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Abusive spiritual authority is epidemic. Reactionary responses to abusive authority are also epidemic. My friends Don Atkin, Greg Austin, and myself address what genuine kingdom authority looks like: a serving nation of priests, patterned after the Head, the High Priest of our faith, the resurrected God-man, Jesus, the Messiah. That requires, as Desi used to say to Lucy, “some ‘splainin’.”
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There is no scriptural example, anywhere, for the concept of recruiting spiritual sons. Recruitment is practiced commonly today as if it is a heaven-sanctioned methodology.
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There is a common understanding of Hebrews 7:25 that gives the impression that Jesus is not at rest seated on the throne on high after His resurrection, but rather is supposedly engaged in eternal intercession, praying to the Father, more or less pleading for humanity, in the eternal state, forever and ever. This is very unfortunate.
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Many common beliefs and practices regarding prayer and intercession are based on Old Testament typologies that do not reflect an understanding of the realities of the New Covenant era. They need a thorough New Covenant update.
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When it comes of an alleged special class of people who are uniquely gifted as specialists in prayer and intercession in the New Covenant era, too much has been made of too little.
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Every generation is entitled to its own burning bush experiences. However, it is always a mistake to build altars at burning bushes.
Praying into the Abyss of Despair
Sometimes our circumstances make us feel like we are standing on the edge of a dark and bottomless abyss of hopelessness. We pray, do all the things we know to do, have been told to do, trained to do (and then some), and nothing changes or things get worse.
The pressure can lead us to the brink of madness. Cliché Christian answers and the insensitivities of cheap canned theology of fellow Christians don’t help. Rather than identify with us in the darkness of the mystery of our circumstances, “Job’s comforters” type of Christians heap guilt, shame, introspection, fear, and anxiety upon us with: “There must be sin in your life” or “You just don’t have enough faith,” or this would not be happening to you. Both are lies.
Spiritual Warfare: Separating Reality from the Hype
Spiritual Warfare–it seems Christians either obsess over it and engage in all kinds of antics and hype, or they ignore it because the intellectualization of their theological categories disallows for the reality. The fakery and the hype inoculates the inquiring novice from accepting the real thing. Arid intellectualism leaves believers unequipped to deal with phenomena outside of their worldview. What is genuine spiritual warfare and what is just a bunch of noise and enthusiasm in a meeting?
We do not need to pray about that which God has made explicitly clear in his revealed Word! This is hardly hot news to most of you. However, this principle is regularly violated and abused by many well-meaning believers, some not so well-meaning.
It is inappropriate to pray, when God is asking for responsive obedience. I regularly interact with Christians who use a pseudo-spiritual cloak of prayer to cover impenitent self-will, rebellion, disobedience, and fear of the unknown or what they cannot control and manage. Fearful controllers will always leverage “we need to pray more” to their advantage. It is a particular plague among “prophetic” believers. By that I mean Christians who believe, as I do, that the voice of God can still be heard and discerned in the redeemed human spirit. The closed canon does not render God a mute.
Believers often engage in a manipulative spirit when they say, “I have prayed about it and the Lord told me I must . . .” This is not the language of mutual respect and dialog. It is the language of spiritual ultimatum—spiritual blackmail. It is impossible to interact with people who use this type of language, without stepping all over their prayer life and self-perceived spirituality. How can you or I compete with God? How can you or I give any input to people who believe the Almighty has definitively spoken to them? You can’t reach a soul that is locked down with “God told me.”
It is common charismatic lingo used to keep others at a comfortable distance and to justify whatever notion may pop into our heads to do. You do not need to pray about whether or not you should abandon your wife, cheat on our taxes, have an affair, or other such nonsense. The answer is NO! Quit praying!
You might say, Steve, don’t be so silly, this is obvious. Well, let me briefly rehearse two true stories so I can convince you that this is not silly, nor always obvious, but rather an epidemic problem.
I once had to deal with a situation where a wife and mother of eight children was caught fornicating with her boss. Not rumor . . . in the act. She was the wife of an elder in another church. When confronted, her response was: “Well, I’ve prayed about it, and I was trying to lead him to the Lord!” Yes, indeedeeee folks, fornicating for Jesus. That’s some evangelism technique. She was deadly serious, and this was not some “new convert” who fell off the turnip truck yesterday.
I was once in a “city-wide pastors unity meeting” (yuck) of all the so-called “gate-keepers” (yuck) of the city. An older gentleman there began to share that he felt a call to a certain city, but that his wife did not want to go. He “prayed about it” and “felt” he was to leave his wife and “fulfill his calling” as the calling is the most important thing. Every leader in the room justified the man, encouraged him, except myself and one other brother (We were accused of being negative, judgmental and elitists.). Oh, and by the way, the wife of this man was a wheelchair bound invalid on oxygen. Well, with the “endorsement” of the stone-blind “gatekeepers of the city,” he left his wife and “started his ministry,” with the obvious results of disaster. His marriage and his ministry failed . . . well, as Gomer Pyle used to say: “Suhprise, suhprise, suhprise . . .”
These are not isolated incidents. Folks, you may have no idea of the sheer corruption and nonsense that goes on behind closed doors at “leadership levels.” Reason among many that the way we have been conducting ourselves regarding “leadership” needs a complete overhaul.
You don’t need to pray about some things. The answer is NO! And if the so-called “city gate keepers” are that stone-blind and ignorant . . . what does that say about all our pretention to spiritual significance, “cutting edge” this and that, and spiritual “gate keepers?” What a pile of excrement.
Praying to God for hours to bring “revival,” save souls, or whatever we may want Him to do on our behalf, is useless if He is requiring repentance and reconciliation. This is particularly true concerning interpersonal relationships. It is easier to talk and pray about unity and revival than to get real and deal with the breaches in relationship that prevent unity in the first place! Most American Christians simply do not have the stomach for the hard work required for biblical interpersonal reality. They will leave a church rather than resolve relational difficulties. (Of course, they will pray for unity and revival at the next church they bless with their presence!).
An individual undergoing a crucifixion experience, is not helped by the prayers of others for blessing and escape. Believers with an unsanctified mercy or compassion gift frequently err in this regard. Sentimental prayer based on human analysis of circumstances and a soulish desire to spare people from difficulty, often runs counter to God’s redemptive purposes. We must always pray in wisdom with a God-perspective. If we do not know how to pray, well, that’s what the indwelling Holy Spirit is for—get to know Him and let Him pray through you.
Endless prayer over the same issue or pending action, can be a cloak for unbelief, passivity, fear, timidity, and faithlessness. When God is calling for faith action, it is inappropriate to keep praying. ACT don’t PRAY!
Moses at the Red Sea is a classic scriptural example. When faced with an impossibility, he cried out to God. God reproved him for his prayer and exhorted him to use what was in his hand. Moses’s rod can represent many things: authority, the anointing, etc. Simply, it represents what has already been provided and what has proven effective. For the believer, this is the Word of God, the indwelling Spirit, our union with Him and with one another, and our confidence as His sons and daughters.
Vacillation and indecisiveness are not fruits of the Spirit—better to be bold and decisive and have to compensate for mistakes, than to be immobile and right too late! No decision is a decision. God’s admonition to Joshua wasn’t “be cautious and be careful,” but rather “be bold and be strong.” Individuals who insist on “more prayer” may be yielding to a human (or demonic) spirit that requires absolute assurance in every detail before stepping out in faith. This is a religious manifestation of a perfectionistic, emasculated spirit, not godly virtue. The way of faith always encompasses a degree of uncertainty and risk.
Many in the ekklesia, for whatever reason, are severely damaged in this area. Change, risk, and abandonment to God are more than they can emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, and sometimes culturally handle. When confronted with a faith response requirement that affects them personally, they can suffer near personality disintegration. These dear individuals simply must get help, healing, and deliverance, either sovereignly from God or mediated through competent ministry.
Pragmatism often masquerades in the ekklesia as wisdom. Many believers’ minds are deeply impregnated with worldly and culturally conditioned concepts of wisdom, prudence, and caution that impersonate godly virtues. The world’s wisdom is devilish, and inordinate caution is the protective mantra of the fearful.
Godly wisdom and faith are two valid biblical virtues maintained in tension by divine design. They are like a kite and string: wisdom is the string that enables the kite of faith to arise and stay in a proper sphere. The kite of faith keeps the string of wisdom from being earth-bound. Healthy Christianity requires both.
However, the overall tenor of the New Testament is that faith is the superior and eternal virtue. Faith is the short-supply commodity the Lord seeks in his people and in the earth. If we must err, err to the side of bold faith–it is what the Lord is looking for.
Inappropriate prayer is simply a manifestation of the carnal mind in rebellion against God, masquerading in religious garb. The in-working of the cross and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit are God’s provision and remedy. The disciples asked the Lord to teach them to pray (Lk. 11:1-13). He promised that the Father would give the Holy Spirit to that very end, if we persist in asking for Him. We have the same confidence and more because the Teacher and the Spirit of prayer is now within us, forever, to the end of the age.
Let’s stop the nonsense. Lets can the hyper-spiritual lingo. Let’s be real people and let’s not cloak our disobedience with prayer.
Copyright 2012, Dr. Stephen R. Crosby, www.swordofthekingdom.com. Permission is granted to copy, forward, or distribute this article for non-commercial use only, as long as this copyright byline, in totality, is maintained in all duplications, copies, and link references. For reprint permission for any commercial use, in any form of media, please contact stephcros9@aol.com.
This dream is from my dear friend, Lynn Barrows of Nampa, Idaho. I try to be very circumspect about dreams and dream interpretation. The line between a fragment of undone potato and a Spirit-given dream, can be a bit murky at times! However, this one seemed to have the ring of authenticity and timeliness about it. I know many who are facing very challenging financial circumstances. I hope it is an encouragement.
Four years ago, God marvelously provided Lynne’s wife, Linda, a job to meet their needs. Recently, that door closed somewhat unexpectedly, as she was abruptly laid off. The dream and Lynn’s comments follow:
I was ministering to a man. I noticed a glint from the dust at our feet. I bent down to see what it was and picked it up. It was similar to a silver dollar. Then I noticed more in a pile in the dust on the ground, a total of five coins. I gave them to the man that I was helping. As I was going from one place to another, more coins were available. Plenty to share, and plenty to meet our needs.
It seems to me in this dream, that God was assuring me that He would provide the wherewithal to meet the needs of others and our needs as well. His assurance has given me rest. It is interesting to me as to where I found the coins, the dust, and that they were for others and for us.
Like the children of Israel in the wilderness, we need provision from our Father that is not based upon the economic system in which we live. One of the results of this dream in me has been an amazing peace. More than a goal to achieve or try to make happen, I find it is a place of both rest and motivation. Linda can tell you that in situations like, this my pattern is to spend emotional energy worrying. Now, the peace motivates me to act like God is in charge, directing my steps and making His provision and plans happen. It will be interesting to walk this out.
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Copyright 2012, Dr. Stephen R. Crosby, www.swordofthekingdom.com. Permission is granted to copy, forward, or distribute this article for non-commercial use only, as long as this copyright byline, in totality, is maintained in all duplications, copies, and link references. For reprint permission for any commercial use, in any form of media, please contact stephcros9@aol.com.