human and demonic influence. Fill your mind daily with the Word of God.

Be obedient to the conviction of the Holy Spirit

Make a conscious decision to submit to God knowledge instead of human ideas that have exalted itself over God. The Holy Spirit will put a check in your spirit when ideas have exalted themselves above God. Usually in the form of a lack of inner peace or a heaviness. When experiencing it, take captive of the thought pattern that is dominating you and submit it to Christ.

As we have noted in our last blog entry, the New Testament assumes that christians will experience many trials. Not only do the Scriptures assume suffering, the Bible seems to be preoccupied with seeking to encourage and strengthen believers in the midst of trials, tribulations and suffering. The apostle John’s words in Revelation 1:9 says it all.

Revelation 1:9 (NLT) I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us.

For John, the christian experience is not one done in isolation. He speaks of a partnership that he offers the churches he is writing to in this unique apocalyptic, prophetic letter. As I read this verse I see the very definition of what church is meant to be. We are to be partners:

Partnership in suffering

We never do suffering alone. The christian life is one of partnership. The community we call the church is to be the place of comfort, refuge and a safe harbour. The apostle Paul saw a correlation between our suffering, the comfort we receive from God and the ability for us to comfort others.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NLT) All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

The one who seeks to comfort others must first experience comfort from the God of comfort. The more one experiences the comfort of God, the more one is able to share in the sufferings of others with the comfort that they have received from God. That is why those who have suffered much have a greater propensity to comfort those who are in the midst of trouble.

No one should suffer alone. If truly the christian life is one of partnership in suffering, then church must be a place of comfort. The first step to dismantling the institution of the church is to humanise it again – to embrace our human frailties and recognise that suffering inevitably is experienced by everyone. But in the presence of suffering, the christian becomes a reservoir of comfort as he or she experiences the downpour of comfort, cascading from the Father. Then only will we experience this community of care Paul describes – “… as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.”

Partnership in God’s Kingdom

Not only did John offer himself as a partner in suffering, he also spoke of partnering with them in the Kingdom life. Living the Kingdom life is meant to be a shared life of people who love God and love one another. Paul modelled it in his life and we can see it lived out in these words:

Philippians 1:3-8 (NLT) Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.

Imagine experiencing a relationship like that in church life. Here is a man bound with chains imprisoned for the Gospel and sending out such love that without a doubt would have resonated deep in the heart of the believers in Philippi. The relationship is one of shared experiences. There is a mutual sharing of not just suffering, but also of kingdom life – “defending and confirming the truth of the Good News”.

Partnership in patient endurance

John saw himself as a partner in suffering, a partner in Kingdom life and a partner in patient endurance. The early church began the journey with words that reflected the imminent return of Christ. As years went by, it became very clear that believers needed to be instructed on patient endurance. John as the last of the original twelve, speaking as one who has suffered and endured the life of a disciple of Christ, offers himself to the readers as a fellow brother who is sharing in the life of patient endurance. Now more so than ever before the church needs to learn patient endurance.

Suffering has a shelf life. It will come to an end. All our trials and tribulations will end either on this side of eternity or when we cross the threshold of our present life. When someone is in the midst of their darkest moments, it is very difficult to see beyond the thick fog of adversity. Again we go to the words of Paul:

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT) That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

That’s why we need partners in patient endurance. We need to remind each other that suffering has a shelf life. It will end. We need to help each other look beyond the pain, the discouragement, the disappointment and see what’s on the horizon – what is to come will last for eternity.

Suffering is part of the christian experience. But suffering does not have the final word. We are called to patiently endure simple because in the end – we shall overcome. The old African American spiritual says it best: 

We shall overcome, we shall overcome

We shall overcome someday

Deep in my heart, I do believe

We shall overcome someday

That is ultimately every christian’s destiny. We are overcomers – in the end we shall overcome. As we live in anticipation of our final outcome let us remember:

WE NEVER DO SUFFERING ALONE. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS ONE OF PARTNERSHIP