By Jemima
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”— 2 Corinthians 4:17 NKJV I would like to share with you a lesson that I am learning in my walk with the Lord. I was recently faced with another episode of vertigo, an affliction that I have experienced a few times this last year. It comes with strong dizziness, feeling nauseous, and very weak. The Lord has been merciful to heal me each time, and I would like to thank you for your prayers, love, and support. It is a battle each time I have symptoms of vertigo. When I was facing the last bout of this affliction, I got hit with discouragement and feeling sorry for myself that this was happening to me again, and so soon after the previous time. I was upset and sad. My husband prayed for me to be strong and to stay positive during this time. I sent out some prayer requests to family and friends, and it is a blessing to know that we are there for each other when it is needed. Here’s a little message I received from Jesus.
As I was reflecting on this picture of stepping stones, I was taken back to a memory from my early childhood. I grew up in Finland in a picturesque village surrounded by forest and lakes, bordering a small town in Sweden. We lived in a small red house that had a big yard with a few apple trees in the front, and a big potato patch in the back. The property had its own water well with a bucket that was lowered with a chain to get the water. I was about 4 or 5 years old when we moved to this village. My father loved gardening. He had planted beautiful flowers along a path of stepping stones, which led to a sitting area with white wooden furniture, where we would sit to enjoy beautiful summer afternoons and evenings. I remember jumping or taking big steps to get from one to the next large, flat stepping stone. It was like a game to me, which I enjoyed very much. This memory of the stepping stones was a happy and joyful time and is now like a treasure to my heart. The Lord was showing me that the stepping stones of afflictions and difficulties in my life have worked together to bring joy and blessing into my life. The joy of a closer walk with Him, the joy of holding on to His words and promises, the joy of closeness to my family, the joy of serving Jesus and winning the lost. The blessing of asking for prayer and coming closer to my brothers and sisters, the blessing of humility and being broken, the blessing of a broken heart for others in pain. I wanted to share this with you as I am learning to have a different attitude about afflictions and difficulties in my life. It is maybe a simple lesson that I should have learned a long time ago, but at this time in my life it seemed so much clearer to me. God loves us so much, and I am very thankful for His patience, kindness, mercy, and healing touch.
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“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’”
There may be moments in our life when we feel like we are seemingly forgotten in this world, but we can find comfort in knowing that we have a God who sees us. This is true of the Old Testament story of Hagar, a woman displaced from her home country to work as a maidservant. In her distress, she ran away from the household of Abraham and Sarah, where her body was used as a surrogate to produce an offspring for them. When Hagar felt like there was nothing good left in this world for her, Scripture tells us that an angel of the Lord found her near a spring in the desert and comforted her. The angel told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her. … I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” God sees our secret world and understands that we all have a fundamental need to be seen and acknowledged. Like Hagar, when we see through the eyes of faith, we will meet with a God who sees us every second of every day. God watches over what He created, and for us to know that we are under the loving gaze of our heavenly Father can truly change our perspective. We all need a gentle reminder that God does see us. This is why the well where Hagar had an encounter with the angel between Kadesh and Bered is called “Beer Lahai Roi,” which means, “well of the Living One who sees me.” Whatever name we would choose to give God divulges as much about our need as it would about the character of God. It is through our need that we experience God in our deepest way. This is what Hagar discovered in the desert: God sees me. He knows my name. He knows who I am. Hagar has now met with an intimate and personal God who has compassion on her. Even in the darkest night of our soul, we are not alone in the troubles that we face. Like Hagar, we can find comfort and rest because we have a God who sees us.—Brett McBride By Steve
In recent years I have been studying the Bible more thoroughly and also learning from personal experience about the authority given to us by Christ in the spiritual realm. It’s plain from the accounts of Jesus’ time on this earth that He exercised divine authority over evil spirits and taught His disciples to do the same. I, too, have been making steps in this direction in response to different opportunities provided through circumstances I found myself in. I pray the testimonies below will encourage your faith. The more aware we are of our authority in Christ, and the more we exercise it, the less power fear can have over us. For me, the smell of incense tends to make me extremely uncomfortable and even fearful. This is not the case for everyone; but it’s been this way for me ever since I lived in India, where incense is burned a lot and there are many dark spirits. But the last few times I’ve been faced with this smell, I’ve taken authority in Christ over it, declaring that it has no evil power over me because Jesus lives in me and I belong to Him. The smell didn’t always disappear, but the dark vibes I felt were gone immediately, and God’s peace filled my heart again. Even for those of us who know Jesus, it’s possible for us to encounter negative spirits in day-to-day life, and through fear, open a door for them to oppress us. A lady who attends my online Bible study meetings and who is growing spiritually recently called me after she’d gone traveling with her family to another city, where they stayed in an Airbnb. Every night they spent in this house they’d rented, they all heard strange sounds, like doors opening and closing, and some of them even said they saw the forms of people standing in certain areas of the house. These forms did not speak, and they only manifested at night. At one point during the trip, they spoke with the folks from whom they’d rented the place, telling them what they were seeing and hearing; and the owners confirmed that the house was haunted. The previous renters had also reported the same experiences. The owners hadn’t said anything about this, as they really wanted their Airbnb to be rented. At the time of this conversation with my friend, she and her family had been back home for two nights, but they were still seeing and hearing the same things, and they were very freaked out. She asked me what I thought she should do. Sensing that this question was coming, I’d been silently praying in tongues, knowing this would help sharpen my spiritual discernment. I asked her if she was alone at home, and she said she was. She also told me that the strange sights and sounds were occurring in the hallway upstairs, and that whenever she passed by there, she felt very fearful. Surrendering myself to the Holy Spirit, I told her to go there, and since she was talking to me via Zoom on her phone, I asked her to stretch her hands out over the entire hallway, while I led a prayer to cast out this troublesome spirit. She agreed, and we did this. I was open to receiving a revelation about the identity of the bad spirit so I could cast it out by name, but none came. I took authority over it anyway, letting it know that whatever or whoever it was, it had no business being in my friend’s house, and it had to go, in Jesus’ name. I then prayed for my friend and her family, casting out all fear from their midst, and inviting the peace of God to replace it. When the prayer was finished, my friend said that the fear she’d felt when she got to the hallway was now gone, and it had been replaced by a tangible peace. When I contacted her the next day, she said she’d slept well, as had everyone in the house, without experiencing any troublesome manifestations whatsoever. I have since been teaching my Bible students to fight fear with the Word of God, as fear opens so many doors for the enemy to enter. I’ve also taught them about the importance of praying over their lodgings from the very beginning when traveling, in order to get rid of influences and spirits that are not of God, and to ask the Lord to fill their surroundings with His Spirit. After this, I told my friend that should she ever encounter the manifestation of a troublesome spirit again, she can take authority in Christ and cast it out on her own, since Christ lives just as much in her as in me. Of course, I’m happy to help people fight these kinds of battles when the opportunity comes. It serves as good practice for me in walking in the authority of the Lord. But I also like to teach others not to depend only on me to fight for them, especially if they, too, have Jesus living in them. This experience also taught me that while sometimes the Lord may reveal to us the identity of the spirit or spirits we are up against, this is not an absolute must in order for us to exercise our God-given authority and reap results. The spirits know who we are, because of the one who lives in us, just as they knew that Jesus was “the Holy One of God.” (See Mark 1:24.) Therefore, when we exercise authority in Christ over evil spirits, they obey us. Above all, we have absolutely nothing to fear, because greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. (See 1 John 4:4.) A friend of mine sent me this she put my thoughts in to words. I hope it is as much a blessing to you as it was to me.
I think we’ve all heard about the “Great Reset”, when global powers plan to pretty much take over things & make a new world economy & control many aspects of life. That really made me pause to think, “If that were true, what would the world be like for me?” and “Is there a way for me to get ready for that?” Then I remembered a verse, 1Pet. 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God”—That’s a spiritual reset. Well, it’s not “judgment” in the sense of being punished. But a better word would be “prepared”, “instructed in advance” or “forewarned” or a “spiritual house cleaning”, “training”. God will always help His children get “prepared” or “get cleaned up & ready” in advance of big changes so they can navigate through shaky times & turbulence. The Lord gives us a “head’s up” to get in position. Why? It’s not just so Christians can be safe & sail through the storm without getting their feathers ruffled—but it’s so they can warn, help, comfort, feed & lead those around them to the Lord when chaos comes. We go through it first so we have the knowledge, experience & wisdom to guide others. So, if you’ve been feeling “unsettled” & “tested” recently, maybe that’s why. People don’t usually come to the Lord when all is well, but when they start feeling the “heat”. And the heat is coming. So, what is this preparation ahead of the big changes? One great historical “reset” was when the Children of Israel left Egypt. That was huge! So, we might be headed for something like that again. Not just on a country level, but a global scale. Some of the changes the Children of Israel had to make in their lives were:
We are now 2.5 billion Christians in the world. Over one-quarter of the earth is Christian. There are more Christians than the whole population of China. Just imagine the difference we could make & the thousands we could win to the Lord if & when a worldwide reset hits & we are able to win & comfort people en masse—a HUGE harvest! Another reset that was averted was when Queen Esther saved her people. However, the greatest common factor in every “reset” in Bible history was the people had to seek the Lord anew, set their hearts on Him & commit to His direction by surrendering to His will. John the Baptist was the “reset button” for his time fore-warning the people that Jesus was coming & things were about to change, & to get their hearts prepared & right for the Lord to come. Jesus brought a spiritual reset—Salvation—for those then & since. And another “reset” when the disciples, after His resurrection, left Jerusalem and they all hit the road into ALL the world. The 12 disciples got a reset when Jesus sent them out 2 by 2 into every village where He Himself would go telling them not to take anything but the clothes they were wearing: No bag, no purse, no suitcase, no food, not even 2 sets of clothes…. I bet that got them desperate. And they came back with testimonies: They cast out devils, had authority over spirits, healed the sick & did many miracles. The greater the reset the more power the Lord will equip us with, the greater the provision & protection, the more miracles, the more faith. We all know a worldwide “reset” is coming. And to be honest, it’s not a comfortable feeling. You don’t have to be a prophet or a psychic to see we’re headed for a show down. You see it in the news every day—more “endtime” signs, more advances in technology, & even the spirit bears witness in our hearts that “a big change is a comin.” Here’s a prayer we can pray to share our heart-cry with the Lord on getting ready & understanding the reset to come:
Psa.10:17 LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble: You will prepare their heart. Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets. “She hath done what she could.” (Mark 14:8.)
Jesus spoke these words in defense of Mary, who had anointed him with the oil of nard. He had spent the day in Jerusalem in the heat of political discussion but would not entrust his safety to the great metropolis at night. He withdrew from the city to Bethany, where he could spend the evening in peaceful conversation. The incident to which the text refers took place in the house of Simon, probably the man whom Jesus had healed of the leprosy. There were also present Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead; Martha, the busy, bustling housekeeper; and Mary, who loved to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear his words; and those whom Jesus had called to be apostles. Jesus was reclining at the table and Mary came in quietly, opened the flask, and poured the ointment on his head, and the odor filled all the house in which the little company had gathered. Judas criticized her, saying, “Why was this waste of ointment? It might have been sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why trouble ye her? She has wrought a good work upon me. The poor ye have with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good. She hath done what she could. She has come aforehand to anoint my body unto the burial.” (Mark 14:3–8; John 12:3–8.) This was a timely act of Mary’s: She came aforehand to anoint his body. She did not wait until after his death. It is customary to strew flowers upon the coffin of the dead. How much better to give expression to our love and to manifest it by words and deeds of kindness before the cold hand of death removes the objects of affection to where it is impossible for them to appreciate gratitude and love! It was a generous act: The oil was of great value. … It was a public act: She was not ashamed to confess Christ publicly. The act was not done in a corner, but before her friends and the apostles of Jesus. She cared not who saw her. She loved the Lord and was outspoken in her expression of that love. Happy the Christian who is not ashamed to confess Jesus before men! Such he will confess before his Father in heaven. It was an act of love: There must have been many mingled feelings that prompted this beautiful offering. Gratitude for the raising of Lazarus; adoration of the character of Jesus; recognition of him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life; the worship of him as the Lord of Life and Death. But the foremost motive must have been an expression of her love and desire to honor One about to die. Every Christian who thus loves Jesus and has a passion to serve him can find no gift that will fully express his deep sense of worship and love. The official, carping Judas viewed everything in a financial light. Many people of today are like him—always ready to criticize and say, “Why this waste; a useless expenditure of money—no good will come of it.” To withhold the best in the service of our Master is waste. Whoever serves should serve to the highest capacity; whoever gives should give to the largest liberality. When the call of duty comes, there should be a ready and willing response regardless of what people may say. The world’s greatest heroes have been sharply criticized. Engage with all your heart in the work of saving souls; break your alabaster box of ointment in honor of Jesus, and if people criticize you, remember the example of Mary; remember the commendation of Jesus; remember that the Lord said, “Blessed are ye when men shall say all manner of evil against you.” Some disciples ask to be excused from active service in the Master’s vineyard because they can do so little. Their plea is, “My station restricts me. My weakness disables me. My obscurity embarrasses me. My timidity unnerves me, and my talents are so limited. If I could convert the Scribes and Pharisees; if I could turn a city to the Lord; if I could plant a church, endow a college, support an orphanage, then it would be worthwhile and I would engage in the service with a commendable zeal and enthusiasm.” But we learn from this scripture that there is no station in life, however obscure, no condition, however humble, but something may be done for the Lord. Mary was not to be judged by any showy enterprise, by public charities or literary fame, or by any performance that might be marked out for its pre-eminence; but on the ground that she had done what she could. One penny’s worth, if it is the limit of self-denial, is as good as ten thousand pounds. Jesus recognized it as such in what he said of the two mites the widow cast into the treasury, which was more than they which gave of all their abundance, because she gave all that she had; and yet of another woman, poorer and frailer still, who gave only tears and caresses for his feet. Jesus recognized the disposition and ability of the giver. He made no distinction as to weights and measures, tables of value, public achievement and standards of honor as acknowledged by men. Christ is the judge. His declaration is, “Not everyone that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but he that doeth the will of my Father in heaven.” Mary could not write like the beloved Apostle John. She could not tear down the strongholds of Satan, like the Apostle Peter; she could not plant churches, like Paul; but in her humble station, she did her best, and that is what shut-in invalids, poverty-stricken and humble men and women may do the world over.Mary did her best. Everyone can do this. God is present in small opportunities and activities, as well as where power is great, talents many, and opportunities unlimited. Mary gave no consideration to how her act would affect her social position, but followed the example of Christ, whose glory blazed through every social barrier and who made in him one new man, insomuch that he recognized neither rich nor poor, high nor low. He is no respecter of persons. “He that doeth the will of my Father is my brother”; the sinner is my friend; the publican is my patient; the lost one found is of my sheepfold; and he that was dead is my son.” We should imitate the example of Mary as she imitated the example of Jesus. We must manifest a deeper interest in the less favored in the Kingdom of heaven. We must seek the honor and happiness of all. We must plan and invent methods to make the discouraged man and woman and child recognize that Christ is working amongst them. We must make all artificial and man-made classifications disappear. We must make the Lord the center of a heavenly circle, whose circumference surrounds all those who do his will. To all who have been sitting at the feet of Jesus and drinking in his spirit, have you broken the alabaster box of the best of your life on his head, for the salvation of souls and the glory of your God? Have you been taxing your resources and ransacking your coffers, as did Mary, that you might bring the highest and best offering to the Master? If you have not been able to do great things, have you been doing the little acts of kindness, and performing the little deeds of devotion for your Master? God promises to help us to do more as soon as we are willing to do something. -- John Lincoln Brandt (1860–1946) Bible Story – Jonah’s Lesson on Trust
I love quirky news stories, especially the ones that can be a springboard to dive deep into spiritual realities and are good conversation starters. They kind of jolt you out of your complacency and make you realize that life is full of surprises. It’s easy just to rock along as one day blurs into the next, but sometimes there is an interruption in our way—a deer runs in front of our car and totals it; we find out our wife is going to have triplets, and on the day of her delivery one more pops out, making it quadruplets; we discover a lost diamond ring with a carrot growing through it when digging up veggies in our garden 13 years after it was lost; we get hit by lightning for the seventh time; or a whale swallows us for 40 seconds, as happened to Michael Packard when he was diving in deep waters off of Cape Cod in search of lobsters. “All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove and the next thing I knew it was completely black,” he relates. Confused at first, he then realized he was in a humpback whale’s mouth and that it was trying to swallow him. “I thought to myself, ‘there’s no way I’m getting out of here. I’m done, I’m dead.’ All I could think of was my boys—they’re 12 and 15 years old.” Then the whale surfaced, shook its head, and spat the ill-tasting morsel out into the ocean, where Michael was rescued by his first mate, who was looking for him in their boat. It is times like these that make us realize what is really important in life, as it did to the prophet Jonah—a story I found out that many people I have talked to don’t know. Our flawed hero, Jonah, was commanded by God to go to Nineveh, the flourishing capital city of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. It was the largest city in the world for 50 years. His purpose was to warn them to repent of their wicked deeds, of which Nineveh had plenty—too many to enumerate here, but suffice it to say they were grotesquely cruel to their enemies in an attempt to strike fear in the hearts of anyone who would defy them. Well, instead of obeying the Lord and going to Nineveh, he ships off to Spain, which was in the opposite direction. As always, God’s plan would not be frustrated, and so He has a hurricane-force gale blow to rattle the cages of everyone on board. After doing all they could to escape certain calamity, the crew tossed Jonah overboard to appease the wrath of God. It seemed to work, because the ocean became calm. Jonah is swallowed by a giant fish, just like Michael in the story above. He is three days and nights in the whale and cries out desperately to the Lord, pleading for deliverance from a watery grave. The Lord answers his prayers and has the whale spit him out… Guess what happened next! That’s right—he went where God wanted him—Nineveh. Jonah goes to Nineveh and preaches to them “Forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” A short sermon indeed! It is interesting to note that in one translation of this verse, the word "overturned" is used instead of overthrown, which can also mean completely transformed, which is what happens. But is Jonah happy when the whole city repents in sackcloth and ashes, asking for forgiveness? No! When the day of destruction comes and goes without fire falling from heaven, he goes off to sulk, waiting to see what will happen next. It is blooming hot, hot, hot out there, and he is frying his brains when God shows up again and has a gourd plant grow up to give him some shade over his lean-to shelter. All this time Jonah is yelling at God and complaining that the Ninevites didn’t get their just deserts. God isn’t finished, though, and He sends a worm to eat the leafy gourd plant, which shrivels up and dies. Then to put the icing on the cake, He has a vehement east wind come blowing and heating up Jonah some more until he is ready to die to escape baking in this outdoor oven. God ends the story by saying, “You had pity on the gourd plant, and shouldn’t I spare the people of Nineveh who don’t know their right hand from their left and also many cattle?” Curtain! More than just a story about a disobedient prophet, who even when he does the right things gets a lot wrong, this is a story about God working. He is the God of Jonah, but also the God of the ship’s crew, the God of the whale, the God of the Ninevites, the God of the gourd plant, the God of the worm, and the God of the east wind. Where is God not in this story? He’s on every page of our life’s story as well, if we will open our eyes, read, and take to heart what He has written for us. And the next time you are the main character of a quirky occurrence, remember who is writing your script and trust Him for the outcome. He is more often in the interruptions of our lives than in the plans that we have made. They are kind, furry companions that bring joy to a great number of people, and as such, they have earned their place in creation’s hall of fame. But there’s a downside, too. They produce waste matter. Forgive me for mentioning such an undesirable substance, but like all of God’s creatures, they too need to get rid of stuff they don’t need. And since dogs can’t go to lavatories, they have only one option… they take it to the streets.
I hate it, and so do a lot of other people. But there’s a solution. A smart person invented poopy bags. A great invention that surely must have made him a millionaire, and now they can be used by dog owners to make the world a better place. And since we have a dog, we joined in on the fun. We always carry a roll of bags when we walk the dog, but it does not always bring the desired result. One time we found ourselves outside the perimeter of the local tennis club. It’s not quite as fancy as Wimbledon, but it’s still a place where our dog loves to go. She hopes to find a ball there that a future Roger Federer has managed to send sailing over the huge fence. There are always stray balls that have landed on the grassy edge outside the fence. But that day, our dog deposited something of her own. No problem. We had a poopy bag. My wife sprang into action, and while doggy looked on, she clawed into the grass, her hand covered with the bag, to clean up the mess. But not everyone was pleased. There came the caretaker of the tennis club running out, wildly waving his fists in the air. “Dirty! That’s dirty! How dare you mess up the tennis court!” My breath stopped. “But, Sir… This is outside the tennis court. What’s more, we are cleaning it up.” To prove my point, my wife held the red bag out to him, but it had the opposite effect of calming him down. It served more as the proverbial red flag they use in Spain in the bull fights. “Dirty! Dirty! It dirties up the tennis balls that fly over the fence.” Those were some of the least offensive things that came rumbling out of his mouth. I counted to ten, I prayed, and counted some more, but my fists were clenched. Finally, I said, “Sir, we cleaned it up, and if you get that excited you might have a heart attack.” “Yes!” he shouted. “And that will be on your account!” I shrugged my shoulders and walked off, feeling quite righteous as I had managed to not let anything non-Christian roll out of my mouth. But as I congratulated myself on having made such progress in not having answered a fool according to his foolishness, the Lord cast a shadow over my feelings of self-accomplishment. He said, “That man is hurting.” “Really?” I argued back. “He’s a fool, that’s what he is.” “You are a fool, too,” the Lord spoke. “Here was someone hurting, and you did nothing to bring even the least bit of healing. I know that man, and he’s hurting.” I tried to push the thought aside. “I am busy for You, Lord. I can’t think of such things right now.” But the Lord is not one to be pushed aside very easily. The thought wouldn’t leave me. At last I prayed about it, and a strange thought came up. What if I’d buy the man something nice? I had done nothing really wrong, but here was a chance to take a step forward, to overcome my pride, and to bring healing instead of hurt. So, I bought him a pie, a nice one, and then I went to give it to him. When he saw me coming, his face darkened and I could see him jump back into the trenches. “This is for you,” I said, facing his anger, and I showed him the pie. “We should not fight. There’s enough evil in the world already.” He blinked his eyes and began to stutter, “B-but... your dog!” “Never mind my dog,” I answered. “I’ll keep him away from the tennis court. I don’t want you to be my enemy. I want you to be my friend.” Tears stung his eyes as he took the pie, and all his anger just flushed out as he said, “M-my name is Herman. What’s yours?” We shook hands and that was it. His smile was beautiful. I never thought that that man could look heavenly, but he did. I still see him occasionally in town. He waves his greeting and cries out as if I were his long-lost brother from a distant country. “Hey, Koos! So glad to see you.” Can anything good come out of dog waste? It is possible. God can use even the most mundane things in this world to bring about joy and happiness if we are willing to be used by Him. -- Koos Stenger My granny told me throughout my adolescent years, “Be like Daniel.” As we ended our phone conversations, as I hurried off to school, before my Saturday track meets, as I walked out the door with my date, her words were an ever-present reminder. She had a way of taking the most profound thoughts and condensing them into the simplest of phrases. While I understood some of what she meant at the time, it’s taken the last few years to come to fully value the depth of her wisdom.
The America I have known my entire life is no more. Driven by politics over relationships, we find the great tapestry of our nation hanging on by a few worn-out threads. I am finding myself enraged by the actions of both sides. I am worried about what the future holds for my children. I am disheartened by all the noise. And I am broken over the divide we all find ourselves in. This afternoon I wept as I watched the news. Is this really what America has become? Are we really allowing our country to be torn to shreds from sensational news coverage, social media posts, and a virus that has affected all of us in some way? Have we really allowed our nation to implode from within? The core of who we are—the UNITED States of America—utterly divided? Tears ran down my face as I rocked my newborn son. How do I raise him and his sisters in such a tumultuous climate? What will life look like for them going forward? As I continued to rock, my sweet granny’s southern tone filled my ears: “Be like Daniel.” So I turned to Daniel 6. Daniel had just learned that his worship would sentence him to death in the lion’s den. While many know this portion of Scripture from the Sunday school lessons, Daniel is saved from the lions. It is his response to the decree that warrants such a profound statement to serve as a reminder to us all. When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. — Daniel 6:10 “As he had done previously.” Daniel was guaranteed the consequences of going about life the same, yet he didn’t waver in his commitment to worship. He didn’t mourn the loss of his right to pray; he prayed as he had previously done. He didn’t deny the punishment that was to come; he fixed his eyes on Jerusalem as he had previously done, remembering his identity as God’s chosen people. He didn’t fear death; he worshipped as he had previously done.
Friends, I don’t know where you find yourselves tonight. There’s a good chance that, while we may all align differently on the political spectrum, we all find ourselves grieved by what is taking place. Collectively, we mourn the state of our nation. I don’t know where you stand with Jesus Christ. I don’t know what you believe and hold to. But I can tell you—my response going forward will be to do as I have previously done. To raise my children to know and honor God, as warriors for His Truth, as soldiers of compassion and love for all made in His image, and as seekers of righteousness in a fallen world. To walk with my husband, hand-in-hand, proclaiming the gospel in our words and deeds, creating a home that is a sanctuary of praise for our Father and a refuge of hope for those in need. To go about my days reading His Word, being refined by His Truth, transformed by His holiness, forever reminded that He holds our days in His hands. I do not know what tomorrow holds. I do not know what life looks like ten years from now. I do not know how our nation will even go forward from here. But I can be like Daniel. Amid the dark news of today, I can respond by doing as I have always done—surrendered to the will of the Father, worshipping Him no matter what looms ahead. And in so doing, I can raise yet another generation to respond the same. The God who shut the mouths of lions for Daniel holds the future in His hands. We need not fear. We simply must respond and do as we have previously done. (We need to be like Daniel and put God first in everything we do and say.) -- By Arianna Freelen My wife and I went bike riding and took a moment to rest on a bench next to a young Middle Eastern man. She asked him what his roots were. She knows a little Arabic, so she asked him what his name was and made a bit of small talk with him.
He told her that he was from Damascus, Syria, and his name was Mohammad, which he said somewhat adamantly. She said in Arabic, “It is nice to meet you. I am Pauline.” Surprisingly, he asked her if she knew the meaning of her name. She had to smile, because that’s a question she usually asks people to get a conversation going. She explained to him that her name Pauline is the female form of Paul and it actually means the “small or humble one.” She told him, “Paul was on his way from Jerusalem to the city of Damascus with his entourage when a bright light blinded him, which caused him to fall off his horse. Paul asked the voice, ‘Who are you?’ The voice answered, ‘I am Jesus who you are persecuting.’ “But later he got healed and he stopped persecuting Christians and started telling people about Jesus. In Syria at that time, near the city of Damascus, there were many Christians who were persecuted for their faith.” He said, “I know this story, because I saw a movie of it.” As we left, I thought that the Lord must really love this man because he had seen this movie and we had had this conversation. Telling stories from the Bible can start from a casual remark or even just a name. Many people don’t know these Bible stories well, so if you tell the story in a lively and accurate way, it can have a big impact on them. As you help them discover how the story applies to their own lives and situations, it will help bring it to life for them. Everyone loves a good story, no matter their culture or background, and will remember it for a long time to come. Also, I would just like to add that giving people tracts with the full salvation message in their language at the end of these types of conversations gives them the opportunity to take the next step to come to know Jesus personally. — By Peter van Gorder One snowy day, I took a bike ride to a riverbank to take some photos of some amazing old trees that looked quite beautiful in the snow. I only had a short time, so Pauline told me she would come a few minutes later and we would meet up.
On the way there, she took a wrong turn, so she asked a man who was passing by for directions on how to get to those particular trees. She got back on her bike and, following his directions, was there quicker than she expected. By the time she got there, however, I had already returned home as I had an appointment to go to. She saw the same man walking by and waved to him, shouting “Ahoy!” which is a Dutch greeting. They struck up a conversation about lighting and artistic photography, and the conversation led to him talking about his garden and how he takes care of his animals. He said, “I usually come by here every day, sometimes twice a day if I can make it, and I see these trees on my way.” Pauline said, “These trees have a story to tell, and my husband wanted to try to capture that.” The man tried to put that story into words, “I think nature has healing power and speaks to us. We need to take care of nature. I respect people who appreciate its value—not everyone does.” Pauline saw an opening, “I feel the same way. I know the Creator made nature.” As we live in the eastern part of Germany that has a communist and atheist background, he voiced his views, “I don’t quite agree with you on that, but nature speaks for itself and is wonderful. People like your husband get inspired by nature, because who would come out of their warm houses and take pictures of trees?” Pauline said, “I believe that God loves us so much that He created us and nature. We have been in many different countries where we saw many beautiful nature spots, which have inspired my husband to take photos wherever he goes. God the Creator is the spirit of love and He loves us so much that He gave us His Son as well as nature to enjoy.” Then she told him about John 3:16. He asked, “If He loves us so much, why does He allow so much suffering and for us to suffer so. There is so much evil in the world today!” Pauline said, “Yes, but there is hope, because He gave us His Son to save us.” The man replied, “Why does He allow people to be so bad? I have read so much about the evil that man has done. I have devoured many books and have heard it all.” Pauline said, “Nonetheless, there is hope. God won’t let it go on forever. He will make everything right eventually, but right now He gives everyone a choice whether to do good or evil.” There was a lot more back and forth and exchanging views, but as he left, he said, “Nonetheless, there is hope!” So even getting lost can be an opportunity to strike up a conversation and share your faith. Perhaps the person you talk to will remember one phrase in particular that will reverberate with them for a long time afterwards. — By Peter van Gorder |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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