Biblical Moments with Frank King

Like many other things, Christians and church leaders have divergent views on the subject of prosperity, as addressed in the Bible. Some preachers today proudly refer to themselves as prosperity preachers. As that label implies, these preachers proclaim a message that emphasizes material gain and wealth. This podcast episode addresses biblical prosperity as distinguished from some of the controversial teachings in the church on prosperity.
Does the Bible teach about God blessing us through giving? A resounding yes. God loves a cheerful giver. And doesn’t the Bible teach that if we give, we will receive back in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over? Yes, it does teach that.  But we must be careful to identify and reject all erroneous and unbalanced teachings on the subject of prosperity.
Being a Christian and being successful or even being financially prosperous in this world are not incompatible. Biblical prosperity enables us to be both at the same time. But we must reject all erroneous and unbalanced teachings on the subject of prosperity. We must reject all the so-called get rich schemes being presented in the pulpit.

Each of us has many attributes that define us. For instance, we may be a person of integrity; or someone who is always happy; or someone whom you cannot depend on; etc. One of the most powerful qualities that can be used to describe us is that we love others. The podcast episode addresses the supremacy of love.
In chapter 12 of his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul the apostle shares insights on spiritual gifts. He told the believers to earnestly desire spiritual gifts. In the next chapter, chapter 13, he addresses the supremacy of love. He refers to love as the “more excellent way." His point is that walking in love is superior to simply being a deeply spiritual person. Love is the most powerful thing we have for impacting the lives of others for the Kingdom of God.
There is a difference between like and love. When we like something, it means we naturally have a favorable disposition toward it. You may meet someone whom you do not like. In other words, you don’t have a naturally favorable disposition toward the person. But you can still choose to love him or her. Because of the supremacy of love, Jesus even commands us to “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44).

Sometimes, the things around you may suggest that God is not with you. No matter what we say we believe about God, at times our circumstances may suggest otherwise. That’s why it’s important to know in your heart that during difficult challenges in your life, your battles belong to God. Having this perspective is vital because what you believe about God affects how you live your life.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could see what God was doing behind the scenes on your behalf? As it was in the days of Elisha the prophet, when the king of Syria sent an army to apprehend Elisha. God opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant so he could see in the spiritual realm. Then he saw an army of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha to protect him.
What God did for the servant, however, was the exception and not the rule. You must walk by faith and not by sight that your battles belong to God.  You can’t see Him, but He is actively on your side during the difficult times in your life.

Sometimes when you pray to God, it may seem as if you and He are not on the same page. Well, guess what; sometimes, that is the case. God's ways and thoughts are higher than yours. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God's ways and thoughts higher than yours (Isaiah 55:9). The difference is immeasurable. That's one reason why what you expect God to do may differ from what He actually does or how He goes about doing it.
God is always interested in whatever concerns you. But the difficulties you face in life are not always just about you. Sometimes, God's priority differs from yours because only He can see the big picture. Some things He allows in your life are to the intent that He might be glorified.
We tend to be selfish in our expectations from God. That’s understandable when we pray to Him about something that concerns us. When we hurt or struggle, for instance, we often just want to know how to spell relief. But that is not always God's priority. We must learn to trust Him even when we don’t understand what He is doing. 

On Easter day, we rejoice in the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for our sins so that we might have eternal life. In this podcast episode, Evangelist Frank King addresses Jesus' agony as He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane hours before He was crucified.
It must be emotional torture to know exactly when and how you are going to die. Such was the case for our Lord. The night before the cross, He began to feel sorrowful.
"But He was God," some may argue. Though that is true, during His public ministry, He took on the form of a servant. Jesus wept as we do. He felt pain as we do. He even requested, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39, KJV). This prayer reflected Jesus' agony in the garden.
God laid upon Jesus the iniquity of us all. No doubt, He felt the weight of the sins of the world upon Him. He who knew no sin was made a sin offering for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). We rejoice on Easter and every other day because Jesus pressed beyond the agony and went to the cross of Calvary so that we might have everlasting life.

When your back is against the wall, it means you are in an extremely bad situation--one in which your ability to move forward is limited. Being a Christian does not mean that you can’t find yourself in a position such as that. Sometimes, God will allow that to happen so He can prove himself in your life.
In Philippians 4:19, Paul the apostle writes, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (KJV). That means God has resources for meeting our needs that are out of this world. Paul refers to these resources as God’s riches in glory. So, when your back is against the wall, God’s hands are not tied by your circumstances.
There exists a place in life where only one viable option exists, and that is to trust God. He can take the little we have and do great things on our behalf. He is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think...." (Ephesians 3:20, KJV). Accordingly, if we trust God, life is never hopeless. It can only seem that way.

The experience that occurred on the day of Pentecost, recorded in the book of The Acts of the Apostles, was a serious game-changer for the apostles. Why would God do something on the scale that He did on that day unless there was a divine mandate on the church that made it necessary to do so?
During his public ministry, John the Baptist spoke of this divine experience. He said, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but He... will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11, NASB). Jesus referred to the baptism with the Holy Spirit as the promise of the Father. God had promised this experience by the mouth of the Old Testament prophet Joel. He promised to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28).
But what was the purpose of the baptism with the Holy Spirit? "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me...," Jesus said (Acts 1:8, KJV). Based upon these words of Jesus, the apostles did not receive power until after the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This divine experience radically changed their lives after Jesus returned to the Father. It is available to do the same for believers today.
 

To live a Spirit-led life simply means to live your life in unity with the works and leadership of the Holy Spirit. This is the will of God for us. He does not indwell us with His Spirit just for the sake of indwelling us. But He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, to help us effectively live for Him. Also, to empower us to do the work He has called us to do. This podcast episode provides practical guidance on how Christians can live a Spirit-led life.
In his letter to the church at Galatia, Paul gives us a simple guide for living a Spirit-led life. He writes, "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16, NASB). Even as Christians, we will have wrong desires of the flesh. Having those kinds of desires are not necessarily wrong. What is wrong is when we carry out those wrong desires. But based upon the verse above, if we follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, we will not fulfill those wrong desires in our flesh.
But realizing that lifestyle is easier said than done. Though we have been born again, we are still clothed in human flesh. Every Christian must contend with the resulting tug of war between the flesh and the spirit.