The Secret to Receiving more Oil!

Was reading in 2 Kings chapter 4 this morning. I just LOVE all the stories of Elisha and the miracles that he worked. In fact, Elijah and Elisha are two of my favorite Bible characters.

Today what really stood out to me was the miracle of the widow's oil. This dear woman, a widow, was about to lose her two sons to slavery because they were in debt. Elisha first asked her, "What do you have in your house?" Her reply, "I don't have anything in my house except a pot of oil!" So he told her, gather all the oil pots you can from your neighbors and all around the village, and then close your door and fill them from what you have. After she had done this, she miraculously was able to fill all those borrowed pots with oil. Her excited response was to run back to the prophet. "Now what? What do I do?" and he told her, "Go sell the oil, pay the debt, and live on the rest."

There are two key principles we can learn from this story.

1. First God expects us to use what we have. If we use what we have, He will give us more!
2. This women received as much oil as her faith allowed. I imagine that if she had realized what was really going to happen, she would have gone even farther looking for MORE containers with which to fill with oil. However, what she did find, God filled…and then the oil stopped!

These are profound lessons that God wants us to take to heart today. Of course, in Scripture, we know that oil represents the Holy Spirit. 

Listen to what the Desire of Ages says about the Holy Spirit:

"Christ has promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to His church, and the promise belongs to us as much as to the first disciples...Only to those who wait humbly upon God, who watch for His guidance and grace, is the Spirit given. The power of God awaits their demand and reception. This promised blessing, claimed by faith, brings all other blessings in its train. It is given according to the riches of the grace of Christ, and He is ready to supply every soul according to the capacity to receive." Desire of Ages, p. 672.

Review:

• Bible Thought: Use what you have…and act in faith with what you do, and God will give you more!
• Blessing: Thankful for waking up fresh, forgiven and forgiving… God is good!
• Battles: That I not try to "be the Holy Spirit" to those that I love, but that I allow God to do His job, and I stick with mine. :-)  

Will to be willing...

Have you ever been at that point where you know what you should do, but you just don't want to do it? Believe it or not, I still struggle with these attitudes sometimes. "Lord have mercy!"

My mom use to tell me, "Well, even if you don't want to do what is right, just ask that God would make you willing!" And so I would. Sometimes though, I have had to ask that He would make me "willing to be willing to be made willing…" You get the picture? Kinda funny, and yet God will work with whatever we give Him, if we will just give it to Him.

So today I'm thankful for the promise:

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." Phil. 2:13

"Strength of character consists of two things-power of will and power of self-control. Many youth mistake strong, uncontrolled passion for strength of character, but the truth is that he who is mastered by his passions is a weak man. The real greatness and nobility of the man is measured by the power of the feelings that he subdues, not by the power of the feelings that subdue him. The strongest man is he who, while sensitive to abuse, will yet restrain passion and forgive his enemies. Such men are true heroes." Testimonies, Vol 4, p. 656

"Lord help me to be willing to be made willing…to be who you've called me to be!"

Review:

• Bible Thought: It starts with the prayer to be made willing…
• Blessing: So thankful for the new perspective God has given me on life and the shortness of time this past week!
• Battles: To die daily! To die to self!

How to Revive Persecution!

The Bible tells us that, "All that live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution!"

I've had a few inconveniences in my life as a Christian, and some of my friends have quietly disowned me and walk another way (which I'm sure is due to my testimony and faith)… yet I really don't feel like I've had to endure REAL persecution…I mean, not really! Especially not when I read stories about Richard Wurmbrand and others who so seriously lived out their life during the Communist regime in Romania. I know that there are still many suffering persecution in the world today. (Don't forget Pastor Saeed still suffering torture TODAY in Iran because of his faith.) And at the recent "Voice of the Martyr" conference, I was shocked to realize that more people have been martyred for their faith in the past century than in all previous centuries combined. Yet, still… I don't really feel this suffering and pain. Most of us don't! Why is this? 

Here's what my favorite 19th century writer has to say on the topic:

"Why is it that persecution seems in a great degree to slumber? The only reason is that the church has conformed to the world’s standard and therefore awakens no opposition. The religion which is current in our day is not of the pure and holy character that marked the Christian faith in the days of Christ and His apostles. It is only because of the spirit of compromise with sin, because the great truths of the word of God are so indifferently regarded, because there is so little vital godliness in the church, that Christianity is apparently so popular with the world. Let there be a revival of the faith and power of the early church, and the spirit of persecution will be revived, and the fires of persecution will be rekindled." – Great Controversy, p. 48

So how can we bring this persecution back (not that I'm really longing for it)…  Let there be a revival of the faith and power of the early church, and the spirit of persecution will be revived, and the fires of persecution will be rekindled! I don't really want the persecution (who does?), but I do want a REVIVAL of the faith and power of the early church! And if this means persecution, so be it. Just as God is walking Pastor Saeed through torture today, I know He will help me through whatever trial that comes because of my faith. For He promises, "According to our days, so shall our strength be." (Duet. 33:25)

Review:

• Bible Thought: How to revive persecution… learn to live godly in Christ Jesus.
• Blessing: I've been praying for Pastor Saeed that God would give Him a spirit of PRAISE!!! And also that He would feel the supernatural presence of God, even in prison. I have no way of touching him, but I've been praying that my prayers would. Well the letter I just read today, that he wrote on my birthday testifies to ME that God has heard my prayers for him. Reading his letter almost brought tears to my eyes. I know that many people are praying, but God can use even one insignificant person (like myself) to touch the life of someone on the other side of the world. Prayer is powerful!!!!! So let's keep praying!!!!
• Battles: Praying that I would learn to live godly in Christ Jesus, no matter how unpopular this becomes in the future!

The Fragrance of Forgiveness...

Have you ever heard someone say, "I can love him because I'm a Christian, but I don't like him!" Unfortunately, I've found myself with that attitude at times. In general, I don't tend to hold grudges against people. Most things slide off my back like water. However, I've recently realized that there is still much "self" that needs to be purged from my heart. And God still has some purifying in this area that is needed. I need to not only "love" but learn to "like with love" as well. I must learn to forgive, and not just forgive, but forgive with fragrance!

This past weekend, I attended the "Voice of the Martyrs" conference. Although I've loosely followed their work for years, this was my first conference to attend. The speakers and program was phenomenal, and I have been left thinking hard... 

One shared how he, a missionary with his family in the  country of Columbia, has been kidnapped 5 times by the Guerilla's. How one time he was tied to a tree for 5 months, and he determined that since he probably was about to die, he would preach the gospel with all his heart to his captors. As a result, some of the key Guerilla leaders were converted and now assist him with sharing the gospel with more Guerilla troops today. The stories went on and on. Another woman and her husband were kidnapped and held hostage for over a year in the Philippines by the Jihad. You may have heard the story of Gracia Burnham, and her book "In the Presence of Mine Enemies." Finally after a year of hiking through the jungle, and living through over 16 gun battles, she was rescued. However, sadly, her husband died in the last battle and did not make it out alive. Yet today she radiates love and forgiveness and shares how God has enabled her to love those men, and now she has seen some of her captors come to Christ. (This happened in 2001-2002) In fact, right now, she's in the process of helping sponsor the children of one of them, to go to school and get a decent education, so that the cycle of violence will not be repeated in their own lives. Only God can give a love and forgiveness like this!

I pray to have this type of love and forgiveness for those that do me wrong. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." This was Jesus prayer. May it be ours as well!

"Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heal that crushed it." 

"Lord, May this be the fragrance of my life today! May I not just forgive, but forgive and act in love, even if I don't condone the sin. Show me Lord what it means to heap coals of loving fire upon their head!"

Review: 

• Bible thought: Forgiveness means acting in love…not just stating love!
• Blessing: Someone must have been praying!!!!!! God brought my computer back from the DEAD!!!!! After being in the grave for a week, it has come back to life. So while I wait for the new machine, I can continue to use the programs on the old one. I just PRAISE HIM! Thank you to any of you that prayed!!!!! I can't believe it - this is a MIRACLE!!!!!
• Battles: Now before me lies one of the biggest projects and challenges of my life… Pray that God would help me complete it and keep the vision and focus!!! (This will be my focus for the next several months…For this reason, my daily "Morning Sonshine" posts may be a bit shorter! We will see!)

God has a thousand ways...

Yesterday I shared some of my testimony of how God provides...and that's only the tip of the ice-berg! I have so many stories I could tell how He has provided and come through time and time again, financially and otherwise. (The picture to the left is of a jar of answered prayers that I received over a period of a couple months last summer. I still write down every answered prayer, but I've stopped putting each answer in a jar as I don't have time. But the point is, God is good and He answers prayer!) 

But even still...just like the children of Israel doubted God, even after He brought them across the red sea and delivered them from the Egyptians, even still...I sometimes doubt Him. 

It's kinda ridiculous, but I do. I think we all struggle with this. But that's why I keep reminding myself to focus on His Word. For as we focus on His Word, our faith grows...

"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Rom. 10:17

I just came across the following passage and thought I should share it for today's post.

"There are many whose hearts are aching under a load of care because they seek to reach the world’s standard. They have chosen its service, accepted its perplexities, adopted its customs. Thus their character is marred, and their life made a weariness. In order to gratify ambition and worldly desires, they wound the conscience, and bring upon themselves an additional burden of remorse. The continual worry is wearing out the life forces. Our Lord desires them to lay aside this yoke of bondage. He invites them to accept His yoke; He says, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” He bids them seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and His promise is that all things needful to them for this life shall be added. Worry is blind, and cannot discern the future; but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. In every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief. Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet." Desire of Ages, p. 330

Did you catch that? Our Heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing!

That means, as my good friend Martin says, if I have 999 ways figured out how to provide for a problem, God still has 1,000 more that I haven't even thought of! And as we accept the ONE PRINCIPLE of making the service and honor of God supreme, we will see perplexities vanish and a plain path before our feet.

Review:

• Bible Thought: God has a 1,000 ways and more to provide! His Word is faithful!
• Blessing: Going to hear Voice of the Martyrs meeting and being reminded how much I truly do have to be thankful for. 
• Battles: Praying that God will help me use each day wisely. Time is so short! He is coming soon!! I don't want anyone to miss out that I could have reached... "Lord help me be faithful and brighten the corner where I am!"

Prove Him! He can be trusted...

In the same chapter that I shared from yesterday (1 Kings 17), there is something about TRUST that I thought was really special. And this is a lesson for all of us.

After Elijah told the wicked King Ahab that there would be no more rain, God commanded him to go into hiding. First it was by the brook Cherith, near Jordan. And the ravens fed him! Wow! Next he was instructed to go some little town called Zarephath where a widow and her son would take care of him. 

The interesting thing is, that when Elijah met the widow, she was gathering sticks to make a fire so she could cook her LAST meal...and THEN she expected to die! And yet a stranger, who she didn't even know, came and asked her to make food for him FIRST, promising her that she would have what she needed, and she obeyed.

I don't know about how it is for you, but it's not easy to give your last "morsel of food" away if that's all you got! And yet that's just what Elijah asked her to do.

However, God is faithful! He is ALWAYS faithful!!!!! My heart just overflows with gratitude to the great King that we serve as I read this story again, because it reminds me of what He has done and continues to do for me. Time and time through my life I've seen this played out... when I surrender the last "morsel" that I have (whether it's my energy, my money in the piggy bank, my time, or whatever) God always more then repays. I think He's continually testing us though...just like Abraham, He wants to know if we will we trust Him, even with the last thing that we own. Will we trust Him with what is most precious to us. For Abraham it was his son. For the widow, it was her last meal...which meant it was her life! For us it can be our security, or our ability to take care of ourselves. It could be someone we love. But so often, it is our money. 

My testimony: Although I use to get paid well in the medical field, I live on a missionary stipend now as I'm doing full time ministry. Often I don't know how I will pay my bills, how I will cover my extra travel expenses with the ministry, or where funds will come for the next need. And yet I have to testify again, God is faithful!!!!!!! I wouldn't choose to live any other way, and  time and time again, when I think I'm at the bottom of the "meal barrel" I find there is more. There is always MORE...just when I have a need. 

In closing, let me share this passage from Malachi.

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Mal. 3:10

He asks us to PROVE HIM! Trust Him! Can we do this? I'm living testimony, He always more then repays. I literally feel like the windows of heaven are open and I can hardly contain all the blessings He continues to pour upon me! God is so faithful! Let's trust Him with everything!!!!!!!!

Review: 

• Bible Thought: Prove God... He can be trusted! 
• Blessings: This past week I came home from ARME to discover that someone I didn't even know had sent me some significant funds to help with my needs. I was blown away! Another answered prayer.
• Battles: My current struggle is that my computer crashed after ARME...I've been limping along with it for a few months now. Anyway, friends on my team have raised funds for a new computer. But I am just praying I can keep up with everything til the new computer arrives. I'm using my mom's computer and limping along without most of my programs and files right now. Makes work a little slow going! 

The God before whom I stand...

This morning I was catching up on my reading in 1 Kings. It was somewhat depressing as I read how one king after another did evil in the sight of the Lord. And then you get to Ahab, and he did MORE EVIL then all the kings before him! Wow!!!

And yet, God was not done with Israel. In 1 Kings 17, we find that God sent Israel another deliverer...but He couldn't deliver until Israel had felt their great thirst. So Elijah, an unknown from nowhere special, comes and speaks boldly to King Ahab. 

This is what he said:

"As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word." 1 Kings 17:1

With all the evil going on, it probably seemed pretty hopeless to any christians that were still alive. It may have seemed like God had abandoned them all or he had died. And yet, one boldly steps forward and proclaims, that the Lord God of Israel is still alive. He's not only alive, but I stand before Him, and by His authority, I am telling you that He controls the heavens and He controls the rain...and because you do not acknowledge His authority, you shall HAVE NO RAIN until He speaks again!

Wow! Talk about bold!

I've shared this quote before, but I have to share it again as it INSPIRES ME so much!

“It was because Elijah was a man of large faith that God could use him in this grave crisis in the history of Israel. As he prayed, his faith reached out and grasped the promises of Heaven, and he persevered in prayer until his petitions were answered. He did not wait for the full evidence that God had heard him, but was willing to venture all on the slightest token of divine favor. And yet what he was enabled to do under God, all may do in their sphere of activity in God’s service… Faith such as this is needed in the world today—faith that will lay hold on the promises of God’s word and refuse to let go until Heaven hears.” Prayer, p. 138

Our name may not be Elijah, but God has called each of us for a specific task today. And just as Israel was in a crisis then, we have our own spiritual crisis in our church today! Let us stand up, and let us be bold, knowing that God is still ALIVE, and whatever He calls us to do, He will give us strength to perform!

"I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Ps. 16:8

Review:

• Bible Thought: God still lives...let us stand before Him and honor Him, even when it is getting very unpopular to do. 
• Blessing: Israel was getting ready for a drought, but the Ozarks are getting lots of rain today, for which I am thankful! 
• Battles: Stay focused, don't get distracted! I must keep my eyes on Him!!! 

My Battle Today...

This morning was glorious... just me and the Lord! After a very busy week of serving others, it was so refreshing to just spend time alone, enjoying His Word and being free to speak unhindered in prayer without worries of disturbing anyone. Truly, it is amazing that the King of the Kings cares and ministers for each one of us as if there is only ONE of us. And He truly ministered to me today. I was so refreshed...

Later in the morning, when I went out for a late morning jog, it was even beginning to snow... it was beautiful! And I just praised God again for this peaceful Oasis that God has given me in the country to quietly work and serve Him!

However, I have to be honest... once my official work day started, I got caught up on e-mails, and then Facebook posts that friends had shared (after all, I haven't been on FB hardly at all this past week and wanted to see updates and pictures people had posted from ARME), and before I knew it, I was reading stories about how our OUR Christian Colleges are teaching evolution, and now how they are trying to get free from the leadership of the church (an amazingly sad drama all in itself)... and then I was reading on Spectrum about the "Harlem shaking" that is occurring with some of the students at many of our popular universities and schools (even the school I attended), and then how there's a family from Germany that came here to the USA for protection to freely home school their kids and how they are now about to be deported back to Germany by a ruling from our supreme court. Then there is the pope's resignation and how the Vatican is helping cover up the sexual abuse scandals by allowing him to live in safety and immunity even after he steps down. Wow....The so called "Christian news network" and newsy FB posts from well meaning friends just went on and on... 

After it was all over, or should I say - after I decided to turn it all off, I have to say that I got very depressed! Depressed to see how far our society and our church educational institutions (at least those that are trying to get away from the church) and much more have fallen! I feel like God gave me a beautiful start to this morning, and then the devil took me to the garbage dump and did everything he could to completely take my joy away... has this every happened to you??

While I know we aren't to hide our heads in the sand, I'm reminded again that to be successful as a soldier of Christ we really MUST KEEP FOCUSED on our goal. Otherwise, all these distractions, even well meaning, can completely pull us off course. Because of all this stuff, even though I was catching up after a week's vacation away from e-mail and all, I really feel like I wasted so much time looking at what the enemy was doing instead of doing what Christ was asking me to do. Ugh!!! "I'm so sorry God!" is all I can say...

I guess one thing sums it all up... and that's a video I saw on Facebook of a little child who was separated by glass from a roaring lion in a zoo. This lion was doing everything that it could to break the glass and get to the child, but the glass protected the child. That video symbolizes that I see happening all around us...

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Pet. 5:8

For some that glass is thin, and it crumbles at the first strike of the enemy. For others it is stronger, but none the less, we can't stay and taunt the enemy, we have to run away! 

I just praise God He is stronger... and tomorrow, I am praying to keep my eyes on Him and not get distracted watching the enemy like I did today! "Lord have mercy on us all! And Lord help me not to stray!"

Review:

• Bible Thought: The devil is a roaring lion... but Jesus will keep us, if we keep our eyes on Him!
• Blessing: Beautiful insights this morning, will share more tomorrow!
• Battles: Well, today's is obvious... I feel like I lost it this afternoon, but I praise the Lord that as soon as I recognized this, He helps me start over fresh again! Upward and onward!!!!

His strength is perfect!

"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Cor. 12:9

Well, it's another beautiful day in the Ozarks, and I am finally home safe from my travels. I'm still getting my land-legs back, and I have to admit that my head is spinning from all the excitement and lack of sleep from this past week, but I'm feeling very VERY blessed and I am soooo thankful for what God has done! This isn't going to be a typical MORNING SONSHINE post. Rather let me share a testimony from this past week. 

In Isaiah 40:29-31 we are told:

"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." 

Once again this promise has come true to me! 

It probably wouldn't surprise many of you if I shared that going into our recent ARME Texas Camp, due to long travel hours and late hours working, I was quite exhausted. (This is NOT a good way to start a camp!) And knowing that we would offer an all-night prayer session the second day of camp, I knew that I would not make it without supernatural strength and a direct miracle from God. 

But time and time again I have seen that when I am weak, if I'm doing His work, He will make me strong!

Well, God blessed and proved Himself MORE than faithful...as my previous post stated, beyond my expectations. I'll share more general testimony later from this amazing week. But in summary, let me tell you about the sleep I "did not" get at this past camp, and yet how the AMAZING GOD I serve kept me going. 

My hours this week
Monday 2/11- Arrived at camp late. Got to bed at 1:00am.
Tuesday 2/12 - Up early - Working on getting ready for camp to start. To bed at midnight.
Wednesday 2/13 - Up early - First evening of camp. To bed at 11pm (Not bad!!)
Thursday 2/14 - Up early - First full day of camp followed by all night prayer (Up all night!)
Friday 2/15 - Never went to bed... Second full day of camp - up all day with 1 hr nap only - Up AGAIN for half night of prayer. To bed at 1:30am Saturday (Sabbath) morning, FINALLY. 
Sabbath 2/16 - Up early - Full day, and going strong til family night over. To bed around midnight.
Sunday 2/17 - Up at 6:30 and up all day. Drove 8 hours to OKC all afternoon. To bed around 10pm. 

Now to give some context, I'm usually an early-to-bed person. And I have to be, to get up early. However, despite many late nights, and staying up all night Thursday, and half the night Friday, God kept me strong to be poured out for others. It was a complete miracle. If I had tried to keep these hours to work on a project or anything else, I would be sick as a dog right now...but I've discovered when I'm following what God asks me to do, He REALLY DOES SUPPLY THE STRENGTH!!!!

Usually we only offer 1 night of prayer, but I just felt convicted going into camp, that we would need to do more then 1 night. And I was right! During the first all night and the second half night of prayer, we saw sooo many spiritual breakthroughs and victories. It was amazing. In fact for me, this was one of the best nights of prayer we've had so far at ARME! (Maybe it helps me to enjoy it more because I'm very involved with each person that we pray over and I don't sit on the sidelines. None the less, it was powerful!!!!) And I have many more stories I will share. But for today's Sonshine, I just wanted to share that His strength really is made perfect in our weakness! We just must keep walking forward in faith and TRUST HIM!

Review

• Bible Thought: His strength makes up for our weakness
• Blessing: I'm home safe, and I had some AMAZING surprises waiting for me! (More on that later!)
• Battles: Now I need to hit the next big writing project hard... I know the enemy will try to distract me and pull me off course, but I'm determined to stay focused and keep going.

NOTE: Pictures are of the all night prayer. In the top picture, I am sharing promises from the Bible and how we need to be rooted in the Word when we pray. And in the second picture above, we are praying over someone in need of special intercession. We spend hours during the night in this type of united prayer, and this is where we have seen many healings and spiritual breakthroughs occur. Amazing!! More testimonies soon! 

Going Beyond Expectations

Before going into this past ARME Bible Camp, during a staff worship, I shared with our team about the story of Queen of Sheba coming to visit King Solomon. The story is found in 1 Kings 10. In this story, there's something really interesting that she says, and I want to share it here.

"And she said to the King, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard." I Kings 10:6-7

I told our team that there will be many that come to this Bible camp that have heard about what God has been doing at ARME. But we need to pray that what they find will not just be what they heard, but far above and beyond what they have heard! So often, we hear about something, or see a few pictures of a nice place, but then when we get there, we discover it's not quite as nice as they advertised. But in our case, and in our life as Christians, by the grace of God, our witness in real person should far exceed what everyone has heard. 

So as staff, as we were going into camp, this is what we prayed for!

Well....God answered this prayer! During testimony night and on, we heard many reports of people sharing how this experience was WAY BEYOND their expectations! And people even told me this personally as well. So... all glory and praise to God!! He is good and He heard our prayers!

Review:

• Bible Thought: May our living witness go beyond what people expect!
• Blessing: God gave us the offering we needed at ARME! We praise God for His provision.
• Battles: Praying for all the students that gave their life to Christ, that they will continue to grow stronger, and that God will bless the Daniel's Fast that many of them have started. Also, I'm still traveling... heading home tomorrow, so I need prayers as well for strength!  

Just GO FORWARD!!

I'm on the road, so don't have a lot of time to write at the moment, but wanted to share something inspiring a friend shared recently:

(In context of the Red Sea crossing): "Often the Christian life is beset by dangers, and duty seems hard to perform. The imagination pictures impending ruin before and bondage or death behind. Yet the voice of God speaks clearly, 'Go forward.' We should obey this command, even though our eyes cannot penetrate the darkness, and we feel the cold waves about our feet. The obstacles that hinder our progress will never disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. Those who defer obedience till every shadow of uncertainty disappears and there remains no risk of failure or defeat will never obey at all. Unbelief whispers, 'Let us wait till the obstructions are removed, and we can see our way clearly'; but faith courageously urges an advance, hoping all things, believing all things." Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 289, 290

"Putting our trust in God, we are to move steadily forward, doing His work with unselfishness, in humble dependence upon Him, committing to His providence ourselves and all that concerns our present and future, holding the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end, remembering that we receive the blessings of heaven, not because of our worthiness, but because of Christ’s worthiness and our acceptance, through faith in Him, of God’s abounding grace." Amazing Grace, p. 38

And so I close with this verse…

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward." Ex. 14:15

Review

• Bible Thought: Go Forward, don't wait for obstacles to move, just go forward in faith!
• Blessing: So thankful for all the ways God has led this past week! I'm exhausted and headed home.
• Battles: To keep going forward, even when I have to go by faith. Thankfully, I do no walk forward alone.

Where do we go from here?

When we've had a powerful experience, or when we've climbed to the top of a mountain and experienced the beauty of the great heights, we are tempted to ask ourselves… WHAT NEXT? Where do I go from here… and what is life going to be like back down in the valley?

I've been in this situation many times… however God has been teaching me over the years, and even more specifically in recent times… it's not about being HIGH in the LORD all the time. It's about abiding and being consistent… even when the feelings come and go. The quote below says it perfectly!

"It is not a conclusive evidence that a man is a Christian because he manifests spiritual ecstasy under extraordinary circumstances. Holiness is not rapture: it is an entire surrender of the will to God; it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; it is doing the will of our heavenly Father; it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in the light; it is walking by faith and not by sight; it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love." Christian Service, p. 235

So as another ARME Bible Camp is coming to a close, I will seek to walk forward by faith, trusting the Lord in the darkness as well as in the light, and I will seek to abide in Him, no matter what lies ahead. 

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil. 1:6

Praise the Lord, He will finish the Work in us!!!

Review: 

• Bible Thought: Forward, one step at a time!
• Blessing: Once again, God has blessed above and beyond our expectations!
• Battles: Now, we keep walking forward, looking to that day when we will be taken HOME to be forever with Him in Heaven!

Going to TRIAL for our FAITH TODAY!!

Throughout the Scriptures we are encouraged both by word and example to study to show ourselves approved unto God, as “workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Tim. 2:15. If there is a “right” way to divide the word truth, there must also be a wrong way, which we must avoid. However, successful and effective Bible study is not merely an intellectual process. Did you know that Satan himself is an excellent Bible student? And he knows his Bible better than most Christians! This is scary!

“Satan is a diligent student of the Bible and is much better acquainted with the prophecies than many religious teachers. He knows that it is for his interest to keep well informed in the revealed purposes of God, that he may defeat the plans of the Infinite.” Spirit of Prophecy Volume 2, p. 87 

ARME Bible Camp is about learning to live by EVERY WORD that proceedeth from the mouth of God, so that we will not be deceived in the last days. This is why we exist… this is why I LOVE this ministry!!!!

Today is a special day at ARME. Not only is it Sabbath, but we are going to TRIAL for our FAITH today! Literally…

We are told, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Pet. 3:15 

Unfortunately, “Many who profess to have a knowledge of present truth, know not what they believe. They do not understand the evidences of their faith.” Gospel Workers, p. 298 

So today is the test! As the Bible teachers/turned prosecuting attorneys start asking questions, we will be turning to the WORD to answer. Can we stand upon the Word of God? Do we know the Bible and the truth we believe?? Will we stand in the great day when we are pushed before courts and Kings to testify of our faith???

“None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. To every soul will come the searching test: Shall I obey God rather than men? The decisive hour is even now at hand. Are our feet planted on the rock of God’s immutable Word? Are we prepared to stand firm in defense of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus?” Great Controversy, p. 593


So, let us hold to God's Word and be prepared to stand! "To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8:20. 

Review: 

• Bible Thought: Preparing for the Big Trial… we must be grounded in the Word!
• Blessing: Seeing many lives changed for eternity. So many answers to prayer!
• Battle: Still more souls to win for the Kingdom. Keep praying!

I will NOT be offended!!!

Another day, another chance to serve each other, and in so doing, to serve our King. I just love life, and each new daily adventure that God brings. However, although I always seek to start my day with the Heavenly Sonshine, sooner or later, the enemy will try to turn my skies to gray. So I look to His Word for strength.

This is my verse of promise for today: 

"Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." Psalms 119:165

That means NOTHING shall offend me!!!! Why… because of that great peace I receive when I read the Word, and when I delight in the law of Love in this precious book. Powerful!

Isaiah 26:3 puts it this way: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."

"Do not consult feeling; for feeling is not to be our guide. We are to walk by faith, not by sight. Do not let unbelief separate you from God. Do not let one word of unbelief or discouragement escape your lips. Satan is pleased at every such expression, because it is dishonoring to Jesus. Seek earnestly to remedy every defect of character. Put away murmuring and fretfulness. In the indulgence of these traits you represent Satan, the prince of darkness, and not Christ, the Prince of light. Cast no shadow to darken the pathway of others. Walk in the light, and the peace and joy that shine in the face of Jesus will be reflected in you. Jesus lives; and his promise is, “According to your faith be it unto you.” Matthew 9:29.

So I end with this promise today: 

"I have set the LORD always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Ps. 16:8

Review:

• Bible Thought: Great peace and nothing offends!
• Blessings: Into ARME full swing! Already reaping blessings!
• Battles: Praying to be a blessing to those that are spiritually weary and need refreshment. 

Jesus loves ME!!

1. As we begin another special day, I have one thing I want us to reflect on this morning… Jesus great love for you and for me! As we do this, I am remembering the childhood song that we so often have taken forgranted. Here it is, along with a few extra verses:
2. 
   
3. Jesus loves me! This I know,
   For the Bible tells me so;
   Little ones to Him belong;
   They are weak, but He is strong.
   • Refrain:
     Yes, Jesus loves me!
     Yes, Jesus loves me!
     Yes, Jesus loves me!
     The Bible tells me so.
4. Jesus loves me! This I know,
   As He loved so long ago,
   Taking children on His knee,
   Saying, “Let them come to Me.”
5. Jesus loves me still today,
   Walking with me on my way,
   Wanting as a friend to give
   Light and love to all who live.
6. Jesus loves me! He who died
   Heaven’s gate to open wide;
   He will wash away my sin,
   Let His little child come in.
7. Jesus loves me! He will stay
   Close beside me all the way;
   Thou hast bled and died for me,
   I will henceforth live for Thee.

Review:

• Bible Thought: You may not feel like another soul in the world cares, but Jesus does! 
• Blessing: Preparing for another beautiful day here at ARMe!
• Battles: All night prayer happens tonight. We know that there are many that need to attend that the enemy will try to keep away. Pray that God will over rule and get the victory!

Praying for God's Glory to fill this place….

As we are moving into our 14th ARME Bible Camp since 2009, we have high hopes for what God is going to do. There has been much prayer and much preparation to make this event happen. Hours of work and logistical planning by our team behind the scenes, and hours of preparation by our speakers. It would appear, by human understanding, that we are READY to minister to the people!

In 1 Kings 8, I was recently reading about how Solomon also did much planning to build a temple and home for the Lord to dwell. It's inspiring. And as you can imagine, the priests were prepared to minister once again for the Lord. However, God had other plans.

In 1 Kings 8:10 we are told:

"And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD."

Did you catch the significance of this verse? The priest could NOT STAND TO MINISTER!!!!! For the GLORY of the Lord had filled the house! And this is exactly what we are praying for. We are praying that God will work in such a powerful way, that His Spirit will fill this camp and every detail… and it will not be us ministering, but He himself!!!

Further down in 1 Kings 8, we read part of Solomon's prayer of praise and pleading with the Lord, as he raises his hands toward Heaven. Listen in…

"And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day." 1 Kings 8:26-28

Of course, we know that our meager efforts cannot possibly contain the power or glory of God, but we pray that He will none the less, visit this place. And here's the promise that I'm claiming regarding our desire:

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isa 57:15

"Lord, we are praying for REVIVAL! We are broken, we need you! Please come and fill this place!"

Review

• Bible Thought: God's glory will dwell with those broken and humble, and feeling their great need!
• Blessing: God has worked many miracles to bring us and myself to this day!
• Battles: While I'm here, my family is battling back at home with sickness. Often when you serve God, the enemy seeks to hurt those you love, and so all of us need prayers for those we love right now!

God sees ALL!

One of my favorite verses that I often claim in prayer is Jeremiah 32:17. It goes like this:

"Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee." Jer. 32:17

This is especially encouraging to me when I'm walking forward in faith, doing what I know God has called me to do, and yet I don't always see God working right away. But what is so beautiful to me is that God is not only MIGHTY and able to do anything, but He also cares about the little details of our lives. 

Listen to these two powerful passages from the book Steps to Christ:

"If we will but listen, God’s created works will teach us precious lessons of obedience and trust. From the stars that in their trackless courses through space follow from age to age their appointed path, down to the minutest atom, the things of nature obey the Creator’s will. And God cares for everything and sustains everything that He has created. He who upholds theunnumbered worlds throughout immensity, at the same timecares for the wants of the little brown sparrow that sings its humble song without fear. When men go forth to their daily toil, as when they engage in prayer; when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning; when the rich man feasts in his palace, or when the poor man gathers his children about thescanty board, each is tenderly watched by the heavenly Father. No tears are shed that God does not notice. There is no smile that He does not mark." p. 85

"If we would but fully believe this, all undue anxieties would be dismissed. Our lives would not be so filled with disappointment as now; for everything, whether great or small, would be left in the hands of God, who is not perplexed by the multiplicity of cares, or overwhelmed by their weight. We should then enjoy a rest of soul to which many have long been strangers." p. 86

Wow, all I do echo the praises of King David from long ago...

"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" Ps. 8:3,4

Review:

• Bible Thought: Nothing is too big, yet nothing is too small for God to notice!
• Blessings: Loved the time with my sister and family…now on to ARME!
• Battles: Continuing to trust God with all the details…no matter what we face, He is in control! PTL! I feel like He is helping me to trust Him and not to get shook over details that don't always work out. He's got the whole world in His hands…and I know He hasn't forgotten me! :-)

Lessons from the stars...

When I wake up to pray in the early morning, I love to look out my window up into the heaven full of stars.

I love to look at the stars, because they remind me how BIG our God is! 

I remember watching a video a few years ago where some astronomer shared that if you hold your thumb up at the sky at arms length (you know, as if you are giving God a happy "thumbs up" of encouragement), and if you look at your thumb with the sky behind, you are effectively blocking out about ten billion galaxies…..with just your thumb. Now that's a pretty staggering number, I have to admit. But I think he's probably greatly underestimating what is really out there. After all, has anyone really counted the stars?    

God even asked Abraham if he could number the stars…

"Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them?" Gen. 15:15

It's obvious that the answer was no! And yet in Psalms 147:4 we are told that our God can number the stars. He not only knows their number, he also calls them all by their names:

"He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names." Ps. 147:4

And yet this God, who calleth them all by name wants to do soooooo much MORE with our lives, above and beyond what we can imagine or think. 

If we back up to Genesis 15, we see that after God asked Abraham if he could number the stars, he told him, "So shall thy seed be." In other words, as many stars as you can count or not count, SO SHALL THEY SEED BE! Now that was a pretty staggering outrageous promise on the part of God, doesn't it seem? And yet… He's God!!!  And what is so beautiful is that Abraham accepted His Word. It says:

"And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." Gen. 15:16

Did you catch that?? He BELIEVED in the LORD….He took God at His Word!!!!!! And the Lord counted it to Him for righteousness. 

But the story doesn't stop there. In Hebrews 11, in the "Hall of Faith" chapter, we are told the rest of the story:

"By faith he [Abraham] sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised." 

And here's the key verse, the RESULT of them having faith and believeing…

"Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable." Hebrews 11:9-12

God fulfilled, and is still fulfilling, His promise to Abraham that day! Abraham wont know it until He is taken home for eternity, but none the less, God kept His Word!!!! And He is still keeping His Word even today!

Wow… If Abraham believed God's word…shouldn't we?

Review

• Bible Thought: We should trust the Word of the One who created the stars!
• Blessing: Another miracle, another answered prayer last night!! So amazing!! 
• Battle: So often, even still, I look to myself to accomplish what God asks, rather than looking to Him who made the stars. Praying that God will help me always keep this perspective straight!