Frank's Bible Blog

Matthew 7—The Man Who Calls Himself Father-God

It sounded like something you would hear during the Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys—false teachers were trying to infiltrate a young church. But this isn’t something that happened hundreds of years ago. No, this is something that happened recently, right where I was just a few weeks ago. Here is what I wrote at the time:

This week I am writing you from Tanzania, East Africa. I’m here with a small team checking on the progress of the church we helped start a year ago. We are also training church leaders. The reports of the church’s progress have been good, but once we arrived back in Tanzania we heard some troubling news. A cult led by a man who claims to be “father-god” had come to our adopted village and was trying to win the hearts of the people by giving out free clothes.

“What will this do to these young believers,” I pondered as our 4-wheel drive vehicle made its way over the rough terrain that led to the church’s property. As we made our way inside the grass and branch structure that is serving as the temporary building, I was anxious to hear about this from the pastor and church leaders.

Soon a man stood up and began to talk about the situation. We knew him from our very first visit to the village. He was the chairman (mayor) and an early convert to Christ. He had also become a leader in the church, along with his wife, who our earlier teams had spent time discipling. The chairman told us that after a few days this false prophet asked for land to build a church.

“I told him ‘bye-bye’ there is no place for you here,” said the chairman.

With that the other leaders who were gathered with us laughed and clapped—and I breathed a sigh of relief! It was so good to know that even though these were new believers, they had recognized false teaching and were not allowing it to have any place in their community.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Although this verse deals with false prophets—like the one that showed up here in Tanzania—there is a larger sense that we also need to grasp. False teachings and false philosophies are things that all of us could get caught up with if we are not careful. We may recognize as dangerous someone who shows up at our front door calling himself father-god, but we may not be so quick to see deceptive ideas and subtle half-truths.

So this week I am reminded of the importance of running all of my thoughts and ideas through God’s filter to ensure that what I am pondering really is truth. Not my version of reality. Not the influences of a secular culture. Not even the words of believers who are well meaning. Jesus said that if we know the truth the truth will set us free. I don’t want to be in bondage to lies—I want to be set free by truth! My prayer is that you too will seek truth today and every day.
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Frank Banfill is an international speaker and leadership developer who seeks to help individuals and ministries realize their full potential in Christ. Please forward this to your family & friends. To get Frank’s devotionals delivered free to your inbox, or to request reprint rights, visit www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Psalm 64—Better than a Surveillance Camera

If you have ever been to London and looked closely at the buildings then you have seen security cameras—lots of them. More than any city I know of, London is blanketed with a network of police surveillance cameras tracking the moves of everyone there. It is reported that there are 8,000 cameras in and around the city. You would think that with all of those cameras it would be impossible to get away with any street crimes. Yet the BBC reports that in 2009 only one crime was solved per 1,000 CCTV cameras leading to the capture of eight out of 269 suspected robbers.

It seems more and more that wicked people are getting away with their wickedness all over the world. As believers who seek to live right before the Lord and do good, this can be discouraging. We try to live right yet it seems that wickedness goes unpunished. Sometimes that wickedness is even directed towards us. Just ask the believers who have been arrested around the world for practicing their faith, or the churches whose buildings have been burned simply because they are followers of Christ. In Iraq, for example, a large part of the Christian population has fled the country for fear of their lives.

David in Psalm 64 reminds us that wickedness does not go unnoticed. Yes, “they shoot from ambush at the innocent man” (v4) but God does see them. “God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be struck down” (v7). As the righteous we should “rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him” (v10).

Yes it can be discouraging when it seems as if evil doers are getting away with their sins. But we should always remember that nothing in this world goes unnoticed by God and He will deal with it in His time and in His way.

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Frank Banfill is an international speaker and leadership developer who seeks to help individuals and ministries realize their full potential in Christ. Please forward this to your family & friends. To get Frank’s devotionals delivered free to your inbox, or to request reprint rights, visit www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Psalm 63—How Bad Do You Want It?

For fans of the National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks, 2010-2011 was an exciting year. It was the year that the team won the NBA championship for the first time in franchise history.

As the team worked their way through the playoffs and the eventual finals win, you could see a hunger in the eyes of every Dallas Maverick. You could sense their thirst for victory and their unstoppable determination to let nothing stand in the way of a win. You see, they had been to the finals once before only to come up short. This time, however, it would be different. They played with a focus and intensity that was second to none.

That intensity, however, was lost as the team started the next season going 0-3 and looking terrible in their first few outings. 2011 Finals most valuable player Dirk Nowitzki said after the poor start that they were still riding the wave of excitement from winning and had not yet regained their focus and drive. He was convinced, however, that the veteran team would get back on track.

When I read Psalm 63 I can’t help but think about championship teams and their drive to be the best. Except in this Psalm it’s not about winning a temporal trophy but rather it is about enjoying an intimate relationship with the Creator. One thing that comes through loud and clear in this Psalm is David’s passion to know and walk with God. He had a true hunger and thirst to glorify the Lord.

Look at the words he uses here to describe his focus on God: seek, thirst, long, see, behold, glorify, praise (used twice), lift, satisfied, sing (twice), remember, think, and cling. I look at these words and I see intensity. David wanted God and nothing or nobody else. David was pursuing his relationship with the Almighty with an unstoppable determination greater than the greatest sports champions.

This begs that question: How bad do you want it?

How bad do you want to walk in the Lord’s presence? How bad do you want that intimate relationship with Him? Bad enough to sacrifice for it? Bad enough to put in the time to attain it?

This brings us back to Nowitzki and the Mavs, who spent hours in extra practice time even when it wasn’t expected of them, all so that they could hold a trophy.

Are we willing to do whatever it takes to bring honor to the Lord? Or do we find ourselves in the same position as the Mavs were starting the season after their victory. Have we lost the focus and drive that we once had? Are we resting on our past faith rather than pressing forward in renewed faith? Are we basking in the glory of what was rather than attempting new things for God?

I’ve been pondering the “How bad do I want it?” question. Hopefully today you will ask yourself the same thing.

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Frank Banfill is an international speaker and leadership developer who seeks to help individuals and ministries realize their full potential in Christ. Please forward this to your family & friends. To get Frank’s devotionals delivered free to your inbox, or to request reprint rights, visit www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Psalm 62—Avoiding Syncretism

Although I’ve seen it often as I visited different cultures, it never really dawned on me that true Christians can be guilty of it as well. That was until I read Psalm 62.

What I am referring to is syncretism—the blending together of different religions. In particular, I’m talking about to the adding of Christianity to other religions. In Haiti there are those who try to combine voodoo with Christianity. In Africa and elsewhere Christianity is tacked onto ancestral worship.

In missions, we are always quick to point out that anything added to Christianity isn’t true Christianity. Jesus said He was THE way, THE truth and THE life and that no one could come to the Father apart from Him. It is Jesus and Jesus alone—not Jesus plus animism or anything else.

Now before you “amen” that last statement too loudly, consider this: Do you always trust the Lord and the Lord alone to see you through difficulties? Or do you blend a trust of the Lord with a trust in yourself or in something else?

Throughout this Psalm David repeats some form of the phrase “God alone.” God alone was David’s rock, salvation and fortress (vv 2, 6). It was in God alone that his soul found rest and hope (vv1, 5). We are instructed to trust God alone and not in our pride, trickery, or our increased wealth (v10).

How is it that we can trust God and God alone when faced with trials, opposition or other challenges?

There are three things that we have to be absolutely confident about: God is all-powerful (v11), God is loving (v12) and God will reward everyone according to their deeds (v12). God is bigger than the biggest giant you might ever face in your life. God loves you more than you could possibly understand. And God is faithful to reward those who are faithful to Him. If we firmly hold to these three truths then we can truly trust in God alone. But if we falter on any one of these three then we will be tempted to add other things to our trust. We risk being guilty of syncretism—at least when it comes to our daily walk.

Instead, let us heed the words of David (emphasis mine): “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (v8).
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Frank Banfill is an international speaker and leadership developer who seeks to help individuals and ministries realize their full potential in Christ. Please forward this to your family & friends. To get Frank’s devotionals delivered free to your inbox, or to request reprint rights, visit www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Psalm 61—Climbing the Rock that is Higher than I

Towering over the village of Bukabwa, Tanzania in East Africa is a large rock formation. At the base of the rocks is a school—the only school for miles around where the teacher to student ratio is 1:60. Our mission team was ministering in the area when a couple guys on our team decided to climb to the top of the rocks. They had been told by locals that it was an easy climb and wouldn’t take more than 10 minutes.

The guys asked that I take their picture once they reached the peak. So I waited for them to climb—and I waited and waited. Finally I could see a figure emerge onto the top of the rocks. Even with the camera zoom it was hard to make out who it was—but I was able to figure out that it wasn’t one of our team. It was one of the locals who was serving as a guide.

So I waited longer until eventually our two guys appeared with arms raised in victory. They had successfully made it to the top of the rock that was higher than everyone and everything else. When they came down they told me that the hike wasn’t so simple. At points they had to pass through very narrow areas that required them to get on their hands and knees to crawl through. But they also told of the incredible views and new perspective they gained by reaching the summit.

When I read Psalm 61 I can’t help but think about that experience in Africa. David is praying—crying out to the Lord in a time of adversity. He says, “From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (v2). David had turned to the Lord in the past for protection (v3) and God had been faithful. Now he longed to enter once again into the Lord’s shelter (v4) but to do that he would need to be led to that Rock that was higher than he was.

Just like my teammates had to be led to find their way up that African rock formation, we have to be led into the place that God would have us. That means that we have to first humble ourselves and acknowledge that there is something or someone higher than us. We have to admit that we cannot do it all ourselves, that we cannot find our own way out. We have to become dependent on the Lord. And that means that we need to get on our hands and knees as we seek His face and allow Him to take us through even the narrow, difficult crevices to reach the top.

Yes, sometimes that ascent takes longer than we anticipated. Sometimes the going is slow in spots. Sometimes we may entertain thoughts of stopping or going back. But when we continue our ascent, God brings us to a place of perspective, a place of peace, a place of victory. Once you reach that place you realize the trip was worth it.

May we humble ourselves today and trust the Lord to lead us to the rock that is higher than us.
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Frank Banfill is an international speaker and leadership developer who seeks to help individuals and ministries realize their full potential in Christ. Please forward this to your family & friends. To get Frank’s devotionals delivered free to your inbox, or to request reprint rights, visit www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Psalm 60—Leading through messy situations

Imagine my surprise when arriving home after a family vacation I walked into my house and found myself standing in water. As I made my way further into the home, I discovered that the water was everywhere. Our refrigerator started leaking water while we were gone and flooded our downstairs. I had walked into a mess that took several months to clean up and a lot of effort to restore things to where they once were.

Sometimes in life we find ourselves in situations like this. We have walked into a mess and because we are the leader we have to find a way to clean things up. We have to find a way to get things where they should have been all along.

This is exactly what had happened to David, and in Psalm 60 we see his perspective on the situation. Sin had placed Israel in a difficult place. The ungodly leadership of Saul in his later years had greatly weakened the nation. Now David found himself trying to clean up a mess. He had trouble on his northern boundaries as Aram (Syria) pressed in on him. On the southwestern side of Israel by the Mediterranean Sea, the relentless Philistines were a constant irritation. Along the south and southeastern borders were the people of Moab and Edom who had a long history of antagonism towards Israel.

How did David deal with the situation? He first acknowledged what got them in their predicament in the first place. Whether leading an organization, a family or just your own life, the first step in leadership is admitting reality. You have to see and admit that there is a problem before anything can be done about it. You also have to look beyond the surface to identify root causes. What got you into this position in the first place? In Israel’s case, the root cause of their problem was their own sin which had caused God’s anger.

The second thing that leaders must do is look for the right solution. David knew that Israel doing things in its own power would not remedy the situation (v10). David needed to find a game-changer, and that came by placing his trust in the Lord. He had complete confidence that “with God we will gain the victory” (v12). He took God at His word when He said that He would cause Israel to triumph over their opposition (v6).

Finally, David was willing to move forward and tackle the seemingly impossible (Edom’s fortified city, v.9). The steps we see David taking here are great lessons for all of us, especially those in leadership.

• Step one: Acknowledge the situation.
• Step two: Discover root problems.
• Step three: Deal with those problems.
• Step four: Move forward.

Each step is vital to success. Dealing with problems but not moving forward traps the person in the past, paralyzes them, and makes them ineffective. As the Apostle Paul said, we need to forget those things that are behind us and then press on towards the goal that is in front of us.

Sooner or later you probably will find yourself in the midst of a mess. Let’s learn from David and press forward.
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Frank Banfill is an international speaker and leadership developer who seeks to help individuals and ministries realize their full potential in Christ. Please forward this to your family & friends. To get Frank’s devotionals delivered free to your inbox, or to request reprint rights, visit www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Psalm 59—A Mob at Your Door

It was shocking and very disconcerting news. One of the churches that I had worked with in Tanzania had been burned and four Christians from the church had been arrested. No, the Christians didn’t burn the church, a mob of Muslims did. The Christians’ “crime” was leading a woman to Christ who practiced a mixture of Islam and witchcraft. Although the country has freedom of religion, these believers were arrested.

The mob grew and these believers were endangered. Initially the courts postponed their hearings for their own safety as the mob converged on the courthouse. They were safer in jail. Imagine if that were you. Imagine if there was a mob outside your jail wanting nothing but your death. What would you do?

These believers could relate to David. David begins Psalm 59 focused on his immediate problem, Saul’s men who were watching his house and waiting to kill him. By verse 5, however, he moves past his problems and looks at the bigger picture of “all the nations” or “all the heathen,” as the King James translates it. These were all those people outside of God, both non-Hebrew people and Hebrews who had rejected God.

It wasn’t that David’s pursuers were against him, they were against God. Those who oppose the Lord and His righteousness naturally will oppose the servants of the Lord who seek to walk in righteousness.

This is a good lesson for all of us when we face opposition because of our walk with Christ. We tend to take things personal but need to understand that sinners do what they do because they are sinners. Those who reject God’s love and plan are going to reject and oppose those who manifest God’s love.

This perspective, however, did not change David’s position. He was still surrounded by the enemy! So what did he do? He ran into his “fortress” (vv 9, 16, 17) and placed his complete faith in the Lord to rescue him. He turned to God’s strength (v16) acknowledging that he could not solve the situation by himself. He focused on worshipping the Lord rather than worrying (vv16, 17).

That brings us back to our friends in Tanzania. What did they do? Well, in jail they prayed, sang and witnessed to the guards and other prisoners. The result was several people came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through their witness. They ran into The Fortress and focused on worshipping the Lord.

A great example to all of us!

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Frank Banfill is an international speaker, leadership developer, and president of MaxPoint Ministries (www.maxpoint.org) which seeks to help individuals and ministries realize their full potential in Christ. Please forward this to your family & friends. To get Frank’s devotionals delivered free to your inbox, or to request reprint rights, visit www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Psalm 58—Player Turned Coach

It is quite common for professional athletes to become coaches once their playing careers are over. Having been on the receiving side of the coaching instructions for so long while actually playing the game, they bring a unique perspective to coaching.

While not every great player makes the transition into great coaching, these players turned coaches can relate to players in ways that others can’t. If they had long playing careers, they probably played under several coaches. They probably saw the good, the bad and the ugly. Hopefully they learned from those years so that they can excel now that the tables are turned and they are in charge.

The player turned coach is not unique to sports. We actually see it in everyday life. The tables get turned: The employee is now the boss; the constituent is now the politician; the follower is now the leader. The question arises: Did we learn the lessons as followers that are needed to be great leaders?

In Psalm 58 David writes about the injustice in society. He sees the corruption of those in charge (v2) and laments their wickedness (vv3-5). He then goes on to ask God to mete out His judgment on these unrighteous leaders (vv6-9) while observing that God’s blessings are on the righteous (vv10-11). What is interesting about David’s observations is that they most likely were made before he became king. They were made when he was on the receiving side of the injustice.

Why is this significant?

When the tables were later turned and David was in charge, I think these experiences made him a better leader. Remember, there was a long span of time between the time that David was anointed king and when he actually became king (more than a decade). This was a learning time for David. All that he went through during that season—including receiving the wrath of unjust leaders—was used to grow him into the leader that God wanted.

Today you may find yourself in the midst of a difficult situation. Maybe you are not being treated fairly at work or you have been the recipient of some kind of injustice. The question is this: What will you do with that situation? Will you commit it to God, learn from it, and allow it to mold you into a better person? Could this be a situation that is preparing you for a more advanced leadership role? Could God be transitioning you from a player to a coach by allowing this experience?

Our perspective is radically changed when we look at all of our current trials with an eye to the future.

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Frank Banfill is an international speaker, leadership developer, and president of MaxPoint Ministries (www.maxpoint.org) which seeks to help individuals and ministries realize their full potential in Christ. Please forward this to your family & friends. To get Frank’s devotionals delivered free to your inbox, or to request reprint rights, visit www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Jeremiah 2—What’s Your Water Source?

We made our way down the dirt trail following village locals on a well-traveled path. Passing us were women and children with five gallon buckets of water on their heads.

We were heading to the water source for much of the community of Bukabwa, a village of 5,000 people in Tanzania, East Africa.

As we approached the little reservoir, a line had formed as villagers waited their turn to dip their buckets into the water and get their family’s water supply for the day. We walked up to the banks where we could see the actual water that these people would drink, cook with and use for cleaning.

It was brownish gray.

Certainly not something I would ever drink from, but it was all that these people had. But imagine if Bukabwa had a fresh spring that gave clean, clear drinking water in abundance. Imagine if that life-giving resource was available but the people ignored it and continued to draw their water from the reservoir. We would think that was crazy. Why on earth would anyone utilize stagnant, dirty water when they could have something fresh and pure?

This is kind of like the word picture that God paints for us in Jeremiah chapter two. Verse 13 says, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Cisterns were typically dug out in the ground and then lined with some kind of plaster to keep it from leaking. A community would then use them to store water. God says Israel shifted its trust and source of sustenance from Him to themselves, substituting as it were fresh water for stagnant. And not only that, says the Lord, but even their efforts to contain the stagnant water was futile. The cracks in the cistern meant that that more water they poured in the more water escaped.

It was a losing proposition. They could never get ahead by trusting in their cisterns.

Each day, you and I have a decision to make. We can get in line with the rest of the world to drink from the stagnant, polluted resources of the world around us, or we can turn to the Spring of Living Water. We can choose to trust in what God offers or we can choose to go it alone, try to build our own life, and solve our own problems. The people of Bukabwa do not have a choice in their water supply. But they, like us, do have a choice when it comes to who or what we will trust in for our lives and to see us through each day.

What will be your water source for today?

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Frank Banfill is an international speaker, leadership developer, and president of MaxPoint Ministries (www.maxpoint.org) which seeks to help individuals and ministries realize their full potential in Christ. Please forward this to your family & friends. To get Frank’s devotionals delivered free to your inbox, or to request reprint rights, visit www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Psalm 57—Cave Dwellers

Imagine for a moment that you are literally running for your life.

You haven’t done anything wrong, but a large group of men are chasing after you and will stop at nothing short of your death. You have been on the run for days, managing to stay just one step ahead of your adversaries. As you make your way over a ridge you stumble onto some hills and are surprised to find a cave. You duck into the cave. Your heart feels like it will beat through your chest.

Will you be discovered? Will this be the end for you? How long will you be able to hold out in the cave?

Now if that were me, those are the kinds of questions that would fill my mind. Admittedly, I would not be in the mood to sing! But that is what we find David doing as he fled from King Saul in Psalm 57. He is hiding out in a cave writing music! David saw the cave as God’s provision and the way in which God would keep David in the shadow of His wings “until the disaster has passed” (v1).

Sometimes in life God gives us a cave to duck into until the storm of our current problems passes. The cave isn’t necessarily the most pleasant place to be—certainly not long term—but it is a place of safety. It is a temporary place to collect your thoughts, to rest, to wait and even to grow.

Maybe that cave is a short-term job or ministry that God uses to “hold you over” while He readies something more permanent for you. Maybe the cave is a relationship that God brings into your life for a season to help you get through difficult times. Maybe the cave is a short-lived opportunity that will stretch and grow you into what God wants you to be long-term.

What do you do when you are in a cave? Four things: Remember God still has a purpose for your life even if you can’t see it right now (v2). Thank God for his love and faithfulness in sending you a cave (v3). Look for ways to glorify God in the midst of your cave (vv5, 11). Finally, stay positive and find something to sing about (vv7-8).

One final thought: don’t move out of the cave prematurely. David took refuge until the disaster was gone. God will, I believe, make it clear when it is safe to leave the cave and move on with your life. Until then take refuge in the shadow of His wing and be a cave dweller.

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Frank Banfill is an international speaker, leadership developer, and president of MaxPoint Ministries (www.maxpoint.org) which seeks to help individuals and ministries realize their full potential in Christ. Please forward this to your family & friends. To get Frank’s devotionals delivered free to your inbox, or to request reprint rights, visit www.FranksBibleBlog.com.