My Prayer for 2018

By Gobel Brockman

     We have reached the end of another year. For me personally, 2017 was an interesting, exciting year. I was blessed with ministry opportunities that I haven't been able to experience before. I am very grateful to God for the open doors He placed before me in this year, and I'm excited to see what 2018 has in store. I realize, however, that for some of you reading this 2017 doesn't hold those kind of memories. You may have suffered the loss of someone that you loved dearly. Perhaps you have faced physical, financial, or personal uncertainties that have challenged you in ways that you've never experienced before. If that applies to you, my prayer is that the God of all peace will fill your hearts with faith and comfort. Life can indeed be challenging, and at times even painful, but God is more than able to sustain those who will trust Him in those times.

     Just as I was thinking about the upcoming year, a pastor friend asked a question today (as I write this) that I found interesting: "As a minister, what are two things would you like to see happen for the church in 2018?" As I thought about it, this was my response. This is my prayer for myself and for everyone who claims Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life:

1. That John 4:23-24 would be on full display in the church:

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

That Scripture says that the Father is SEEKING such to worship Him - and I want to be found of Him. My prayer for 2018 is that I will enter into areas of worship that I haven't entered into yet. Areas of surrender, obedience, and complete devotion. Areas of worship where the opinions of man will have no effect on how I worship my Father. I want my song, my music, my voice, my preaching, my writing, and my life to reflect the glory of God and the power that is found in the name of Jesus. My prayer is that people worldwide who know Jesus Christ as Lord will experience that same thing.

2. That Acts 4:29-31 would be on full display in the church:

"Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness."

     This year I have seen many incredible things. I have seen people instantly healed of different physical problems. I have seen people who were bound by drugs set free by the power of God. I have seen people give their lives to Jesus and had their lives changed in ways that we had to say, "Only God could do that!" I WANT TO SEE THAT INCREASE IN 2018! I want to see the power of God on full display bringing healing, restoration, freedom, and most importantly, salvation. I want the hopeless to find hope, the bound to find freedom, the sick to find healing, and for all to find the life that can only be found in Jesus Christ. I also want to see pulpits filled with preachers who are preaching in the anointing of the Holy Ghost with power, conviction, and hope. What the disciples saw in Acts 4 can be seen in 2018 - and I don't want to settle for anything less. 

     My prayer is that 2018 will be a year where the name of Jesus is glorified, men and women of God worship Him without restraint, and the power of the Holy Ghost is clearly manifested for all to see! 

     Will you join me in that prayer?

Christmas Will Change Your Life

By Gobel Brockman

     Another Christmas is upon us. Once again we join with family, friends, and coworkers for food, presents, fellowship, and more food. It's also that time of year for the "Chreasters" - people who go to church twice a year; Christmas and Easter. Every year we hear about a star, a manger, wise men, and a virgin giving birth. But this year I want to look at the Christmas story in a way we don't often think about. It affected a lot of lives in ways that it also affects ours today:

*King Herod

     He was king. His word was law. He then hears the news from wise men that a new king has been born. What that meant to him was simple: his kingdom was now in jeopardy. He made the horrible decision to have all the male children two and under killed in an attempt to keep this new king from his kingdom. However, his attempts were futile. Our attempts to keep His rule out of our lives will be futile as well. The Bible says in Philippians 2 that "every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord." That includes Herod - and you and me. He will be our Lord - whether we want Him to be or not.

*Joseph

     The Bible describes him as "a just man." He finds out that his fiancé is pregnant, but doesn't want to publicly disgrace her. He was told that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph's life was turned upside down. He had to take his new family and flee into Egypt, and continually lived with uncertainty as God directed his life through dreams. The lesson he learned is a lesson we must learn as well: when Jesus comes into your life, your life gets turned upside down, and you become completely dependent on His guidance and provision. 

*Jesus

     He was Immanuel - "God in the flesh." He was worthy of praise, admiration, and worship, yet He came in the form of a servant. Time and time again He stated that His desire was to do His Father's will - knowing that His will would ultimately lead to the cross. In spite of that, Jesus embraced the Father's will and fulfilled it. The Christmas lesson we really need to learn is that Jesus came to fulfill God's purpose, and we are called to do likewise. Jesus said in Luke 9 that to be His disciples we must take up our cross and follow Him. What He wants for Christmas is simple: everything we have and everything we are.

     As much as we enjoy the food, the parties, and the presents, may we never lose sight of the undeniable truth that the message of Christmas is simple: when Jesus shows up, your life will never be the same. He messed up the lives of Herod, the wise men, Mary and Joseph, and He's been doing it ever since. He gave His all to purchase our salvation, and demands our all if we are to become His disciples. 

     This year, may we celebrate Christmas as it was lived and intended - unconditional surrender to the will of God. 

     That's a gift He'll truly enjoy receiving.

There's No Need to Fear

By Gobel Brockman


     In 2 Timothy 1:7, the Apostle Paul made this statement:

     "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind." (Emphasis mine,)

     I listen as people speak about current events in their lives and in the world around them, and I notice a lot of fear, doubt, and worry. The sad part for me is many times this fear and worry is found in the hearts - and words - of born-again Christians who have the promise from God that "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5) I see people chasing down every conspiracy theory that they hear on the news or read on Facebook, and in the process they seemingly convince themselves that all hope is lost. It troubles me to see so much panic in some people as it relates to current events, and particularly when it comes to the current political climate in this country and around the world. Before I continue, I want to be clear:

YES, I believe Christians should vote.
YES, I believe we should be informed voters, knowing where candidates stand on key issues.
YES, I realize that we are indeed, as the Bible says, in "perilous times." (2 Timothy 3:1)

     I also believe, however, in some simple yet profound truths:

NOTHING happens without God's foreknowledge.
NOTHING has ever caught God off-guard.
NOTHING - absolutely NOTHING - will ever cause God to lose control of this world or His plans for it.

     There's a story in the Bible that most of you reading this will be familiar with. (If you're not, it's found in 1 Samuel 17.) The Philistine army was prepared for war against the Israelites. Their greatest warrior was a giant named Goliath. He told the army of Israel to choose a man to fight against him, and the winner of that fight would determine who would reign. The Bible says that this went on for many days, and the Israelites were terrified at the thought of facing Goliath. But David - a young, ruddy shepherd boy - came to visit his brothers who were part of the army, and he was infuriated that this giant would dare defy the God of Israel. With a sling, a stone, and a solid faith that God was with him, David killed Goliath and took off his head - all while the army of Israel was "losing their heads" with fear.

     There's a lot of that going on today.

     As I mentioned, I know that these are difficult times. The Bible tells us to "not be ignorant of the devil's devices." (2 Corinthians 2:11) We are also told to "be sober, be vigilant, because our adversary the devil roams about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8) My point is simply that there is a substantial difference between being aware and being fearful. I want to be aware, but I REFUSE to be fearful. How can I say that? Because God has given me the Holy Spirit, who is NOT a spirit of fear, but IS a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. Simply put, regardless of what's going on the natural and political world, I refuse to be afraid. Despite what may be going on in your life right now, rest in the knowledge that God is control, and if you are His, He's in control of YOU. You are in the palm of His hand, and you're safe there. No horrible news story or Facebook conspiracy theory can change that. No election will ever cause God to abdicate His throne. If you're born-again, then whether you live or die, you are the Lord's, and nothing can take you away from Him.

     So stand firm in your faith in Christ. There's no need to fear.

The Power of Prayer

By Gobel Brockman


     I Timothy 2:1 - "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior."

     In this verse of Scripture we find some interesting things about prayer. Prayer is - rather, it must be - an integral part of our Christian lives. But there is so much more to prayer than simply asking God for stuff and asking Him to bless our meals. Searching some word definitions in the original Greek (via Strong's Concordance) gives us some interesting perspective:

Supplications: "need, want, penury (poverty or desperation)"
     The idea here isn't that we have to come to God as beggars. As someone once said, "We don't pray as beggars, we pray as the bride." In fact, Hebrews 4:16 tells us that "We can come boldly before the throne of grace." The idea of desperation here is more about recognizing the desperation of the situation. In context the verse above is speaking about praying for our leaders, and I think we all can agree that these are indeed desperate times that require God's intervention. But it also applies to each of our everyday lives. We find ourselves from time to time in desperate situations, and in those times we need to know how and where to go for help.

Prayers: "prayer addressed to God"
     Pretty self-explanatory, but it's a good reminder of who our prayers are directed to - GOD. When we pray, we are addressing the very God who created all things with nothing but His command. When we realize that there is nothing in our lives that catches God by surprise, we can come with full assurance that He is more than able to help in our time of need.

Intercessions: "to fall in with or upon; an interview or conference"
     There are two points I want to make on this:

     1) When we think in terms of "falling in with or upon" we see an excellent example of this is Mark 5. A man named Jarius had a daughter who was sick to the point of death. The Bible says that Jarius "fell at his (Jesus) feet and begged Him..." Here we see both supplication (desperation) and intercession (to fall upon). Intercession is more than simply saying, "Father, I come in the name of Jesus." It is a willingness to step out and in essence "stop Him in His tracks." This man was willing to put his own needs and comfort aside to ask Jesus to help his daughter. He was also willing to stop Jesus on His journey, humble himself before Him and admit the situation was hopeless unless He intervened.

     2) When we think in terms of "an interview or conference" we need to remind ourselves that part of an interview is LISTENING. The story of Jarius goes on to say that while they were going to his house, his servants came and told him, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Master any further?" The Bible says that when Jesus heard that he told Jarius, "Don't be afraid, only believe." In desperate times it's very easy to listen to the voice of circumstance instead of the voice of faith. May we remember to listen to the right voice.

     As I mentioned earlier, we are definitely living in difficult times. We need the grace and power that is found in the name of Jesus now more than ever. Fortunately for us, He invites all who surrender to Him to come before him in supplication, prayer, and intercession.

     Prayer warriors, the time to rise up is now!

You Haven't Lost Value

By Gobel Brockman


     I begin by asking you to use your imagination. I want you to picture two $20 bills lying before you. The one on the left is new. No creases, no tears, no stains. You pick it up and the paper is so crisp you almost get a paper cut. You can smell the aroma of Federal Reserve ink. Now look at the one on the right. It's old and crumpled up. The edges are torn, and the ink has began to fade. Someone has taken a black pen and given President Jackson a black eye and a dunce cap. The only smell remaining is from the pockets and purses of countless people. Now, here's the question: if you take the new $20 bill on the left and head to your local store, how much product could you buy with it? Simple - $20 worth. But here's my point: if you went back a few moments later with the old $20 bill, how much product could you buy? You're correct - $20 worth. 

     My point? A $20 bill is worth $20 no matter how it looks.

     I remember when I became a Christian at age 18. It was an incredible time in my life. Everything seemed new. The Bible refers to it as being "born again", and that's exactly how I felt. The drugs and alcohol that had caused me so many problems in my life were instantly gone. There was a new joy and purpose in my life. It seemed that my prayers would barely leave my mouth and the answers would come. Then, little by little, things began to get a bit more difficult. God didn't answer prayer as quickly as before. Complications arose from unexpected places. Reality began to set in that Christianity wasn't all up-tempo hymns and Welch's grape juice in Communion cups. People could still hurt you. You still had to get up and earn a living. Sometimes God's answers to prayer were either "Trust Me" or a flat-out "No, just wait." Over the years, some of the newness had worn off. Reality had given me some rough edges. Life had given me a few black eyes, and many times I felt like I deserved to be wearing a 'dunce hat'. I know I'm not the only one that's faced that. Perhaps you've had relationships that have left you permanently torn. Maybe life has left you feeling worn and damaged. But here's the point I want to make:

     We may have lost some luster, but we haven't lost our value.

     You and I are worth as much to God now as when we started. Yes, we may have some wear. We may be marred and scarred. But we also have some incredible stories to share about the way God chose to 'spend' us in His kingdom. Like a well-traveled $20 bill, we've been used by God to do a lot. Much more than that, He still has immeasurable love for us. He doesn't just see us as something to spend as He pleases, He sees us as people worth laying down His life for, which should make us all the more willing to be spent as He wishes. So don't grow weary. You're still worth as much to God as you were in the beginning. He still desires to use you to touch other people's lives. Don't let the tears and damage discourage you - they're just proof that God has given you a useful, well-lived life.

     You haven't lost any value to God, and you're still in circulation. God has more for you to do.