Applications of the Solar Wind Theory
Note: this part of the Locust Papri is unfinished. Keep in mind that the “Solar Wind Papri” was written by one person who definitely does not claim in any way, shape, or form to have all the answers to effective ministry. These are just some of the applications that the author has found to be very helpful in his own ministry. As this same author grows more mature within his relationship with God, he will definitely be adding to (or subtracting from) this section of this document.
Now the applications:
1. PRAYER:
"Prayer is the divine enigma; that marvelous mystery hidden behind the cloud of God's omnipotence. Nothing is beyond the reach of prayer because God himself is the focus of prayer. Prayer is the vision of the believer. It gives eyes to our faith. In prayer we see beyond ourselves and focus spiritual eyes on God's infinite power.” (The Hour that Changes the World
by: Dick Eastman)
Prayer is the most basic act a man or woman of God can perform. It is divine communion between us and our Father in heaven. There is no prerequisite to prayer, except a desire to seek out God's will for our lives. No amount of learning has to be obtained before praying and social, political, or economical status does not play any role in prayer. Prayer is an important factor in making ourselves, our relationships with family and friends, and our ministries function properly in our faith. Only in prayer do we surrender our problems over to God and trust in him and his divine intervention.
Prayer must become a daily part of our lives and not just something we partake in when time permits, or when emotions run high. Many people, believing that prayer is an option in our faith, don't realize the important role prayer plays for God's people. Where there is an absence of prayer, there is an absence of God's power. Where there is frequency of prayer there will be a continuing display of God's power. And it's this power that will bring fruit to any ministry.
A French biographer, named Andre' Maurois, wrote in his journal, "The universe is indifferent. Who created it? Why are we here on this puny mud heap spinning in infinite space? I have not the slightest idea. And I am quite convinced that no one has!"
Fortunately, as believers in Christ, we know exactly why we are here. We have both a divine purpose and a divine task. Our supreme purpose is to glorify God. The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks: “What is the chief purpose of man?” The answer: Man's chief purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. (1 Cor. 10:31, Ps..73:25-26) Our supreme task is to evangelize the lost. In many ways our task fulfills our purpose. To evangelize the lost glorifies God on the highest level.
But, all of our evangelizing and witnessing is useless without God as the focal point. And prayer is the link that brings God into the middle (or better yet, onto the throne) of all things. Prayer and bible study are how we train our will to serve God, by adoring his greatness, acknowledging our weaknesses, acquiring his perspective, and seeking his specific instructions.
The bottom line: By removing prayer from our ministry or any other aspect of our lives we are removing ourselves away from God's power. There is much we can do after we have prayed, but nothing can be accomplished until we have prayed.
Now for the secret of prayer: The ultimate secret to effective praying is... to pray! That's right. No laziness, no procrastinating, no slothful, slow-moving, "do I have to?" attitude. Just pray.
"the person who fervently prays is the person who unleashes the Holy-Spirits' power to 'move mountains' and 'quiet storms'.” (Billy Graham)
2. DISCERNMENT:
Discern (verb):1. To detect or perceive with the eye or the mind 2. Differentiate
(Webster's College Dictionary)
We can gain discernment through prayer or meditating on God's word. And this gift is a very important asset to ministry.
Remember that it is not enough to have a snappy come back for every question or an undefeated record in debate. Sharing the Gospel is not a battle, and those who think so might find themselves winning a lot of battles but losing the war.
When the moment for witnessing comes, whether to a single person or a group of people, communicate with God, asking him to guide you through the smokescreen all the way to the real questions being asked. Let God give you the discerning wisdom to deal with the matters of the heart. And as you stay in a close relationship with God, soaking up his attributes, you will be able to develop this gift more and more thoroughly.
3. SCRIPTURE READING:
We know that God greatly desires to commune with us. “God, who has called you into fellowship with his son Jesus Christ is faithful." (1 Cor. 1:9) He communicates to us through circumstances and also as we pray, but the foundational and most reliable way He speaks to us is through scripture. These are the Spirit inspired words of the bible; "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim.3:16)
It is easy to be mistaken about what God is saying through circumstances and inner promptings (personal desires and assumptions sometimes distort your perceptions), but the bible is an objective, trustworthy standard of God's will, character, and truth. For knowledge on who God is, what God offers, and what He desires, the bible is by far the best source. With scripture we can know how to enter God's presence and live a secure, fruitful life in intimacy with Him.
This is why scripture is important to ministry. If God is to be the focal point of our evangelism, we must have a complete and full understanding of who God is.
As we diligently study scripture, we are preparing ourselves for effective ministry. Through God's word, specifically in the examples laid down by Christ, we find the proper characteristics that we are supposed to carry out in all situations. In scripture, we find the answers to questions. In scripture we find the peace and strength to carry us through the trials and struggles that might be involved in our ministry and all other aspects of our lives.
Disciplining ourselves to the studying of God's infallible word (like prayer) is an extremely important part of our faith. To know scripture is to know the will and desires of the almighty and sovereign Father for whom we profess to have complete faith in.
"It is impossible to enslave, mentally or socially, a bible reading people. The principles of the bible are the groundwork of human freedom." (Horace Greeley)
4. CONFESSION:
Having honored God and humbly submitting to his authority in our lives and ministry, we must immediately deal with the issue of personal sin.
The New Testament Greek for “confess” means 'to agree with God concerning His opinion of a matter. When we confess our sins, we are “agreeing with God” that we have shortcomings in our lives revealed to us by scripture and the Holy Spirit.
The sad thing is that when we become aware of our past failures, we tend to feel hopelessly unworthy of bringing God our petitions. But remember: the removal of prayer is the removal of God's power. An absence of our prayer will greatly affect, if not halt, our ministry.
In scripture, the Apostle John wrote, "If we confess our sins He God is faithful and just to forgive them and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn. 1:19) This is a promise that has to be taken at face value to help us with those “I'm not worthy” attitudes: IF we confess- He WILL forgive.
Confession is more than just admitting our defects; it's taking a very serious look at who we are. It's evaluating our weaknesses and asking God to cleanse us and give us His strength to overcome these flawed parts of ourselves. Admitting our sins is important to our Father because it shows him that we are serious about our relationship with Him. He doesn't ask us to confess so He can know of our shortcomings (He already knows), but rather because we need to know.
It's important to realize that guilt within our inner self renders our relationship with Christ broken. The psalmist wrote, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” (Ps. 66:18) According to this verse, there can be no effective prayer where sin claims a grip in a believer’s life. Confession clears the conscience of faith-killing guilt and prepares the heart for a truly intimate relationship with God.
Today, the dwelling place of God is not a man made structure but in the inner soul of man himself (1 Cor. 6:19) “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” Therefore, to keep our ministry and the rest of our life’s pure and full of divine power, we must be aware of our faults and be willing to let God make us strong where we are weak.