A Word of Encouragement

 I've spent a lot of time in churches of  a variety of denominations.  One thing I've heard consistently in each one is the idea that a believer can be "tormented" or "influenced" or "oppressed" by the devil at the will of the devil.

There's this prevailing belief that because I Peter 5:8 declares he is a lion, prowling about, seeking who he may devour, that we, believers, better watch out or he'll get us!

Let's start here if we could please:  HE MAY NOT DEVOUR A BELIEVER.  Not if you don't render yourself vulnerable to him.

He can only TRY to deceive you into believing he can torture you, torment you or oppress you.  He can try to bully you into believing he can do these things, but if you are a blood bought child of the Living King, he really can't do these things to you.

He does prowl about.  He is seeking for those he MAY devour, but you are not one of those.

Colossians 1:13 He (Jesus) has DELIVERED US from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of is love.

That's where we stand.  Delivered from.

One simple principle is the hinge upon which that truth WORKS for you. James 4:7

Submit to God.
Resist the devil.
and he will flee!!

No wiggle room, no negotiations, no exceptions.
Knowing what God says makes all the difference - and what you need to know most He put in a book for you.  Your very own MANUAL ON LIFE.

Thanks God - we needed that!!

Going Through

Many is the time I find myself thanking God for the examples He supplied throughout the Old Testament of how the flesh fails.

My flesh fails regularly; it gets impatient, selfish, self-absorbed, frustrated, and angry and a whole host of other … shhhh…sinful emotions on a daily basis.  Someone else may have found a foolproof way to fleshproof their existence, but I haven’t reached that Nirvana plateau by any stretch of the imagination.

Speaking of imagination though, I often utilize my imagination to help me get my flesh under control when it is acting up particularly badly in any given situation. 

I imagine those Israelites, trudging across the Wilderness.

That’s why I’m so thankful for the examples we’ve been given.  They help me put it all in perspective and remembering how weak my flesh is, how weak all flesh is, I also remember where the strength comes from.  It certainly isn't from me "pulling up my boot straps" or reaching deep inside myself. 

May I share some recent events as relate to historical events with you? 

Recently, my spouse and I prayed a series of prayers based on some specific needs in our lives.  Here’s what we discovered and learned and by Gods grace are overcoming through the answers God provided to each prayer.  Listen in and see if you might learn something too.

At first when our prayers were answered, we were joyful!  WOW!!  We asked, God supplied, isn’t our God good??!!?!

Then the daily grind set in, quickly, quicker than you could imagine. 

To get from A to B, where we wanted and needed to get to, we had to actually make the trip.

Just like the Israelites, all those years ago, when they asked and asked for God to deliver them from bondage to the Egyptians.

God delivered them.  He set them free!  He promised to bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey!  They would be masters of their own destinations, free to choose their own life path!

The journey to that freedom had only just begun when it started.

The grumbling, the whining, and the bellyaching about how hard it was, actually making the journey.  How hungry they were, how thirsty, how tired and hey, didn’t they have it better when they were in Egypt? 

Food was scarce, sure, but at least they had something to eat!  Water was precious and doled out by the thimble-full, but hey, at least they had water!

The fleshly ailment that plagued those Israelites is the same exact fleshly ailment that began to plague my spouse and me.

We were fast losing sight of the BIG PICTURE, the deliverance from certain situations as God brought about answers to our prayers, as He began to bless us just as we had asked Him to!  

We were getting trapped by the minutiae of the “DAILY GRIND”. 

There’s a reason it is called the DAILY GRIND. 

Daily, it grinds you down. 

It grinds down your joy.

 

It grinds down your gratitude. 

It grinds down your vision of the BIG PICTURE, that you are leaving point A which wasn’t working out favorably at all, and that you are actually on your way to point B, where you WANT to be, where you need to be and where God will bless you there. 

It just grinds your vision down until your vision is fuzzy and out of focus, and you are caught in that minutiae.

We tend to have a very romantic view of those souls from the Old Testament that serve as our example.  We read about 40 years of wandering in the desert and our minds condense it to no more than the 4 seconds it takes us to read the words.

40 years.

WOW!!

I am not sure I’d have made it.  After 6 months or so, I probably would have convinced myself that I had misheard Gods instructions and I was really supposed to stop traveling, dig in and build a city for myself right there in the wilderness.

Can you honestly say you wouldn’t do the same?  That you would have the foresight and strength of mind to keep going, pitching your tent every night, cleaning it all up and packing it away and strapping it on your back and walking all day, every day, day after day for 40 years?  

That’s 14,600 days.  Even if you stayed in camp for a week at a time, that’s 2080 times you would pack that tent, trudge through hot desert, unpack that tent, sleep, pack that tent up and do it all again.

I can hear you and me now.  

Whining, crying, belly-aching and forgetting all about what WE asked God to do for us and He is so graciously and kindly doing!

When they finally reached that beautiful Land that had been promised, 10 of them had gotten ground down in the minutiae of the daily grind and reported on what they’d seen; sure, the Land was flowing with milk and honey, but it’s too late, they said,  it’s too hard, they cried, it will be too much work for us to go in and possess it, we just can’t do it!

Two of them reported that the Land was glorious and they needed only to march in and claim the prize they’d been promised!  See Numbers 13 and 14 for the full story.

How did they have such a different response?  It wasn’t that they didn’t all go through the same daily grind.  It was something else.

Their God had given specific instruction to them.  And they were sticking to it.

He has given specific instruction to us. Are you aware of that?  Each of us has a specific call, a purpose to fulfill.  Can we, will we stick to it?

Jesus told us to follow Him.  How exciting, how wonderful!  We’ve been invited to follow the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  How romantic to follow in His steps!

Oh, no, wait, we have to TAKE UP OUR CROSS, the burden involved in following Him, the cost, the weight, the DAILY GRIND we have to overcome to do what it takes to follow Jesus.

We’ve just celebrated the Resurrection of Christ.  For many, that means we focused for a minute or two on what Jesus went through to get to that Resurrection.

Every blow of every crack of the whips they used to beat Him beyond recognition. 

Every strand of hair painfully pulled ruthlessly from his chin as they tore out His beard.

Every drop of spittle spat contemptuously upon Him.

Every kick crashing wave upon wave of pain through His muscles, already stretched beyond endurance.

Every thorn point, breaking skin and violently tearing into His skull.

How did Jesus get from point A: coming to earth as a man to deliver all Mankind from the wages of sin, to point B: raising up from the dead to gloriously declare that all penalty had been paid, all the price was settled and you and I were FREE for all Eternity from our sin?

It wasn’t that He didn’t go through.  He most certainly went through for you and me.

The Scripture tells us the answer.

Hebrews 12: 1-3

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

We cannot escape the experience of the flesh.  We must go through, just as Caleb and Joshua, two of the 12 spies Israel sent into the Promised Land to bring back a report, had to go through.  The same daily grind as everyone else for those 40 years of wandering, seemingly endlessly, pointlessly for 14,600 days.

The difference was in their focus.  The difference was in what they choose to hold onto.  While everyone else kept looking at the circumstances of the world around them, and giving in to the complaints of their flesh, they kept their focus firmly fixed, steadfast, on the promises God had made to them.  They didn’t concentrate on the momentary flesh discomforts, but kept the vision of the end result bright and clear  before their eyes.

When Jesus was enduring horrific suffering in the flesh, His mind was fixed, not on what He was currently enduring, but on the BIG PICTURE.  The END RESULT that would be achieved.  The JOY of providing salvation to His creation – YOU and ME.

It’s tough, I will give you that.  It is a struggle.  In fact, it is a real FIGHT to bring the flesh into submission.  But it is a fight worth waging and a fight worth WINNING.

The prize is spectacular, beyond the ability of our finite minds to comprehend.

JOY everlasting.  Always in the delightful, loving, glorious presence of God in all His fullness.

We can also try looking at this another way.

Think back to when you were a child.  Your parents or a figure of authority you really wanted to impress  asked you to do something.  They were counting on you.  

You didn’t want to let them down.  You not only wanted to achieve the expectation to please them, but you wanted the satisfaction yourself of knowing you had done it, you had completed the task, won their approval and proved to yourself you could do it.

That was a temporary, momentary, fleeting victory which you were willing to give your all to achieve.

God has set a task and the end result is ETERNAL, NEVER ENDING, and of far greater IMPORT to the entire world and all of heaven and most especially to YOU.

If we will fix our thoughts and hearts on the end result, somehow, we will get through the minutiae and win the victory over our flesh. And receive the reward that God has promised, life everlasting, full of joy and peace.

And we will experience reward right here on earth, living a life of true purpose, being LIGHT and SALT to our own generation, and some of us will even affect generations that came before us, and the generations coming up after us.

Obedience.  Its a WIN - WIN situation for all who participate.

Don't give up, don't give in!  Just SURRENDER to the work of the Holy Spirit and follow His leading.  You will have a bumpy ride, but it will be exhilarating!  

I'll bet our grandparents.....

I was listening to the news the other day, an activity I try to keep to a minimum in order to limit the number of things I find outrageous each day, and I began to contemplate hazy memories from childhood.

My grandfather and grandmother never addressed me directly about the news items of the day when I was a child.  Whether they thought it too much for a child to comprehend or they didn't want to frighten me or they just considered discussing the news an "adult" activity and it never occurred to them to include children.  But I do remember hearing bits and snatches of their conversations; I do remember a sense of their feelings about the news they read. I remember they were disgusted, disgruntled but that there was an air of "this is how it is and we can't really do anything about it".  Many years later, I would share the message of the Gospel with them, so they could have hope for the future. 

Meanwhile, as I listened to the news of the shooting and subsequent behavior of the citizens from Ferguson, MO and heard about the recovery of the two Amish girls taken from a roadside vegetable stand in New York and sketchy news of the continuing conflicts in Iraq and the uneasy and already broken by Hamas cease fire in Israel - I felt such a sense of urgency for the return of Christ.  Even in the midst of my distress over the state of this world which appears to be moving steadily and swiftly ever downward in a spiral of darkness, evil and immorality, my heart reached upward in HOPE.

Hope that others would hear and believe the saving words of LIFE in the message of the Gospel.

Hope that LIGHT would of course overcome the darkness.

Hope that some would turn to Christ and be saved.

Hope that I myself would not become depressed, as Robin Williams did and gave up on life entirely; but would be inspired to speak LOUDER, share more BOLDLY, proclaim with ever greater FAITH the good news that Christ came to bring a more abundant LIFE to those who put their trust and faith and hope in HIM.

As we recognize the "signs of the times" our response must never be to give up, give in and walk away.
Instead, we are to PRESS IN, GIVE MORE, WALK EVER CLOSER IN OBEDIENCE and even MORE BOLDLY proclaim that Christ Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and this world, fallen and sinful as it it, is His creation, that He loves and gave His life to save.

What's happening in this world, right now, these headlines, these events, are not surprises to God, the Creator, Master and Deliverer of this world He put in place.  He knew it was all coming.

Matthew 24: 3-14
 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 

For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 

And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.  

And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 

 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

Our hope is not found IN this world, nor in this world suddenly changing and becoming "good" and pleasant to live in.  Our hope is in our ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus with God the Father.

As this world delivers bad news upon bad news, don't be downcast, but look UP, for there is our HOPE!

Defeating Stupid

IF ONLY WE HAD 20/20 HIND SIGHT!

People come to us for prayer and guidance – usually after they’ve taken some questionable action and the consequences are inflicting discomfort.  We pray, we read the Word of God with them and attempt to share some bit of wisdom, some practical application of biblical principle that might ease the situation and lead them to better decisions in the future.  These are the same things my mentors and counselors did for me and still do for me as I make my way through this life.  It would be nice to think we could just obey God and then everything would always work out for the best.

Unfortunately, that isn’t an option.  While we are living on this earth, we are subject to the sin nature initiated with the sin of Adam in partaking of the one fruit in the vast garden of fruit available that God had specifically instructed Adam NOT to eat!  Sin separates us from God, removing us from His protective Presence and rendering obedience that much more difficult for our hearts to accomplish.

Sin makes us stupid. 

My husband is fond of quoting that when he is confronted with sin and its aftermath.  He’s right.  And in the stupidity, we most definitely do not make good decisions.  In truth, we are far more likely to continue to make bad ones.  Bad decisions like blaming our actions on someone else.  Yes, Adam did that too.  He blamed God Himself for his own poor decision, claiming his action was because of the woman God gave him.  Would Adam have avoided being deceived and therefore avoided falling prey to sin if Eve hadn’t been there?  We’ll never know, because that isn’t how it happened.

Once we've entered the quicksand of stupid, how do we keep from being sucked into permanent stupid?

All who call upon the name of Jesus shall be saved.  Romans 10:13

It's a mighty miracle God provided to deliver us from the cycle of sin.

We can’t avoid stupid and we certainly haven’t got the ability to keep from being stuck in stupid.  Our only hope is in Jesus.  Our only deliverance is calling on His name.  Our only way OUT of darkness and INTO light is in and through Jesus – the Savior, the substitute payment for our stupid sin.

Don’t be deceived into staying stuck in stupid sin. Call on the name above all names, the name of Power and Peace and Healing.  Call on Jesus, get unstuck, and then let the Holy Spirit of God lead and guide you to the great, wonderful, joyous plans that God made for your life from before the foundation of the world was ever set in place.  It doesn't mean you won't ever sin again, but it does mean you will never again be a slave to sin.  You may visit "stupid" but you will never live there, for Jesus will heal, deliver and set you free!

Prayer is the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of the believer.  It would be our privilege to pray for you.  Please fill out the Prayer Request form (top left) and we will pray for you. If you’d like us to contact you and pray with you, we’ll do that.  Every prayer request is honored, and God hears and responds. 

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  James 5:16

Sense from senselessness

When terrible things happen, and I don't know if it's the 24/7 news casts or the internet making information so much easier to obtain, but it seems like ever more terrible things keep happening on a random yet regular basis lately, many turn to the Lord with that ever lingering childish question

WHY?

Why did someone or a group of someone's set off bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon?  Was it related to the marathon in some way or just a random act of barbarism?  Why God, why?  We ask in frustration, we ask in shock, even if we recognize there is no single, understandable or reasonable answer.  

We live in a sinful, fallen world that is full of evil darkness and dastardly deeds done by people who may or may not even fully understand their own actions.  We most likely will never fully understand or get answers that make any true sense to these questions that haunt us when things like this happen.  Actions like these often shake our faith, cause us to question and wonder.  Is God truly in control?  If He is, then why are we subject to random actions that may end our lives or leave us crippled and maimed in an instant without rhyme or reason?  

There are no easy answers to any of our questions.  Neither is the answer a cliched "just have faith and trust God" attitude.  Yes, we must have faith and trust God.  But not without any understanding.  We understand that in this world there is an enemy.  An active enemy who knows he works best under cover of darkness, who prefers we don't even believe that he is there, because that allows him to move about more freely, wreaking havoc everywhere he goes.  There is a devil, an evil spiritual being who influences humans to behave in such horrible, sinful ways.  He instigates sinful actions, just as he deceived Eve and tricked Adam into sin, he still does so today.  It isn't that those who are hurt or killed have done any wrong or deserved in any way the treatment they've received, any more than any of us deserve the grace we receive either.  

Neither are we powerless pawns being batted back and forth between two super spiritual beings helplessly caught in a web between them.  We are created beings, loved unconditionally by the One who created us, subject, because of sin, to the evil actions of another created being, Satan by name, who knows that hurting us hurts the heart of God Himself.  Choosing to repent of sin, believing that Jesus PAID the full price for it on the cross and delivered us from it leads us to HOPE of Eternal Life with God.  It doesn't insulate us from random acts of violence but it does assure us that there is HOPE.  

When horrible tragedy strikes, I pray especially hard for those who don't know Christ, because they have nothing to help them make sense out of the senseless actions of others that cause such devastation.  When terrible tragedy occurs the believer in God can ultimately find comfort in knowing that God works all things together for GOOD for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)  Not everything that happens is good, but He turns it to our good in some way, some manner.  

We cannot explain evil, though we witness it and are affected by it in our daily lives.  By faith and prayer we can combat it.  Our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected by the bomb blasts in Boston yesterday.  May the God of all peace the Father of our Lord Jesus give each and everyone of them peace with Him, comfort in their hearts, and may His love surround them and cushion them in the days ahead.  I pray that those in the hospital will recover fully and swiftly beyond medical abilities.  I pray the families of those who lost their lives will find grace and mercy in their mourning.  I pray those who do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior will be drawn to Him by these events and discover the Love of God through the Cross of Christ to the end they repent and receive the gift of salvation, in the name of Jesus the Lord, Amen.

Insignificant deeds

I Timothy 2:1  "Therefore I exhort FIRST OF ALL that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for ALL MEN..."

Let me tell you about an interesting encounter we had at the checkout stand.  As we paid for our groceries, we had the coins to make the change, but as we sought them the young man in line behind us was much quicker to the draw and supplied the needed nickel.  We began to protest but quieted ourselves swiftly, understanding that God wanted to allow this opportunity of giving on the part of the young man.  We thanked him heartily and went on our way.

As we packed the bags away, he emerged from the store, walked over to us and asked a question.  Following the leading of the Holy Spirit we offered to pray for him, which he accepted with joy.  The Lord led the prayer and there was healing and deliverance in it toward him.  I don't need to go into the specifics, but it was specific to meeting his need and showing him clearly the Lord cared for the hidden things (at least the things he thought were hidden from others, but God knew what they were!) and was deeply concerned about him, loved him and desired blessings to rain down in his life.

When we concluded praying, we hugged all around and sent him on his way with encouragement to contact us and let us know how he was doing, which he promised to do.   I've no doubt we'll hear from him, and that we'll hear of wondrous things God has wrought in his life.  I've no doubt that by the power of the Holy Spirit the Lord will be directing this young mans steps and that dark strangleholds were indeed broken as we prayed, that this young man walks in a new freedom and new sense of who he is in Christ.

Paul goes on to exhort Timothy, and US in I Timothy 2:3 "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior Who desires ALL MEN to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

Insignificant acts of obedience in which God is significantly Glorified.  Changing lives one at a time.  Praying for ONE person, reaching out to ONE person, interceding for ONE person in obedience to the Lords word to us is GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE in the sight of God and accomplishes HIS PURPOSES.

Reach out to one person, offer to pray with them and watch what God will do!

We pray for all those who will allow us the privilege and would be honored to pray for you.  REQUEST PRAYER  and make your need known.  We'll be praying for you!

Knocking on Doors

Following the leading of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we were going door to door and offering to pray for people.  Only one said no and shut the door on us.  Most were very pleasantly surprised and responded positively to the offer, made with no strings attached.  We knocked on the next door and a man answered.  He seemed rather distracted, but invited us in and asked us to sit down.  We made the offer to pray and he accepted, but had some questions he wanted to asked first.

At the end of our impromptu interview, he allowed us to pray for him and his family.  He asked where we gathered on Sunday and we told him along with a welcome to join us anytime he chose.

His children began attending regularly and became part of the church family.  Several times when they were not working he and his wife joined us as well.

As we are a traveling ministry, the time came for us to move on.  Joyfully we bid farewell to our new friends and followed the Lords leading once more to parts unknown.  Several months later we received a phone call from the pastor of that church we'd worked with while in that area.  He asked if we remembered the gentleman on who's door we had knocked who subsequently visited the church.  We said we did.  Then he shared a story that reminded us and encouraged us in the work God has called us to.

Pastor began "Jim (not his real name) called me out of the blue the other day.  He wanted to share a story for me to pass on to you.  He said that day we came to his door and offered to pray for him, he had at that very moment been sitting in his office.  His marriage was falling apart and his business was a mess.  He cried out to God and asked for help.  Right then is when we knocked on his door!"

Since then, with open hearts to the Lord this family has received much healing and deliverance.  If Jim hadn't called Pastor to share with him, we never would have known the impact our little insignificant act of obedience had harvested for the Glory of God Almighty!  We don't always see the result, but God always knows the end He is moving us toward.  Always, it is for not only our good but the good of others as well.

What a mighty, awesome, loving, kind and infinitely creative God we serve!  This story and so many others like it are the reason we have forsaken all to travel where the Holy Spirit leads and share the glorious Gospel of Salvation through Christ Jesus with any and all that we come in contact with.  We don't count souls harvested, we just obey our God and trust in Him with all our hearts, leaving things in His ultra capable hands!

What a joy, what a privilege to serve the Lord and fulfill His purposes in our lives.  Whatever the Lord has called you to in YOUR life, be encouraged that He is there working all things together for good even when you don't see or know the result of it.  Every insignificant act of obedience He turns to SIGNIFICANT GLORY TO HIS WONDERFUL NAME.