Faith Filled Family Magazine September 2016 | Page 44

Fearsome Foursome
• Like a daughter with her daddy.
I have two delightful daughters,
both grown with children of their
own. When they were small,
they learned at an early age how
to get from their dad whatever
they wanted (within reason).
They smiled, asked “daddy” for
something, and hoped for a positive response. My heart, easy
as it was, wanted to give what
they wanted, as long as it was
in their best interest. They asked
knowing my heart was already
inclined towards them. It was my
joy to give.
• A demand for something we
have a right too.
David cried out in Ps. 4: 1,
“Answer me when I call, O God
of My righteousness (right).
There are times when we must
go beyond just asking for “a sure
thing”, and ask with passion and
conviction. David recognized
that there were promises the
Lord had made to him, and he
had a right to see the relief and
grace of God. In similar fashion,
we need to ask of the Lord for
the promises he has made to
us. The promises include the
nations of the world; salvation
for our loved ones, help for our
neighbors, provision for our daily
lives. Asking for what God has
promised will indeed bring about
the results of answered prayer;
in the Lord’s time.
• Asking for wisdom and strategy.
Not everything important to the
Lord happens overnight. In fact,
the Lord is patient, and has
waited for generations to see
His Kingdom come in fullness.
Often we need to ask, especially
when a solution is not readily at
hand for the specific strategy,

and the wisdom to know how to
bring about an answer from the
Lord. In every nation, the strategy for winning the lost and discipling them to maturity is going
to be different. Our prayer must
be to hear the voice of God, and
develop necessary strategy, as
the task the Lord has given us
is vital.
• Weep and cry for something
due to the injustice and the
need.
In Luke 18: 1-8, Jesus tells the
story of an unrighteous Judge
and a widow with a just cause.
The picture presented is about
persistence. There are some
things that are worth praying
for and praying for and praying
for (and acting on) until the only
acceptable answer comes.
I am reminded of the great crusader William Wilberforce (24
August 1759 – 29 July 1833), the
British politician, philanthropist,
and abolitionist who led the parliamentary campaign against
the slave trade. He relentlessly
fought for the abolition of slavery, seeing it finally abolished
after 20 years of fighting. It was
a just cause, worth giving all he
had too. There are some things
that require significant feet to
our prayers. Issues for some
like abortion on demand, infanticide in general, female genital
mutilation, poverty, continued
racism, etc. are worth fighting
for or against, according to the
convictions of heart. These ethical issues, and many others,
are worth praying and fighting
for until “justice roll down like
waters And righteousness like
an ever flowing stream.” (Amos
5:24)
What Does God Want- The

Moses Mandate
A natural follow up to our question prompting our study is, wh at
does God want from me? In this
chapter we will explore what I
have titled The Five Point Star.
In De 10:12 we read; “And now,
Israel, what does the Lord your
God ask of you, but to fear the
Lord your God, to walk in all His
ways, and to love Him, and to
serve the Lord your God with all
your heart and all your soul.”
This five point star of a successful walk starts with…
The Fear of the Lord
The fear of the Lord speaks
about reverential respect of the
Lord, for certainly He is worthy
of our honor and respect, demonstrated in a number of ways,
to include living a life of…
•Wisdom (Job 28:28, Pr 9:10)The bible states that the fear
of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom (not the end of it,
for wisdom grows as our relationship with the Lord grows).
Wisdom is defined as the ability to know what is right, understanding the principles of the
word of God and applying truth
to a given situation. Wisdom is
definitely needed in life, and if
we are to do what God wants,
we will require wisdom from
above, which is freely available
to those who ask. (James 1:5).
As alluded to above, we also
need…
• Knowledge (Pr. 1:7)It takes knowledge of God to
walk in wisdom and live according to the ways of the Lord.
What is most needed in terms
of knowledge is the principles of