Frantic February

What a month of blessings! It truly is a ZOE Life with Christ. It's usually, a "Heart" month, anyway, so it's no wonder that with the Spirit inside and aflame it has been rich and beautiful.

I've been reading Michael Howard's books and finding them filled with rich Spiritual meat to chew on. "Love Constrained" is an incredible story of a Holy Spirit campaign in war-torn Mozambique, with some action in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. (Most of you, reading this blog will know that John and I spent over 10 years in Rhodesia serving Christ with not only the Black nation but also the Europeans in Gwelo. What stark memories these books are conjuring in my mind. One sentence I would like to share concerns the political atmosphere during the writing of the book... "In the world of politics it should always be remembered that there is still a God who rules the heavens and the ultimate affairs of men." Good advice for times and God's people in the United States today. The devastating ungodly things that are taking place in various States across America and in Government call for serious intercession on the part of God's people. May our hearts beat with God's Heart in these matters and lead us to follow the Holy Spirit in complete obedience when it comes to prayer.

Besides, my reading Michael Howard's books, it is also my privilege to teach a Bible Study in the Vintage on Wednesdays at 3:00. We are studying Philip Yancey's book- "The Jesus I Never Knew." What challenging and eye-opening material he has put together. We are thoroughly enjoying the experience, and an experience it is! There is nothing 'ho-hum' about it but on the contrary, it is alive and vibrant; very thought provoking and arresting.

We've had the joy of meeting new friends who hale from Denver. One Sunday morning as I entered the Church building I noticed a couple I hadn't seen before. It was easy to greet them and get acquainted since they were there for the purpose of Worship and fellowship with Believers. We invited them home for lunch afterward to learn more of their interests and love of Jesus. God is so good. Diana works out at Hanford and Jim is able to continue his business in Denver by telephone. They have been here since July '09. We have been able to introduce them to a wonderful Bible Study at The Garden which is called Master Gardeners- led by Will Ojenen. And what a blessing. The study is on what we have "In Him". Rich, Rich, Rich.

Valentines Day meant a Party in the Social Room and I was invited to decorate the tables for the event. It was fun and my new friend, Diana, asked if she could help? They took us out to lunch after Church and upon our return to the Vintage we started decorating. What fun to work with her; then both Jim and Diana stayed to help with Church at the Vintage at 3:00 and then we finished the tables after the service. I was given a prize of Dinner for 2 at Famous Daves which John and I are going to enjoy sometime soon.

The Pastor of The Garden has a saying- "Get under the Spout where the Glory comes out."
He said recently, "God wants to take our ordinary life and make it extra-ordinary." Why not? He is in the Supernatural Business, right? "I'm Saved- I'm Called
I'm purposed- I'm Graced"
Romans 12:1,2a "So here's what I want you to do; God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-- your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life-- and place it before God as an offering Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out... " (The Message Bible)
"God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth."

I hope the month of Hearts has been a blessing to you. "Trust in the Lord with all your HEART and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path." Proverbs 3:5,6

A special message from Derek Prince Ministries.

This is a piece written by Derek Prince Ministries. You will find it a rich blessing; especially if you are going through hard times. Liz

Have you ever faced a desperate situation? Are you facing one now? I certainly hope and pray that is not the case with you. But if it is, I believe the fresh message of hope and encouragement in this letter will help you.

Three Words of Hope

The inspiration for what I share here came at a recent DPM staff prayer meeting. One of the matters for prayer was the desperate physical condition of a dear friend of the ministry. He has faced a prolonged battle with cancer and just received the news from his doctors that they had done all they could for him. After treating him, they discharged him from the hospital to go home with hospice care. Apart from a miracle of healing, his life on this earth could soon end.

As our staff prepared to pray for him, I shared some thoughts. First, God is certainly able to perform a miracle. Second, whether the Lord heals him or takes our brother home to be with Him, God is still good. I paraphrased a passage from Joel 2, where Joel reminded the people of Israel that even when they faced impending devastation, they should still turn to the Lord, for “He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.” Regardless of what happens, God is much more merciful and loving than we often give Him credit for. Following these remarks, our staff prayed with faith for our friend.

Afterward, I returned to my office to look further at the exact wording of the passage I had shared from memory. That’s when I saw three amazing words of hope, spoken by God Himself to His people. In the New American Standard version, Joel 2:12 begins with these three words from the Lord: “Yet even now. . . .”

Yet Even Now

What do those three little words say to us? That even in the midst of the most desperate situation, there is yet hope when we turn to the Lord. “Yet even now. . . .”

Even after the Lord’s lengthy warning in Joel 1 of the calamity to come, God held out hope. Everything in the warning spoke of absolute devastation and desperation. “The vine dries up and the fig tree fails . . . all the trees of the field dry up" (1:12). “Alas for the day! . . . a day of darkness and gloom . . . there has never been anything like it” (1:15; 2:2).

But, in spite of all those dire predictions, God spoke these three words of hope: “Yet even now. . . .” What did they need to do? Turn to Him with all their hearts through prayer and fasting. The Lord is saying that it’s never too late to turn to Him.

Three More Words

These are not the only three words of hope spoken in this passage. Joel follows God’s words with prophetic words of his own, reminding us of the goodness of God, and His amazing, abundant lovingkindness. Joel begins verse 14 with these words: “Who knows whether. . . .”

Joel is reminding us that God is able to do anything, even that which we might consider impossible. In place of the calamity facing us, God may instead “leave a blessing behind Him.” We simply won’t know what He may do and how He may answer until we turn to Him in our desperate situation.

What is the key to all of this? Actually, it lies in three more words of hope that we see consistently in teachings by Derek Prince relating to this theme of hope and encouragement. Those three simple words from Derek are: “Don’t give up.”

Don’t Give Up

Throughout his ministry, Derek had an incredible ability to feel the pulse of the people to whom he was speaking. It’s apparent that his greatest gift was to teach and impart biblical truth in a way that gave practical help, encouragement and hope, as we see in the following quotes from several of his audio teachings:

From “God Challenges Job”

There’s only one way to cultivate endurance. What is it? To endure. Hold on. Don’t give up. I’ve had the opportunity over the years to watch Christians in various stages of progress. Every now and then I’ll lose contact with a Christian, and then maybe ten or twenty years later, I’ll meet him again. And sometimes I say, “How did he make such progress?” You know what I concluded? All you have to do is hang in. If you don’t give up, God will bring you through. But if you give up, you’re sunk. So, don’t give up. Hang in there. Just when it’s toughest, don’t give up . . . because you’ll miss the best that God has for you in this life.

From “Endurance”

First, start by a firm commitment to the Lord with purpose of heart. Secondly, keep your eye on the invisible. Thirdly, if you fail, don’t give up. Others have failed before you. You’re looking at one of them. That’s one of the devil’s cleverest tricks—to say, “You’re a failure. You might as well give up. God has given up on you.” Don’t believe him. He’s a liar. . . . Even if you fall, don’t give up. God will pick you up.

From a Romans series message (“Romans 4:1 – 4:25”)

You may be facing tremendous tests and temptations. You may feel you’ve failed God and the bottom has dropped out of life. I’ll tell you what you can do. Go on believing. Don’t give up your faith, because God will see you through if you don’t abandon your faith. That’s the one critical mistake you must not make.

There’s no guarantee we won’t make mistakes . . . that we won’t get into problems . . . that we won’t fail. But God says, “As long as you keep on believing, your faith will be reckoned to you as righteousness. And on that basis, I’ll bring you through. You may not know how, it may seem impossible, but don’t give up your faith.”

A Firm Proclamation

I hope this message of hope and perseverance is coming through loud and clear. Why not take a moment and make your own declaration of determination and faith right now? Regardless of your situation, please take a moment to pray these words:

“Yet even now, Lord, no matter the circumstances I am facing, I trust in You. You are able to bring me through. Even though my trees have dried up and my day is dark and gloomy, You are able to bring life and light. You are my sun and my shield. Who knows whether, as I call on You in earnest faith, You may leave a blessing, turning my situation from calamity to hope and resolution. I look to You now in hope, and I will not give up. I will not give up.”