In August 1971, the Brooklyn Council of Churches asked Reverend Herbert Daughtry to provide chaplain services for the Boy Scouts Camp in upstate New York. "I viewed it as a Godsend" says Reverend Daughtry. "Those were tough times for my family and me. My ministry seemed unproductive. Church and personal debts were mounting. Money was scarce. Confusion and discord reigned" That time proved life-changing. Surrounded by the majestic summits and flowing streams of the Catskill Mountains, Herbert Daughtry wrestled with his faith, exploring and testing new ideas about what it means to really believe and trust in God. The result is this volume. For all who face a crisis in faith . . . who struggle to believe in the face of mounting obstacles . . . who wrestle with God in the midst of towering challenges . . . this practical guide to building, maintaining, and keeping your faith is for YOU!
Made to Master
Tapping the Power Within To Live a Victorious LifeBy Herbert Daughtry, Sr.AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, Sr.
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4634-2932-4Contents
Dedication..............................................vAcknowledgement.........................................viiBio.....................................................xiIntroduction............................................xxiChapter 1...............................................3Into the Woods A Personal Testimony.....................3Chapter 2...............................................13Words and Faith.........................................13Chapter 3...............................................21The Prayer of Faith.....................................21Chapter 4...............................................33The Power of a Witness..................................33Chapter 5...............................................41Symbols: Bridges to Faith...............................41Chapter 6...............................................47Faith and the Senses....................................47Chapter 7...............................................51The Power of Presence...................................51Chapter 8...............................................63The Biblical Witness....................................63Chapter 9...............................................73Applying the Principles of Faith........................73Chapter 10..............................................81Three Considerations....................................81Chapter 11..............................................95Keep on Acting..........................................95Chapter 12..............................................97Pay the Price...........................................97Chapter 13..............................................103Resolution and Imagination..............................103
Chapter One
Into the Woods A Personal Testimony
After Jesus' baptism, He was immediately driven into the desert to be tested by the devil (Matthew 3:13-4:11; Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3:21-4:13). God had spoken to Jesus upon His baptism, saying, "Thou art my beloved Son." And in the very next episode of Jesus' story—his time in the wilderness—He was challenged on that very point: "If thou be the son of God ...," the devil said.
It is always true that when you lay claim to position, calling, title, events and things, you are immediately contested on those very points. It happened to Jesus after God spoke to Jesus at His baptism. I'm sure it has happened to you, just as it has happened to me. Probably, I am keenly aware of it now because I am still in the contest.
We have been laying claim to our oneness with God, our call to great service, our abundance in people and prosperity. We have claimed:
• Prayer life
• Love of Scripture
• Missionary zeal
• Workers and prosperity for the church
• A spacious home
• Dependable transportation
• Prosperity enough to help others
• Perfect health and happiness for our children and ourselves.
We claimed these things. We studied God's promises in the Scriptures. "Whatsoever things you desire when you pray ... Ask and you shall receive ..." and a host of others. We rejoiced for we had believed they were accomplished. Spiritually, we said, "It is done." It was simply a matter of transferring into the physical world. Faith was the vehicle to get it done. Praise, thanksgiving, joy affirmed that it was done, thereby strengthening our faith.
Moreover, we thought about what God had already done. How he had brought us here for a whole month, at a special time. We needed rest. We needed to return to our first love. We needed preparation for greater service. We remembered where God had brought us from—and the short time in which He had done it.
We felt great. We felt happy. We blessed the Lord, and our hearts did sing. God dwelt within us. His Spirit engulfed and saturated us, guided us, moved us. We were God's. He had all things for us, for He is the maker and the giver of all things.
And what happened? The car broke down on the mountain road. We had to inconvenience other people to push us back down the trail, off the side of the road, out of the way. Another family had to drive us home to the cottage, children and all. But we were not long discouraged. We came back to the cabin, claimed a new car with greater fervor and rested assured it was accomplished.
The next day, the mechanic worked on the car without success. He departed, saying he'd return later with two batteries. Surely it would start then. Later came and he told us we needed a starter, and who knew what else. He said he could get a car dealer out to talk to us. We asked him to do so.
I called the church. There was misunderstanding regarding Wednesday night offering and whether it should go to the pastor or the evangelist. There was a misunderstanding regarding the evangelist's stay at the home of one of the members. The evangelist, an African woman whom I had encouraged to come to our church from Ghana, felt she was not being treated well. The revival she conducted had not been well attended—except for Wednesday night. Only about eight persons were present when I called the church Friday night, youth night. The gas company was threatening to cut off the service to the church. In fact, it might already have been shut off. The bus fundraiser wasn't going well. Our tenant had not paid the rent, which meant Freedom National Bank would not be paid on time, which meant our record would be marred, and we would have to pay a $9 late fee. The district meeting money was low and attendance small. And, finally, a mild misunderstanding occurred between Karen, my wife, and me, disturbing our peace and disrupting our prayer time. Without a car, we were without needed food items and had to beg for Pampers. Without a car, we couldn't get to Brooklyn to try to resolve things at the church. Then two of my daughters got sick—Dawn had a stomachache, and Sharon had breathing problems.
All of this happened immediately after we prayed. We were challenged on the very things on which we had made our claim. We claimed prosperity, and we didn't have the items we needed. We claimed dependable transportation, and there was no transportation. We claimed happiness, and we had misunderstanding. We claimed the presence of God, and we felt weak and helpless.
For the church, we claimed love, and there was disagreement and misunderstanding. We claimed prosperity, and there was no money to pay the bank or the gas company. Probably some of the misunderstanding grew out of the absence of prosperity. Also, there wasn't enough money for the bus company. We claimed sub-leaders, and there was inability to carry on in my absence. Yes, immediately, we were contested for the very ground we had claimed. Why? Is it good or bad? Is the contest from God or from the devil?
First, I believe it is of God. The devil may bring it, but God allows it. Second, I believe it is intended for our good. If God permits it, that must be the case. But how so? How can these confrontations be helpful? How can these contests be beneficial? How can the test be from God? There is a universal law that says strength can only be had through opposition. The muscle grows stronger by being opposed, so long as the opposition isn't overpowering.
What is true in the physical, seen world is true in the spiritual, unseen world. Faith grows...
