The Monday Memo from John Stanko

576: Exiled

I am teaching a class on Apocalyptic Literature on Monday evenings. Of course we are focusing mostly on John's Revelation, but have also looked at apocalyptic sections in Daniel and Ezekiel.  One thing struck me about all three of those authors is that they were in exile when they received their revelation. John was on Patmos and the other two were in Babylon. I thought it interesting that they were all in foreign lands when they received a coded message from heavenly headquarters revealing important truth.

That insight led me to reflect on my own exile and the role it played in my personal development and life message.  Let me explain.

EXILED

In 2001, I made a major life and ministry transition. I went from the phone ringing off the hook to no one calling.  My calendar, once chock full to overflowing, was empty. People called me not to come visit them, but to stay away. The only door that was open to me, with a few exceptions, was Africa. I have always said that God will make His will clear by eliminating all other options. I knew without a doubt Africa was where I was to be.

When I started to travel there, I would go for two weeks at a time. Then I expanded it to four, then eight and then at times up to 14 to 16 weeks. When I add up all the time I spent in Africa from 2001 to 2009, it came to a total of 4.5 years. I refer to that time as my exile.

There were days and nights during my exile where no one knew where I was but the Lord. I wasn't imprisoned during those years, but I was in a place where I was pretty much alone and had lots of time to think, write and reflect. Those years represent a million dollar experience that I would not give you ten cents to go through again. It was valuable but painful, priceless but costly, and I learned a lot about myself in those years.  Some of what I learned was what I had to unlearn, for there were attitudes and habits that were not suited to what the Lord had in store for me in the coming years.

PURPOSE

God had a purpose for my exile, just like He did for John, Daniel and Ezekiel. Sometimes you must have a radical break from your routine in order for God to reveal Himself to you in fresh new ways. He needs to take you out of your comfort zone to new levels of intimacy and insight and that can only happen when it's you and Him and very few others.  Exile is painful, but it is also critical if you are to reach your full potential.

Like the three apocalyptic authors, I also gained much insight from my exile.  It is when I faced and embraced my creativity. It is when I confronted negative thinking that was limiting God's work in my life. It was then I learned to trust Him for more than I had ever had before.

God has a purpose for your exile, too. You may find yourself alone or out of the loops that were once an integral part of your life. You haven't done anything wrong, but God has to take you away from life as you have known it to speak to you and work on some things. The three exiled authors were all productive in their exile. What's more, they received and wrote about things that still impact the world today.  God knew what He was doing with them, He knew with me and He knows with you.  Trust Him.

Don't only trust Him, however, but make your exile a special time that will serve you well in the coming years.  Learn, study, grow, try new things, make new friends but most of all plumb the depths of God's love and purpose for you. When your exile ends, and it almost always ends, you will be a new and better version of your old self and who knows what revelation you will receive during that time. For while all others may forsake you, God never will and that is the best thing about exile. Before you had to share your time with others; in exile you have all the time in the world for God. Make the most of it and while you are in it have a great week!

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PURPOSE SEMINAR:  I am hosting a purpose seminar here in Pittsburgh on Saturday, November 3, from noon to 3:30.  It's free but space is limited, so send me an email so I can get you registered if you are interested.

RADIO:  Don't forget that I am on radio on Saturdays from 8 am to 9 am on WPIT 73 AM here in Pittsburgh.  You can listen online, however, or download the WPIT mobile app and listen on your phone. You can also call in at 412.333.9748. I have had calls from Florida and Nebraska, so you don't have to be local to join in the fun.

MORE RADIO:  I also host an Internet radio show on Tuesdays at 4 PM called Your PurposeQuest.  You can listen live here or also go there to access the archives of every show I have done in the last 18 months. Listen live or listen later, just make sure you listen to my interviews with purposeful people who have something to help you in your own PurposeQuest.

HALLOWEEN ARTICLE:  I wrote a magazine article years ago entitled, "Unmasking Halloween." If you need some info on this day's sordid roots, then check out the article on my website.

575: Don't Eat the Grapes!

In the Old Testament, there was a thing called a Nazirite vow. No, it had nothing to do with Nazareth where Jesus was raised. It was a special voluntary vow that people took and, when they did, they could not eat or drink anything from grapes, they could not cut their hair and they could not go near any dead body, even family, for the duration of their vow. This week I want to look at the first aspect of that vow (don't eat the grapes) and relate it to your PurposeQuest. You may want to read Numbers 6:1-7 before you proceed. If not, then read on! 

ARTIFICIAL JOY

The person under a Nazirite vow could not eat or drink anything that came from grapes. Why was that? Grapes are high in sugar content, and sugar can give you an energy boost. Wine, one of the grape's byproducts, was sometimes symbolic of joy in the Bible. Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that "the joy of the Lord is your strength." It seems to me, therefore,  that the Nazirite could not eat anything that would give him or her artificially-induced joy. Are you confused? Don't give up yet.

One means to clarify your purpose is to identify what you enjoy doing. If you don't find what you enjoy doing, then you may try to find joy in other things, even spiritual things. I tried to find joy in being a pastor as I understood the duties. When I stopped tring to be who I thought I should be and developed my job description according to my strengths and joys, I was happier and more productive. Because I now have so much joy, I don't need to find artificial joy in what I watch, what I wear, in my relationships or in some activity that is a diversion from every day boredom or joylessness. I am not against relaxation or recreation. They have their place, but they can never give the satisfaction and joy that purposeful activity can.

Someone once said, "Do what you enjoy and you'll never work a day in your life." If you don't find that joy, you will be looking for it somewhere else. That joy will pass, however, and won't sustain you for very long. The Nazirite was to avoid any false high or joy for the duration of the vow. I would suggest that you do the same.

TRUE JOY

Last week, we looked briefly at the issue of anointing, and saw that you can be anointed to do things outside of the Church. I think this phenomenon is described in Hebrews 1:9, which states:

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

Joy carried its own anointing, so when you do what you enjoy, you are anointed. That anointed will energize and strengthen you, just like it did Samson, who is perhaps the Bible's most prominent Nazirite. When the "anointing" came on Samson, he could tear a lion apart with his bare hands. What can you do when the Spirit of joy comes on you?

So which will it be, real or artificial joy? Will you pretend to be someone you're not, doing something you don't really enjoy and looking for shreds of joy in disjointed and meaningless activities? Or will you have the courage to take your place with the Nazirites through the ages who rejected anything that could make them "high" that wasn't the real thing and embraced the will of God for their lives? I hope you will choose true joy and, if you do, I know you will have a great week like the one ahead of you.

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KENYA UPDATE:  Read the latest updates from Kenya and then purpose to give toward the $30,000 goal set for February 1 when I return with a team.

PURPOSE SEMINAR:  I am hosting a purpose seminar here in Pittsburgh on Saturday, November 3, from noon to 3:30.  It's free but space is limited, so send me an email so I can get you registered if you are interested.

RADIO:  Don't forget that I am on radio on Saturdays from 8 am to 9 am on WPIT 73 AM here in Pittsburgh.  You can listen online, however, or download the WPIT mobile app and listen on your phone. You can also call in at 412.333.9748. I have had calls from Florida and Nebraska, so you don't have to be local to join in the fun.

HALLOWEEN ARTICLE:  I wrote a popular article years ago entitled, "Unmasking Halloween." If you need some info on this day's sordid roots, then check out the article on my website.

574: Anointed

What comes to mind when someone says that a person is "full of the Spirit"? Do you think that person must be in ministry, preaching or prophesying the high things of God? Or do you think that person would be especially holy and sensitive to the Spirit's promptings? In most cases, you would be correct. There is a man in the Old Testament, however, whom God Himself identified as being full of the Spirit. Yet that man was neither a priest nor was he engaged in some kind of priestly ministry. Curious as to who that man was? To discover his identity, you will have to read on.

A SKILLED CRAFTSMAN

The man I am referring to was Bezalel and he is mentioned in Exodus 31:1-5:

Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship."

Bezalel was a man skilled with his hands to do all kinds of handiwork. Notice that God filled Bezalel with His Spirit to create artistic designs and to work with metals, stones and wood. He was so "anointed" at what he did that God chose him to do the work in the tabernacle, work that would be seen in its fullness by God regularly but by the high priest only once a year. What an honor!

Why do I think this is important for you to see? Bezalel proves that God can equip and anoint you with His Spirit to perform your ministry outside the walls of your church. If this principle holds true today, you can be a banker, military leader, teacher or politician who is full of the Spirit. Imagine being an "anointed" headmistress of a school or government official full of the Spirit. It's possible! Let me give you another example.

"HIS ANOINTED"

In the book of Isaiah, the Lord refers to Cyrus, a secular king in the following manner:

Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, . . . I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor though you have not known Me (Isaiah 45:1, 4 emphasis added).

Cyrus was a king but was identified as anointed. In other words, God was with him when he ruled and governed. So this leads to the question: What are you anointed to do? Is it teach school? Help the poor? Learn? Preach? Plan conferences? Edit manuscripts? Write? Don't limit your anointing to Church work, but take a look at what you do that, when you do it, you know God helps you.

Bezalel was a skilled craftsman and God was with him. Is God with you when you make jewelry, paint, sing, compose or arrange? If He is, then you're full of the Spirit when you do those things, no matter where and for whom you do them. You are anointed, just like Bezalel!

I hope you have fun this week in your newly discovered "ministry," for this week's lesson also means that God is with you when you do what you enjoy and are good at. I hope you will learn to increasingly draw on God's help as you carry out your anointed purpose for His world in the coming days. Have a great week as you do!

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KENYA UPDATE:  I posted two moving reports and requests from Kenya today. I urge you to take the time to read them and then act as God prompts you to do. The election there is next March, and things will certainly get tense and the needs increase as the election time approaches. You can give through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. And of course, please pray for the children, widows and workers there with whom we are privileged to partner and support.

RADIO:  Don't forget to tune in to Wake Up to Purpose next Saturday at 8 AM Eastern time on 730 WPIT AM or on their website via live streaming.  You can also download the 730 WPIT AM mobile app and listen on your phone. I am still working on how to upload each episode for you to download at your convenience once the show is done.

573: Getting Ahead of the Lord

I often write about timing, seasons and how difficult it is, in my opinion, to "get ahead of the Lord," something people ask me about all the time. Here is what one reader sent me after I wrote about this topic a while back:

I usually don't find much to disagree with in your posts, and always appreciate your insights on purpose. But in this case, I have to mention one of the most glaring examples of bad timing and "getting ahead of God" in all of Scripture: the birth of Ishmael. I believe we can attempt to fulfill God's purpose in our own strength and time, as Abraham and Sarah did, with an outcome perhaps not as disastrous as theirs.

I've got one more example of what could be considered getting ahead of the Lord and that is when Moses killed the Egyptian in Exodus 2:11-13. So let's examine both these examples at the same time. Are these good examples of how we can get ahead of the Lord as we discussed last week? i think not. To find my reasons, you will have to read on.

OLD TESTAMENT

Breaking God's moral laws is never justified as you set out to do His will, and that is what both Abraham and Moses did! Let's consider Abraham. God established in Genesis that man will have one wife. Abraham did not obey this law. On two occasions, he put his wife in jeopardy by not identifying her as his wife. On this occasion, he followed the custom of the land and took Hagar, Sarah's maid, and got her pregnant. That's not getting ahead of the Lord; that's sin!

Then what about Moses? Moses killed an Egyptian and he knew it was wrong. How do we know that? Because he "looked this way and that" before he killed the man. Then Moses hid the evidence, yet fled when he discovered that others knew what he had done! He did all this before the commandment came not to kill. Yet Moses had that law written on the tablets of his heart, so when he took another's life, he fled in guilt and fear. Moses didn't get ahead of the Lord. He murdered. It's no wonder that God took him to the backside of the desert for 40 years.

These examples would be the equivalent of someone robbing a bank today to get the money they needed, money for which they were believing the Lord. That would not not only be getting ahead of God. That would be criminal, and sinful.

These examples are from the Old Testament. I wonder if there are any examples of getting ahead of the Lord in the New Testament? Let's find out.

NEW TESTAMENT

The only example I can find is when Simon the magician offered a bribe in order to receive the ability to impart the Holy Spirit to others in Acts 8:17-19. If you can, send it along in the comments section on the site where this post is located. In the New Testament, people were led of the Spirit who was giving them the mind of Christ. They were aggressive and active in their faith. Consider Acts 4.

The apostles were standing before the leaders of their day and preaching only a few years after they had met and been with Jesus. They never worried whether or not they were getting ahead of God. They had faith that God was leading them and they stepped out. You need to follow their example. I assume as you do that you will not follow the example of Abraham or Moses--or Simon. Follow the example of Peter, James, John and Paul, who never stopped moving forward, doing what was in their heart to do. They moved because they had faith that God had put the desire in their heart in the first place.

In Acts 16:6-10, Paul was trying to go in one direction and the Lord resisted him. Then Paul finally had a dream that set the correct course for Macedonia and Paul set out immediately. That is the mindset you and I need to have as we pursue our purpose and dreams.

The comment about Abraham and Sarah this week really got me thinking. I am not trying to argue the point with the person who sent the comment, and I hope this will encourage and not discourage you from sending your own comments from time to time. I stand by my stated premise that it is possible to get ahead of the Lord but probably more difficult than we make it out to be. Move out in faith and see what happens. Just don't rob any banks as you do. Have a great week!

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KENYA THANK YOU:  Please take time to read the latest thoughtful report and thank you from Pastor Peter in regards to the library project.  As you read, I hope you will make room in your heart to help us continue to feed the children in Kenya, both physically and intellectually.  I am collecting books, shoes, games, and art supplies during the month of October to ship to Kenya.  Of course, this will all cost money, so I am asking for your financial help as well.  The need and the goal are bigger than ever before, so please give through my website or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA  15221-0882.