Faithful

Someone who is faithful is one who is loyal. He or she is not a fair-weather friend, one who is faithful when things are fun and exciting but is nowhere to be found when things are difficult.

There are too many fair-weather type people in our culture. They are drawn to “bright, shiny objects,” things that are exciting, but they have very little “stick-to-it-iveness” when things get hard.

If you are of the fair-weather mentality, always jumping to things that are more exciting, you will not accomplish much for the kingdom.

The Christian church is full of those of the fair-weather mentality.

Throughout history, God has built his kingdom through a few individuals who were faithful, no matter what.

Now, you may say, “I am an insignificant Christian. I can’t do much for the kingdom. I am not very talented. I am ordinary.”

So, you are selling yourself short. You have talents. Everyone does. You just have to identify them and develop them. They are there. Of that, I can assure you!

Prayer is a good place to start. Everyone can pray! If you are a real Christian, you can pray. You say, “I don’t think my prayers make a difference. They are not eloquent, like some I have heard pray. My prayers are not long, either. I run out of things to say.”

Every prayer uttered to God is heard. Every prayer makes a difference!

In Ephesians 1:16, there is a telling phrase. Paul says about the Ephesians, “. . . making mention of you in my prayers.”

So, what does that mean?

You simply name someone in passing, as you are praying. Does it make a difference? Did Paul’s “making mention” of the Ephesians in his prayers make a difference?

Of course, it did. God heard, and it made a difference.

In Psalms 56:8 the Psalmist says of God, “(You) put my tears in your bottle.”

If God puts your tears in a bottle, then He also hears when you “make mention” of someone in your prayers . . . and your prayers make a difference in that person’s life!

I am amazed at some of the faithful people of prayer I have met in my journey.

In 2003, I went to see my son in Phoenix, Arizona where he was training to be a BMW technician.

On the plane on my return trip home, I chanced to sit next to a Christian lady from River Falls, Wisconsin, who I discovered was a woman of prayer. She wanted to know about my ministry and we exchanged contact information.

I misplaced her phone number. Ten years passed . . . and I ran across her phone number. So, I called her. She answered, I told her who I was . . . and she said, “Oh, I prayed for you last Thursday. I keep a prayer journal. I pray for you every Thursday.”

I was blown away! For ten years, she had been praying for me every Thursday . . . and I didn’t know about it!

Did she make a difference in my life and ministry? Of course she did!

So, if you think your life is insignificant in the Lord’s work, start praying as if your prayers make a difference . . . because they do!

Your prayer life will be more effective if you are methodical. Set up a time when you meet with God every day. Start a prayer journal Be specific in your prayer requests. Have a list of individuals you pray for.

Though I have kept a journal in my daily time with God for decades, I have just recently started writing down my requests in a journal, and I have been amazed at the answers.

Since I have started recording prayer requests and answers, I have now been asking God more and more . . . because I’ve discovered He answers.

Don’t forget to ask for what you might consider little things. I had been trying to connect with a long-time friend for about a year, and always he was busy. I kind of put it aside, and then one morning I asked God for a divine appointment that day.

A divine appointment is a meeting God arranges on your behalf apart from any effort on your part.

We went to Bemidji, Minnesota that day for a number of reasons.

Lorraine needed to pick up a prescription at the clinic. As we were getting out of the car, there was this friend and his wife coming out of the clinic! We had a nice conversation. God answered my prayer for a divine appointment that day.

I would challenge you to seriously engage with God. A mundane, uneventful Christian life can turn into an adventure when you seriously engage with God and put a consistent method to your Christian walk.

As for talents in the kingdom. You probably have some you are unaware of. Prayer is a good place to start.

David Wilkerson, who ministered to the gangs in New York City and wrote the best-selling book, The Cross And The Switchblade, was a relatively simple country preacher. He had a habit of watching television between midnight and 2 a.m. Then he determined he would do something constructive to replace that two hours each morning he spent watching television.

So, he sold his television and began praying during those two hours. It was during that prayer time that God told him to go to New York City and “help those boys” in the gangs. His ministry still operates today, with thousands of Teen Challenge chapters across the country.

Engage with God. Get serious and add a daily method to your prayer life. If you are serious, you will be amazed at what God will do.

God’s call, Always Exceeds Our Capabilities

“God summons a person to a special work that he never comprehends completely.”

This is a quote from the book The Heart Of A Great Pastor. It is fitting that I ran across it recently.

God is a “dreamer.” He is always dreaming big dreams for you in kingdom work. His dreams for you are doubtless bigger than you dream for yourself. Whether you fulfill His dreams for you depends o your willingness to walk them through.

When He called Lorraine and I to Waskish to pastor the church, I honestly thought we would have more time. The opposite is true. Our days are wall to wall. God is stretching us! Last Wednesday I had a day off. It was the first in several weeks.

Am I complaining? No, not really. The church is growing. We have had numerous first-time visitors and some of them come back for more services.

. . . And the radio broadcast. Well, that’s something honestly, I didn’t conceive of . . . reaching 2 to 3 million listeners each week-day.

Pray for us! Pray for our health and stamina. Pray for increase in funding and for new givers. You are our lifeline. We depend on you!

Lorraine and I hope that everyone had a happy, blessed and safe 250th Anniversary on the 4th of July!

In His Service

George and Lorraine Halama

Photograph taken by Lorraine