daniel troy carmichael

Crossroads

I have been thinking a lot about purpose, especially my purpose. There are many paths I can take from where I am standing and I desire to make the best choice.

I reached the point some time ago that whatever the plans God has for me in the future, be they big or small in the world's eye, I will be content with serving Him; I want to be His friend. There is some purpose He has for me that is beyond my knowledge at this point. It cannot be figured out from where I stand, though He could reveal it if He chose to.

It will be interesting to look back in a number of years to this point in my life and to see what He has done with this vessel He has chosen to pour His life into. May I fulfill in my lifetime the purposes He has for me in this generation.

Charismatic Witchcraft: Sinning as we Pray

Sorcery: [The] use of supernatural power over others through the assistance of spirits (American Heritage Dictionary)

I desire to be a man of whom God calls, "Friend". I desire to be a man of prayer, seeing God's kingdom come on Earth, just as it is in Heaven.

There is a danger, however, that I have noticed in my prayers and conversations with God. Perhaps it is my intensity, perhaps it is my desire to control the world around me; whichever it is, it has its root in sin, a lack of trust, and my faithlessness in God. I am talking about Charismatic Witchcraft.

Witchcraft, the use of sorcery, is when one attempts to use supernatural powers to manipulate the world to their choosing. Normally reserved (in our minds) for those we think of as anti-God, we neglect to realize that we oftentimes try to engage God the same way a warlock tries to engage the spiritual realm. Many times our prayers are simply elaborate spells cast toward God through whom we try to manipulate the world to our choosing. Witchcraft.

I have noticed many times my prayers are like recipes, attempts to obtain my desired outcomes rather than a partnering of my spirit with God's. I try, through my prayers, to manipulate God to do what I want Him to (heal this person, bless these finances, replace this leader, blah, blah blah). I believe that if I pray the right way or say the right words in the right order, maybe lifting my hands or kneeling in an "appropriate" way or laying my hands on the person, that somehow God will hear me and finally do what I ask. This is nothing less than an attempt at Divine manipulation--and divine manipulation is simply witchcraft by another name.

Prayer, instead, should consist of seeking God's heart and actions in this world, then praying for it to be so. Proper prayer is not worried about what I say, how I say it, or if I am dressed appropriately for the occasion. It is concerned about transparency of heart and it is a partnership between me and God, a partnership that he has chosen to enter into with each of us through His son Jesus Christ. We are God's agents of change on this Earth (His ambassadors) and He calls us often to be the supernatural answer to prayer--not some mystical intervention from the heavens but our simple obedience to His words for the life of those around us.

Another thought to consider is that He has given us the Holy Spirit to counsel us, to guide us, to prompt us in what to pray. Holy Spirit communicates with our spirit and prayer is the vehicle by which God's will in Heaven comes to Earth. God won't do it without us; we can't do it without Him. Let us do it and leave behind our sinful attempts at divine manipulation which is Charismatic Witchcraft. Instead, let us seek God, listen to Him, be burdened by His heart for the world, and pray things forth as he leads us without cause or concern that He bless us. Trust God not for what it may bring you but simply because it pleases Him.

An Illumination from a Lamp

Far better is it to light a lamp than curse the darkness.

Friday night at our house is movie night. Family and friends come over and, most of the time, Ashley and I cook a meal for everyone. The house we are living in has a large screened-in porch and oftentimes we light oil lanterns on the porch and enjoy the evening with lamplight before heading downstairs.

This past Friday, we were running short on oil. A trip to WalMart solved the problem and I returned not only with the oil but an oil lantern replica that had caught my eye several times over the past few years. As I was lighting it, my father commented to me how his father, GrandDaddy, had had only one lamp in his house growing up. This got me to thinking about thankfulness once again....

GrandDaddy was the eleventh of twelve children and the youngest boy. At night, he and the others would study by their one single lamp. He was 15, maybe younger, by the time he went to college. Not many years later he was a medical doctor. When he left the farm for college, he had had less than two years of classroom education: he had learned at home most of what he knew, gathered with his family about their one lamp.

His childhood was hard. So tough, in fact, that after he became a doctor he said he never worked another day in his life. He was, of course, comparing it to that of his father and his childhood: my grandfather literally worked over 100 hours every week his whole career. At 80 he stopped surgery for fear his eyes would mislead him and he would make a surgical mistake. He stopped practice at 85 and died within three years. But compared to life on the farm, he felt he never worked another day once he became a doctor.

All this history of my granddad rolled up in the wink of an eye as my Dad commented on the one lamp GrandDaddy had on the farm. I was lighting the eighth lamp at the the time, burning oil for simply nothing else than the atmospheric affect. I live in an air conditioned home and work less than 50 or so hours a week. My hands are soft, my back straight, my family well provided for. A vast difference between that of my great-grandfather and his family.

A hundred years ago, my grandfather was plowing all day, studying at night. My youngest daughter is the same age he was then and her life consists of school followed by piano lessons, maybe tennis lessons, some playing outside, a little homework, and then a warm bath and good meal before bed time.

We are so fortunate, the lifestyle we have, and it is really easy for me to forget how easy it is we have it compared to others around the world or our grandparents such a short time ago. Now, each time I look at our lanterns and think of the fuel I burn "just for the affect", I quietly thank my Lord and Savior for giving me such great life and humbly thank Him for all the many blessings he has given me. I hope I remember this the next time I catch myself complaining to Him about how rough I feel my life is and how different things are than my hopes and dreams.

He has been so good to me.

Quotes Week: Volume I, Day 2

Those who deny freedoms to others deserve it not for themselves. Abraham Lincoln

(I'm taking a writing break this week so enjoy these installments from my quotes collection)

Quotes Week: Volume I, Day 1

Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without strategy. Norman Schwarzkopf

(I'm taking a writing break this week so enjoy these installments from my quotes collection)