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Perception - "quick to understand" - Seeing Like a Prophet
Divine Guidance & Revelation, Godly Insight, Spiritual Giftings

"There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods was found in him ..." (Dan. 5:11)

Daniel and his friends were not just good kids. They knew God and they knew how God did things. When the crunch came, the King demanded to know the meaning of his supernatural dream. He was quite simply going to kill those who had no answers.

Daniel knew how to seek God. He knew how to hear His voice. The boys' very lives hinged on their God-given ability to understand the spiritual world. Is it any different for you? The ability to "see like a prophet" is the key to survival in your culture. The man or woman who can see what is really going on and chart for themself and others what they see is the man or woman who can change or rule the world.

Without the supernatural in your life, you are just another seeker. When you give your heart to Jesus, the full power and wisdom of Who He is becomes linked with your own little life. It is His promise and assurance that we can known Him and have Him demonstrate that power and wisdom through our lives to His glory.

God speaks to our spirit, to our heart. Our minds, emotions and will become the medium by which we transfer the internal truth of His law into the external world where we live. When we learn to think like God, we will know how to act like God acts. We are called to have a renewed mind, a mind being changed in all its channels into a mind like Jesus. (Rom. 12:1-2) There are three main ways in the Bible by which we learn how to see:

BIBLE MEDITATION

"This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate on it both day and night." (Ps. 39:3)

To MEDITATE or muse in Scripture is to give deep thought or close attention to what God says. You learn to lock out all that turns attention from His Word. You give uninterrupted attention to what He speaks to you. It is to study in silence.

PONDER is a related word. (Prov. 4:26) It involves testing, measuring, weighing. It means to compare circumstances and consequences, to examine and actively reflect. It is the exact opposite of occult passivity, where you are told to let go of your mind and just open it up to anything that drifts in. Christian thinking is never blind faith. God never said "Be transformed by the removal of your minds." First RECORD what God says to use in a diary, notebook or organizer database. Then WRITE out what you learn in a way that makes it clear to you exactly what you believe God said. Finally APPLY what you learned. Give it away to someone else. Pass it on to another it may be a help to. Nothing is really yours until you have it in a form in which you can give it away.

"The man without an organized system of thought will always be at the mercy of the man who has one." (Ed Cole.)

THE LAW OF SPIRITUAL LEARNING

There is a law of spiritual learning. It is the way God reveals what He wants us to know the way He wants us to know. Physical growth comes by time. Intellectual growth comes by learning. But spiritual growth comes only from obedience. You do not learn the ways of God by study alone or mental grasp. You don't know what He is like by the opinions or teaching of others. Light from God is a gift to the hungry heart. There is much you can learn about God, but it is not at all the same as learning from God.

God is a God Who hides Himself. He reveals His secrets only to those who long to know Him. George Washington Carver said "When you love something long enough it will show its secrets to you." The same God who showed Carver the mighty industry and economy in the humble peanut has much more to show those who come in humility and hunger to His table. We were never meant to know the principles of the Law without KNOWING THE LORD HIMSELF. The Divine order of learning is this:

(1) Revelation: God speaks. His Word by His Spirit lights up our heart. (Ps. 110:130)
(2) Practical Obedience: We do it. We obey His word without question or hesitation. Delayed obedience is disobedience. When we know it is Him, we just do it.
(3) Illumination: He explains it. Maybe! Not always, but maybe. We do not always see how all the bits of the puzzle fit together, but that is never a reason for disobedience. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not lean on your understanding." (Prov. 3:5)

When we learn this way, we grow in faith. We know God is to be trusted on the bare authority of His own testimony. We do not need to "check it out first" to see if we think it makes sense or fits. Unlike us, Jesus means exactly what He says. As John Bevere puts it:

"We live in a culture where we don't always mean what we say. Consequently we do not believe what others say to us. A persons' word is not taken seriously. ... By the time (a child) becomes an adult he has accepted this as normal. His conversations now consist of promises and statements in which he says things he doesn't mean. .... When Jesus speaks, He wants us to take Him seriously. We cannot view what He says the way we view the other authorities or relations in our lives. When He says something, He means it. He is faithful even when we are faithless. Jesus walks at a level of truth and integrity that transcends our culture or society." (The Bait Of Satan, pp. 241-143)

PERSPECTIVE OF A PROPHET

This law of spiritual learning is the secret of prophetic perception. In order to see past the smoke-screen of a culture, you must learn to learn the opposite way it demands. The only way to change the world is to be different from it. God's word must be heard God's way.

After a lifetime of revival, Charles Finney said this was the one key lesson he learned. What would he do differently if he could do it all again? To not spend so much time explaining before he called people to obeying. But reverse this Divine order, he said, and you will raise a culture full of criticism, negativism and cynicism. Read God's description of "wisdom from Hell" (Jas. 3:13-18) That culture is here and it is yours. The way to see past it is to not play by its rules. Daniel "purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself." (Dan. 1:8). A man or woman with a real word from God cannot be swayed or moved by the world and what it thinks of them.

God can gift us with prophetic perception. Over a century ago, Dean Stanley in his History Of The Jewish Church wrote on the unique vision of the Biblical prophet:

"God spoke by the prophets" Not by the historians, geographers, ritualists, poets of the Jewish Church, but by the prophets. ... However high the sanction given to King or Priest in the Old Dispensation, they were always to bow before the authority of the Prophet. Prophetic teaching is the essence of revelation sifted from its accidental accomplishments .. it may fitly be called the spirit of the whole Bible."

"Alone of all the high officers of the Jewish Church, the prophets were called by no outward form or consecration and were selected from no special tribe or family. ... Mercy and justice, judgment and truth, repentance and goodness - not sacrifice, not fasting, not ablutions - is the burden of the whole prophetical teaching of the Old Testament. In the New Testament I need only to refer to the Sermon on the Mount and the fact that His chief warnings were against ceremonial narrowness, the "religious world" of that age."

It is this assertion of the supremacy of the moral and spiritual above the literal the ceremonial and dogmatic ... which makes the contrast between the prophets and all other sacred bodies. They were religious teachers without the usual faults of religious teachers. They were a religious body whose only professional spirit was to be free from the usual prejudices, restraints and crimes by which all other religious professors have been disfigured."

"They were not without grievous shortcomings; they are not on a level with the full light of Christian revelation. But taken as a whole, the Prophetic Order remains alone. ... O, if the spirit of our profession or the order of our body were anything like the spirit of the ancient prophets; or if with us truth, love, justice, fairness to opponents were a passion, a doctrine, a point of honor to be upheld .. with all the same energy as that with which we uphold our position, our opinions, our interpretations or our antipathies! ... It makes all the difference in the world whether we put the duty of truth in the first place or the second place. The spirit of the world first asks "Is it safe?" Secondly "Is it true?" The spirit of the prophets asks first "Is it TRUE?" The spirit of the world asks first "Is it prudent?" The spirit of the prophets asks first "Is it RIGHT?"

Only God can give us the spirit of prophecy and the heart of a prophet. But we can learn these things from them in order to be better able to hear the Voice of the Lord:

(1) Stay sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. (2 Pet. 1:21) The prophets of Scripture did not only speak to general circumstances, but special emergencies. They usually addressed themselves spontaneously to people or situations they needed to warn or encourage. In the highest degree, our Lord drew His parables from the people and scenes immediately around Him.

(2) Cultivate the sense of the Presence of God. (I Cor. 14:24-25) With it comes the close connection between human thoughts and Scripture words that strike through to the heart. When you are moved by God, you will move men.

(3) Love people and love the nation. Often in Scripture we cannot distinguish between the prophet and the people for whom he speaks. Prophets don't behave like disappointed politicians or disillusioned churchmen. Christ wept over his country. Paul loved the Jewish people like Moses; ready to die in their place and if it were possible go to Hell for them if it would save them. (Rom 9:3; 10:1; 11:1; cf. Ex. 32:32)

(4) Give yourself to promoting national unity. (2 Chron. 28:10) The prophets aim in all the revelation of people's fault, was to bring the nation back to God , the sense of common origin and worship overcoming the sense of their separation and alienation.

(5) Change themes as fast as God gives them to you. In different times different abuses attracted the prophets' attention. They never got stuck with one pet slogan. What was right in one time might be wrong the next. (Is. 1:10 vs. Mal. 1:8) Stick with simple faith in the few great principles; everything else will constantly change.

(6) Don't back off on truth. Some prophets were persecuted, some were briefly popular. But in all there is the same Divine spirit of revelation that above the passions prejudices and petty distractions of life. "Be not afraid of them. Be not afraid of their faces; Be not afraid of their words. Speak My words to them whether they will hear or forbear." (Ezek. 2:6,7; 3:8,9) What is called for here is neither weirdness nor independence, not useless opposition to the existing framework of the world or the church in which we find ourselves. "Not this, which is of no use to anyone, but that which is needed by every one of us; a fixed resolution to hold our own against chance or accident, against popular clamor and popular favor, against the opinions, the conversations of the circle in which we live." (Stanley's History, Vol. 1, pp. 393-419)

(7) Look beyond the limits of your time. The prophetic heart sees sometimes the past in the present, the future in the past or the future in the present. The walls of time go down, and the vision of the prophet leaps over the boundaries of our immediacy. Learn to listen, really listen to the Holy Spirit by Scripture, and the whole world will speak to you. The prophet, more than any other in the Bible, is a messenger of hope. He knows Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. (Heb. 13:8)


LIVING BY THE WORD OF GOD

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD that comes from the mouth of God."

Jesus said it, and He meant it. The next way to train your perception to see things from God's perspective is to LEARN TO THINK LIKE GOD THINKS. When you soak your mind and heart in God's Word, you begin to think His thoughts after Him. Your Bible is the Greatest Book in the world. It is a manual of miracles. It is a Book from God about God; written BY His men about how to be His men and women. It is the story of His love for people. Its central figure is the Lord Jesus, The Messiah, God in the robe of a man. It is the record of His origin, birth, life, death, and resurrection.

The Bible message is stranger than science fiction: The God who spun worlds into space has visited our earth to show us the way to heaven, and we may join a Love-Kingdom in His very own forever family. The Bible is no ordinary book. It is strangely different because it was written by men who listened to the voice of God. The words they wrote were more than human. They live like fire for each new generation. By the power of the Holy Spirit, they are as fresh as wind and rain on a mountain.

The Bible is not just a book of history, although its records have been clearly upheld by modern archeology. It is not a book of poetry, although it has inspired countless songs and poems through the centuries. It is not an adventure story, although few novels have matched the sheer drama of its pages. It is not a book on ethics or morals, yet civilization's finest and fairest laws have been forged from it. It is not a textbook; but it still amazes scientist and scholars from fields as widely different as sociology, medicine, and nuclear physics. The Bible is the unique revelation of man's problems and God's answers: The Good News of the love-revolution begun by the Father, given by the Son, and operated by the Holy Spirit. Yet why do so many people not understand or love it?

OPERATION DISCOVERY

It was just a letter you found lying on the ground. Curiosity got the better of you, so you opened it up and began to read. No, you didn't know who wrote it, nor to whom it was written, but you understood the words and knew what it was talking about. Yet, it didn't seem to mean very much to you.

Now why didn't you REALLY understand the letter? You knew the language. You understood the words. You could read the writing. Your problem? You didn't know the writer, and it wasn't written to you. The letter's message was as good as sealed or coded. The BIBLE is just like that. If you are not a real Christian, a man or woman who has given yourself to the Lord Jesus as your Savior and Master, the Bible will be largely a sealed book. You don't know the Author; it doesn't speak much to you. When you get on REAL speaking terms with God, it starts to add up.

Here's OPERATION DISCOVERY: KNOWING THE AUTHOR. If you don't really know Him yet, why not begin? It is not enough to know ABOUT Him; you must KNOW HIM. If you are truly God's child, a world of adventure and discovery waits for you in God's Word.

The first step in understanding the Bible is to begin to READ IT. Christians are people of His Book. There is no way to follow Jesus without also knowing and loving His Book. It is no accident that both Jesus and the Bible are called "The Word of God." (John 11:1; Revelation 19:3; Isaiah 8:20) Both are Divine. Both speak with power and authority. Both are fully true and trustworthy. The world needs Something to know and Someone to love. God gave us both a Book and His Son. We do not love Jesus more than we really love His Word. We do not obey Jesus more than we obey His Word. We do not KNOW God any more than we want to know His Word. Now, how much DO you read the Bible?

If you read only about FIVE MINUTES A DAY, you can finish it easily in less than a year. You can read the whole Bible through ALOUD in about seventy hours and forty minutes! The Old Testament read this way would take about fifty-two hours and twenty minutes; the New, would take eighteen hours, twenty minutes. If you were willing to spend eight hours a day on some holiday period, you could finish it in just nine days! Reading by chapters takes you through the whole Bible in eighteen weeks at the rate of ten a day. That is four in the morning, two at lunchtime, and four more at night. The Old Testament read like this takes only fourteen weeks, the New Testament, twenty-six days. If you wanted to read just through the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) together with Acts, you could read them in twelve days; all the rest of the books of the New Testament in another 15 days.

Now, of course you may not want to do all of this; but how much of God's Book have you REALLY read? Jesus did not just say, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." He said, "IF YOU CONTINUE IN MY WORD you are My disciples indeed; AND you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." John 8:32)

HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what you read. Take color pencils or special markers (ballpoints will slowly go right through the pages of most Bibles and ruin them) and MARK the verses that God speaks to you by. There are a few simple things to remember when you read the Bible. Keep them in mind, and you will not get funny ideas from the Devil or from people who don't know either the Scriptures or the power of God:

(1) Read everything is the light of WHERE YOU FIND IT (context). Don't pull bits out here and there and try to make them say something they don't really say at all in the place where they properly belong. Compare verses with other verses. (If some people read "Little Red Riding Hood" or "The Three Bears" the way they read the Bible. they wouldn't understand those books either.) Be sure you have read all that you can find in the Bible on a subject before you teach others about it. God says those who teach from His Word have a solemn charge before Him to be right. (James 3:1-2;1 Peter 4: 10-11)

(2) God's Book means EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS. Once you know what He is saying, take it EXACTLY AS IT IS. The only time you should think a verse is symbolic is when all verses around it clearly show that God wants it that way. Use big passages to help you understand the little ones; verses which detail things to help you understand other more general sections. Compare verses where a writer is explaining carefully and factually to other places where he is just talking about what he feels or is enjoying in God.

(3) If some verses don't seem to fit, don't force them together. You just don't see the whole picture yet. Ever done a jigsaw puzzle? As you found bits that fit together, the whole picture became clearer. This is the way to read the Bible. Don't try to get it all at once. Just read in faith, believing that God will show you more as you read more. (Ps. 25:14; John 16:12-14)

USING BIBLE HELPS

(1) A good CONCORDANCE: is a sort of "Bible index." It is used like a dictionary when you are trying to find out where a verse appears in the Bible. You could, of course, read the whole Bible through carefully until you come across it. The other quick way is to use a concordance. If you can remember one word in the verses, just look up that word in the concordance (it lists all the words in the Bible is alphabetical order). When you find the list of words with your word in it, go through it until you come to the verse you want. Of course, you can use a concordance for many other things. Use it for a Bible study on what God says about a topic. Some concordances give you original Hebrew or Greek words besides showing you how to say that word in English. Some have a special section in the end that gives you those Hebrew and Greek words in a list, and shows you how many times they are translated as one English word or as another. This special index is called a LEXICON. You will find lexicons at the back of both STRONGS and YOUNGS concordances. They help you see the range of meanings an original word can have.

The fastest and most accurate way to look up verses and words is to use a computer Bible. This way you can not only instantly find verses by keywords but by entire phrases or combinations of words. Most will also give you the original Hebrew or Greek words as well. Get a good fast Bible study program if you have a computer. You can save yourself literally hundreds of hours of look-up time. Most can link up to your word-processor so you can pull Scripture directly into your studies as you write.

(2) A reliable DICTIONARY. Use a well known type like WEBSTER'S or OXFORD'S revised. With this you can look up words you don't understand and get ideas out of others that may help you get more meaning out of Biblical words. You can also buy a BIBLE DICTIONARY. This is written specially for Bible study, like the BIBLE ATLAS and BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA. These are helpful tools, but are not absolutely necessary for most of the things God can teach you. Again there are electronic versions of these both as hard-disk programs and in CD-ROM. (See also Reading - Mastering Print technology)

Be careful with COMMENTARIES. They are books where people explain what they think the Bible says. They can help, but may become a crutch to you, giving you a ready-made traditional answer which may not be the truth of God you need. Some are quite useless in many areas of study. STAY SIMPLE when you study the Bible. Make sure that most of your study is the Bible itself.

(3) OTHER TRANSLATIONS Language constantly changes. Older Bibles use words which have since changed their meaning. Other versions may help you understand a hard passage. The Bible was written in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. When it has to be put in our languages, men must try to translate it as best as they can. Sometimes they differ a little on what passages mean. Be careful of Bibles that have "interpretive notes" along with Bible verse. Some may be comments from fine, godly men; but again you may start to rely on these to "explain" the "real meaning" of the Word of God without giving the Holy Spirit a chance to speak to you directly. Remember the law of spiritual learning.

A TRANSLATION and a PARAPHRASE differ. A translation tries to give you the ACTUAL WORDS used by the original author in your own language, closely as possible, even if the translator doesn't understand the full meaning of what he has carefully translated. Some translations other than the New King James Version are the Revised Standard, The New American Standard, the New International versions, and the Amplified Bible or the New Testament translation "Good News For Modern Man."

A PARAPHRASE is not as accurate as a translation. Here, the translator takes a verse of the original language, and tries to put in his own words what HE thinks is the meaning of the original words. Sometimes he uses words that do not appear in the original languages at all. "Phillip's", the "Living Bible" and "The Message" are like this.
Use paraphrases for fresh looks at Bible verses, or for easy reading; but don't always rely on them for accuracy. Whenever you can, use the original languages for study. Electronic versions of translations are available and can be easily compared on screen.

PRAYER

"More things are wrought by PRAYER than this world dreams of; wherefore, let your voice rise like a fountain both day and night."

Prayer is the vast, little known, and little-explored power which moves the arm of God, which shakes nations, blinds Hell, and accomplishes the impossible. Here's how you can really pray - and see miracles happen!

Rosalind Rinker wrote of the naturalness of prayer. It is not a song, not a chant or repetition, but a TALK between you and God. "Prayer is the conversation between two people who love each other." Here's some of her simple steps to revolutionize your prayer life:

(1) Don't PRETEND with God. Tell Him exactly what you think and feel. If there is sin in your life, admit it honestly, just as it is, just as you know in your heart of hearts. Remember HE KNOWS; but it will help you be honest. He knows your heart.

(2) Be NATURAL. Don't try to force yourself to speak in a funny way. Remember, as well as being your Lord and Master, He is also your Father and Friend. The Bible does not tell us a particular set of words to say, but rather an attitude, one of reverence, thankfulness, adoration, praise, and love. Don't use God's Name as a punctuation mark; "Oh Father, I thank you, Father. that You, Father, can hear, Father . . ." Better to say nothing for a while than to push on mindlessly and use words just to fill in space.

(3) Don't TALK TOO MUCH! What would you think of a friend who phoned you, poured out a list of things he wanted, asked for a large number of favors, tacked on a quick word of thanks for things you had done in the past, and then HUNG UP, before you could say a word? Some prayer is like that! Take time to LISTEN to God, to let Him speak to your heart and to your mind. Learn to WAIT on Him.

(4) Pray SPECIFICALLY. What's the use of asking God to "bless the world and all the people in it?" How would you know if He did? If you want to see your prayers answered, why not PRAY for specific things? "Faith in a prayer-answering God makes a prayer-loving Christian.:" Make definite, faith-sized requests. Pray only for things which you can really believe God for. When you have seen those prayers answered, take another larger faith-sized "bite." This is the way to help you grow both in faith and prayer.

(5) Pray ALWAYS. This sounds like an impossibility, but it really means to always be in an ATTITUDE of prayer. It means to never get in a place where you can't pray readily and easily. If you have to "change gears" down inside, then you are in the wrong place with God. Praying-always Christians live in miracles, and know real joy and guidance.

You don't have to say LONG prayers -- Peter's prayer wasn't! (Mark 14:30) You don't have to take a particular POSITION -- God isn't so concerned about your BODY kneeling as He is about your HEART kneeling. You can pray at a school desk, on a playing field, walking along the road, or driving a car. You don't even have to CLOSE YOUR EYES. This helps keep your mind on God, of course, but with a little practice you can often pray without it. Jesus often "lifted up His eyes to Heaven" to pray. Praying with your eyes open is essential when you are counseling someone, and you need the Lord to guide you, to produce conviction of sin.

(6) How about just THANKING Him? Too often our prayers are just "request sessions" What would you think of a "friend" who only asked you for things all the time How much would you think that friend really cared for you? Should it be any different with your Heavenly Father? Why not spend a good TEN MINUTES just thanking God?

(7) Fight the temptation to RUSH through or MISS OUT a prayer-time. Realize it is an ATTACK on your spiritual life. If Satan can block our praying, he can ruin our effectiveness.

"Satan laughs at the words we say;
Smiles at our efforts from day to day.
But he trembles when he sees,
The weakest saint upon his knees."

Now here is a helpful thing to think about in prayer. PRAYER has been described as our "life breath", as our 'weapon", as our "communication link" with Heaven; and many other things. But here is something that will help you more than anything. Prayer is WORK, spiritual WORK. It is not easy; it takes discipline and determination. But it is just as necessary as Bible study or any of the other Christian things you want to do.

Of course, no-one can see you pray, while a lot of people can hear you speak or listen to your Christian witness. But when you pray, GOD SEES and so does the Devil. When you pray, you get a reputation in Hell. Prayer pits spiritual strength against the rulers of darkness and wickedness in high place who blind men's eyes to the light of God's truth. A.W. Tozer says, "Satan has no fear of LIGHT as long as he can prevent a victim from having SIGHT." Where as the WORD of God gives LIGHT, PRAYER helps lift the blinds off people's minds and give them SIGHT to see Jesus. (2 Cor. 4:3-4)

If wandering thoughts come drifting into your mind during prayer, PRAY about them. Your biggest battles will come when you are tired or sleepy. Try to plan prayer sessions so that you will be fresh when you begin. Remember: PRAYER IS WORK. But it is the holiest and highest work we can do in the Kingdom of God.

(8) GROUP prayer is different. You are talking over your problems or blessings WITH EACH OTHER and sharing them with the Lord. Try this next time: Put out a chair for the Lord. Keep it empty for Him; see Him sitting there listening to you as you talk with each other in your prayer circle. How would you speak to Him? How would you speak to each other? He says, "Where two or three are gathered together IN MY NAME there I am in the midst." (Matthew 18:20) Pray first that God will lay some prayer burden on your heart. Then share it with others in your circle, and all pray together over it until you feel God has it in His hands and is going to answer. Keep each prayer short and don't be full of words. D. L. Moody said, "I never pray longer than five minutes; but I never go more than five minutes without praying." It is not their LENGTH, but their STRENGTH that counts with God.


HOW TO PRAY AND GET ANSWERS

Have you ever wondered why God doesn't seem to answer some prayers? Check your prayer-life for any of these answer-blockers:

(1) The WICKED prayer. Prayer for something God has forbidden will not be answered. To pray, we must stay within God's promises and laws. If we get out of these, God will not hear our petitions. The Bible says, "You ask and you do not receive because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your own lusts." (James 4:3)

(2) The UNFORGIVING prayer. If you try to pray with bitterness in your heart, God cannot answer until you are willing to repent. The only time we can expect answers from God to prayer at all, is when we have forgiven all the wrongs others have done us, and have been forgiven all our own wrongs. "And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; that your Father also which is in Heaven may for-give you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in Heaven forgive your trespasses." (Mark 11:25-26)

(3) The SELFISH prayer. This is when we are only praying with our personal interests in mind, not God's glory. We are to pray "in the Name of Jesus." This means that we are to come to the Father as JESUS HIMSELF would come. To come in the "name" of some country is to come with its best interests at heart, and with all its rights and powers represented in your request. To come to the Father and pray in Jesus' Name is to come with the best interests of God at heart, and to come representing the Lord Jesus. And Jesus did not live for Himself. He did not pray just so that He could be more happy, but that His Father and the whole of Heaven could be more happy.

(4) The CLUELESS prayer. Sometimes we do not understand what we are praying for, and we do not know enough of the Word of God to pray wisely. Paul asked God three times to take away his "thorn in the flesh," but the Lord had left it there as a safeguard to protect His apostle for getting too proud of what God had done in his life. "For this thing I besought the Lord three times, that it might depart from me." And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (I Corinthians 12:7-9)

(5) The SELF-RIGHTEOUS prayer. Secretly comparing ourself more favorably than others. This kind of prayer only bounces off the ceiling. We don't come to God on the basis of "how far" we have advanced in the Christian life. We only come on the basis of the cross and blood of Christ, only as people whom He has brought back from sin and death by His grace. "And He spoke this parable to certain people which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others; . . . the Pharisee stood and prayed thus WITH HIMSELF . . . God, I thank You that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican . . ." (Luke 18:9-14)

(6) The DOUBTING Prayer (Faithless), and the WORDY prayer (Falseness) are also some prayers that won't get answered. To pray and get answers, don't pray unless you do REALLY BELIEVE God will answer. And strip your prayer-life of all wordy, foolish talk just for the sake of hearing yourself speak, or that's all that will happen

Pray in JESUS NAME. It is not just a charm, or a nice Christian way to end a prayer. It is our AUTHORITY that gives us a right to speak with a Holy God. It is a SEAL to ensure all we pray for is in line with the will of God, and is for His final glory. It has POWER over the Enemy and his evil hosts. We can command evil forces in His Name to release their holds!

CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE PRAYER

God will answer our prayers when we are careful to meet His conditions. Catherine Booth of the Salvation Army gave these three basic conditions as the "golden links' by which prayer connects with Heaven's switchboard:

(1) LIVING AND ABIDING UNION WITH CHRIST. "If you abide in Me," Jesus said, "and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.' (John 15:7) Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from Gods' mouth.
(2) SYSTEMATIC OBEDIENCE to the teachings of the WORD AND THE SPIRIT of God. "Beloved, if our hear condemn us not, then we have confidence towards God And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things which are pleasing in His sight." (I John 3:21-22) A pure heart sees God.
(3) UNWAVERING FAITH in the truthfulness and faithfulness of God. "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavers is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." (James 1:17)

Mrs. Charles Cowman tells a story of how a philosopher pleased Alexander the Great. When asked for money, Alexander gave the philosopher commission to receive from the royal treasury whatever he wanted. The philosopher demanded, in his king's name, a sum of $30,000! The treasurer refused to grant it until he had told the king. The king listened but said he was delighted and wanted the money instantly paid. By the greatness of his request, he showed the high idea he held of Alexander's greatness, riches, and generosity. And she said "if Alexander gave like a king, shall not Jehovah give like a God?"

When we learn to live in these promises of the Bible, we shall learn what it means to have our prayers answered. "ALL THINGS, whatsoever you ask in prayer, BELIEVING, you shall receive." God's Word must be true; and if your experience does not match the promises, you know that there is probably something wrong with your experience. Examine yourself. Repent from all known sin. Then PROVE HIM IN PRAYER, and you will know what it means to have power with God. You will know how to pray and get answers.

"Men always ought to pray and not faint." (Luke 18:1) That little "ought" is emphatic. It implies an obligation as high as heaven. JESUS said, "Men ought ALWAYS to pray," and added, "and NOT TO FAINT." "I confess I do not always FEEL like praying when, judging by my feelings there is no one listening to my prayer. And then these words have stirred me; I OUGHT always to pray; I OUGHT to pray; I SHOULD NOT GROW FAINT in praying." The farmer ploughs his field often when he does not FEEL like it, but he expects a crop for his labors. Now, if prayer is a form of work, and OUR LABOR IS NOT IN VAIN IN THE LORD, should we not pray regardless of feelings?" (Samuel Logan Brengle)

THE PRAYER OF POWER

As your prayer-life begins to deepen, you will discover some of the key principles on which power in prayer can be built. Here are a few of these for you to deepen your prayer-life and make it more effective for the Lord Jesus and His Kingdom:

(1) FAITH: It's important that we really BELIEVE God for what we are asking. If we are sure it is in His will, by His Word and by His Spirit, then we should be BOLD in faith. God will answer no matter how difficult or even impossible it may seem to us as mortals. Jesus said: 'Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be taken up and be cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall BELIEVE that what he says comes to pass, he shall have it. Therefore I say to you ALL things whatsoever you pray and ask for, BELIEVE that you HAVE RECEIVED THEM and you shall have them." (Mark 1 1:22-24; Matthew 21:21-22) "If you have faith. . . nothing shall be impossible to you." (Matthew 17:20) "Let him ask IN FAITH, nothing doubting." (James 1:6)

(2) The SPIRIT: We need to ask the help of the Holy Spirit for direction in prayer. Often we do not know how we should pray, or what we should ask for. It is His gracious ministry to lead us into what we should ask from our Heavenly Father. Charles Finney says in his autobiography:

"The Lord taught me, in those early days of my Christian experience, many very important truths in regard to the spirit of prayer . . . it came upon me in the sense of a burden that crushed my heart, the nature of which I could not understand at all; but with it came an intense desire to pray . . . I could not say much. I could only groan with groanings loud and deep . . . For a long time I tried to get my prayer before the Lord; but somehow, words could not express it."

"Likewise, the Spirit also helps our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: But the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered . . ." (Romans 8:26) "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also." (I Corinthians 14:15a)

(3) The WORD: One of the best ways of praying is to get a promise from the Bible, fulfill its conditions, and "remind" the Lord about it. God has promised to honor and back up his word - you can pray with confidence! "A spirit of importunity sometimes came upon me so that I would say to God that He had made a promise to answer prayer, and I could not, and would not be denied. I felt so certain that He would hear me, and that faithfulness to His promises, and to Himself, rendered it impossible that He should not hear and answer, that frequently I found myself saying to Him . . . 'I hope Thou dost not think that I can be denied. I come with Thy faithful promises in hand, and I cannot be denied.' I cannot tell how absurd unbelief looked to me and how certain it was, in my mind, that God would answer prayer -- those prayers that from day to day and from hour to hour I found myself offering in such agony and faith." (Charles Finney, Autobiography.) "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us; and if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." (I John 5:14-15)

(4) FASTING: If you really want an answer from God try FASTING. Prayer and fasting, in operation together, both convinces ourselves and signals to God that we really mean business. In a fast, we are giving up things we like or really need in order to give ourselves more to God and to prayer. Fasting intensifies our prayer lives. It enables us to concentrate wholly on the Lord Jesus. Try missing a meal or two and spending the time in which you normally eat in prayer. (See the section on fasting under Acceptance.)

Sometimes God may lead you into fasting by taking away all your appetite for food before a big test or prayer-battle for someone else. When the disciples had failed to cast out a demon from a boy, Jesus said, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." (Mark 9:29)

(5) If all else fails, try TEARS! It sometimes helps to get away somewhere where you can be all alone with God, where there will be no one around to disturb you or where you in turn will not disturb anyone. Go up to a forest, or on a lonely hill, or in an empty house, and lock yourself away with God. Learn to CRY to the Lord; to pour out your soul in earnest, desperate prayer; to really CRY out your needs in a holy shout to heaven. Do you really want to go through to God's throne in time of great need and agony? Then learn to cry. "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry . . . the righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh to them that are of a broken heart . . ." (Psalms 34:15-18) "Who (Christ) in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears . . He was heard in that He feared." (Heb 5:7)

(6) INTERCESSION: Pray for others. Put yourself in their place. When you pray for them, feel their problems and difficulties. A rule of intercession is this: Always PRAY WHEN GOD LAYS THAT PERSON OR GROUP ON YOUR HEART. Never be disobedient to the Voice of God. Carry them in prayer, until God lifts the burden from you. Intercession has been called "the highest and holiest ministry." It is the highest form of prayer, and must form the backbone of every real move of God in a nation. Catherine Booth said, "Prayer is agony of the soul wrestling of the Spirit. You know how men and women deal with one another when they are in desperate earnestness for some thing to be done. That is prayer whether it be done to man or God; and when you get your heart influenced, melted, wrought up and burdened by the Holy Ghost for souls, you will have power; and you will never pray but that somebody will be convinced-- some poor soul's dark eyes will be opened and spiritual life will commence."

DREAMS & VISIONS

Dreams and visions are a long-neglected part of spiritual communication from heaven. We admire Daniel, applaud his courage and his convictions but often forget that at one scary moment in history, his ability to hear what God was saying in a dream was all that stood between he and his friends' certain death. What can you learn from your dreams?

God often spoke to people in Scripture and history by dream to get across an idea difficult to describe in any other way. Of course, not all dreams come from God. Many are just normal brain-play at rest. Some dreams can also come from the demonic world and some come from too much pizza! Yet everyone dreams and God can and has used the dream.

A vision differs only one basic way from a dream; the vision can occur when the person is wide awake and not sleeping. A dream or vision from God is implanted or inspired by the Holy Spirit and can only be interpreted by Him. Like Daniel's dream it requires a revelation of the Lord.

How can you tell if a dream or vision is from God? Use the following tests from Youth Aflame! as a rough guide. If the dream is an authentic speaking of God it will be:
(a) Very realistic, like an actual scene of life. A sense of import ands value fills it.
(b) Usually short, not ramble or confused. Clearly defined in purpose or sequence.
(c) Definite impression made for certain action left in the mind on awakening.
(d) Person awakens feeling closer to God, refreshed, awed or challenged.
(e) Leaves person awakened to God's claims (Acts 26:19; 10:19 16:10)
(f) Visions: Easily distinguished from physical world on which it is superimposed.
(g) Visions: Are NEVER given by God in mentally NON-ACTIVE conditions (e.g. under hypnosis, the disorientating effects of hallucinogenic drugs, other self-induced trances, high energy music, yoga, or other Eastern disciplines, transcendental meditation, occult New age or spiritist conditions).
(h) Never recurring suggestions for occult secrets or promises of power; not sensually arousing to attitudes of hatred or fear; not depressing, deadening, confusing.

If you want to develop your spiritual sensitivity to the dream to open it as another avenue through which the Lord can teach you, follow these suggestions:
(a) Be serious with Him. Expect Him to speak to you His own time and own way.
(b) Learn the discipline of silence during your day to cultivate your spirit.
(c) Learn how to fall asleep with your mind filled with thoughts of God. Prayer and praise, Bible-reading just before bed will help.
(d) If you have a dream you believe comes from God WRITE IT OUT the instant you wake up. Do not delay. Write it in as much detail as you can.
(e) Think deeply about the dream. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your imagination around it. Often your dream is symbolic and can give you deep insights.
(f) If you like discuss your dream with a spiritual, considerate friend. Some comment may give you the very key that unlocks the whole thing for you.
(g) The importance of the dream in guidance is three-fold, Firstly, our whole beings are relaxed in sleep and not occupied by secular concerns. Secondly, God by His Spirit can have direct access to our spiritual nature with our entire inner being focused on what He is showing us. Thirdly, He can show us in symbols what we would never normally see. Our minds during sleep can lucidly see simple things, placing them in proper context, analyzing, evaluating and marveling at them. God can preview a decision for us by a dream so we know what to do when we wake up. (I Kings 3:5-15)

HOW TO RELAX AND BE STILL

"Solitude is the most radical of the disciplines for life in the spirit. ... The life alienated from God collapses when deprived of its support from the sin-laden world. But the life in tune with God is actually nurtured by time spent alone. ... It is solitude and solitude alone that opens up the possibility of a radical relationship to God that can withstand all external events up to and beyond death." (Dallas Willard, The Spirit Of The Disciplines p. 100).

All of us need a daily time of silence. People are afraid of silence today. They often have to keep moving, keep acting, keep doing things because they are afraid to listen to the voice of God. But it is this perpetual motion, this busyness, that stops us from really knowing ourselves and really knowing God. It was easier in the past where people had farms or forests, hills and sea to go to alone, just to be with God. Today there are cities, traffic, crowds, and noise. It has become harder to be alone. If you can get to a lovely, quiet hill, or forest, then make it a point to go there alone for some time each day if you can at all make the time. The quietness and peace there will strengthen you for the day. and give you an inner calm that stands up under pressure. But if you can't, then do this:

Go somewhere where you can be alone and as quiet as possible. If you need to, lie down on your bed and put a pillow over your eyes and ears to cut off the noise and light. For at least fifteen minutes, don't do anything. Don't talk, write, read, or worry over problems or things you could be doing. Just RELAX in the Presence of God. Think of yourself as a warm strip of sand being washed by the warm, gentle waves of the love of God.

To help you ease your tensions and stiffness, so you can relax more readily, you should practice relaxing your body. As you are lying on a bed, lift each limb one at a time beginning with your legs. Hold it up there. Think of it turning into a heavy slab of concrete. Let it drop, like a lump of lead on the bed. Do this with both legs, then with your body, letting your stomach relax the same way. Do it with each arm and finish with your head. You weigh a million pounds. You cannot move a muscle. You are not tense or stiff, just a giant sack of potatoes. You are rag doll with all the stuffing out of it. Now, JUST LIE THERE. Think about nothing else but the goodness of God. If you drift off to sleep, your "cat-nap" will leave you refreshed and alert. If you worry about waking up on time, either set an alarm, or ask the Lord to wake you up. Practice this art of relaxed waiting in the Lord's love every day. It will make your busy times deeply useful and worthwhile.

ENHANCING YOUR GIFT

Many of us are given great gifts. Some seem more useful than others, but none the less, we are all given something. Scripture says "Covet earnestly the best gifts." But God doesn't give any "bad" gifts, or lesser "gifts". What is a best gift? The best gift for you is the one God can give you for your own particular calling and ministry.

God has a purpose for everyone, and being in His will allows Him to do with us as He would. Many gifts are given for the sole purpose of contributing directly to His awesome kingdom. All of them are expressions of the nature, character and power of God and all can be weapons of the Spirit. Gifts are not the Giver. God gives the gift to you and you have to use it. " They spoke as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance." Other gifts seem more indirect in their application to evangelism or missions, but still display other facets of the character of Christ. They could be thought of as "fun" gifts.

Do you have to have a gift to be a real Christian? Yes, but only the gift of Jesus the Lord Himself. When He gets you, you have any and all the gifts you will ever need. Do you need any other gift other than salvation? No, but why not? People don't have to be given gifts at Christmas or their birthday but it makes the day memorable. God won't ever give you a gift that will hurt you, but He can well give you a gift that might shake you up or embarrass you. Read the story of the man with the withered hand. (Luke 6:6-10) First he embarrasses you; then you get your miracle.

A gift can be not only a blessing, but also a tool, and if you are in the will of God, like any wonderful tool, can be immensely fun. There is nothing in the world like seeing God do something quite beyond your ability or power in the life of someone else who needs Him through the function of some spiritual gift. It is a source of real joy, wonder and excitement both for the one receiving the gift and the one through which the gift from God was given.

Some are blessed by the gift of prophecy, some are given healing, and some a tender heart. No matter what your gift, you must ask yourself some questions:

1. Am I using the gift to the glory of God?
2. Am I developing this gift to the max?
3. Is it being utilized in the many aspects of my life?
(friends, adults, during fun, recreation, job?

Samson the Levite was given the gift of strength. His power was to come from another world. He was to put no chemical in his body that would hype his body or inflame his mind. He was to be a walking wonder in a world full of compromise and powerlessness. The sole purpose of this gift was to destroy the Philistines. That he did. But before this, he went against the Lord's call and commandment, and was rendered helpless when he disobeyed. Not until the end was he graced to be given strength back to finish his task. And in the end he was killed. (Judges 16:30)

My point is simple. Follow in the footsteps of Jesus to the detail, and your life will be how it was intended. Disobey and you could lose not only your gift, but perhaps your life.
When you are given something precious from God, it must be used, and practiced as often as possible. Take pride in what you can do for Him without being proud. Enjoy your gift. And seek Him for whatever else you need to get the job done He wants.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Some think spiritual gifts ceased with the advent of the whole Bible. They correctly point out that Jesus finished His work on the cross, and that we need nothing more than Christ to do the work of the Gospel. And of course they are right. We do need Jesus, and we need Him even more than the first-century Christians did. And we need nothing more than Christ, for indeed without Him we can do nothing. (John 15:5)

But the disciples with Jesus in ministry were promised and given gifts by Jesus even when He was right there with them. Spiritual gifts were given by God before Jesus died and rose again, and spiritual gifts happened again right through the New Testament after Jesus died and rose again. The record of history is that in times of revival and spiritual awakening, God still does wonders. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb. 13:8) These gifts are the graces of Christ Himself.

There are THREE SETS OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS detailed in the New Testament:

(I) 7 Motivational Gifts: Prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling, showing mercy. (Rom. 12:4-9) The particular desire by which we APPROACH our ministry to others. It is the motivation through which we seek to carry out all the other giftings God gives us as exhortations or commands to all Christians.

Motivational gifts are the internal heart of our approach to all ministry. If we are given to a prophets heart, we will always see how far the church is away from its days of great purity and power. If we are motivated to teach, we take delight in study and preparation. If we are encouragers, we will exhort people to praise God. Givers quietly give, and administrators try to keep everything ship-shape and on the road. Mercy ministries encourage others to care and to empathize. Bill Gothard points out that we recognize our gift by the way we try to develop it in everyone we meet. We will over a period of time find ourselves in situations where we have to carry out one or more of the other six motivations. Maximum power and grace comes from doing each of these THROUGH OUR OWN GIFT: i.e. the teacher teaches by declaring God's standards, by encouraging others, by giving, by showing mercy. Find the WAY you like to go about God's work and you will probably find your motivational gift.

(II) 8 Ministry Gifts: Apostles (church planters & founders), prophets, teacher-pastors, miracles, gifts of healings, helps, governments, different languages. ( I Cor. 12:28-31) We can call these the Calling gifts, and they help define the particular kind of WORK God wants us to do for Him in the world. Many times we will not know our particular calling for Jesus until we have been tried by fire and passed many character tests.

One of the ways you can recognize a particular calling of God is by the excitement or interest you feel when someone who matches your gift ministers to you. If you find yourself "lighting up" inside every time you contact a particular kind of calling, it could be yours. Don't worry if at first you can't define what you are to do in ministry. Stay loving Christ and loving people and He will show you in due time.

(III) 9 Spiritual Gifts: word of wisdom; word of knowledge; faith, gifts of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues. (I Cor. 12:4-11) These have been called the Power gifts. They function to show people something that is not really possible without God in order to bring them to conviction of sin and conversion to Christ. Regular time in prayer and the word of God develop your sensitivity to what God is doing in you and through you, but remember these gifts only operate in ministry situations. If you want to see God work, get your life out to where you need to trust Him or die.

All three sets of gifts can be combined by the Holy Spirit in different ways with your personality, talents, training and life experiences to give you a unique calling and ministry unlike anyone else in history. Seek His face, and He will gift you in ways that will bring Him the greatest glory through your life.


MINISTRY TO THE RELIGIOUS:

The most difficult people to win to Jesus are strangely enough, the deeply religious. There are many young people you will meet and know who have already had some kind of experience with God or the supernatural world. Babylon was a kingdom filled with every kind of religious devotion. Herodotus, an early historian describes the central city itself as filled with three or four-story buildings traversed with wide, dead-straight streets. Every one of them bore the name of gods in the Babylonian parthenon. There were over a thousand temples to deities. Babylon is religious, and deeply so.

Perfect Pamela is a perfect model. Her boyfriend is the great sports star. She has the qualities and things most hope for: an awesome figure, great voice, bright personality, and more money than she will ever really need. Talk to Pamela and you would think she has everything in her life together. Best of all, Pamela is a good church girl. She attends regularly. If you asked her, she might even say she is a Christian.

But Pamela has a flaw. A coldness surrounds her. Uncle George molested her when she was 8, and she could never forgive him. Her true bitterness is revealed when she is drunk, and she does this only as a secret outlet to bottled emotions holding her back from closeness to God. Behind the public smiles and religious talk when required, Pamela actually hates God, and is sick of the world He created. The wall she built around herself is both hiding pain, and shutting out God's love. Church to her is a building where she "goes to feel good", and her whole religious attitude a cover, just like an uninterpretable book. Pamela Pretender is one of a multitude of young people who have just enough religious talk and act to inoculate them against the real thing.

Who are the Pamelas of our time? They come in all religious colors. Some are Antinomian: zealous in abstract doctrines, but uwilling to practice true faith. Pamela may be a devoted Pharisee; someone who takes part in good religious practice without actually hearing its heart or putting to use the core of practical truth that requires us to be real with God ourselves and others. She may be a Sadducee, accepting doctrine only in written law, and even then, quite willing to stretch what it means to fit her own life-style. The Religiously Unreal hear the word, and believe it in theory, while they deny it in practice. Especially when we know what is right, we can fool ourselves that our knowing is the same as obeying.

Some of God's strongest warnings are against religious unreality. Self-deceivers. Lovers of themselves. Well-trimmed on the outside, while cold inside to the Living Creator. Doing good for the gratification of praise by men alone. Being nice instead of righteous. Astute instead of holy. Rational by their own perception, instead of faithful to God. These are the ranks of the religious.

The religious lost may belong to a good orthodox church that believes and preaches the Bible. They may come from a fringe-group or mainline sect or cult that is absolutely convinced they are the only ones right in the earth, or even from a coven of witches and warlocks that hate the very idea of Christ. But they all have one thing in common: they are trying to live a religious life outside of surrender to the One Who IS the Way, the Truth and the Life. The problem is not that they don't love or approve right and truth and God. The problem is that they don't love the right and truth in God that applies to them.

"The reason why wicked men and devils hate God, is because they see Him in relation to themselves. Their hearts rise up in rebellion, because they see him opposed to their selfishness. All hell, if they could view God in his absolute existence, without any relation to themselves, would heartily approve his character." - Charles Finney

How can we reach out to Pamela through the religious wall she has built around her heart? The only way it can be truly penetrated is by the unfathomable touch of the Holy Spirit, which we must genuinely and seriously pray for when we witness to the religious. (2 Cor. 4:2-5) Learn to always recognize them, for they are the hurt of the church, of themselves and the deep hurt of God.

The teachings of Christ alone save no-one. The right philosophy of Christ can't save you. Even perfect knowledge of all that the Bible says about heaven hell, life, death, the cross, sin and what Jesus did can't save you! Judas worked and walked with Jesus was a disciple and a friend, was put in a place of trust. But he secretly loved something more than Christ, sold Him out for thirty dirty pieces of silver and lost his place in the kingdom of God. (Matt. 19:28; Matt. 27:5; Acts 1:25) Only a MUTUAL RELATIONSHIP formed out of love to Jesus, putting your life unconditionally in his hands can save you. This is what they must know. Jesus said "Search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me; but you will not come to Me that you might have life." (John 5:39-40)

Don't bother comparing notes on religious doctrinal difference. Don't focus on labels. You are dealing with someone who has had something like the real thing, that infects them enough to inoculate them against the real thing. Freely share your own testimony of God's liberating love, and your own growing and learning relationship with Him. Religious people often know what is right; they just haven't done it.

Sometimes you have to be blunt. Confront them with the light and heat of truth. Speak to them about the Holy Spirit whom they are cold against. Ask questions to probe deeper into whatever is keeping them from going to God. Action Bible School suggests four great questions to ask someone arguing against the truth of God:

(1) "What do you mean by that?" (You can ask this more than once)
(2) "How do you know that to be true?"
(3) "How does that affect your life?"
(4) "What if you are wrong?"

If they have obvious sin in their life, the Holy Spirit can show you how to tell them. Ask if they will pray in agreement with you. The Holy Spirit will do the rest, and you can just wait on God to bring conviction of sin, repentance and freedom. Pamela can be saved. And a converted religious person, like Saul who became Paul, is a power in the hands of God to affect the rest of the world, religious or not. Some of the greatest Christians in history are those who thought they already were Christians before they really met God.