November 2025 – Wisdom From the Word

My book

As noted in my last post I am taking a hiatus from my weekly blog posts to focus on the book I am writing as I believe the Lord wants it to be my priority at present. I appreciate your prayers as I write. The book title and areas of focus are below where I address my motivation for writing.

Motivation for Writing this Book

I wrote this book because I see a need for a deeper understanding of our calling and purpose as believers. My experience in walking with Jesus since August of 1985 is that very few Christians have a clear understanding of their calling and purpose. This book begins with Leadership, that of ourselves and others, then moves to other areas of our walk with Jesus. The chapter titles build on one another to disciple us in our walk with Jesus as we apply them.

Reflective Leadership: Thinking About
Steps on our Journey: Walking with Abraham
Prayer and Spiritual Warfare: Standing our Ground
Discernment: The Church’s Great Need
Intimacy with Jesus: The Capstone

At the conclusion of each chapter, I will include a reflective piece under the title, Selah: Thinking About. Scripture exhorts us to both reflect and meditate, to meditate on His word and scripture tells us the type of things to reflect on.

⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)

⁶³ And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. Genesis 24:63 (NKJV)

⁸ 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. Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)

For clarity, Isaac wasn’t going out into the field and sitting in a lotus position. Some decades ago, I lived in a log cabin on an acreage. During the summer in warm weather, I would often go and reflectively stroll around the yard just before bed. That is what I think Isaac was doing. Joshua was instructed to meditate, think deeply on the Mosaic Law passed on to him to enable him to be a successful leader and Paul exhorts us on where to fix our minds to be successful followers of Jesus.

I have chosen to use the term Selah as it is used regularly in the Psalms (71 times) and included in Habakkuk (3 times). Though the exact meaning of the word is unknown it is generally viewed as a pause or interlude. Which captures the concepts of both meditation and reflection. Particularly now in our harried and hurried culture we need to develop the habit of pausing and reflecting. Thus, as you read, I invite you into regular Selah’s, Thinking About, to pause and reflect.

Understanding the Times

There are important times and seasons. In Greek there are two words used in scripture for time, chronos (Chronos was the Greek god of time) and kairos. Chronos is the source of our word chronology, sequential ordered events, chronological time. Kairos is more qualitative and refers to the right time or moment. We have a great example of kairos in the 1 Chronicles.

³² of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command; 1 Chronicles 12:32 (NKJV)

This verse is part of a larger narrative referring to the nation of Israel gathering to make David king over all Israel. It was the right time in the life of the nation. In a similar way we have key times and seasons in the life of our culture and nation. If we are to know what to do, we need to understand the times.

Yet beyond understanding we also need to act. The sons of Issachar turned their knowledge into wisdom through action. Over the years I have many times illustrated the difference between knowledge and wisdom using the idea of standing in the middle of the road with a large truck heading directly at you. Knowledge is knowing you should get out of the way, wisdom is moving! Wisdom is strategically applied knowledge.

Which brings us back to our time and culture. In Canada, as a nation, we are not in a good place. We have soaring federal debt that is presently so bad that all of the federal GST (Goods and Services Tax) that is collected goes toward paying the interest on our debt, none to principal, and sadly we have a Prime Minister who just tabled and passed a new budget that is going to significantly increase our debt. Our culture has shifted in recent decades from being supportive of Judeo-Christian values to either ignoring them or being openly hostile toward them.

So, in this season in our culture is there an option available to shift our nation to sound values and sound stable fiscal policy? One answer is found in Proverbs.

¹¹ By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. Proverbs 11:11 (NKJV)

Jeremiah had the same perspective, but in a more pointed manner.

⁷ And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. ⁸ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. ⁹ For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord. ¹⁰ For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. ¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:7–11 (NKJV)

The context was Yahweh’s people going into captivity. Through Jeremiah, He told them to “seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive.” The reason being that no matter what the false prophets said, and even though Yahweh promised to return them to Jerusalem, most of them would never see that promise realized because Yahweh was clear that they were going to be in a seventy-year captivity.

If we apply this to us, no matter how godly or ungodly our leadership at the federal, provincial and municipal levels our calling is to bless our nation, province/territory and city to see it raised up to righteousness. This means praying for leaders, speaking truth and life into our culture and being a force for righteousness wherever we are. When more of us do this we will see a shift toward righteousness in our nation.

NOTE – In line with the theme of Understanding the Times, in a few weeks I would have completed 11 years of weekly blog posts, week after week without exception, I began the first week of January 2014. However, I believe the Lord wants me to take a break to focus on the book I am writing. I will decide next steps in a few weeks. I am also having a second knee replacement in mid December. In the meantime, since I began writing my blog it has grown to over 800 pages of theologically sound searchable teaching material. Thanks for reading and please pray as I write and discern the next steps. Given His call on my life, I will continue to teach until my last breath as it is inherent in who and what I am!

The Place of Intervention

The Lord has a plan. We see the loss of the garden in Genesis 3 and the restoration of the garden and the city of God in Revelation 21-22. In regard to His planning scripture makes the following comment.

¹¹ In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, Ephesians 1:11 (NKJV)

Let’s linger on this phrase, “who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” God will accomplish His ultimate purpose in all of creation. Our hearts can rest confidently in this reality. At the same time, we have no guarantee that we will accomplish all He has prepared for us or how others will respond to His call.

¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)

The ‘should’ in this verse implies something obligatory, in line with the famous Romans 12:1-2, an exhortation to present ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice to serve His purposes. We also have Peter clearly stating Yahweh’s heart toward the lost.

⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)

Knowing this we still know that many will be lost because they choose to not respond to His calling. As noted at the beginning we began in a garden and we will end there. Yahweh will fulfill His overall purpose but who will be part of it is the open part of scripture that depends on the exercise of our will in response to His drawing.

I remember decades ago Rick Joyner sharing that he asked the Lord why he used John Wimber that way he did. The Lord responded along the lines of, “When I knocked on his door he answered.” Think of Ananias, in Acts 9:10-18. Yahweh appears in a vision and asks Ananias to go and pray for Saul of Tarsus. What if Ananias had rationalized that this vision wasn’t from the Lord because he knew the danger? The answer is Yahweh would have sent someone else and Ananias would have missed a deep and powerful blessing. What if those who rejected the outpouring of the Spirit at Azusa Street had said yes earlier? Who else would now be in the kingdom? What if Wilberforce had rejected his commission by the Lord to end slavery in Great Britain? It would have eventually happened through someone else.

What does this have to do with my title, The Place of Intervention? Where He first intervenes is generally in the calls and nudges to obedience. When our heart responds correctly, He offers more. A good scriptural example, one I encourage you to look up and read, is the broader story of Saul and David. I have heard many assert that Saul was the people’s choice and David the Lord’s choice. We can see from scripture that isn’t true.

¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 1 Samuel 13:13–14 (NKJV)

Here the covenant that Samuel said Yahweh wanted to give Saul, to establish his kingdom forever, was the covenant that David received. Why? Saul’s heart stopped responding to Yahweh and shifted to responding to the people instead.

The place of intervention is the place of our meeting with Him and choosing to walk with an obedient heart. May we always choose obedience.

Babies, Birth and Revival Part 2

We continue looking at babies and birth in the context of revival and reformation. I last referenced our need to respond to His leading to see the Spirit move. One way to understand this is to consider things that get in the way. The birth of a move of the Spirit can fail to be conceived, miscarry, or it may in His timing be delayed due to our response.

Think of the failure to conceive. The woman in the gospels with the issue of blood could not conceive and in her culture a lack of children would have been a source of shame. If we apply this to ourselves, we can reflect on whether there are issues in our personal lives, or in the fellowship we attend, that prevent the conception and bringing to fruition of His purposes?

What about miscarriages? I previously referenced what happened with Azusa Street and how the movement started and was stopped on more than one occasion because people were offended by how the Spirit began to move and so shut it down. In scripture we read about the people who said yes, that doesn’t mean we have a record of all the people Yahweh asked. When I began this blog years ago, I started with a series I titled Journeys with Abraham where I showed how it appears that Yahweh called Terah, Abraham’s father and he started his journey and stopped. Abraham continued to say yes and fulfilled his calling. Thus, Abraham rather than Terah is recorded as the father of faith.

In reference to timing, how many generations was it between Isaiah’s prophecy about the virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14) and Jesus’ birth? How many people died believing the prophetic word had failed? What about Psalm 2, written about 3,000 years ago.

⁷ “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ⁸ Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. ⁹ You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’” Psalm 2:7–9 (NKJV)

This is a prophetic Psalm looking forward to Jesus ruling and reigning on the earth as the great Messianic King. It hasn’t been fulfilled yet. However, while knowing this Jesus Himself said the following.

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

The writer of Hebrews said something equally important in this context.

¹¹ And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:11–12 (NKJV)

We also have what Paul wrote in Galatians. No matter how things may look to us, God is working in the background.

⁴ But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, Galatians 4:4 (NKJV)

In light of these factors, it is incumbent upon us to seek His face and heart and respond in prayer as He leads. We may not see revival and reformation quickly; He may have it sitting in the heavenlies waiting to release it in response to our intercession or later in response to the intercession of others. Our calling is to be found faithful.

This perspective of course takes us back to our faith and patience verse in Hebrews. The patience part is like a shower. Between the time we adjust the water and the time that the temperature changes, there is a delay as the adjustment has to travel the length of the water lines. While we don’t need to wait 3,000 years for the shower temperature to change, as we have for some prophecies, we do need to wait! We inherit His promises through faith and patience. During the waiting period something is happening even if we don’t see it. Thus, if He stirs our hearts to pray for revival and reformation let us continue to do so while we await the fulfillment! After all, scripture clearly exhorts us to be found faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2). Let’s do that!