It seems that all of my life, most folks seemed to assume that just because my father was Oral Roberts, our family absolutely HAD to be rich.  Here is an excerpt from my book My Dad, Oral Roberts which hones in on that subject:

“...[W]e had just finished dinner.  Ron (my husband) and Dad were still sitting at the table talking.  The television was on but no one was paying particular attention to it, that is until we heard the voice of Dan Rather mention Oral Roberts.  Of course the four of us were all ears and instantly became quiet as church mice -- so we could hear what the famous reporter was saying.  Mr. Rather was telling the world that Oral Roberts had made so much money over his lifetime that he had given a million dollars to each of his four children.  

I suppose what made the news report so noteworthy to us was that as Dan Rather was making the comment, I was standing in front of the sink rinsing the dishes -- wearing my mother’s rubber gloves -- and Mother was standing to my left, loading the dishwasher.  In the dead silence which ensued in the kitchen after that stunning remark, I turned to my mother, looked her straight in the eye and demanded:  “Where is my million dollars?  I never got mine!”  Of course at that point, our uproarious laughter could no longer be contained.  It was so absurd!  Well if any of my dear readers know Dan Rather, I wish you would ask him if he is aware of the location of my million dollars.  So far at least, after approximately forty years, it remains in an undisclosed location....”  

I would be very interested to know what you think.  

My Dad, Oral Roberts is available at http://www.robertapotts.com

Well what I see as the most important election in America's history is coming up -- now in less than 3 weeks.  As Jesus told us to watch and pray, I force myself to watch the news.  Even though He told us to “watch,” Jesus never said I am to obsess over the news.  But as a result of “watching”, I catch myself railing at the ungodliness I see in our world and particularly, in our own country.  I find myself thinking everything would get better if THEY would just clean up their act.  If THEY would just recognize the Bible as truth as I do.  If THEY would stop supporting homosexuality, abortion and a whole host of other things.  Who is THEY anyway?  We always seem to use that nebulous term -- often when we are anxious or upset.  Do we mean the government?  Do we mean unbelievers?  All I know is that it’s so much easier to look to others for good, positive change, and so difficult to make it happen within our own selves.  

The point is that when I rail against the liars, the unbelievers who refer to themselves as “tolerant,” those who want so desperately to usher in socialism and perhaps even communism, it is unimaginably disgusting.  And yet the Lord reminds me that if I want to see healing for our nation, it is not up to THEM.  Whether or not I want the responsibility, I have to come to terms with the truth -- it is up to US.  It is up to those who are called by His name.  Yes, it is up to the Bible-believing Christians.  The healing of our nation which could keep us from going the way of Europe (Greece, for example) and the rest of the world will never be brought about by THEM, no matter who is elected.  It can only come when WE finally decide to humble ourselves.  

Oops -- do we really have to do that, Lord?  Yes, we do -- but that’s not all.  We have to pray and seek God’s face.  Oh but perhaps the most difficult requirement is the last one indicated by 2 Chronicles 7:14.  Oh no!  You mean if I want to see real, positive change in my country, the change must begin in me?  I’m supposed to turn from my wicked ways?  Me?  No more putting other things ahead of the Lord?  No more voting my pocket book?  You mean I have to pray for and actually forgive THEM -- the non-believers who lie continually and do such things as borrowing money in order to waste it, particularly on the pet projects of their cronies?  Yes.  And for a complete list of what turning from our wicked ways would take, I refer you to -- all of scripture.  

Okay, the good news.  While no one can perfectly live up to every admonition given in the Bible, the change starts in our hearts.  The real question is whether or not we are making a genuine effort to turn from our wicked ways.  Are we giving it our all?  Oh but it’s so much easier to criticize the other guy.  Aye, there’s the rub.  But it is possible --  “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”  (Zech. 4:6)

So what if one of the the worst “what ifs” actually happens?  What if after all of the above, the election does not go the way we believe it should?  What if it’s God’s plan to allow America to go totally away from its founding principles?  What is unthinkable to our minds does not change the scripture.  The Bible will still be just as true as it is today -- no matter who wins in the election: “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”  (Isaiah 1:19)  And believe it or not, the context of that verse is actually much worse than what’s going on in America right now.  Rebellion against God, the land filled with a “brood of evildoers”, an appearance of godliness but little sincerity.  Sound familiar?  God’s Word is true no matter who is in the White House, no matter who is in Congress.  

I hope things go our way, but if not, how will we respond?  If things do not go the way we think they should, then we continue to trust the Lord despite everything.  We say along with Jesus, “... nevertheless not my will but thine, be done.”  We continue to get into forgiveness as we continue to pray for THEM.  

Roberta's Renditions -- from Proverbs

Okay, I promise I'm not trying to create "Queen Roberta's Un-Authorized, Un-Standard Version" of the Bible.  It's just that the last time I read Proverbs, I made notes on the ones which stood out to me personally.  I came up with my own sense of what they meant to me.  So I ask your forgiveness in advance should any of my renditions come across to you as offensive in any way.  On the other hand, my prayer is that by putting some of the messages into everyday language, it will become more meaningful to you as well.  

Desire wisdom and pray for wisdom.

Fear God.  

Mind your own business!

Don’t Worry.  

Discipline your children.  

Work on your reputation.  It’s worth more than money!

Be careful what you say!

If you cheat the poor to make money for yourself, you’ll end up being poor!

Steer clear of a hot-tempered person!

Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls.  Instead, help your enemy when he’s in trouble.  

Work hard!

Don’t toot your own horn; Let others praise you!

Be a soulwinner!

Avoid strife.  

Don’t spend too much time at your neighbor’s house or he’ll get tired of you!

Continue to learn -- long after you finish school.  

Keep your promises.

Learn from criticism.

Don’t co-sign loans for others.  Don’t borrow money yourself either!  

Don’t believe everything you hear.  Don’t be naive!

Stay away from a gossip!

Tell the truth.

Keep others’ secrets.  

Don’t worry about evil people.  They won’t go unpunished.  

Be generous.

Choose your friends carefully.  

Don’t tell everything you know.  

Realize that you can’t handle all of your problems by yourself.  Lean on the Lord.  

When somebody deserves to get something good, and it’s in your power to give it, don’t withhold it.  Give it to them!

When everyone else is worried and panicking, trust in the Lord.  

The following is a confidential report of our assessment of several candidates being considered for the ministry and/or a pastorate. The name appears at the end of each description in order not to prejudice the reader.

-Good man, but reports indicate he and his wife have been seen walking nude in the woods. (Adam)

-After many, many years, his last pulpit yielded no converts whatsoever. Also, he’s prone to unrealistic building projects. (Noah)

-This guy’s references report wife-swapping, although the facts show he never actually slept with another man’s wife. However, reports state he did offer to share his wife with another man. (Abraham)

-A big thinker, but a braggart. Has a prison record. (Joseph)

-A modest man, but a poor communicator, even stuttering at times. Reportedly has a bad temper. Some say he killed a man. (Moses)

-The most promising leader of all -- until it was discovered he had an affair with a subordinate’s wife and tried to cover it up. (David)

-Prone to depression. Collapses under pressure. (Elijah)

-Strong leader, but she is a female. (Deborah)

-Alarmist, negative, possibly unstable emotionally. (Jeremiah)

-Claims to be a Baptist but doesn’t dress like one. Strange diet. Tends to provoke denominational leaders. (John the Baptist)

-Low class. Can be aggressive for the things of God, but a loose cannon. (Peter)

-Powerful CEO-type leader but short on tact. Has been known to preach all night. (Paul)

-Comes from a good family, but too young. (Timothy)

-Way too old! (Methuselah)

-A master of church growth, but can be offensive. Last church of 5,000 dwindled to just 12 people. Can’t seem to stay in one place for very long. Also, he’s single. (Jesus)

-Solid references. A steady plodder. Good connections. Experienced at handling finances. We recommend he be invited to preach this Sunday. Possibilities here. (Judas)

The Art of Scrapbooking

Everyone knows at least one mother who saves every little thing she can get her hands on about her child -- pictures, report cards, school essays, a lock from his hair, her first pair of shoes, a note written by the child -- even though the misspellings make it almost incomprehensible. But to that mom, indecipherable notations, snapshots taken on a bad hair day, even a worn-out barrette she used to wear in her hair take on a special significance.

My niece has two children and has seriously contributed to the effort to make scrapbooking an art form. I have never seen anything like it. Her dedication to “properly” saving and displaying such memorabilia is nothing less than phenomenal.

So does the Lord have scrapbooks about His children? In a way, yes, although you might be surprised to learn about something in particular which He saves. If you are in fact His child, if you have accepted His free gift of salvation -- made Him your Lord and Savior, guess what? He still has every prayer you ever prayed. Revelation 5:8 and later Revelation 8:3 both let us know that God has taken every single entreaty you have ever made and kept it on hand. Talk about scrapbooking!

Think of all the prayers you have every prayed. Think of those particularly that have never been answered. Even when you pray the Lord’s prayer and say “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth ...” you know that so far, that has never happened! So far at least, that is just an unanswered prayer, correct? Well yes, but I should not have used the word “just” in connection with any prayer that has ever been prayed. Sometimes we say “Well, all we can do is pray.” And yet, to God each of our prayers is far greater than a tattered bow or newsclipping of a now forgotten school play. Each one has a special significance to Him.

And as important as each little item of memorabilia is to a loving mother, our prayers are not simply something for God to keep to listen to again at a later time. Oh no -- they have a far greater purpose. Right now they’re sitting in scrapbook form, but there is a day coming when they will actually be used to usher in that coming Kingdom of God. The prayers which we have prayed over our lifetimes, even when we sincerely prayed something like “Now I lay me down to sleep” as my mother taught me, will be used in an all-out, desperate, last-gasp program for God to get the world’s attention. A day is coming when every prayer you have ever prayed, every utterance to God, even when you only had a second to say: “Help!” will be offered on an altar near God’s throne.

Picture for a moment that throne. Do you think He just sits up there drinking ambrosia, playing His harp and letting the world drift by? Wrong! He is incredibly conscious and aware of what’s going on in the earth which He so lovingly created. It’s just that we sometimes mistake His patience, His forbearance, and His long-suffering with a lack of concern. Nothing could be further from the truth!

We know from scripture that there is a golden altar in front of God’s throne. Right now, your prayers are simply being saved up, like in a mother’s scrapbook, but there will come a day when they will be burned as incense on that altar. The thought of God enjoying the smell from incense rising sounds rather strange to us in the 21st century. The Jewish worshippers in Old Testament days would have had a much better handle on this because of the daily sacrifices at the Temple whichthey experienced from their childhood days. To put it into our own vernacular, think of the effect which perfume counters in big department stores can have on us. There is clearly something powerful in that pleasant smell, no doubt done deliberately to increase sales. That pleasant odor must be something like what the Lord experiences when our prayers are offered before Him.

The angel will put the prayers into a container which the Bible refers to as a censer and fire from the altar will then be added to the mix. The censer will probably be similar to a bowl or a goblet -- something with a large, open mouth.

But God will not simply look at it and say: “Oh, that’s nice.” No, He’ll watch as the angel picks up the censer and hurls it down -- to earth! The results will not be pretty. Not at all. The containers bursting on earth will cause thunder and lightening, along with voices and an earthquake. Those prayers we pray -- and so often feel are simply unnoticed by all -- will first go to God but eventually returned to the earth -- with incalculable effects. They will shake the earth! These prayers will be transformed into high explosives with pinpoint accuracy by the angel at God’s right hand! Someday, our prayers will become like a storm -- they’ll actually produce an earthquake! In effect, as those censers hurtle their way toward the earth the Lord will be saying: “Okay world, this is your last chance. For centuries my people have been patiently believing for their loved ones to be saved. I’ve had it with you! Accept me or else! You’re out of time!”

Well, we do not necessarily WANT judgment to come. Others should know we are Christians by our love. After all, it’s not hatred which causes people to repent, but the goodness of God according to Romans 2:4. On the other hand, the ultimate judgment of God is inevitable. At some point in time, an undisclosed day which He has already scheduled for judgment will come. At that time, every prayer you have ever prayed will be a part of God’s plan which will culminate with His son ruling and reigning over the earth. Yes, it will have to get worse before it gets better -- sort of like labor pains -- but the end result will be beyond anything we can imagine or think -- and I can imagine a lot!

Until then, know that your prayers accomplish a great deal -- more than you can ever truly comprehend.

Have you ever considered how God protected what Genesis 3:15 calls “the seed of the woman” through history? I can tell you that that seed was threatened many times. Although there are numerous examples, one example was that of Jeconiah. He was one of several wicked kings of Judah. When he was given a scroll containing the word of God -- which pronounced judgment on that evil man’s sins-- Jeconiah was not content to cut it up. He also burned it! As a result, God pronounced a curse on him and his descendants -- even though he was in the direct bloodline that was supposed to deliver a Messiah to the world at some future date.

So God had quite a dilemma. How was He going to let the Messiah come from David’s seed, as He had promised David, yet keep the blood of the evil Jeconiah from tainting the blood of the promised Messiah? How could that blood be worthy to later save you and me from our sins? But God is so wise! He simply let Mary carry the bloodline, biologically. Just like Joseph, Mary was also from the House of David. However, she was from the family of a different son of David, Nathan -- not Solomon, who was of the kingly line.

Yet, from a legal perspective, the king, i.e., the future Messiah, had to come from the bloodline of the son of David, and of Solomon, namely Jeconiah. Well, it was no problem to God. He caused Mary to get married to a man named Joseph. Joseph became Jesus’ earthly, legal father. Joseph WAS from the kingly line. So Jesus had the legal authority to be our coming King, but at the same time, His biological bloodline was that of Mary, from the line of Nathan, not Solomon and particularly not Jeconiah. God totally skipped Jeconiah -- from a biological perspective. Therefore, Jesus’ blood was untainted, undefiled, and uncontaminated. Only His blood was enough to cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness. Any other blood would have been a total waste.

Of course anyone else could have died on a cross, and many did in those days of Roman cruelty. But it would not have made any difference to us all these centuries later. Only the blood of Jesus of Nazareth was sufficient to forever remove our transgressions from us -- from as far as the east is from the west. Only His blood was enough to wipe out the rotten things in our past.

You may remember that I am an attorney who helps people who have experienced injuries due to car accidents. Before a client authorizes our office to file a lawsuit, I remind them that in a court of law, they will have virtually no secrets. All their “dirty laundry” will be out there -- fondled, sorted, and displayed by the defense attorney -- for all the world to see. I tell my client that there is really no one who is without skeletons in their closet. We all have things in our past which we wish had never happened -- things we wish we had never done.

While those things are still “alive” as far as the world is concerned, once we ask Jesus to come into our lives and dwell within us, to Him, it is as if they never happened. Theologians call it “justification,” or in other words, just as if you never sinned. When God sees us, He sees no dirty laundry. He sees no skeletons in our closet. He sees no faults. As Dottie Rambo wrote: “He sees us through the blood.” That perfect, pure blood of Jesus.

Oh how thankful I am for the blood of Jesus. If you have not already done so, ask Him into your heart today. Don’t go to bed tonight until you have made everything right with Jesus. Begin talking to Him, just as if He were in the room with you: “Dear Jesus. I am a sinner. I’ve made mistakes. I was wrong and I’m sorry. Please forgive me of all my sins and cleanse me from all of my unrighteousness. I give myself to you, heart, mind and soul. I pledge to serve you for the rest of my life.”

You will find the story of Jeconiah’s outrageous conduct in Jeremiah 36. I suggest you read it, perhaps even today. It shows us so many things, the importance of the blood, the importance of the Word of God, Jeremiah’s indefatigable spirit toward the things of God, and so many others.

May the world of God dwell in you richly today, and throughout eternity.

Your friend,

Roberta Potts

Out of the Abundance of the Heart

If there was a “dark ages” for Israel, it began soon after Joshua died. The children of Israel had miraculously escaped Egypt. Despite wandering in the wilderness for so many years, they finally did reach the edge of the Promised Land in faith. Moses spent most of what we now know as the Book of Deuteronomy telling them what was expected of them once they crossed into the Promised Land. While he was not allowed to enter himself, he did leave the people with a well-prepared Joshua to lead them. And actually, as long as Joshua was at the helm, the children of Israel did pretty well.

Although they stopped short of conquering the entire plot of ground the Lord had set aside for them -- and although they refused to totally drive out the current inhabitants, for the most part, the children of Israel stayed true to the things of God. However, once Joshua went on to his well-deserved reward, the people were at a loss. The parents failed to teach their children about the things of God. Therefore, a new generation rose up with no clue as to the mighty things God had done for their parents. To my mind, the most haunting pronouncement in the entire book of Judges is this: “In those days ... everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25) Sounds strangely 21st century.

You may remember that when the children of Israel first conquered their land, a few of the tribes stayed on the east side of the Jordan -- tribes like Manasseh and others -- as opposed to the majority of the tribes, who crossed the Jordan and conquered lands on the west side. Clearly the most famous part of Israel -- the Israel we think of today -- is all on the WEST side of the Jordan. However in the days of the judges, Israel had lands on the east side of the Jordan as well.

The land on the east side of the Jordan was as a whole referred to as Gilead (at least during this time in Israel’s history). The tribesmen in Gilead were at this time being terrorized by the Ammonites. If you were to travel to Amman, Jordan today you would be in the center of a geographical area in what was once controlled by the Ammonites. Like many 21st century Americans, when the Gileadites saw they had no other protection from these evil Ammonites, they at least knew enough to ask God for help. The Lord -- even with the knowledge that after the disaster was resolved, the people would return to their evil lifestyle -- graciously raised up a man by the name of Jephthah to deliver them. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah and sure enough, the Gileadites were in fact victorious against the Ammonites. In that decisive battle, they captured what the Bible refers to as the fords of the Jordan. The fords were critically important because they were the places where the river could easily be crossed. Certainly in the days long before airplanes and modern warfare, these areas were quite a catch for the conquering Gileadites!

At any rate, just when it seemed Gilead’s problems were over, the plot thickens when the Ephraimites -- one of the tribes of Israel living on the OTHER side of the Jordan -- crossed the river Jordan. Sadly, the ensuing conversation between the two groups sounds more like one between ten year olds than between warriors of Israel! I can just see the leader of the Ephraimites with his hand on his hips saying: “You didn’t ask us over here to help you fight the Ammonites!” Jephthah’s response was equally mature: “Well, we asked you over here once before to help us when we were in trouble -- and you never showed up!” Believe it or not, these fellow tribesmen actually fought a battle with each other over this dispute which could be only be referred to as trivial. The Lord must have felt rather like a father watching his two sons duke it out on the playground!

Well the winner of this second battle was Jephthah and the Gileadites. So picture the scene. Now the surviving Ephraimites, probably wondering why they ever bothered to cross the Jordan in the first place, attempt to “slink back” home with their tails between their legs. Now the Gileadites faced a dilemna. They certainly didn’t want the survivors of their present enemy -- the Ephraimites -- to escape justice by crossing the river. However, how were they to tell the enemies apart from their own men? After all, they were all Israeli tribesmen. It would be similar to putting a New Yorker and a Floridian in a room together. Would you stake your life on being able to distinguish which one was from which state? I wouldn’t! The Gileadites had the same problem.

But the Gileadites quickly came up with a system which has been used in warfare and even other contexts all through history ever since. Just like Americans, different areas of Israel had come to pronounce certain words a little differently. The Hebrew word for a stalk of grain such as an ear of corn, was “shibboleth.” If you were from Gilead, you pronounced the “sh” as we would pronounce “shoe.” However, if you were from Ephraim, the word was pronounced “sibboleth” -- without the “sh” sound.”

So when the vanquished Ephraimites attempted to escape across the river, I imagine something like this occurred: the Gileadite soldier would hold up an ear of corn and say: “What is this?” If the answer was “shibboleth,” the man would be allowed to pass unharmed. However, if the answer was “sibboleth,” he was held for further questioning ... or whatever!

Up until perhaps the last sixty or so years, most Americans knew what “speaking the shibboleth” meant. Somehow, the term seems to have fallen into disuse. At any rate, it basically means something in your language or speech which quickly distinguishes you from someone else. For example, if I were invited to a party for lawyers, since I am a practicing attorney myself, I might start say in a conversation with another guest: “Last week I had to interplead one of my cases” or “You won’t believe what the tortfeaasor did in one of my cases” or “I had to settle one of my contracts on a quantum meruit basis.” If the other party responded with a totally blank look on his or her face, it wouldn’t take me very long to realize that that guest simply was not an attorney. Why? He didn’t speak the shibboleth!

But this system of recognition or categorizing others has been used more often in military situations. I found an interesting story of a former American World War II nurse who was stationed in France right at the end of the war with Germany. She received a 3-day pass into Paris. Once she arrived at the checkpoint, however, she realized that she had forgotten the password and thought she would have to return to camp, thus wasting her three days. However, the American soldier at the checkpoint saved the day. He asked her to name ten baseball teams. Thankfully, she loved baseball and was able to name enough teams to convince the guard that she just could not possibly be a German spy. She spoke the shibboleth!

I suppose refraining from curse words and the like would be an obvious application of this story for us, however, I think the meaning to our lives should clearly stretch beyond what we don’t say to what we DO say, particularly in the 21st century. While perhaps refraining from usage of certain words was formerly a marker of a Christian, I am sorry to say that may not always be the case during these last days. Further, it unfortunately no longer sets us apart even to mention to the listener that we plan to attend an upcoming church service, for our pews seem to be filled these days with “Christian lookalikes, i.e., those who may talk the talk, but certainly do not walk the walk. Speaking the shibboleth as a Christian, then, must go beyond the above.

One way to definitively distinguish ourselves these days appears to be something like the following: A co-worker looks down in the mouth. After prodding, you determine that his wife is ill with cancer. Without any forethought, your first response is to ask for the spouse’s name -- “so I can be praying for her.”

In less than a minute of conversation, you have distinguished yourself as a believing Christian who actually cares about the needs of others. Obviously this should be said with a sincere heart, but the point is that without much hullabaloo -- like carrying around a huge King James Bible wherever we go! -- we can speak the shibboleth of the Lord. People can know almost immediately who we really are and what drives us. I think the story is an interesting reminder of the truth of Jesus’ words: “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)