Tim Tebow and the Plan of God

Dear friends,  

     I hope things are well with you. As a sports fan who pulls for Christian athletes I was not happy when Tim Tebow ended up in New York. I didn't feel like it was a good fit and they never really gave him a chance. Even when it was obvious they were going nowhere with Mark Sanchez, they didn't let him play. When I heard he was cut yesterday I was disappointed that they would do him they way they did. I wanted him to go somewhere and excel and to show all the critics. The Lord gently reminded me that this is not about football. Ultimately it is about Tim Tebow being conformed to the image of Christ. God reminded me that he was perfectly capable of handling Tim's situation and that I was to pray for him as a brother.

 

     There are times in all of our lives when we like Moses must throw the rod at God's feet and see it turn into a snake. Anything we are not willing to throw at God's feet has a snake in it that can ultimately destroy us. When God told him to pick the snake up by the tail and he did, it became a rod again. No longer was it the rod of Moses, it had become the rod of God and was used in the working of miracles. For you it may be your job, your church, ministry, etc. We must be willing to throw it down and whether we pick it up or not depends on God. If He tells us to pick it up it is no longer ours, but God's. If He tells you to pick it up, He will bless it. Abraham grew in faith to the place where he was willing to sacrifice the promise in obedience to the promiser knowing full well that God was faithful. There are times we must be willing to place our Isaac on the altar. This could well be a chairos moment in the life of Tim Tebow. Pray for him that he will remain steadfast and that He will know that God will bring good out of this, and for discernment to make the right choices.

 

    As always my desire is to encourage you. If you have prayer needs, I will be honored to pray for you. I also am available to minister at your church or ministry group. Thank you for your encouragement.  May God bless you richly.

 

                                                     In His love,

                                                     Herb Dean

Deliverance from the Cave

Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name; the righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me. Psalms 142:6,7 For all you cave dwellers out there, of which I am one, this was David's prayer in the caves. The cave was a place of hiding, but it was also a place of preparation. It was in the cave that people began to gather unto David. These people were in distress, in debt, and they were discontented but it was out of these malcontents that the mighty men of David arose. One day as I prepared to teach on David and those who gathered to him and the Lord impressed me with this thought. "If you want to come out of the cave as a mighty man you must deal with the issues in the cave." The issues that brought you to the cave will keep you there if not dealt with. God is able to take the malcontents of this world and make them mighty men of God.

Bells and Pomegranates

The robe of the high priest had bells and pomegranates sown around its hem. There was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate alternating around the hem. The high priest had to go into the holy of holies once a year to sprinkle the blood of a lamb upon the mercy seat for the sins of the people. Tradition said that a rope would be tied around his ankle in case he was smitten dead in the presence of the Lord. No one else could enter. They knew the high priest was still alive because they could hear the bells ringing. I believe that the bells represent the gifts of the Spirit and the pomegranates represent the fruit of the Spirit. There is an individual application and a corporate application. If the bells stopped ringing they knew the priest was dead and they had to pull him out by the rope. If the gifts are not active in the church the church is dead, but the gifts must always be balanced by the fruit. Both are necessary for the church to come to maturity. We are out of balance if we emphasize gifts and not the fruit and we are out of balance if we emphasize fruit and make no room for the gifts. The robe of the priest is a wonderful example of God's order. Paul says in the letter to an out of balance Corinthian church chapter 13 verse 1," Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass and a clanging cymbal." Let everything be done in love.

Pray for Our Nation

Dear prayer warriors,

     We find ourselves as a nation at a critical juncture. On the one hand a man who is intent on destroying Israel and the U.S. is developing nuclear weapons and is unstable enough to use them and on the other the leader of North Korea has basically declared war on South Korea and the United States. A weak economy has millions out of work. 600,000 gave up looking for work just this past month.  The national debt is like a burgeoning monster threatening to consume all productivity and  the quality of life we have come to enjoy. The news mediums spend little time on the threats to our nation and instead promote gun control and same sex marriage. What shall we do? The psalmists asks a similar question saying, "When the foundations be destroyed what can the righteous do?" The next verse says, " The Lord is in His holy temple...."  God has not abdicated His throne. He is not in heaven ringing His hands. Nothing has taken Him by surprise.

 

     In the Old Testament one of the duties of the priest was to burn incense. The altar of incense was in front of the veil. The incense was to be lit every morning and every evening and was to burn perpetually before the Lord. So day and night the sweet aroma of incense was wafting over the veil. This is a picture of our prayers rising to God. The golden bowls in Revelation are the prayers of the saints. As Paul said that we should pray without ceasing. Jesus made this statement after telling the parable of the unjust judge, " And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Luke 18:7,8a  God  has called us to prayer.

 

    Please be in prayer for our nation and our national leaders. The agendas of men won't fix the problems. In most cases they just exacerbate them. We need the intervention of God. North Korean pastors of the underground church have requested prayer and have said the nation is in a state of preparation for war. I am sure there is much prayer in South Korea and we must stand with our brothers. Pray for our courts to make the right decisions on same sex marriage and abortion. Pray for each other. I covet your prayers. As I was trying to link intercessors I kind of met an impasse, but sometimes we have to go through the death of a vision so that God can resurrect it in His time. I will be posting requests and sharing a word from time to time but I am looking to pastor again whether here or in a new location. I miss preaching and teaching very much and God has put that in me. Thank you for your prayers. Let us set our hearts in agreement for a great revival and restoration in our land. May God richly bless you.

                                       In His love,

                                       Herb Dean