Monthly Archives: October 2016

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People of Courage

Photo by Dylan Hunter on Unsplash

Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

Fear. It can steal our sleep, health, career satisfaction, family harmony, and make us stagnant. It can prevent us from savoring the life that God has gifted to us. “There’s no thief like fear,” sings Jason Gray, one of my favorite musicians. Did you know you don’t have to let fear control your life? I didn’t.

Growing up, and throughout nearly all of my life, fear was a constant companion. It was all I had ever known, and because it was such a part of me, I didn’t see it for what it was, or know that I could be free from it.

As far as I know, there wasn’t any traumatic experience that caused my fear. I wish it were that way for everyone that experiences it, but sadly, that is not the case. For me, what started as shyness ended up affecting every aspect of my life. 

After going through a painful divorce, I desperately clung to the Lord and tried to make sense of my life. I spent hour upon hour with Him, finding solace in His presence and written Word.

Gradually, the Lord started opening my eyes, through Scripture, sermons, and books, to the truth that many of my thoughts and decisions were rooted in fear. Now that I knew this, what to do about it?

Then one day, while sitting in church, the Lord showed me something:

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

God’s Word commands us countless times to not be fearful. So…if it’s a command, then that means we have a choice, right? We can either choose to be afraid or choose not to be. How had I never seen that before? Then and there, I made a decision that would change the rest of my life. I made the decision to not be afraid.

Daily, we are overwhelmed with messages meant to instill fear in us. Everywhere we turn, we’re being bombarded with these messages – on social media, TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines. The enemy of our souls uses fear to create discord in our homes, cities, and countries. But there is a better way.

The Bible is full of promises made by God. I refuse to be afraid and choose to speak those promises out loud instead.

“Your Word says that You will never leave me nor forsake me, so I will not be afraid.” Or “Your Word says that You are my refuge and my strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble, so I will not be afraid.” You get the picture.

The more I proclaim God’s Word aloud, the less often fear even tries to take over. I no longer live in fear, and you don’t have to, either. The Bible says that perfect love casts out fear. The more we spend time with God and meditate on His Word, the more He fills us with His love, and it weakens fear’s grip.

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

One of the main characters in the movie Courageous said, “Where are you men of courage?” But I also have to ask, where are you women of courage? Although the movie was about fathers accepting their God-given roles and responsibilities, women have vital roles to play as well.

Everything suffers and our priorities get jumbled up when we live in fear. The state of our spiritual lives can have negative effects on our health. It can have devastating consequences on our families. Other things in our lives unravel in the process.

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

It is never too late to break the fear cycle. You can do it today. The Lord is faithful. He came to heal the brokenhearted. He can bring good out of all of our past mistakes and transform ugliness into something beautiful.

My favorite words in the song Courageous are, “The only way we’ll ever stand is on our knees with lifted hands.” Amen. Come to Jesus, Yeshua, and let go of your fear. You will find forgiveness, renewal, strength, restoration, and peace. May He make us people of courage.

Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

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Kokabee and Hurricane Matthew

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

“But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer nor His lovingkindness from me.”  Psalm 66:19-20

One day, a few months ago, I was sitting at my desk when I suddenly felt overcome with exhaustion. Now, I’m no energizer bunny, but this was very unusual for me. I must have closed my eyes, because the next thing I knew, I dreamed of a good friend of mine, a woman with a missionary heart, standing before me. She said, “Kokabee, true love.” That was it. It jolted me awake, wondering who or what a kokabee was.

It didn’t take long to discover that Omid Kokabee is a physicist from Iran who is imprisoned for not cooperating with officials in a nuclear military program. He studied in the United States and Spain, and traveled home to Iran for a visit. Iranian officials took him into custody while attempting to return to the U.S.

Kokabee, true love. He was unwilling to use his knowledge to harm others. Instead, he was willing to give up his freedom, and give up his life if necessary, for people who may never know of, much less thank him for, his sacrifice. Sounds kind of like Jesus, Yeshua, doesn’t it?

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.” John 15:12-14

I don’t know if he’s a believer, but we have been praying for his salvation and his freedom. If reports are to be believed, I read today that he was scheduled to be released on parole last August.

This week, Hurricane Matthew arrived off the coast of Florida, where I live. Many people prayed this storm would not come ashore. My church alone had three prayer meetings, and I know other churches were praying up and down the coast and in other states as well.

The projected path within the cone wobbled back and forth on either side of Lake Okeechobee. I noticed that every time we had a prayer meeting, the blue cone would move to the east, but before long, it would drift back over to the west. It really seemed that it was a battle, all up and down the coast, like a great arm wrestling match.

I really believe that it was the prayers of the saints, and the Lord’s answer to those prayers, that kept the storm off land. Christians with shields raised in battle lined the coast.

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. Psalm 144:1-2

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Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Then I came across this verse, in a way that only the Lord could have arranged:

“Let them give glory to the Lord and declare His praise in the coastlands. The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies.” Isaiah 42:12-13

All glory, honor and praise to You, God, for delivering Your people! The Lord is good, and kind, and merciful, even when He doesn’t answer the way we hope for or expect.

It reminded me of Kokabee. They imprisoned him for refusing to use his knowledge to harm people, many of whom would never know or thank him for his sacrifice. How many people in Florida and on the coasts go about their business, unaware of the prayers of the saints and God’s response to those prayers?

We are called to stand in the gap, to be repairers of the breach. If we don’t do it, who will? We are here for such a time as this.

Let us not grow weak, let us not cease to pray for our country to turn to Him. Let us pray at all times, praying for those in authority, praying for racial unity, praying for unity within the church. Let us not grow weary in well doing. And above all, let us love well. They will know that we are His disciples when we have love for one another. Can we truly love if we’re not even willing to pray? May the love of God shine brightly in and through us as we serve one another in love.

For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make 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 world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of 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. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:10-20

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Where is the Abundant Life?

Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash

“You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”  Psalm 16:11

I grew up believing that God made me and loved me, and that Jesus died for my sins. That was all I knew about God. I didn’t talk to Him, and figured He was too busy running the world to talk to me.

One Christmas Eve, when I was 20, I learned someone I loved had deceived and betrayed me. It so devastated me that I didn’t want to live anymore, because it hurt too much. The pain was unbearable, and I didn’t know how I would endure it.

Not knowing if He was listening, I told God that I didn’t want to live anymore, but that I wouldn’t do anything to end my life. Then I said that if He wanted to do something with me, that was fine, but I didn’t want to go on and hoped He would just let me die.

About that time, my mother began visiting a Christian bookstore. Since I loved to read, she generously offered to buy me a book or two if I wanted to tag along. Taking her up on the offer, I began reading Christian novels and saw something within the pages that I had never imagined, much less seen in real life. The characters in the books talked to God and Jesus like they knew them…like they were actual flesh & bone people! I was stunned! Were there actually people that talked to them like that way, like they were good friends? And did their lives actually change as a result?

I was living alone in an apartment during that time. I had an old television that rarely worked and hadn’t turned on for months. To my surprise, a day or two before Easter, it turned on immediately when I tried. An Easter special filled the screen.

I watched in horror at the scene before me. The man portraying Jesus was lying on the ground upon rough beams of wood. Cruel soldiers were forcefully nailing his hands and feet to a cross. He cried out in pain, and I wished they would stop hurting this man. I knew little about the real Jesus, but I knew He didn’t deserve this.

It shook me when he looked straight at the camera, making it seem like Jesus was looking at me! The next thing I knew, I found myself face down on the floor, crying, knowing that the real Jesus had suffered tremendous pain and died on the cross for MY sins! He was there because of ME! Overwhelmed with sorrow at this discovery, I begged for His forgiveness for my wrongdoings against Him and others. I offered Him whatever was left of my life. That was many, many years ago, and I have not been the same since.

Fast forward to about five years ago. After accompanying my husband on a work assignment overseas, two of our children and I came back to the United States. I was in the middle of a divorce. Like before, I was devastated. For months, I read the Bible, cried, prayed, cried, questioned, cried, and then I came across this verse:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  John 10:7-10

I cried out to the Lord, “Where is the abundant life? Your Word says that You came to give us abundant life! This sure doesn’t look like abundant life to me!”

That was a turning point for me. My eyes were opened to many things that I hadn’t seen before. I realized I had put God in a box, and He didn’t fit! To better understand God’s Word, I studied verses in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, instead of relying on their traditional meanings. The more I read, the more I understood that these words, spoken by God through the Holy Spirit, contained promises for us. They were true, and I could believe them because God always keeps His promises. They could change my life.

Immersing myself in God’s Word changed my life. My pain, confusion, and fear vanished, and joy, peace, and love took their place as I immersed myself in God’s Word. The Lord is so good, so loving, and more at work in us and around us than I ever knew. He has given me abundant life, and the great news is that it’s not just for me, it’s for anyone who asks. Jesus, or Yeshua (His Hebrew name) came to give us LIFE!

During the weeks leading up to Christmas last year, I came across that verse in John daily. If I opened a book, it was there. If I went on Facebook, it was there. If I turned on the radio or television, it was there. Every single day. And every time I came across it, I thought about the abundant life that had been mine for the last few years. Real abundant life, living life to the full.

Then, about a week before Christmas, thieves broke into our home. Two of my children and I had been out to dinner with my sister and her family, who were visiting us all the way from Nigeria. Afterwards, we went to a hospital to celebrate the birth of a precious baby girl, born into a wonderful family who has been on the same spiritual journey I and my family have been on. How wonderful to have companionship on this journey!

Upon our return home, we discovered our home had been broken into. We lost jewelry, electronics, and even some of the Christmas presents that were wrapped under the tree. In the midst of it, though, I was not afraid. I didn’t feel violated, as many people do after a break-in. I wasn’t even angry. Disappointed, sure, for the gifts that I could not replace, and for the hearts and minds of the kids that broke into our home.

Looking back, I believe the Lord was not only warning me, but preparing me by reminding me of the abundant life that He has given me. Yes, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but we have something that he can never steal or take away from us. We have the promise of living forever with God, our creator and the lover of our souls, both here and when our time on earth is done, because Jesus, Yeshua, made it possible.

Are you experiencing abundant life? If not, do you want to? If so, ask Him for it. Jesus, Yeshua, came to give you life, and give it to you abundantly, and He promises that if you seek Him, you’ll find Him.

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:13