“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

 The lives of those who consider themselves followers of Jesus Christ are filled with both victory and defeat. With success and failure. With prosperity and hardships. With joy and suffering.   Paul describes what a servant of God may expect as a result of his obedience to Christ in 2 Corinthians 6:4-10. Some, however, are misguided and believe that the life of a Christian in this world is free of pain and full of comfort. But, Jesus never promised a life of comfort and easy-living for His disciples. Instead, He told them to take up their cross every day and follow Him (Luke 9:23).  Jesus also warns them that “in this world, you will have tribulation” (John 16:33, ESV).  

And so all Christians will go through tough times and endure hardships. Are you going through difficult times now? Is it from:

           Anxiety or stress in your marriage?

            Problems with the kids?

            Loneliness?

            Despair?

            Personal illness?  Illness in the family?

            Out of a job?

The list can go on and on. While a typical response, perhaps even a natural response, to these difficulties could be depression, fear, anger, and hopelessness, should this be the response of a follower of Jesus? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 states, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Notice it doesn’t say to be “joyful only when things are going your way,” but rather “in all circumstances.” Indeed, this is not by any means an easy thing to do. It is hard and seems downright impossible at times. But it is “God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” It is His will that you be joyful in your good times and bad times. To give Him glory for who He is regardless of your current situation.

Take a step back for your situation for a minute. Have you reminded yourself that you are loved and accepted as you are by the Creator of the universe? That you are intimately and personally loved by your Lord and Savior? That you were created in His image, handcrafted to do good works that He has prepared for you in advance (Ephesians 2:10)? That He in His infinite wisdom and power will work all things for good for those who love Him, which includes you, remember (Romans 8:28)? Did you forget that you are His sheep and He is your Shepherd? Did you forget that He laid down His life for His sheep? Don’t you remember that you are His beloved? That He calls you His friend (John 15:15)? Have you reminded yourself that He is your provider? Protector? Healer? That He is your strength and shield? That He is the mighty rock on which you can stand? A mighty warrior that fights for you? That intercedes for you? Did you forget that He rejoices and delights over you (Zephaniah 3:17)? Do you remember that He is your all in all? Your everything? 

Have you forgotten that He came and died for you personally so that you can be reconciled back to God and experience the joy, love, and grace of God? Did you forget that you are loved unconditionally, relentlessly, and completely by your Lord and Savior and you have done nothing to deserve it? 

Whatever situation you are in, these truths should bring joy to your heart. Perhaps even a longing for the day when “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). It is in remembering the free gift of His love and grace for you that you will have the ability to “be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). 

I think it comes down to a matter of perspective. One of my good friends has this way of helping me realign my perspective back to the Lord. If I am stressing or anxious about something, he puts his hand on my shoulder, looks me in the eyes, and tells me, “Jimmy, don’t worry. You are going to Heaven.” Such a simple thing, but it always calms me down. It refocuses my sights back on Jesus as opposed to the worries and concerns of the world. It does not free me of my responsibility, but it gives me comfort and joy to remind myself of my ultimate and eternal destination. 

When it comes to our suffering, I feel how we respond depends on our perspective. If we focus on worldly things, then we run the risk of becoming more stressed or anxious, more depressed, more lonely, more hopeless. But if we fix our eyes on Jesus and His infinite love for us, we can find joy in the midst of our suffering. We can find freedom from the prison that anxiety, stress, despair, depression, loneliness, and hopelessness can put us in. By fixing our eyes on Him, we have hope that, with His help and strength, we can endure the hardship and grow closer and more dependent on Him through the process. And this hope is more than mere wishful thinking, but rather a guarantee, for He who guides you is faithful and loves you. 

Even though it is hard, do not let suffering and hardships shift your perspective off of Jesus. Do not give the enemy a chance to sway you with self-pity and despair to stop praising God. And don’t let arrogance and pride move your gaze from Him to yourself during joyful, “easy” times, either. Rather, in all circumstances, be joyful, pray continually, and give thanks for this is God’s will for you. I pray that we may all fight ferociously to keep our eyes fixed on our Lord and Savior, no matter what our situation is.

I can hardly believe it, but in just a few short days, I will be on my flight to Peru and soon after that, on a boat going deep into the Amazon jungle.  Wow, it gives me a rush just thinking about it!  Truthfully, it hasn’t quite set in that I will be in another country as far away from civilization as one can be.  No cell phone towers.  No Wi-Fi.  No Google or Facebook.  Just God, nature, and His sheep, some of which have gone astray.  Oh yeah, and mosquitoes…lots of mosquitoes.  Even though it hasn’t fully hit me yet, I’m getting very excited about this trip.  I’m excited for the opportunity to be a blessing to others who have no means of paying me back.  I’m really looking forward to being disconnected from civilization, far from the buzz of Blackberries, constant emails, and the busyness of American culture.  But I am most excited to see what God is going to do through my group on this trip to bless this Amazonian tribe. 

I know that relying on my plans and my methods and my strengths alone will never bless those people as much as God’s plans, God’s methods, and God’s strength can.  And so my desire is to have a surrendered heart to Him, being obedient to His leadings and promptings, and to follow the ways and will of my Master.  My prayer is to be filled with the mighty Holy Spirit and allow Him to work through me “to do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20-21). 

Usually, the over-planning, over-analytical, perfectionist in me would scream and balk at going down there without a game plan on exactly how I should evangelize and interact with the natives.  But I “strangely” feel a sense of contentment with just going down there with the only game plan to “love God with all [my] heart and with all [my] soul and with all [my] strength and with all [my] mind” and “love my neighbor as myself” (Luke 10:27).  And then sit back and be amazed and blessed to see God working mightily. 

NewLife has blessed me tremendously in every step of the way with this mission trip.  This church has decided to sponsor me and send me out, supporting me financially, through prayer, and through love.  I am incredibly grateful and blessed to be part of such a loving community!  And so I humbly ask if you would continue to lift me up in prayer, both in preparation for leaving for Peru and the duration of the mission trip.  I have identified seven prayer requests for me, but I encourage you to not be limited or constrained by these seven items.  Pray as you feel led! 

1) Pray that I may be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine while I am serving in Peru and that God may receive all the glory and credit for it.  Pray that it may be so obvious that it is God working through me and that it is not by my own strength. 

2) Pray that I have a loving and compassionate heart for the natives.

3) Pray that I may be a bold example of Christ.

4) Pray that the language barrier may not be an issue in sharing with them God’s love.

5) Pray for spiritual protection for our group and the natives.

6) Pray for safe travel to and from Peru and throughout the jungle for our group. Pray for safety and good health as well.

7) Pray that I have a surrendered heart to God, allowing Him to transform my heart and deepen my relationship with Him. Pray that this experience may help me to understand His grace better and to be humbled and grateful for what He has blessed me with.

Thank you once again for all the love and support!  I look forward to sharing with you all the amazing and awesome things God will do on this trip and the experiences I will have in Peru.  Keep fighting for Him who is righteous, faithful, and full of unconditional love for us!  God bless!

The sea of life has been quite turbulent for me lately.  So this week I have taken a few days off for some R&R.  Perhaps since this is not my culture my mind exaggerates how hard it really is, but I doubt it.  It’s harsh and for a while now I have needed a rest.

During this mini vacation on Lake Victoria I have tried hard to talk less at and listen more to God.  After all He already knows my long desperate list of needs before it ever reaches my lips.  He has always known them; He’s God.  The problem is not that God wants to know my will so therefore I need to tell it to Him,  rather the problem is that I halfheartedly want to know Gods will but all too often I do not allow him to tell it to me.  Why?  It is a scary proposition when your focus on the Lord is blurred by the world and when you think you know more about your needs than He does.

I really have been trying to listen to Him, but my fears and frustrations have hijacked me.  Seeing a bloated dead man get pulled out of the lake, having Melinda tell me she just killed a 3 foot long venomous boom slang snake in our living room under the oversized cushions on which the girls play, always wondering if the cash is coming next month for our basic needs, has distracted me.

All this and more has overwhelmed me.  The bellows have stoked life into that smoldering lie deep within my heart; the one that God is neither behind nor in front of me.  I have been overwhelmed with a dreaded feeling that perhaps God is not holding my family and me in His arms.  Scriptures that were meant for someone with far greater faith than I have, such as “my grace is sufficient”, pop into my head.  I remember some personally butchered version of 2 Kings telling me that I am surrounded by “horses and chariots of fire”, but when I look I see piles of burning trash with fellow human beings no longer even avoiding the rats as they pick through what remains of my overindulgence.  People that desire a small bite of fish and bread as might be distributed by a disciple instead receive dysentery as distributed by bacteria.

Many of the men on my jobsites have broken bread with rats and vultures, but never a western missionary.  These same men know what it means to lose it “all”.  Yet somehow they still raise their hands and praise God for His provision.  What amazing faith.

In recent months I have been asking God a lot of questions, never pausing long enough for an answer.  My big question has been “God why are you not feeding your children?”

So during my recent time away I aggressively pursued a difficult pause for my spirit.  Then this morning as I prayed I tried my hardest to think of nothing and to ask for nothing.  But I could not do it!  On my own accord I am far too selfish to listen to God without my personal agenda…God I want…God I want…God I want.  Finally I had to be honest with Him and admit I do not know how to just be quiet and listen.  I do not know how to listen to Him when my personal will groans atop this mountain of trash many call “Man is Mostly Good”.  So then rather ironically I asked something more of God.

I admitted the truth of the matter, and that is I cannot listen to Him unless he gives me the faith to do so.  I cannot stand in this dump and truly love God unless he gives me the faith to do so.  I cannot see Jesus in this sewer unless He gives me the faith to do so.  So I asked that God quiet my soul long enough that I might hear from Him, and then I asked God for the Faith to believe what He tells me.

Suddenly my fears stopped screaming at me.  My spirit became quiet.  Around me there were a dozen or so species of birds each singing a timeless melody created by Christ himself to proclaim His own greatness.  The waves from the lake honored God’s laws as they played upon the beach like an eternal piano.  The clouds above gathered like a choir so that Gods creation on the highlands would receive refreshment.  The invisible breeze sang a love song to the King as it grabbed seeds from the countless species of trees and flung them along the ground, distributing His wealth.

But it was the pounding and scraping rhythmic tune that caught my attention most; another among the God Songs that I all too often ignore.  Just beyond my line of site a man was managing his garden so that he might feed his people.  I then imagined the man beyond the farmer, seated in a wooden boat that wore a coat of mildew, calling back to the farmer as though in poetic refrain “Pray for good weather.  God willing I shall return safely tonight s with our dinner”.

I then realized I have been receiving blessings beyond belief all along.  God breaks my heart so that I may have a small glimpse into His.  God allows the trash piles to break my spirit so that I must rely on His.  God allows sin to tempt me so that when I fail I can appreciate all the more his faultless time on earth.  God gives and takes away so that I may not wander from his hand, the hand that sustains me.

Every day I am blessed because I get to see Jesus as he chooses to reveal himself to me between now and when he returns.  He may not have opened my eyes to see the “horses and chariots of fire” but he has given me the faith to believe they are there chomping at their fiery bits.  I do not see that, but God has opened my eyes so that in the homeless child, the prostitute, the drug addict, and the ill-equipped husband and father I can see Jesus as He reveals himself to me.

The question I have been asking of God “Why are you not feeding your children?” is backwards.  Today God slugged me in the gut with this question; “Affluent church you say you are my bride…so why are you not feeding my children?”

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
   “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:34-36)

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  (Matthew 5:11-12)

As I pondered Eric’s sermon this past Sunday on John 8:1-11, with the condensed message of laying down our stones and not judging others, I started to think about the proper reaction of those being judged.  How are we supposed to react to those who are judging and persecuting us, whether the accusations are true or false?  As with most questions of this type, if not all, the answer is found by looking to Jesus as our example. 

We are to be meek like Jesus was in the midst of His persecution.  Consider what it says in Mark 15:3-5, “The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, ‘Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.’  But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.”  His response was silence.  What did He do in response to those who whipped and beat Him, to those who spat on Him, to those who mocked Him?  Nothing.  He gave up His right to defend Himself and His cause, to exercise His authority.  He could have cursed them.  He could have responded with the perfect answer as He did with His other run-ins with the Pharisees which would have defeated any accusation they had against Him.  He could have sent a heavenly host of angels to attend to Him and defeat His persecutors.  Actually there is an infinite amount of things He could have done, but He chose to remain silent, forfeit His right and His authority to sinners who were not worthy to loosen the thongs of His sandals, and instead withstand the false persecution.  Why?  So that He could bear the sin of us all.  So that we will no longer be condemned.  So that we will no longer need to care what man says about us or what man can do to us because our confidence, strength, and life depend solely on the Lord (1 Corinthians 4:3-4, Psalms 118:6).  Man can persecute us, but man can NEVER snatch us out of God’s hands.  “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). 

We can rest assured that Jesus will have the last word and He will judge justly.  We are to leave judgment into the hands of the One who is supremely just and sinless, not to us, who can be so easily swayed by emotion and circumstance, especially if we are being falsely accused.  In the midst of persecution, we are to still follow Jesus, giving up our rights and being meek, so that God may be glorified through our obedience.  Yield to Him who is mighty and worthy and just.  Just as we are to lay down our stones instead of casting judgment on others, we are to lay down our rights instead of unleashing a counter attack on our accusers; perhaps throwing stones of judgment ourselves. 

Besides remaining silent and bearing the unjust persecution of his accusers, even though He did have the power to overcome it, He also responded with love.  It was our sin that nailed Him to the cross, but it was His infinite, never-ending love for us that He chose the brutal, torturous suffering of the crucifixion.  It was the ultimate, infinite sacrifice that paid the infinite debt we accrued due to our sin.  And it was paid in full so that we could be in communion with God for eternity and experience His love in a more intimate and personal way like never before.  “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).  We were still enemies to God, and yet He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us so that we could have eternal life.  Or as John 3:16-17 so beautifully puts it, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 

Further, Jesus says this in the Sermon on the Mount, “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).  Jesus always practiced what He preached, and so we should not expect any other reaction from Him besides love for His persecutors.  He did not whip those for beat Him, or spit on those who spat on Him, or curse those who mocked Him.  Instead, he cries, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).  But often times we do not respond to our accusers in love, but rather in anger, bitterness, resentment, or even judgment towards them.  What is worse is that satan wants you to give into these “acts of the flesh” (see Galatians 5:19-21) because in doing so, you are not following Jesus.  Furthermore, if you give the devil an inch, he is going to take a foot.  And what started as just a bit of anger turns into resentment, and Christ’s love and reconciliation are nowhere in sight.  But, I praise God that we are no longer in bondage to sin, but alive and free in Him who loves us (Romans 6:11-13).  Praise God that the law of sin and death no longer has a grip on you and that the Spirit of Life has set you free (Romans 8:1-2).  But we are not to use this freedom to indulge the flesh and respond with anger towards our persecutors, but rather, server one another in love (Galatians 5:13). 

The only way we can serve and respond in love is through the love of Christ.  The same love He had for us as He was hanging on the cross to bear the guilt and shame of our sin.  The same love that conquered death.  It’s the same love that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 which says that “[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”  Living a life of love requires a commitment of dying daily to our flesh and taking up our cross.  Jesus commands us to pick up our cross and follow Him to Golgotha, warning us that we must lose our life for His sake in order to save it (Matthew 10:38-39).  As we carry our cross and follow our Savior, we must be prepared for the persecution that lies ahead.  And we must be prepared to respond in love. 

The way we react to persecution will reflect who we are in Christ.  If we lash out with hate and judge our accusers, we might think that God’s judgment will not be good enough.  Or perhaps we are too impatient, thinking that we know what is best and can justly and righteously deal out punishment.  Or maybe it is selfishness that demands swift and immediate retaliation for the unjustified accusations against us.  However, if we respond in love, we are following Christ.  We trust that God will take care of any injustice for He alone is just and righteous.  We love those who hate and persecute us, knowing that the love of God can conquer and transform anyone.  By showing love to our accusers, we are sharing with them God’s love, mercy, and compassion which will have a far greater impact on them than if we were to respond in anger.  We need to be meek and endure the attacks and persecutions.  We need to love them as Jesus loves them.  We should be praying for our accusers, that their hearts may be healed and transformed.  And as it says in Romans 12:14, we are to “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”  I encourage us all to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as we take up our cross, and let His love shine though us at all times, even in the face of unjust persecution.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:5-7)

I am so inundated with thoughts of spiritual and moral recovery that I have created a “traffic jam” in my mind.  I could literally write a rambling list of, or inventory of, self-realizations, focus items, or epiphanies to run an endless ink well dry.  But, one thing is weighing heavy on my mind; now stay with me, this could be a delicate situation:

 I am genuinely happy to be a Christian neophyte.  I am happy to be curious, in wonder, a seeker of truth, and be laden with religious fervor.  For once in my life I am not hiding from a difficult pursuit.  But then again, this time I am not alone, I have Him. As a new convert I have eyes and ears that soak up everything.  This data is filtered through the maze of a person who is seeking to abide and live in a Christ-like way, yet tainted by a lifetime of old habits, thought patterns, and cynicism.  Also, I know I could be easily influenced, in both negative and positive ways, by the company I keep.  I really want to do “life” the right way now, but I know that I have to be careful and real with myself and with the new behaviors and patterns I adopt, especially by example from others.  So again, “Who do I count on to help me in my walk with Christ?”

 I have met so many incredible people in my short walk.  I have seen understanding and forgiveness that has made me literally cry.  I have seen unselfish deeds and generosity that makes me shiver with joy.  I have heard the praises of God that has made me melt with appreciation.  I have seen God work through others that makes me want to surrender all that I am, and have, just to be part of something that wonderful. 

Then I have seen the turmoil of the devil’s hand.

 I have met devout Christians who judge others, yet live without taking a self-inventory; I have met Christians who speak with a gossiping tongue, yet act without mercy against those who “bruise” their ears; I have met Christians who impose their will on others without accepting the will of God upon themselves.  I have met Christians who have put personality before principles, even those principles that are the very fabric our Saviors teachings.

 So at times it leaves me to muse:  “Who is really LIVING the Way verses ACTING the Way?”  I don’t want to be a hypocrite by assessing or judging others, but I do feel I should be wary of those who offer a warm embrace with their hands one moment then serve a self-righteous slap the next moment. Or maybe I’m all wrong here; I mean, maybe my whole observation and concern is moot.  After all, the one thing our Lord desires the most is for us to love each other unconditionally, right?  Maybe some of my Christian Brothers and Sisters, especially those with questionable behaviors and actions, are put before me to further my walk with Christ; to sharpen me; to teach me true love through grace, or ironically through the absence of grace.

I guess I can answer my own question now:  “Who do I count on to help me in my walk with Christ?”  Well, coming to know Christ, through the Bible, is my first step; after all it is the instruction manual for good living.  Good knowledge, coupled with earned wisdom, and even some common sense, will help me to embrace my fellow Christian Brothers and Sisters instead of “sorting them out”. We are all different.  We all need each other’s colors to complete the human rainbow. We should let God figure out who will share our walk with us. Accept each person as they are, if there is something that person needs, or could improve, or change, then give and guide them with love, wisdom, openness, and grace.

Like I said, I am truly happy to be a “new” Christian.  I never want to become complacent.  I would rather always be a wretch who needs God and is subservient from the constant barrage of self realized deficiencies, realizations, and in awe of His grace that He gives me than be “comfortable” with myself to the point where I stand against another Christian Brother or Sister.  So my answer to my own question is: “We all walk together”.

One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:35-40)

My family moved to our current home back in October of 2000. We purchased our home with great hopes and expectations that God wanted to use us to reach out to our new neighbors, even though we didn’t know a single one of them. We didn’t know how or when we would be used, but we knew we would be used.

The very first day we moved in, move-in day was rather hectic, as they usually are. It was just my husband and me and our six young children moving things in. In the midst of unpacking, it suddenly occurred to me that we had an empty refrigerator and empty cupboards. Knowing there was a small convenience store about two minutes away, I told my husband I was going to drive down the road and pick up something to bring back for lunch. I asked him to watch all the kids.

As I was leaving, our daughter, a toddler at the time and who loved to be stuck to me like Velcro, began to cry that she wanted to come. Since I was only going to be gone about 10 minutes, I asked my husband to keep her with him. There was just so much confusion going on with the move-in that I thought it would be best for her to stay home during my brief trip.

I returned home about 10 minutes later. My husband informed me that our daughter had sat on the front steps crying and screaming for the first few minutes, then went in her room and fell asleep on her bed. She had been fast asleep for several minutes.  I thought, “Well, at least maybe I can make some progress with unpacking now that my Velcro has been removed.”

My husband told me he needed to go to Home Depot to pick up some things for the house, and so off he went.  A couple minutes after he left, I was inside unpacking when I received a knock on the front door.  I thought to myself, “Oh, I wonder if one of our new neighbors is stopping by to say hello?!”

I opened the door. My jaw just about fell to the floor when I saw it was a uniformed police officer with his cruiser in our driveway.  I stumbled through, “Hello, how may I help you?”

The officer said, “We received an anonymous phone call that there was a crying and screaming child at your house. I am here to investigate the call.”

I wanted to throw up. I again stumbled through, “Well, yes, apparently there was.” I then told him what my husband shared with me and volunteered to let him come in and see my sleeping daughter.

He politely declined, then said, “I see the ‘SOLD’ sign on your front lawn and the moving truck. Are you just moving in today?”

On the verge of tears, I responded, “Yes we are.”

He shook his head and said, “Wow. I sure hope your neighbors don’t continue to give you a hard time. This wasn’t a very nice welcome to the neighborhood.”

I thanked him for his kindness before he left.  Needless to say, when the officer pulled out of the driveway, I began bawling like a baby. I hated our new house, our new neighbors, our new neighborhood, everything. All my hopes and expectations for reaching out to our new neighbors went straight down the toilet.

I had a full-blown pity party for myself that lasted for several days. Finally, when I stopped crying long enough to hear God’s still, small voice, I heard Him say, “Are you finally done? Now let’s get to work on reaching out to your neighbors.”

I asked God how. The first thing He laid on my heart to do was bake some homemade carrot cake for my three closest neighbors and to bring the cake and my children to introduce my family to them. Perhaps our neighbors had heard we have a large family and were intimidated by our size. A warm introduction might help break the ice and show them we are really a friendly family.

After this initial ice-breaker, the Lord then laid it on my heart to have an open house and invite our neighbors to come over for a harvest party (remember, we moved in during October). We had the party and laid out several Christian tracts on the goodies table (a gentle hint at our Christian faith).

The following April, the Lord laid it on my heart to host a neighborhood Easter children’s party at our house the day before Easter. This event included a more obvious sharing of our Christian faith. A couple neighbors came.
Following those two events, the Lord laid it on my heart to begin a more widespread neighborhood outreach. He gave me the idea of putting together baskets of three items: (1) a jar candle with a handmade tag saying the Bible verse that Jesus is the Light of the world; (2) a bottle of sparkling water with a handmade tag saying the Bible verse that Jesus is the Living Water; and (3) a plate of my homemade cinnamon rolls with a handmade tag saying the Bible verse that Jesus is the Bread of Life. Over the course of several weeks, the Lord laid it on my heart for whom to make the gift baskets and when to make them and have my children come along with me to deliver them. They were always very well received by our neighbors.

Several years ago during Christmas time, the Lord then laid it on my heart to have my children make a couple gingerbread houses with a handmade gift tag saying the Bible verse that we are to build our house upon the Rock.  I then had my daughter, who by this time was older and ready to learn the art of neighborhood outreach, deliver them herself to a couple of our neighbors (one familiar and one new to the neighborhood). Again, the gifts were very well received.

I continue to pray about ways to reach out to our neighbors.

I hope my testimony inspires others to think outside the box when sharing the gospel with neighbors. God is a very creative God and is ready and willing to give us ideas if we are willing to do the legwork.

The Imperfekt Chronicles
By Anthony Varesio

Romans 12:9-10 (NLT) - “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.  Hate what is wrong.  Hold tightly to what is good.  Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other.”

I have a “bad” case of “Christianitis”.   The fire under my tail has been lit and the dissection of my every habit, motive, intention, and action is now subject to the self-installed microscope.   It can be downright annoying.  It was so much easier just being self-centered and letting my often misguided and “four-year-old I-want it now-stomping-on-the-ground-holding-my-breath-til-I’m-red-in-the-face” emotions steer this train wreck!  Do you know how hard it is not to spit out some random and snide remark at someone for not saying “thank you” when you just held open the door for them at the coffee shop?  Or, how about not hitting the car horn when the car in front of you took at least three seconds to go at a newly turned green light?  Annoying, just annoying.

Over the past year I’ve been experiencing these “Whispers from God”.  I liken them to Miracle- Grow for the conscience; they fertilize my conscience for better growth.  Then somehow the whispers seem to bring in their well armed reinforcements using related messages that are delivered through the Sunday sermons, or a television show, sometimes it’s one of those little daily devotionals on a calendar; even a comment from a six year old overheard while speaking to his Mom!  (I could have sworn the six year old even looked up at me, pointed, and winked)     

Anyway……..These whispers do a great job of lassoing in my usual wandering and flighty thought process and provide a focus on things I should be paying attention to, or should I say “praying attention” to, like “playing nice with others”. I started to really be aware of my internal attitudes and behaviors.  I thought about how many times I was slow to leave a stop light because I was in my eighth month of trying to figure out my new car stereo.  (You can’t drag your kids everywhere with you so they can manage your technology) Or, how many times someone did something courteous for me, probably even more significant than holding open a door, and my cranky mood pretty much prohibited me from even offering a half cocked, borderline sneer of a smile in appreciation.  I’m sure more than I would even admit.

Here’s a new bumper sticker for me:  “GRACE…. PAY IT FORWARD”.  God has certainly shown me grace on one or 7,021,630 situations. Yup.  Love those whispers!  Being nicer isn’t just God’s hope for all us; it also lets me off the hook!  No more carrying those cumbersome, day-wrecking, mood changing, bags of resentments!  They are back AND spirit breakers.  I like being nicer and more forgiving, so far.  ; )

In 2 Kings 6:15-17, we read,

“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh, my lord, what shall we do?’ the servant asked.  ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered.  ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’  And Elisha prayed, ’O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

If only our eyes could be opened and we could see the spiritual battle going on around us!  We are at war!  The enemy of our souls wants to destroy us.  He wants our Christian lives to be ineffective and unproductive.  He wants us to feel unworthy and unloved.  He wants us to hold on to bitterness and resentment, and to feel anxious and afraid.  “But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor.15:37).  One of the ways we can have victory is to put on the armor of God.

When we put on the belt of truth, we do not fall prey to the enemy’s lies.  We hold fast to the truth that we are children of God (John 1:12,1 John 3:1), that He will watch over us and keep us from harm (Ps. 121:5,7), that we have been justified by the blood of Jesus and saved from God’s wrath (Rom. 5:9), that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Rom. 8:37).

When we put on the breastplate of righteousness, we guard our hearts.  Our hearts so easily go astray.  We harbor unforgiveness, anger and malice.  James 4:8 tells us to purify our hearts.  We need to cry out to God as David did, “Create in me a pure heart, O God”
(Ps. 51:10).   Romans 3:10 tells us that “there is no one righteous, not even one”, yet, Philippians 3:9 tells us that we can have righteousness:  “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God is by faith.”
    
With our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, we can have “the peace that will transcend all understanding” (Phil. 4:7).

We must take up the shield of faith so that we can extinguish all the arrows of the evil one, whether they be arrows of pride, doubt, fear, depression or temptation.  We must use our faith, because “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (2 Cor. 1:24).

With our helmet of salvation on, our minds are protected.  We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2).  We must set our minds on thoughts that are noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8).

By taking the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, by knowing Scripture, we can know truth, guard our hearts from unrighteousness, have God’s peace, fight off attacks to our faith, and protect our minds (see Ps. 119:11,60,165; 2 Tim.3:15,16).

We can pray these things for ourselves and for others.  Right after describing the armor of God in verses 14 through 17 of Ephesians, Paul tells us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions” and to “keep on praying for all the saints.”  Prayer is part of our arsenal.

By clothing ourselves with this armor, we are not only standing against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, but we are clothing ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:14):

We are to put on the belt of truth.

In Ps. 31:5, the LORD is called the God of truth.
In John 14:7, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
In John 14:17;15:26;16:13, the Counselor is promised, the Spirit of truth.

We are to put on the breastplate of righteousness

In Ps. 36:6, David praises the LORD, saying, “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep.”
In Acts 7:52;22:14 and in 1 John 2:1, Jesus is called “The Righteous One.”

Our feet are to be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace

Rom. 15:33;16:20, Phil. 4:9, 1 Thess. 5:23 and Heb. 13:20 name “the God of Peace.”

We are to take up the shield of faith

Over 16 times in the Psalms, we read that God is our shield.

We are to take the helmet of salvation

Jesus’ name in Hebrew is Jehoshua, which means “Jehovah(the LORD) is salvation.”
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

We are to take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

Dt. 33:29 tells us that the LORD “is your glorious sword.”
And Who is the Word of God?  John 1:1 tells us it is JESUS!

By guarding our minds and hearts, by knowing the Word, by praying with all kinds of prayers and requests, we allow the Spirit to transform us into His likeness (2 Cor.3:18).  Is this not God’s plan for us?  He desires us “to be conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Rom. 8:29), and tells us we are to “be imitators of God” (Eph. 5:1).  We imitate Him by immersing ourselves in His truth, in His righteousness, in His peace.  We know that He is a warrior (Ex. 15:3) and therefore we too must be warriors.  We must be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Eph. 6:10).  He gives us the strength, because He is our Strength (Ps. 22:19; Ps. 59:9,17)!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  (Ephesians 6:10-17)

How often do you see a football player in a game without his pads and helmet on?  Or a marathon runner without sneakers on?  If you were a betting man, would you put your money on the team that didn’t use baseball gloves or the one that was fully equipped?  Sure, you could run a marathon without sneakers and you could play football without pads.  But the risk of injury greatly increases and you could very well be sidelined for the rest of your career.  A team has a better chance of being victorious and avoiding injury if they are using the proper gear.  While this may sound obvious, far too often we see Christians marching out to battle stark naked as it were, with nothing to protect them.  And far too often they get hurt badly.  But God has provided us with armor to wear for the spiritual battles that we face.  But again, we tend to dismiss its importance, neglect it all together, or think that we can just suit up when we need to.  But the spiritual battles we face are constant and the enemy is not going to wait for us to get our armor on.  We need to be ready every day to engage in spiritual warfare and that means we need to be geared up and game ready at all times. 

 Each piece of the armor is critical to our survival out in the battle field.  First, we are given the Belt of Truth.  Some translations render it as “having your loins girt with the truth” (Ephesians 6:14, KJV), where the phrase “to girt one’s loins” means to prepare oneself for action.  Further, the word “girt” is the root for our word “girdle” which is an article of clothing worn around our waist used to cinch back some of our belly fat.  Similarly, the Belt of Truth is meant to hold back our flesh, or our sinful nature, with the Truth that comes from Jesus. 

Next we are given the Breastplate of Righteousness, which guards and protects our hearts.  The heart is essential to our faith and our walk with Christ and as such, we must protect it from the attacks of the enemy.  Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  1 Samuel 16:7 states “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  Proverbs 3:5 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”  And 2 Chronicles 16:9 states “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”  See how important the heart is?  The enemy wants to attack and destroy our hearts for it is with our hearts that we trust and love the Lord.  Protect it with the Breastplate of Righteousness. 

We then have our feet “fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”  We are to take faith in the Gospel and stand firm in the faith that we profess.  We are to know and believe that God is with us always as it says in Joshua 1:9:  “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Stand firm in the Gospel and resist the attacks and advances of the enemy.  Next, we are provided with the Shield of Faith to block the attacks from the enemy.  We remember that it is our faith in Jesus and in the cross that we are saved.  It is by faith that we can overcome and put to death our sin.  And thus, it is by faith in Jesus that we can block and deflect the vicious lies and attacks of the enemy. 

To protect our head, we are given the Helmet of Salvation.  The mind is where the spiritual battle takes place and we are to guard it from the infectious lies of the enemy.  Our thoughts are so important that Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to “take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.”  He again reiterates the need to keep a holy mindset when he says in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”  Protect your head from the enemy with the Helmet of Salvation and keep your mind focused on Jesus. 

Lastly, we are given our only weapon against the enemy; the Sword of the Spirit.  The Word of God, when used properly, can strike down the enemy and stop him dead in his tracks.  Learn it and keep it always on your heart and on your tongue.  Don’t hesitate to use the Sword at the faintest sign of temptation or enemy attack.  It is better and easier to strike down the temptation immediately than if we let it fester for a while and build a strong hold.  Suit up every day in the armor that God gave you so that you may be fully prepared to face the enemy in battle. 

The interesting thing about the armor of God is that there is no piece to protect out back.  And I believe there is a reason for that.  We are not meant to turn and run from the enemy.  We are meant to charge into battle, knowing that “if God is for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31).  We already have victory over death and over the enemy through Christ Jesus.  So there is no need to retreat, no need to turn our backs and run away from battle.  As it says in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  We do not flee from satan; he flees from us.  Remember that.  He flees from us.  He has no authority or power over us.  But what satan has done is lie to us and has instilled fear in us.  Fear that we will fail.  Fear that we are not good enough.  Fear that we don’t have what it takes.  Fear of leaving a life of comfort.  Fear that he can hurt us.  Fear that God will not be there for us.  And the list goes on.  But what is crucial to understand is that not one of these fears has any truth to them at all.  None.  Nothing.  Nada.  Nunca.  Aucun.  Nessuno.  Othing Nay.  Have I spoken your language yet?  Be emboldened that the enemy has no power and no authority over you.  That in Christ you have all power and authority over him.  That when YOU resist him, HE flees.  Take heart and listen to what Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew 28:18-20:  “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”  Since Jesus lives in each believer, it is His power and His authority that we call upon.  It is by His power and His authority that we triumph over the enemy.  So go and suit up with the armor of God.  Go knowing that the enemy is trying to take you out at all cost.  Go knowing that the enemy will lie to you and try to cripple you with fear.  Go knowing that the enemy has no power over you.  Go knowing that Jesus is with you always and will never leave your side.  Go and make disciples of all the nations.  Go and fight courageously for God.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”   (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Like any discipline, Bible memorization is an activity that is not always enjoyable or easy.  But memorizing Scripture is crucial to going deeper in your relationship with Christ.  We can see from 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that knowing Scripture will help us to teach and train better so that we can serve the Lord better, being ready to do every work God has in store for us.  Knowing God’s Word is essential in spiritual warfare as well.  In Ephesians 6:10-17, the Lord has provided us with plenty of armor to protect ourselves from the enemy, but only one weapon:  the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  We don’t need any other divine weapon.  No Golden Gun of God or Javelin of Jehovah, just the Word of God.  Once you wield the Sword of the Spirit, temptations are cut down, demons flee, and the prince of darkness himself is defeated.  The Word is so strong that even the enemy tries to use it against us with malicious intent to get us to fall.  Take, for instance, when Jesus is tempted by the devil in the desert (Luke 4:1-13).  Satan on his second temptation quotes Scripture in hopes that Jesus would buy into his lies.  Jesus counters this temptation (and the other two as well) with Scripture and with each swing of the Sword, Satan concedes and flees.  What is also important from this is that Jesus could have said ANYTHING and it would have been Scripture for us.  But instead, He chose to use existing Scripture as a model for us when we are tempted.  Memorizing Scripture will help sharpen our Sword so that we can use it to ward off the enemy. 

 So it is critical that we know the Word, not only because it is necessary for teaching and discipling others in the knowledge of Christ, but also because it helps us to grow in our own relationship with Jesus and to fight off the attacks and temptations from the enemy.
 
 In my life, Scripture is where I hear God speaking to me the most.  Whether it is helping me through a struggle, answering a question, or granting me wisdom, God speaks clearest to me through His Word.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to share some of my experiences and I pray that God may speak to you in memorizing any of these verses as He did with me. 

 Deuteronomy 31:6 – “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

This is the first verse that I ever memorized, and God spoke to me, saying that no matter what, through thick and thin, He will always be there.  That He is a valiant warrior who marches into battle right next to me and never leaves my side.  That God is a Warrior, and our General in battle.

 Galatians 5:13 – You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

The Lord spoke to me through this verse while I was living a hypocritical Christian lifestyle.  I was saved, but only walking in the Light part-time.  God revealed that I needed to serve Him better instead of using the gift of free will to satisfy the sinful desires of the flesh. 

 Romans 12:1 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

I had been fasting for a period of time and felt as if it meant nothing to God, nor was it accomplishing anything because I received no divine revelation.  God spoke to me with this verse telling me that the “mere” act of sacrificing my body was holy and pleasing enough for Him. 

 Colossians 3:12-13 - Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

I memorized this verse long before I heard what God was saying to me; although, I was probably intentionally ignoring Him.  He wanted me to forgive one of my best friends who stole over $600 from me and some other roommates.  I learned that I needed to love the sinner and not the sin.  That I needed forgive just as the Lord forgave me for every sin that I have done, am doing, and ever will do.  I forgave my friend, started to reconcile our friendship, and now we are back to being friends. 

 Jeremiah 17:7-8 – But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

God spoke to me here, telling me that this is the man that I should aspire to be.  To be a man who is committed to the Lord, who stays close to God and soaks up all the knowledge He provides, like a tree planted by a stream.  To be a man who does not fear when trials, temptation, or despair comes his way, but instead to always stand firm in the Lord, praise God, and produce fruit for the Kingdom.

 Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

God told me through this Scripture that in order to start behaving pure, I needed to start thinking only pure, holy, and Godly thoughts. 

 Hebrews 4:14-16 – Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

The Lord revealed to me here that He can relate to everything that we are going through.  It is so encouraging because He is able to sympathize with and understand everything happening in our lives.

 Micah 7:8 – Do not gloat over me, my enemy!  Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

God taught me to not let the guilt of sin reign over me or to let it hinder me from serving His Kingdom.

 2 Corinthians 6:4-10 (Omitted due to length)

The Lord spoke to me here and reminded me that we are not called to live easy, comfortable lives.  Being a Christian will be tough and we will have to endure a lot of tribulations.  But even if we have nothing, we will always have the Lord, which is everything we need. 

 2 Timothy 1:7 – For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

God really encouraged me, telling me to be a bolder servant for Him and to be a better example of Christ, especially in front of my family and those who don’t believe in Jesus. 

 1 Corinthians 4:3-5- I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

God is still working and revealing truths to me about this verse.  But what He has impressed upon me so far is that I should not care what the world thinks about me.  That I shouldn’t even consider what I think of myself!  But rather, all that matters is what God thinks of me.  For at His second coming, He is the one who will be our Judge and He will reveal the true motivations of our hearts. 

I know it takes a lot of self-discipline to memorize and, more importantly, retain Scripture.  It is definitely a challenge, but I have experienced the rewards and they are truly invaluable.  My relationship with the Lord has grown so much through memorizing His Word and sharpening my Sword.  I encourage you to take the challenge and start memorizing the Word of God. 

Testimony of Gratitude

This past week I found myself in the hospital with a rather disconcerting medical situation.  As I lay in my cardboard hospital bed, attached to a rat’s nest of tubes and wires, I awaited for the revolving parade of various medical professionals to poke, prod, scan, and otherwise find ways to make my stay a “spa of discomfort”.   The spaces in-between offered time for me to sip on a brew of my family woes, financial challenges, the haunting of tasks and responsibilities that I inevitably must face and a myriad of other troubles that have been gnawing at me for some time.  I craftily created a cozy little hot tub of self-pity in which to bathe in.  Then my first hospital meal was served…….After a brief nap I awoke feeling colorless, dried out, cold, and having no flavor for life.  (Quite like the meal I just ate.)  I stared at the clock on the wall and watched the second hand turn; five minutes took an eternity.  So I prayed.  My prayer digresses to thoughts of NewLife Christian Fellowship.  As I drift through my experiences at NewLife I begin to feel relief.  I begin to realize what this fellowship has come to mean to me.  I have experienced and been part of many recovery fellowships, religious organizations, and support groups in varying capacities.  My desire was always to simply connect with a spiritual, supportive, and God-loving community.  I always engaged with sincerity, high hopes, and passion.  In each attempt I found myself being profoundly disappointed, disengaged, and leaving less hopeful each time.  I witnessed internal debacles that arose from power struggles, clouded objectives, absence of dedication and/or passion, personality conflicts, complacency, decimated convictions, and various other conditions that result from human nature.  My wife, Carrie, and I were in awe of NewLife from our very first visit.  We both knew that the sincerity, passion, community commitment, and religious commitment could not possibly be ersatz.  We both cried that day.  We were warmly greeted, engaged, and our hearts filled with hope from the words of the sermon.  It has only become better from that first day.  I see a community of Christ that seems to truly live “The Way”.  Principles are put before personalities (which I know is in itself a difficult task!), Christian tenets are actually applied at New Life instead of conveniently being called upon for personal gain or used as leverage in factional disputes, and a true sense of cohesiveness seems to be present within the church leadership.New Life has given me a new life.  I can’t tell you the impact that you have had on me; it wasn’t looking good for me for awhile.I wish to thank the congregation for their warmth, friendship, support, and genuine willingness to embrace me as their brother.I wish to thank the Elders for the support they have offered, tireless dedication, commitment to NewLife that sustains what I now consider a precious part of my life, the wisdom to lead and support the congregation with true Christian values and avoiding those aforementioned pitfalls that can undermine any group of people.I wish to thank Eric for helping me to see the light of Christ and being blessed with such an incredible talent and passion for delivering the Word of God and his wife Michele for her energy, love, and commitment to the “Unnamed Ministries” which are just as critical to the success of NewLife.Thank you all, you are a special community of Christ.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

5 VOWS FOR SPIRITUAL STRENGTH:

(1) DEAL THOROUGHLY WITH SIN. CONFESS DAILY.
Tozer: This is not to preach sinless perfection. This is to say that every known sin is to be named, identified and repudiated, and that we must trust God for deliverance from it, so that there is no more sin anywhere in our lives. It is absolutely necessary that we deal thus, because God is a holy God and sin is on the throne of the world.

(2) NEVER OWN ANYTHING.
Tozer: I do not mean by this that you cannot have things. I mean that you ought to get delivered from this sense of possessing them. This sense of possessing is what hinders us. All babies are born with their fists clenched, and it seems to me it means: “This is mine!” One of the first things is “mine” in an angry voice. That sense of “This is mine” is a very injurious thing to the spirit. If you can get rid of it so that you have no feeling of possessing anything, there will come a great sense of freedom and liberty into your life.

(3) NEVER DEFEND YOURSELF.
Tozer: We’re all born with a desire to defend ourselves. And if you insist upon defending yourself, God will let you do it. But if you turn the defense of yourself over to God He will defend you.

(4) NEVER SPEAK BADLY OF OTHERS.
Tozer: “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). The talebearer has no place in God’s favor. If you know something that would hinder or hurt the reputation of one of God’s children, bury it forever. Find a little garden out back–a little spot somewhere–and when somebody comes around with an evil story, take it out and bury it, and say, “Here lies in peace the story about my brother.” God will take care of it. “With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged” (Matthew 7:2).

(5) NEVER ACCEPT ANY GLORY.
Tozer: God is jealous of His glory and He will not give His glory to another. He will not even share His glory with another. It is quite natural, I should say, for people to hope that maybe their Christian service will give them a chance to display their talents. True, they want to serve the Lord. But they also want other people to now they are serving the Lord. They want to have a reputation among the saints. That is very dangerous ground–seeking a reputation among the saints. It’s bad enough to seek a reputation in the world, but it’s worse to seek a reputation among the people of God. Our Lord gave up His reputation, and so must we.

May God give us the grace and strength to trust Him in each of these areas.  Amen.

“A Mighty God, A Mighty Savior”

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17, NIV)

Imagining or believing that God is all-powerful and mighty isn’t necessarily a hard thing to do. If He was even deserving of being called God with a capital “G”, one would expect that He would be. Otherwise, would He really be God?

Indeed, it’s not a foreign concept that God or a god would be endowed with extraordinary power, might, and authority. Greek and Roman mythology espoused many gods with certain power and authority over various elements of nature and the universe. Zeus was the most powerful and leader of all of gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus. Mythology attributes them with respective authority over mankind, the sun, the sea, over war, love and beauty, over Hades and death, etc. To each, they had their jurisdiction, but Zeus was all-powerful above them all.

In a similar fashion, the Hindu concept of the Supreme Being is a balanced composition of Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), and Shiva (destroyer). Together they form the triune entity that is all-powerful among a great multitude of other deities. In Mahayana Buddhism as practiced in many parts of Asia and Southeast Asia, there is a pantheon of gods and goddesses and buddhas and bodhisattvas who represent power and authority over life and good fortune. They may not necessarily be omnipotent (all-powerful), but they are certainly powerful enough to have many faithful followers offering prayers and petitions for health, healing, and good fortune amongst other things.

So then, what is the significance of when the God of the Bible makes this claim of omnipotence? Beyond affirming that God is indeed all-powerful and in Him, all things are possible (Matt. 19:26), I believe the real significance is clearly revealed in the Gospel message. Simply put: God is God, we are not, but out of His great love for us, He became the Way (John 14:6) to redeem the broken relationship with us and the brokenness in us. His salvation plan- the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world, not only is the greatest expression of His love for us, but it is also the greatest exhibition of His power and might. In His power, He conquered sin and death. In His might, He saved all those who would believe in Him and call upon His name (Rom. 10:9-13). How awesome is that! We have a God who is not only limitless and boundless in His power, but in His delight He demonstrated it by saving us from sin and death (Zeph. 3:17). He is a Mighty God, a Mighty Savior.

Lately, I have been humming and singing the chorus of a song by Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan from Hillsong Church in Australia named “Mighty to Save” as I’m preparing to introduce it to our congregation on Sunday. The chorus says:

“Savior, He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save, he is mighty to save

Forever, Author of Salvation

He rose and conquered the grave Jesus conquered the grave”

I’m constantly reminded again and again of how great and awesome God is, especially in the light of His salvation plan. Certainly, God would still be great and awesome even if He had not saved us because that is inherent in His character and in who He is, but because He did, it is all the sweeter and makes me love Him all the dearer. Amen.

You can check out this video of “Mighty to Save” by clicking here.

 Do you want to be a shepherd who feeds only yourself?  A cloud without rain blown along by the wind?  An autumn tree without fruit and uprooted twice dead?  Do you want to be a wild wave of the sea foaming up in your shame?  A wandering star for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever?  DO YOU??  (Jude 1:12-13)

To say yes to any of these would definitely make you a fool.  Why?  A fool is someone who turns his back on God or just does not want to believe in Him or thinks God is not right nor good enough for him.  “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1).  “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22).  “But fools detest turning from evil” (Proverbs 13:19b).  Even if you do not totally reject God but are just lukewarm then you are still a fool.  God says in Revelation 3:16, “So because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Now God has made a way, since there was no other way, for you and for I to have life eternally.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  “Then he said, ‘here I am, I have come to do your will.’  He sets aside the first to establish the second.  And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.  And where these (sins) have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.  Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:9,10,18,22).  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boost.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

As followers of Christ, our lives will not be free of temptation, evil, sin, heartache, questions, or loss.  No — not at all!  “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” (Matthew 5:11).  “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22).  What God does say and promise is that he will make our burdens light, not give us more than we can handle and give us a way out.  Also that he will always love us and discipline us as needed.  “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2,3).  “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.  Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.  But God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness” (Heb 12:5b-8,10b).  We must not forget that Satan HATES everything about God and us if we have a relationship with Him.  Satan will try to take away our hope, our faith, our love in any way possible.  We may not even notice that he is trying to do this for a moment, but over time we will.  Let us NOT give Satan his undue glory of power, of selfishness, of darkness.

My husband and I prayed, both separately and together, about our future and what avenue God might want us to take.  After God ‘spoke’ to us individually, we came together, told each other what was put upon our hearts and then committed ourselves to God to follow his leading.  It was to retire from the military and move back to Abilene, TX, the very place Duane said he would never go back to.  (Truth—never say never to God.)  God knew what he was doing, for he knows the big picture.  We do not.  Duane would be working at Abilene Christian University helping to establish a new program called Missionary Residency for North America (MRNA).  This program would allow people who have a heart’s desire for God’s work in discipling others for Christ throughout this country (and the world), to be able to experience and actually be involved in learning and doing of the work before going off to wherever God would call them.  They would learn how to simplify the teaching of Scripture, how to reach people through real relationships and learn more fully of what it means to be the body (family) of Christ.  Yes, it is raising up Christian (followers of Christ) missionaries.

We arrived in Abilene in June 2004 driving from Ft. Worth/Dallas area where we were able to visit some friends and rest for a few days.  We drove straight to our new home and -oh my goodness- we were in for a surprise.  Neither my husband nor I remembered much about the house, but we did have different thoughts in mind.  The yard was in horrid condition.  Too many trees and overgrown some were, not much grass because of that, and rose bushes that at one time must have been beautiful.  No problem though, we do not mind doing outdoor work.  It will not be bad.  Then after picking up our house key from our neighbor and opening up the front door of our home –WOW- what an awful smell.  The odors of animal urine that had soaked up into the carpets and wood, it was downright nasty.  Okay, now we get to remodel the inside of the house.  After seven straight weeks of work, remodeling from the ceilings to the floors, we were able to move in.  Meanwhile what we were so unaware of due to our dedication on getting moved in, was that one of our precious Siamese cats of 14 years had gotten really sick.  Till we noticed and got her to the vet, it was too late.  She, Delilah, passed away in early August.  About that time we found out that my father was diagnosed with terminal small cell cancer and was given about ten months to live.  I flew home for visits in Aug, Dec, Jan, Mar and April.  Duane and Justin went back in Jan also for we thought dad (grandpa) was going to leave us then.  Dad finally passed away on April 7, 2005.

During that time span of Aug-Sept, our daughter, Jennifer, who was pregnant had not just her first but second miscarriage.  “God what is going on?!  What else can happen?!”  While working on our house, Duane’s left knee started giving him problems.  It got so bad that he could not run and was having trouble walking.  After some doctor visits, x-rays and such, Duane had knee surgery which took him literally out of commission for one month and then there was the therapy.  Throughout the next span of months, our house was still to give us minor hiccups:  appliances failing to work, pipes leaking and or bursting, and other smaller scale problems.  Another concern that came upon us was our financial situation.  We had believed that Duane would get a salary for working at ACU.  After three months, we were told that was not going to happen.  ACU had no funds now or definitely not in the near future to pay him for his services.  “Now what, Lord?! Missionaries?  Support?  What?!”  The Lord then humbled us and we knew what was to be done.  We are missionaries sent here by God and we need to ask for support from our friends and family to see if they would want to participate with us in our work for God here in Abilene.  We would rent out two bedrooms to ACU students, seek support, and I would work part time.  Through all this there was great frustration, anxiety and depression going on with both Duane and myself, especially me.  I would cry out to God – “Why?!?!?!  Why did you bring us here?  Why are you allowing all these things to happen to us?”  But deep down I knew that God was leading and I had His love, His hope and strength in the core of my being, my heart and my soul.  I had to hang on to the truth no matter how I felt, for feelings and emotions come and go but the love of the Lord is what is true and forever.  “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
 
The valleys are hard times, not particularly happy or pleasant.  They are times filled with lots of emotions and questions; times of crying out and listening; times of just surrendering your all to Jesus Christ the Lord.  We, as human beings, are incapable of truly helping ourselves in these times or ever—it is Christ and Him alone who is capable and wanting and willing to be our God, Father, Savior, Friend, Sustainer, Helper, and so much more!!!  It is He who will help us through the valleys and at all times during this life.  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).   

Whether we are in the valleys or on the mountain peaks, we must never forget to praise and worship Him, The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost.  “Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that for outweigh them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).  “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:14, 15).  “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:4-8)  “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).   Yes, Christ does give us strength, but if we are not abiding in Him, putting our faith and trust in Him and loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, then we are just a people of hopelessness and helplessness.  We can not be perfect as Christ is perfect while here on this earth, BUT we CAN strive to be that which God has called us to be.  Duane and I still had some anxieties about tomorrow (job and finances) but we knew and have definitely experienced that God is God-bigger than all-and He WILL see and sustain us today and throughout the rest of our lives.