Do You Know The Measure Of Your Work For The Kingdom of God?

 

I ask that question because it is something I have been considering over the last few days as I laid sick in my bed with a nasty cold virus. When your body is racked with fever, your mind tends to go places not normal for you. I had no energy to write this blog or do much of anything else, actually, and so I asked the Lord to take me to Scripture that I needed to consider a little deeper.  He led me to 2 Corinthians, Chapter 10. The latter part of this chapter concerns Paul discussing his mandate [or assignment] from the Lord. Apparently, within the Church at Corinth, the believers were preoccupied with setting standards of their own regarding the efficacy [value or benefit] of another's ministry. Various opinions, theories, and religious philosophies were discussed and then either copied or compared, resulting in human evaluations that left people either prideful or discouraged, depending on the consensus of the church.

Sound familiar? But it was Paul's statement regarding this human evaluation that got me to thinking. Paul's response was this: But we are those who choose to limit our boasting to only the measure of the work to which God has appointed us...  You see, I've always had a problem with the Church deciding they were the arbiter of God's commission on my life. It has always seemed to me that if I didn't follow the prescribed "rules" of what ministry was supposed to look like, it was made clear that I was outside God's domain. But once I received the revelation that Christ passed His authority on to us, I began to realize that God was the administrator of where and how I would serve Him. 

Furthermore, I came to realize that God has designed each of us in a unique manner that serves Him best. We have been given the gifts and spiritual authority that are necessary to continue Christ's dominion on this earth. In other words, there is a unique job for each of us, and my job may look different than yours, but we both have the same objective -- to see God's Kingdom expanded upon the earth.

Let's refer back to Paul's statement. There is a "measure of work to which God has appointed us". The Passion Translation of 2 Corinthians 10:13 says that this word "work" comes from the Greek word metron, which was the length of a race course, and it was used to define the boundaries of a Greek stadium. This should make us think of the references to "running the race" that Paul makes throughout his letters to the various churches:  "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1), and "if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus" (Acts 20:24), for instance. This tells me that we have each been given a sphere of influence that will be suited to our gifts and the level of authority we have been given.

But there is more to this concept of "running in our lane" [which is the boundaries of our ministry from God]. There is the idea of the expansion of those boundaries to benefit the Kingdom of God. I believe it was in the 1990's when The Prayer of Jabez was so popular. The verses in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 read, There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.

The Christian culture was captivated by what they discerned was a quick prayer to increase their material well-being. I will agree... we serve a God of Increase and Enlargement. But our material well-being is a by-product of how well we administer the territory [or sphere of influence] and the gifts we have been given by the Father. Just as Jesus prophesied that the Apostles would be His witnesses first in Jerusalem, then Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth, we have each been given the same potential to expand our territories of influence for His Kingdom.

If we are obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit, to His promptings, and to His instructions, we can expect the measure of our ministerial influence to expand. It goes without saying that our primary purpose is to expand the Kingdom of God and not our personal empire. But it is also true that we can expect God's blessings when we use our authority to widen God's influence in the world. As we fulfill our potential within the boundaries God has established for our ministry, He will push those boundaries back, giving us room to grow and widen our sphere of influence for Him.

And I hope that everyone realizes that we each DO have a ministry; a purpose for our life to serve others as we serve our Lord. If you aren't aware of what yours is, ask Jesus to show you. You may start out small, but as you are faithful to your calling, and you desire to expand your territory in a spirit of humbleness and love for the Lord, the Father will do as He did for Jabez, and grant your request. 

So, I come back to my original question ... Do you know your measure in the Kingdom of God? Do you know what your purpose and your assignment or mandate is? Can you identify your sphere of influence and perceive the boundaries of your spiritual territory? If not, then pursue those answers. Because it is going to be vitally important as we enter into a time on this earth when the Antichrist spirit will rule and reign like we've never seen before. Thanks be to God, that it will be for a short time, before Jesus arrives on the earth to settle the score with His ancient enemy and establish His Millennial Kingdom.

When we know the measure of our work in that Kingdom, then we are confident and bold to carry out our assignments so all the world knows it is the Lord that commends and expands our work. Do not be afraid or ashamed to declare it to a world [or Church] who needs to know that Christ gives us divine power in our ministries to demolish strongholds! Your life will be eternally richer for it. And if, like Paul, you know the course of the race set before you, do not be satisfied with limits on your boundaries. Ask God to expand your territory so that you can expand His Kingdom. You, too, will find eternal rewards beyond anything you desire.  

#sphereofinfluence #kingdomassignment #spiritualterritory   

Isaiah 54:2    Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.  

It's Time To Take Stock Of Ourselves

How Are You Coping?

It can be difficult in these days of turmoil and uncertainty to overcome the fear or foreboding that seems to be increasing. We are living in a world that none of us have seen in our lifetimes. And we all have different ways of coping with the disquiet we feel in our souls and spirits. Some choose to ignore the warning signs, while others give in to the unease and anxiety and become focused on the evil that is admittedly quite evident.

How do you cope? If we call ourselves Christians, we should know several things that are the bedrock of our faith: we are not alone in what the world is encountering; our Savior has made it clear that He will never leave us or abandon us. Therefore, He understands what we are experiencing, and most importantly, He is our way through it. But how many Christians truly believe that? How many will rely on their own efforts or their accomplishments, even though their "works" are proclaimed in His Name?

How many of us still see God as a spiritual "medicine cabinet"... He's the fix for what ails us? How many of us pray endlessly for Him or Jesus to make it all go away -- whatever "it" happens to be [physical issues, fear, poverty, abuse, sadness, emotional pain, etc.]? It's so easy to stay stuck in the lie that God is Sovereign and Love, and love isn't supposed to hurt, so why is He allowing this to happen to me? Or throw a little pride in there and you can convince yourself that after all the "good things" you've done for Jesus or God, you shouldn't have to suffer. 

Are We Building Monuments To Ourselves?

After all, you stand out in the Christian crowd; you've got quite a resumé of your efforts that certainly speak to your dedication and devotion to Jesus. And besides, your fellow Christians recognize your desire to be involved in any cause that furthers the will of the Father. That should count for something, right? Yet, there is still something missing; you feel it's not enough, or you don't feel that connection to God that you know you should have; that the Bible talks about. 

Could it be that in our desire to represent God to the world, and to point others to Him, we have fallen short in exhibiting His power in us? That, in effect, the world only sees us and our accomplishments and we've failed to show them it is Him [in us] that is responsible for the works? The Amplified version of Philippians 2:12-13 expresses this view so precisely ... "So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ]. For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure. " 

How does it glorify God if what we do in His Name only leaves an impression of who we are? Isn't that merely building a monument to ourselves? I have never written a blog post that I wanted to leave the reader focused on who I am. I've only hoped that I have heard correctly from the Holy Spirit so that everyone who reads this blog comes away with a perspective of God's heart. I've never wanted the comments to be about me, but about what I may have written that stirred someone to share their revelations of our faithful Father and Savior. In fact, my stats for readership would embarrass those who blog for self-recognition; but it's that once every month or two that someone emails me privately and says, "What you wrote today is exactly what I needed!" that has me lifting my hands to Heaven and thanking the Holy Spirit for His counsel on what to write that day. 

Whose Fruit Are We Sharing With The World?

To summarize, it is time that we, as obedient followers of Christ, take stock of where we're at ... and where we need to go. We are responsible for rightly representing God and His Kingdom here on earth. We must be honest with ourselves and see where we have been responsible for the state of the world, and where we have aided the causes of Evil by our short-sightedness, our complicity, and our selfishness. It is truth that God has declared His faithfulness in the New Covenant through Jesus, but we have a responsibility in agreeing to receive that covenant. 

As Jesus tells us in The Passion Translation of John 15:3-5, The words I have spoken over you have already cleansed [pruned] you. So you must remain grafted into Me, for I remain in life-union with you. For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intimately joined to Mine. I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with Me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from Me you are powerless.

So, I want to encourage each of us [including myself], to be mindful of how our view of our role in the world, our efforts for God and His Kingdom, and how we interact with everyone we come in contact with is so important for reflecting the power of Jesus in us. We can all agree that the world needs a "reset". But it cannot be done through our own power -- no matter how much we think we can do great works in His Name. It is only through His mighty power at work within us, that will accomplish what needs to happen to set this world aright. And it is infinitely more than we might ask or think on our own. And let us declare together that it is all for the Glory of God! Father, let us show the world Your Power in us! Amen! 

2 Corinthians 4:7    We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.     

Should We Be Charging For Ministry?

    

     This post is the result of lots of soul searching and seeking an answer in the Spirit. The question of charging for ministry and equipping the saints has long been a topic of discussion between me and my husband. And I believe it is worthy of discussion here.
     It is also the result of listening to a short podcast by a well-known woman who is seen as an apostolic/prophetic voice in today's Body of Christ. I want to say that I greatly admire her spiritual discernment and wisdom, and was most interested in hearing her presentation on the destructive influence of the spirits of Jezebel and her daughter Athalaia. She disclosed her battles with these demonic spirits and that, through spiritual revelation, she had found the key in Scripture to defeating them. But she closed her presentation with an invitation to find out what that key was by enrolling in her online course for a fee of $79.
     Now, I want to say that this is not a unique situation. Many gifted teachers and ministers take advantage of technology to reach millions of people seeking the Lord; people they would otherwise never be able to reach with the Gospel. And it is a revolutionary way to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. But I personally [and seriously] struggle with charging for this [literally] life-saving knowledge.
     Is it unfair of me to ask this question: If you know the key to defeating Jezebel and her daughter, why would you not freely share that information so that other Believers could be delivered from their bondage? How do you justify withholding that counsel for a sum of money? Please, I am not judging or blaming the ministers of God for making a living. We all have to live in this world and it takes money to meet our worldly needs. And I know that Scripture says, "the laborer is worthy of his hire" (Luke 10:7); or another way to put it is, "the laborer deserves his wages" or "you are my harvester, and you deserve to be cared for." But does that mean we should be charging for what the Lord has called us to, or the revelation He has freely provided?
     I realize this is a touchy subject, and it is certainly one that Mark and I have wrestled with over time. The foundation of our Inner Healing Ministry has always been Matthew 10:8, which says, "You must continually bring healing to lepers and to those who are sick, and make it your habit to break off the demonic presence from people, and raise the dead back to life. Freely you have received the power of the kingdom, so freely release it to others." I remember the first time someone tried to slip me some money after a Healing session, and it literally felt like it burned my hand! I could not conceive taking money for something that Jesus had done [albeit through our obedience and participation]. It just didn't feel right.
     In fact, Matthew 10:9 says [in the Passion Translation], "Don’t heap up silver and gold in your money belts." This Aramaic interpretation is about more than just not taking money, but is about not seeking the accumulation of money by using God’s anointing that He has graciously imparted to you.
     Again, I also understand that people doing the work of the Lord have to make a living. And if the Lord's work is their heart's desire, then how is the financial provision to be made?  I believe there is a difference between offering a service to people that requires materials, a staff, and the rental of a place to conduct the work for the Body of Christ -- these are expenses that must be paid -- and dispensing Biblical instruction to people that costs nothing more than your time with the Lord to receive the revelation. Am I being overly judgmental, or is my thinking wrong on this matter? How did the Early Church Fathers handle this situation? 
     I look to Paul's writings for revelation. Scripture tells us that he continued his vocation of tent-making whenever his ministry allowed. I believe that means that Paul supported himself, instead of charging for his ministry. That seems to be his message in 1 Corinthians 9:16-18, too: "For you see, even though I proclaim the good news, I can’t take the credit for my labors, for I am compelled to fulfill my duty by completing this work. It would be agony to me if I did not constantly preach the gospel! ¹⁷ If it were my own idea to preach as a way to make a living, I would expect to be paid. Since it’s not my idea but God’s, who commissioned me, I am entrusted with the stewardship of the gospel whether or not I’m paid. ¹⁸ So then, where is my reward? It is found in continually depositing the good news into people’s hearts, without obligation, free of charge, and not insisting on my rights to be financially supported."
     So can you see my dilemma and why this is such a sensitive subject? If the Lord has called us to do the work of the Kingdom, and it is by His gift of anointing that we have been spiritually educated to spread and share what He has revealed, can we in good conscious profit from it? And if your answer is "No", then how are we to support our needs while carrying out our assignments?
     I will share with you a particular situation that my husband and I recently encountered. We were approached by a minister and greatly-respected teacher of the Kingdom of God to assist in managing his growing web-based teaching sessions. We would facilitate the online courses for all those who enrolled in the classes, and he encouraged us to join him in this ministry saying that we could easily earn a sizable amount of money. But that opportunity came at too high a price. It would mean that we would have to give up our own ministry that God had called us to. It didn't take but a few minutes to walk away from that temptation. We knew that God had sanctified us and our property for His purpose and we were on mission for Him. We still see [and approve of] the incredible work this minister is doing for the Lord, and we know it benefits so many Christians, us included. But it is just not the way we want to serve the Lord.
     So, I come back to the question of how do lay ministers who want to freely give what they have received, support the call on their lives? I will tell you that it can be a struggle to balance your desire to pursue your calling and still pay the bills. And if your spirit is not comfortable with charging for ministering to the Body of Christ, then I offer this from Scripture: "Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? ¹⁴ In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:13-14). 
     In other words, by being obedient to fulfilling the call and purpose on your life to minister to the Body of Christ, I think that it is acceptable [in my mind at least] to receive what we call "love offerings"; financial support freely given from the heart of those who have benefited from your teaching, or those who wish to sow into God's harvest. But I also feel it is an individual decision, whether to give and whether to receive. And there are those instances in which I see books being sold and that money being poured back into the ministry to help dispense teaching materials to the Believers in the field of harvest. There will just be those times when money is exchanged. And it is definitely clear that there are no black and white rules, and each person must go to the Lord to determine his/her path in this debatable arena of ministry. 
     So, the bottom line is this: we are blessed in this season to have an abundance of exceptional teachers and ministers of the Gospel. Each must decide for themselves how they will make a living and what place profiting from God's calling on their lives will hold. Ultimately, it is between you and the Lord. I just bless all who answer the call and pray that their decisions honor God's purpose and will.

1 Corinthians 9:10     Doesn’t He also give us this principle so that we won’t withhold support from his workers? It was written so that we would understand that the one spiritually “plowing” and spiritually “treading out the grain” also labors with the expectation of enjoying the harvest.
      

God's Multi-level Marketing!

     Excuse me for the clumsy and tactless comparison of God to a business strategy, but it was the closest thing I could think of to describe the joy I am experiencing these last few days. You see, it's been four years since God challenged us to walk this path of Deliverance Ministry and Inner Healing. As I stop to consider where we started and where we are now, it seems like we've been enrolled in an Advanced and Accelerated course; learning how to work with Jesus and the Holy Spirit to continue the work that the Lord began during His short time on this earth.

     I'm not sure Mark and I fully understood just how much the Father would immerse us in this calling, or the gravity of the need for healing in people's lives. All we knew was that our hearts and spirits couldn't say "no" to the Father's desire to use us to heal and deliver His children. We hardly ever knew what would happen when we sat down to listen to the pain and the wounds of those tormented by the Enemy, but we were always aware of the presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and fully trusted Them to guide us through the process of setting the captives free.
     And from the very first time that we witnessed Jesus healing the damaged soul and spirit of a Believer, we knew a small amount of the joy that God must feel when He sees His enemy defeated and the chains of bondage come off His beloved child. And we got to be a part of that! There are not enough exemplary words to give praise to our amazing God for that gift.
     Now, four years later, we are beginning to see those we have helped to see Jesus [in their circumstances] start to help others.  They have freely received the grace of God and want to freely give that opportunity to another -- and this is where my clumsy comparison comes in. Just like multi-level marketing, we share the goodness of our product --  in this case, freedom from torment and victory in Christ -- and train the recruit in the ministry, so they can go out and share "the product" with others. This results in a network of "freedom fighters" for the Kingdom of God.
     But unlike the worldly marketing strategy, which often involves coercion and arm-twisting to build your "line", the word-of-mouth about what God can do for you is the best strategy -- you don't have to up-sell peace, freedom from pain, and the destruction of the lies of the devil! And instead of earning money, which is only worth the paper it is printed on, the distributors of God's offering earn heavenly rewards from the fruit they produce.
     Let me tell you, nothing feels like success more than witnessing someone getting free from a false identity due to molestation, physical or emotional abuse, generational curses, sins they have committed or sins committed against them -- all the things the Enemy can use to keep a child of God in captivity.  It has been our privilege to witness the removal of dirty veils, the breaking off of chains, and the destruction of strongholds in people's lives -- and all with the knowledge that Jesus is there and the One doing the work. 

     And now we are witnessing those who have been set free, setting others free. The seed of freedom that was planted in our hearts has borne fruit and new seeds are being planted. And I can't help but see the plant process as a metaphor for what God is doing in His multi-level ministry model. Excuse me as I try to connect these dots ... Once a seed germinates and breaks through the surface, it starts the steps to produce leaves. This starts the process of photosynthesis (utilizing the Son Light) while the roots search and absorb water (the Living Water) for the new seedling which slowly grows into a mature fruit-bearing plant. 
     Do you see it? Mark and I are just the product of the seeds planted by Dr. Charles Kraft and Barbara Bucklin of Luke:14 Ministries. They planted the seeds, and participated with the Holy Spirit to give us the Light of God and His Living Water until we matured into a fruit-being servant of the Kingdom.  Our obedience produced new seeds planted in new ground, and now those plants have sprung forth bearing fruit, with the intent to reproduce more seeds. It is for complete freedom that Christ paid the price to set us free. And with each new "level" of freedom that permeates the Body, it's another defeat for the devil and one more step towards the imminent destruction and failure of his agenda.
     So, I hope you don't mind the way I've tried to explain the joy I am experiencing. I don't know any other way to describe what it's like to see those whom we've had the blessing of ministering to now passing their freedom [in Christ] on to others. Seeing their obedience to share what they've received is a reward beyond anything this world has to offer. Thank you, Jesus, for trusting Mark and me with administering Your precious gift of freedom.  We are truly humbled.

Galatians 5:13     Beloved ones, God has called us to live a life of freedom in the Holy Spirit. But don’t view this wonderful freedom as an opportunity to set up a base of operations in the natural realm. Freedom means that we become so completely free of self-indulgence that we become servants of one another, expressing love in all we do.  
 
      

Let His Light Shine!

     When the Lord decides to reveal Himself, there are no words to describe it.  In fact, I'm not even sure I can relate the very real existence of Him in terms that won't sound overly dramatic or fabricated for effect.  So, I'm just going to let the words roll and I trust that you will hear the Truth.  

     It seems that the next few weeks of my life are nearly impossibly full.  My husband and I will be burning up the highway meeting new clients; taking advantage of business opportunities that are developing; enjoying my nephew's senior year of college football; and looking forward, with excitement, to spending every moment I can with long-distance family members who will be in and out for that afore-mentioned football season.  And, oh, yes, I mustn't forget a Deliverance Ministry training session with Dr. Charles Kraft thrown in the mix.

     It's easy, with all the distraction this world offers, to forget that Jesus wants to interact with us and use us -- that we must never get so busy that we neglect serving Him.  And when we are obedient ... what a reward it is to see Him made real in someone's life!  I have received such a blessing as this over the last few days.

     As my husband and I, whom I affectionately refer to as PLW (for Peace-Loving Warrior -- the meaning of his first and middle name), began our busy weekend with a two-hour drive to my nephew's game, I received a cell phone call from a dear friend.  I do not want to reveal any details that will compromise her identity, and it is my hope that others will recognize themselves in her story and be as brave as she was.  I can tell you that I have known her for over ten years and am familiar with some of the issues of her life and have known of her struggles.  We don't talk that often, but the connection is always there and our friendship is never in question.  So when I saw the caller ID, I knew this would be an important call.  And it was.  She was calling to ask if there was time in the next two or three days that PLW and I could maybe Skype with her.  She had a small window of opportunity in which she would be alone and was ready, actually desperate, to turn to Jesus for help.  

     The problem was, we were on the road, and not only would we be occupied with a football game that day, but the next morning we would be traveling to meet with a new client several hundred miles in the opposite direction and wouldn't be home until late on Sunday.  To make it nearly impossible, PLW was leaving at 5:30 the morning after that for a three-day business event and her window of opportunity would be shut.  But I knew that we had to make time; somehow, some way.  When she mentioned that suicidal thoughts were present, there was no other option... she needed Jesus, and the hope that lies in Him, and we had to make it work.  I told her we would try to rearrange our schedule to be home as early as possible on Sunday, trusting Jesus and the Holy Spirit to work it all out so that she could receive the healing and restoration she urgently needed.  With that small thread of hope, she hung up and hung on.

     Let me first tell you that by the time Sunday night arrived, PLW and I were exhausted.  Between the hustle and bustle of college football, and meeting a new client, every hour was frantic.  Fortunately, the client agreed to meet us earlier than we had scheduled, and after driving nearly two hours home, we scrambled to get my husband packed and ready to leave early the next morning.  We wanted to move all hindrances out of the way so we could concentrate on helping our friend.  Somehow, we received supernatural strength and energy for the task ahead; the tiredness vanished and we prepared to make the call.  

     But the Enemy tried every which way to interrupt our plans.  She had notified me earlier in the day that her internet service went down, which meant that the questionnaire I had sent her months earlier (when she had expressed interest in a possible deliverance session) would have to be transferred to us in a different manner.  So she had snapped photos of each page and texted me the images, and PLW and I had discussed them during our drive home.  As the time came near to contact her, we hoped that the internet service had resumed so we could Skype or FaceTime... no such luck.  We would just have to work with her through a simple 3-way phone call.  But we had no doubt that God can work through the phone lines ... He just needs servants willing to be obedient.  So with our hand-held land-line phones in hand (this is one reason we are not a mobile-only household), we made the phone call.    

     It is hard to describe what I would call a miracle.  How can Jesus work with two people sitting on their couch in Texas; using us to reveal Himself to a woman several states away?  How can He and the Holy Spirit make her see Him in every painful situation in her life?  How can I describe my own sense of awe (and my threatening tears) as she described, sobbing and with astonishment in her voice, "He was right there beside me the whole time!"  How do I convey the solace one receives when you feel Jesus hugging you?  How can I describe the sense of feeling the destruction the devil had caused in her life through the free will of others, and what it had done to her identity... the feelings of unworthiness, abandonment, self-rejection, confusion, doubt, unbelief, and the never-ending lie that God didn't hear her cries for help?  

     But I'm here to tell you that I also heard, over those phone lines, the Truth that destroyed those lies.  The enemy spirits whispered so many thoughts to her --- fear of being alone; anger towards family members who made her feel abandoned and rejected; how could she ever overcome the hurtful  actions of her husband; that all the death and destruction that followed her family might soon claim her.  In fact, a spirit who identified itself as Destruction, said he wanted her dead.  He invaded her thoughts and emotions with ideas of suicide, but he admitted that he could not get to her spirit because "Jesus is there".  

     I  know this sounds absolutely crazy and impossible, but as the Holy Spirit introduced each of those dark entities to the light and power and authority of Jesus, they were defeated and she actually saw them all bound and Jesus throwing them, in her words, "into the pit of destruction".  She couldn't stop exclaiming, "It's amazing!  I'm so amazed at seeing Him there the whole time!"  For the first time in months, maybe even in years, she could see clearly.  It was as if she had been looking through a dirty windshield and Jesus sent a cleansing rain to wash away all the filth and grime.  She could see the lies for what they were ... attempts to cloud her thoughts and feelings so she couldn't see that Jesus was right beside her.  She allowed the Holy Spirit to show her that those lies did not determine who she was; that she could step into the embrace of Jesus and all the pain was absorbed by His overpowering love.  And I heard the joy and the hope in her voice ... and I heard her laugh; and it was the sound of freedom.   

     I'm not going to tell you that the Enemy will give up on my friend.  He will try to reclaim his territory, but she now knows that he only offers lies.  She has seen and felt and heard and tasted and been touched by the healing power of Jesus, and she will recognize the fiery darts of the devil.  I am giving her tools for her spiritual battle ... how to reject each lie he whispers, while affirming (out loud) the truth of the Word.  The next time he tries to whisper that God doesn't hear her, she will shout, "I reject the lie that God has abandoned me.  And I proclaim and embrace this Truth in the Name of Jesus:  (Romans 8:26): Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for, as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."  

     There is victory in the Word!  And I hope that I have adequately reflected the glory of our Lord in this situation.  Not only did I want to relate His supernatural power to heal our spiritual wounds and show you that the Holy Spirit is our powerful advocate and ally, but I wanted to emphasize that we must never let the affairs of this world get in the way of our servanthood.  We must remain ever ready to be obedient; to put our selfish desires aside in order to become willing participants in showing God and His Son to the world.  To me, that is such a picture of  Jesus's command to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself."  

     It would have been so easy to tell my friend that there was just no time to meet her request for help, and I will admit that the devil tried to convince me of that lie.  But I knew the Truth; I knew that Jesus wanted to work through PLW and myself to destroy the devil's lies and show our friend how much He loves her.  We just had to be obedient and put aside our selfish concerns and be willing to seek the best for her.  All we had to do was say, "Yes".  And what a privilege it was to see Him glorified and the Light invade the Darkness!  So, if Jesus is your Savior, and you profess that you love Him, how will you respond the next time you hear a cry for help?  How would you want Him to respond to you?  I pray that you will answer the call on your life, and imitate Christ.  Nothing in this world is worth turning Him down or denying His presence in the life of another.  Just say, "Yes, Lord".

1 John 4:12    "No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us."