Breakthrough . . . after twenty-five years of praying.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised (Hebrews 10:36).
Jason, Greg, Scott and Mike were my closest friends throughout high school. We were inseparable. We knew the intimate details of one another’s life. Then I had to go and ruin it all by “getting religious.” In December of 1971 I bowed my knee to Jesus and the partying (literally) was over for me. New friends, those who would disciple me as a baby Christian, began to emerge.
While I never condemned my close high school friends, and, I kept my friendship with them, I no longer participated in or condoned their behavior. It was a radical change for me, but I didn’t really consider how radical of a change it was for them. The first half of my senior year of high school I was living a very ungodly life-style; while the second half was filled with “Jesus freak” meetings. My friends were confused by the change in my life. They didn’t look down upon me, they simply could not comprehend why I would no longer participate in the things we once enjoyed together. I asked God for the opportunity to share my personal testimony with each one of them – individually. Jesus honored this prayer, and before we went our separate ways after graduation, I shared about the encounter I had with my new Master.
That same year, I left my home area to serve in the military. I methodically placed Jason, Greg, Scott and Mike on my weekly prayer list. I just knew it would be a very short time until they each bowed their knees to Jesus.
Twenty five years passed, and I was still waiting, still praying. The only problem now was that I was beginning to entertain thoughts like, “Just take them off your prayer list,” and “Why transfer their names to new prayer cards, move on to more important matters.” But, thank God for my wife. One day I asked her if I should keep them on my prayer cards or just remove them. Her immediate, faith-filled response was, “Don’t you dare remove them, let’s keep praying.” Okay, so maybe I/we could persevere a few more years.
Within months of that very conversation, Scott called me from Boston. He asked me if it was okay for him to be water baptized. My very first response was, “Let me find a seat.” And then, “But Scott, have you accepted Jesus as your Savior?” He told me he had through the ongoing witness of a Baptist co-worker at IBM. I revealed to him then that I had been praying for him for over 25 years. His reply? “I know.”
Jason’s mother called me several months later. Jason was depressed and without a friend, suffering from a broken marriage relationship and addictions. Jason’s mom said to me, “Steve, I believe he’ll take your call if you will call him within the next ten minutes.” I called; we met; he prayed. I then experienced the honor of water baptizing him and have an ongoing discipleship relationship with him to this day.
A few months after the encounter with Jason, Scott called to ask if I had heard from Greg. He went on to tell me that Greg had recently started participating in the worship band of his United Methodist church and that he was signed up for a summer mission team.
Have you ever felt like giving up in prayer? I have, but let me encourage your faith to continue to persevere. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised (Hebrews 10:36). Because… “we are not of those who shrink back…but of those who believe…” (Hebrews 10:39).
A CEO was once asked what made him so successful. He replied, “Good decisions.” “How, then, do you make good decisions?” was the follow-up question. His reply was given in one word, “Experience.” “And how do you get experience?” was the final question. The CEO provided a two-word response, “Bad decisions.”
I read once that bad decisions are often the result of insufficient knowledge. How about you, what are you learning from your bad decisions?
Let’s use what has happened in our nation to mature, to pursue loving others and to ask God for His change to take place in every one of our lives. Jesus is the reconciler, it’s what He does and He uses us to help bring reconciliation. Remember who paid the highest price, and proclaim His love to this nation. Reach out to the hurting all around you and share about the One who longs to heal their hurts, disappointments and fears.
Pain has a way of receiving our attention. It is an indicator that something is wrong somewhere. Have you ever considered pain to be a gift in your life?
Mary’s appendix was ruptured and poison filled her abdominal area. She needed emergency surgery that night and IV antibiotics for 24 hours. How about you, do you need emergency surgery to bring healing to an emotional hurt? There is a Surgeon with the most skillful and heavenly hands just waiting for your go ahead. Ask Him, He is our healer. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Psalms 147:3)
This will most likely be my one and only blog on the upcoming election. It is not written to change anyone’s mind, but rather to calm our minds and spirits.
As I consider that second Tuesday of November, I find myself required to look beyond these two candidates and instead looking to the party that best represents my beliefs and my values. Daniel did it in his day and Joseph did it in his. Jesus certainly did it best as He represented His Father’s kingdom here on earth. I suppose it is these words of Christ that help me the most when it comes to this election and its candidates, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. 
You are guilty as charged, sinful, lost and separated from your Creator.
The blood of the Redeemer provides redemption for all eternity. What is the price we owe our Redeemer? We owe Him one hundred percent of our life.
If you’re like me, you really think about what you will post on social media and what you will not post. It is a good thought process/exercise because you are opening yourself up to the world and that world might include persons who you are not expecting to read what you write. It is a good practice to remember and think about the fact that our Lord is looking over our shoulder as we write. That means we must listen and pay attention to that still small voice. That also means we want to be careful about what we write that might offend, that might anger unnecessarily or that might hurt another. So here are some guidelines that I try to follow when posting:
Doors provide entry and exit. Doors opening invite access and doors closing speak to seasons coming to an end. Doors set boundaries. Some doors are guarded and others have alarms connected to them. There are doors with windows allowing partial sight access along with light entry and there are those that protect from the light. Some doors open automatically and others are manual. Doors protect from intruders and can be decorated to welcome visitors. Still further there are doors that we are never to open. (See Proverbs 5:8) Then there are doors of hope along with doors of despair. And when something or someone is close we sometimes say, “It’s right at the door.”
I heard on the news that a man was finally arrested and charged with setting the fires in CA that were so destructive. He is being labeled as an arsonist. I had this thought during prayer this morning that we need “Holy Ghost arsonists.” Obviously arson is a negative term and an act that has malicious intent connected to it. But since our Father redeems all things, could He give us those who are and will be fire starters: Holy Ghost fire starters? I began praying for such persons to emerge all over the world. And as the old song goes, “…it only takes a spark.”
Steve Prokopchak 