All posts by Guy Hayes

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Samson – Judge/Man of God or sloppy victim of his appetites?

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Samson was the judge of Israel for 20 years. He is a not-so-popular subject of Sunday sermons where he is often torn down for languishing in the lap of Delilah and sharing the secret of his strength. If he was such a victim of his lust and appetite for Philistine women, why did the writer of the book of Hebrews place him in what has been called the “Faith Hall of Fame”  where the heroes of the old testament are lauded for their exploits [Hebrews chapter 11]? I believe that although he had some lapses in judgement that appear to be largely due to youth and hormones, his purpose was tellingly shared in Judges 14:4:
    4 His father and mother didn’t know that the Lord was behind this. The Lord was looking for an opportunity to do something to the Philistines. (At that time the Philistines were ruling Israel.)  GOD’S WORD translation

So what was his story really about? The book of Judges describes the judges (actually rulers) of Israel for the following period:  1350 – 1004 B.C.

During this time Israel fell into periods of disinterest with God/idolatry and as a result God would allow them to be victimized or enslaved by their enemies. When they recognized their plight they would cry out to the Lord for help and He sent judges to deliver them from the enemy. Samson was one of these judges.  
What are we to learn from all of this?  Our blessing remains in place only as long as we remain true to our purpose.  As the nation would turn from God and suffer as a result, our lives will suffer the same consequence.  Note carefully that our faithful God always sent help (in the form of judges) even though this continued for more than 300 years!
What did he actually accomplish?  Samson, a Nazirite from birth was foretold to be the deliverer for the people.  He had a considerable swagger as a man of destiny.  He made himself the main target for Philistine animosity by burning Philistine fields and taking up with Philistine women.  Chapter 15 tells of the aftermath of one of his rampages where he chose to escape to a cliff rather than endanger his community.  The men of Judah came to capture him but when he was about to encounter the Philistines, the Spirit of God came upon him and he [famously] used the jawbone of an ass to slaughter 1000 Philistines. 
Doubtless, most people familiar with Bible lore remember the rest of the story of his betrayal by the infamous Delilah.  Her name is synonymous with being a temptress and betrayal.  The story climaxes as he is led blind and helpless to entertain a palace full of Philistines.  He asks God for one last infusion of strength to avenge himself for his two eyes.  He asked to die with them hence giving his life to rid Israel of their most plaguing enemy.  
He could not have known that the palace would be full of the most powerful and influential Philistines.  Look at the faith he exhibited, he only asked to avenge himself for his loss of eyesight but by God’s grace he gave his life and destroyed thousands of Philistines in one place.  So many gloating over Samson’s shortcomings but which of us have sacrificed our lives (literally) to deliver people from oppression?  
How are we to be guided by this example?
Have faith in the purpose God has placed in you and in the fact that God will help you in achieving that purpose.
grace & peace!!
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A Christmas Story for 2012

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It’s so incredible to consider that before the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry there had not been an inspired word from the Lord for more than 400 years.  It was as if the heavens were shut down.  This is a Christian credo that some may dispute but it is marked by the end of Malachi’s prophetic ministry at the end of the Old Testament and John’s pronouncement to prepare for the Kingdom. If this was indeed the case [as it was] then those devout people held close their interest and desire for the fulfillment of the psalmist’s bold promise that his sceptre [kingdom] would last forever.

This is the backdrop where we find the two stirring characters that comprise one of my favorite Christmas stories.  Simeon was in the temple at the time Mary and Joseph had come to offer their firstborn’s purification offering.  Luke describes him as righteous and devout, and the holy spirit was upon him which is formidable considering that before the Acts 2 Day of Pentecost, there were only a few people upon whom the Holy Spirit rested.  

It is very important to recognize that Israel was under siege at this time by the conquering Roman Empire.   The event resembled when the then ‘Soviet Union’ invaded Czechoslovakia (8/20/1968).  A nation that cannot possibly be beaten has forcefully entered your country and you remain hostage in your own land.   The notion of being under siege is completely foreign to twenty-first century Americans.  The notion of a prophesy foretelling a heroic king who would come and throw out the invaders was more than they could even hope for; something only Jehovah could deliver.  

Simeon was eagerly anticipating this Messiah who would bring Israel out of the state of siege.  Isn’t it just like God to give you an answer to prayer even if that answer is beyond your wildest dreams and imagination?!!  He was led to the temple at the time Joseph brought his offering and was able to see the child as the Spirit revealed that this was indeed the anointed one.   He prophesized over the child providing a glimpse to the unknowing parents who Jesus would become.  

As Simeon was talking, our second character came and overheard the prophesy.  Anna a widow of some sixty years, who Luke says “never left the temple” but stayed there (in the outer courts)  worshipping day and night was a true worshipper who was devoted to fasting and prayer. Both Anna and Simeon were given the unmerited favor to see their hopes realized. 


This is a truth of Christmas illustrated.  Hope when there is (or was) no hope, is the reality that God wants us to recognize. And even when all seems lost, if it takes 400 years, he is still working and will fulfill his promises.

[painting by Simon Vouet 1640-41]



Antonio Ciseri, Crown of Thorns, Crucifixion, King of the Jews

I love this painting by Antonio Ciseri [approx. 1891]

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John 19:1 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged [Him.] 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put [it] on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands. 4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.” 5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And [Pilate] said to them, “Behold the Man!” 6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify [Him,] crucify [Him!”] Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify [Him,] for I find no fault in Him.”

Colosse, defeat, distress, Fruit of the Spirit, Prayer, Understanding, Wisdom, works/faith

For this cause we pray . . . (Part 2)

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Colossians 1:9-11
The Apostle Paul’s prayer to the church at Colosse included his interest in providing support for all that they needed to have to be empowered for ministry. It doesn’t appear that he had visited Colosse when he wrote the epistle since he tells Philemon of his hope to visit it upon being freed from prison [see Philemon 1:22]. Some speculate that Epaphras was the founder of the Colossian church [see Colossians 1:7, 4:12].
Paul’s petition in Colossians 1:9-11 can be broken into five phrases that provide insight into what the Holy Spirit wants to inspire into the entire body of believers so that we may be perfect and entire, wanting for nothing [James 1:4].
The Apostle’s prayer in the text is as follows:
[9] “For this reason we also, from the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to

  1. ask that you be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
  2. that you walk worthy of the Lord, in all pleasing
  3. being fruitful in every good work
         The world is suffering under the weight of an incredible burden brought on by the faltering economy [deceitfulness of riches], the stalled job market, the uptick in productivity brought on by companies forcing too few workers do work that would normally require many more. As a result, we are rushed, sleepless, exhausted and working in every spare moment. The consequence of this is that it carries over into our spiritual lives.    Galatians 5:22  states  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, . . . ”  so then we can logically infer that being fruitful in a good work would produce a measure of these.  How unfortunate it is that so many members of the body end up spending precious time doing things that produce none of these!  How much time is wasted on tasks and activities that are church-based but not Kingdom-based?   We do a lot of church work that is not the work of the church.
               We are not saved by our works, (see Ephesians 2:7-9) so the work we do must be commissioned by the Lord as we strive to follow his lead.  Cain tried to work his way into the kingdom by his work and it bore no fruit, to the contrary it brought forth so much envy of his brother Abel that he murdered him.  Look for the fruit of your work and let go of activity that seems stagnant.  There’s no wrong in serving where we can, but finding our purpose is of paramount importance.  It grounds us as we settle into our place in the body of Christ, doing what we were made to do.
     4. and increasing in the knowledge of God
Paul prays that we increase in the knowledge of God; there is only one way that that occurs – He reveals himself through his word.  We get ourselves in position to hear from Him and to fellowship with Him as we study the word and pray.   Jesus made a similar invitation when he said “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me . . . (Matt. 11:29) He is inviting us to fellowship and get to know him.  He literally says that following him is not difficult and he will let us rest from our struggles and toil.
     5. strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness
This clause is such a delightful surprise!  I continue to revel in the fact that our might didn’t come in a physical package in the way that Samson’s did.   We are set to receive the might that Jesus showed in his passion on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.  Notice that he prays for us to be strengthened with ALL MIGHT, not just a bit and not just according to what we might come up with, but according to His power.
To what end?  To all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.   Ride in tight traffic with that!!  Confront your disbelieving relatives with that!  Take that to your workplace and start a revolution!!
We are in for spiritual warfare, frustration, loss, pain, and disappointment.  Our attitude is that one tool and relief that will make the difference in how we wear Christ and how the world sees Him in us.   Second Corinthians 4:8 “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”
 It is not on you!! We pray this prayer of Paul’s and place our faith in the fact that God can and will make it so for us in this present hour! Believe it!
all pleasing, Colosse, Epaphras, spiritual understanding

For this cause we pray (1)

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For this cause we pray

Colossians 1:9-11

The Apostle Paul’s prayer to the church at Colosse included his interest in providing support for all that they needed to have to be empowered for ministry. It doesn’t appear that he had visited Colosse when he wrote the epistle since he tells Philemon of his hope to visit it upon being freed from prison [see Philemon 1:22]. Some speculate that Epaphras was the founder of the Colossian church [see Colossians 1:7, 4:12].

Paul’s petition in Colossians 1:9-11 can be broken into five phrases that provide insight into what the Holy Spirit wants to inspire into the entire body of believers so that we may be perfect and entire, wanting for nothing [James 1:4].

The Apostle’s prayer in the text is as follows:
[9] “For this reason we also, from the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to

    1. ask that you be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

This petition asks that we increase our understanding of what God wants for us in both the near term and overall. That we know what He wants for us and for those in our circle of influence including those who we will help enter the kingdom. It speaks of gaining the knowledge with the wisdom of how to accomplish and fully grasp the significance and meaning. To know how I have been equipped spiritually, emotionally and mentally to do his will and to adapt my self to conform to His will as I understand it.

    1. that you walk worthy of the Lord, in all pleasing

That the way we behave and the way that we manage our inner (mental and spiritual selves is pleasing and not grieving to Him. That I have managed to mortify the “natural” self and all of the old desires, baggage and issues given the grace that I live in. That I am sensitive to His calling and to communicating with Him regularly and faithfully. That I am resting in His love as a springboard and enticement to love my neighbors as myself. That I strive continually to dedicate and commit myself to Him.

More later!
Evangelism, Religion, Salvation

Written to “J” with love

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I met a wonderful and interesting woman this week and she confided that she had been catholic but that she never felt that God heard her prayers.  I said God is listening and wants to answer all of your prayers.  What I would have liked to have said was ” . . . We have to learn to attune our ears to hear Him clearly”.   Taking a moment in one of the nation’s premier department stores, I felt somewhat challenged to share with her fine points about Christianity and to discover where she is in her walk with the Lord but I am praying that she will follow me to this page and I add this writing with her and hopefully others in mind. 


Christianity is not a religion, it is the formation and development of a relationship between ourselves and Jesus,  the Christ (the Anointed One, Risen Messiah). I say it is not a religion because religions are founded upon the premise that people need to do something in order to be “good enough” to be acceptable to God.  Every religion known to man provides a vehicle where if we can pray enough, or do enough good or (God forbid) destroy our enemies, we can be deemed righteous and/or be rewarded. 

Clearly and simply, we cannot do enough, but the love of God is so great that He would not let us be lost but sent His one and only Son to pay the penalty of death for our failure and separation.   He paid that debt and as a result, we have a chance to know and fellowship with Him. 

There have been no lack of stories about a designated savior/gift to the world. This story differs from most as it details the most gruesome death that anyone has had to die who was innocent of any crime.  As it is written, “scarcely for an upright man will one die, or even for an especially good man. But Christ died for us” while we were dead wrong and not even looking for redemption!  [partial quote and my own paraphrase of Romans 5:7-8]

He rises from the dead and was seen by hundreds of people, returns to heaven but is coming back for all that believe in Him.  He made promises of good gifts and favor for all who believe in Him. The story is easy to believe but also easy to reject.  We can come up with our own rationale for how and why God should operate and complete scenarios about how the plan of salvation should work.  But God is looking for those who will follow His plan, seek Him to worship and worship Him in Spirit and Truth.   He wants people to love him in faith by grace as we learn to understand His love and mercy.

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Review of John Bevere’s “The Bait of Satan”

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Dear Readers,  
I apologize for being silent for so long.  I was in process of writing a follow-up to “Rock of Offense” when my pastor shared a book called The Bait of Satan.  I recommend this book highly and offer a very brief summary that describes Mr. Bevere’s approach to this vital subject . I do not intend this to be a formal book review, this book is already a big bestseller and more importantly, a blessing to all who read it and heed its wisdom.   I hope to soon add another offering on offense as well as regular new content.  Thanks for coming by and please, drop a line to let me know that you are being blessed by these humble words.


Guy Hayes




John Bevere’s bestseller, The Bait of Satan is an extraordinary, anointed writing that provides a comprehensive definition of Offense as described and alluded to by Jesus the Christ.  Mr. Bevere walks his readers through a set of definitions that shape what offense is.  He describes the love of God and Christ’s expectations of what love should be in a believer’s life.  
He then describes and adds illustrations both personal and biblical about what offense is.  These descriptions provide clarity and depth to the definitions providing further insight on how offense has taken a toll on the church and those who have become disenchanted with the church due to offense.
One of the unforeseen strengths of the book are the many biblical truths Mr. Bevere uncovers and expounds upon throughout the text.  His assertion that the revealed [Rhema] word is the rock of foundation upon which Christ’s church is built is at once eye-opening and compelling.  With that fact as a premise, he then goes about describing how Christ’s Parable of the Sower accurately describes the ongoing state of immature believers being offended and the sad state of believers whose journey is being destroyed [or shaken] through offense.
Finally, he asserts that each believer needs to understand the importance of forgiveness, and the need to avoid offense with diligence.  We must be ready to help reconcile those who don’t know the Lord as well as make sure our ongoing reconciliation remains secure. 

Boldness, Familiarity, Offense, Wise as serpents, Zoe Love

Rock of Offense

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 Luke’s Gospel the 4th chapter illustrates offense in a very clear way as Jesus knew that the people of Nazareth bore some contempt that he would be bold enough and think highly enough of himself to make claims to some title or assume some kind of nobility due to the success he had in Capernaum. He quoted Isaiah and stated that he was the fulfillment of prophesy and that his personal calling was written by the great prophet many centuries before.
 The crowd responded by asking don’t we know this guy? Isn’t this Joseph’s son? They made themselves familiar to him thereby disavowing his claims but more importantly discounting the possibility that he could have been God-sent. This is an issue for modern Christians as we face the possibility of missing the blessings God intends for us by discounting those around us. Have you ever heard “This preacher is straight from the street, he used to date my cousin. I can’t believe a word he says . . . “ Anyone who would use this descriptive has been offended i.e. has created a way to stumble [and/or fall] because of an assumption created by virtue of their own thinking and reason.
 I Corinthians 13:7 states that love the love of God (Zoe love)  “believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things” which means that we believe the best in people, hope the best for them and deny that part of us that wants to belittle or negate what God can do in and through people.  Humans look for the worst in people and negate their positive aspirations.   Christ inspires us to hope for what people can be and expect that they can do more and better their service to God.
 This is a hard saying. So much so that when Jesus declared it to the people of Nazareth, they tried to throw him off a cliff.  Jesus understood the fervor that comes from this kind of offense, he admonished the disciples to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16-18  This admonition needs to be kept even as we walk with Him.  We will sometimes be exploited or abused by those around us and when we experience this, we need to be aware that it’s happening, but not necessarily recompense those who want to exploit us.  One of the most common tricks played on baby christians is for their leftover unsaved friends to say, “you’re no different from me . . . ”   Unfortunately, they take the role of our enemy to accuse us and to confirm our sense of guilt despite knowledge that Jesus has paid for our sins and forgiven us. They are offended with us and it is easier for them to keep things as they are than to walk through the struggle of church and personal growth.  We have to keep praying for them and for the Lord to keep us away from being offended. 
Watch for Rock of Offense Part 2!
For an exhaustive definition, review this link to Blueletterbible.org:

Vine, W. E. “Offence”, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. Blue Letter Bible. 1940. 24 June, 1996 11 Apr 2012. 
<http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?
type=GetTopic&Topic=Offence&DictList=9#Vine’s>
Love of God, Rooted and Grounded

Grounded and Tethered

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 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesian 3:17-19







I took my youngest kite flying and tremendously enjoyed the sun, the breeze and blue sky. I remembered something heard long ago. A kite could go anywhere in the world under the power of the wind. It would survive turbulence, rain and heat as long as there is wind to suspend it. The unfortunate thing about a kite is that it cannot survive without being tethered to the ground. Some wise source of grounding must be there to keep it firmly held in place against the wind.
 
We are considerably similar. We have the option of soaring and floating anywhere we want and being suspended almost to cloud level but, it we are not anchored and grounded, we will find ourselves flopping and floundering, dipping and waving as we have seen kites that were disconnected or torn by the wind. As we have seen happen to the unsaved, those who have no hope.  

grace & peace to you!!