Who Am I? I Am Available.

"God took a nobody, named Smith Wigglesworth, and used him TO SHAKE THE WORLD."  (God's Generals 2, Smith WigglesWorth)

Wigglesworth's success was not a result of this ability.  "The success of his ministry was not caused by his ability, but rather by his availability.  Wigglesworth was available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week."  His priorities we right.  

"God used this uneducated plumber, unable to read or write until the age of twenty-six, to confound the learned scholars of theology and to set multitudes free through undisputable signs and wonders."

God is looking for people who are available.  He is looking for people who are faithful.  People who do not look at the excuses, but rather act on His Word regardless of how impossible, unreasonable, or difficult it may seem.  God is looking for people who are available to walk with Him, take the time to listen to His voice, and obey His Word.  

 

But, but but....I am just....but, but, but, ...... Excuses are made out of fear and ignorance.  Excuses are caused by doubt in who God is, and who you are in Christ.  

What does this mean?  Be available to Him.  Spend time with Him and in His Word enabling you to recognize His voice when He makes use of your availability.  

Every believer has a sphere of influence:  the people you come into contact with through daily activities.  This may be your co-workers, your child's teacher, the department store clerk at the register, the parent sitting nearby while you watch the children play at the park, the family sitting next to you in the restaurant, the person pumping gas on the other side of the pump, the woman standing next to in the line at the theater, the classmate in the seat in front of you, and on and on and on.  

God typically uses people within their sphere of influence.

Are you available?  

Photo credit:
http://brightsourceit.com

Do you separate your day?  20 minutes for time with God, breakfast, me time, work, children, husband time, etc.  While it is important to spend time with your family, this does not mean God is not in it.  Do not separate God out of your activities, just because you already separated out time for Him.  Allow him to flow in every area of your life.  Allow him to dwell in your whole life.  

What are your priorities today?  We are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  It is through us (the Body of Christ) in which God chooses to reveal and manifest Himself in the earth.    His will not force this upon us.  We must choose to be available to Him.  Do you question whether God is using you, or why He is not using you as you think?  Examine your priorities, and set them according to His Word.  

Translation Requires Good Doctrine, not Tradition

Over the past five years, I have learned the value of having a great translator.  Knowing the native language is not always enough to preach and teach the Word of God in another language.  Foreigners often speak with an accent, and use words more simplistic than a native speaker uses.  This is not always the case in some languages.  However, Mandarin is one of the more difficult languages to learn to speak, especially speaking it as the native Chinese speak.

"The ability to write in English does not make a person a professional writer. The ability to speak English does not make a person a professional speaker. Likewise, the ability to write or speak two languages does not mean that a person can translate or interpret. Plenty of people who are perfectly fluent in two languages fail professional exams for translation and interpreting. Why? Being bilingual does not guarantee that a person will be able to transport meaning from one language and culture to another without inflicting harm in the process."  Nataly Kelly  

Photo credit:  http://www.distinctivetranslationservices.com

Why is this important? 

Missionaries cannot randomly choose any person who speaks the local language and English 
to be their interpreter. (This also holds true for any church conducting bilingual services.)



Several problems arise when any person is chosen based solely on their ability to speak both languages.  Here are a few:

1. The message gets lost in poor translation. 
2. Traditional or Religious Teaching replaces the intended solid Word of God.
3. Cultural Stories or analogies change the focus of the message's main focus.
4. The interpreter indirectly (or even directly) interject his/her own personal experience, thoughts, into the message by trying to explain in his or her own words what the foreigner is saying rather than interpreting exactly what was said.  In this case, a preacher, evangelist, teacher, etc knows when the people do not understand, and will further clarify if necessary.  

Photo credit:
http://www.itranslation.com.sg/ 

We are very blessed by God to be provided with great interpreters with a heart to serve, and humble to learn God's Word and prepare themselves for accurate and well refined translation skills.  They have learned the Spirit of Faith through our Pastor, and apply a spirit of EXCELLENCE in delivering the message along side of him and the other foreigners who speak.

Who Am I? I Am Forgiven.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1Jn 1:9 

Many use this verse for salvation.  However, if read carefully and in context, we see that the book of 1 John was written to believers (1John 5:13).  With this being the case, then how does 1 John 1:9 apply to the believer (if it were for salvation, the book would have been written for the unbeliever)?

John's intentions for writing this book to his audience is so that their "joy may be full" (1 John 1:4), they would "not practice sin" (1 John 2:1), and "you who believe in the name of the Son of God.....may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:3)

Photo credit:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Some believe they must sit for a lengthy period of time, remembering their sin, asking the Holy Spirit to bring sin they have committed to remembrance, confess each sin, and even tarry for hours, asking forgiveness. 

"This would be like a person who heard that aspirin could help them with a headache, but instead of following the instructions and using the aspirin properly, they beat themselves on the head with the bottle. After a while, they decide that aspirin doesn't work and actually makes things worse." ---Tony Cooke

John is not preaching Old Law (confess to be forgiven).  We must be careful to  keep the Law of the Old Testament in the Old Testament.  

How does this apply to believers living under the New Covenant?

As Paul in Romans 4:7-8, John is using terms and scripture familiar to his audience to relate something new to the people.  What is he teaching?  The same as Paul did when He quoted this verse from the Old Testament to the people:  We are blessed through faith not works.  

Confess, in the Greek, simply means to agree with, to acknowledge, or say the same thing as another.  Confession with the mouth is speaking in agreement with what you believe in your heart.  It is the same as what believers  do when we receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;  (9)  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10)  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  Rom 10:8-10

Photo credit:
http://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com

"First John 1:9 is a glorious invitation to us, when we have missed it, to "...come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). Option 1 is that we had not sinned to begin with, but Option 2 is that Jesus remains our Advocate! He is for us, not against us! We can come to Him, be honest with Him, and in faith acknowledge—not simply our failure—but also his great mercy and kindness. 


We act on 1 John 1:9 the same way we act on any Scripture - in faith! 

When we confess a sin, we are not groveling before God or wallowing in our sin. We are not trying to "earn" forgiveness, and we are not questioning whether He still loves us or will give us a second chance. No! We come in faith to the One Who promised us cleansing, and we receive a fresh application in our lives of the wonderful forgiveness that He procured for us 2,000 years ago when He shed His precious blood for us."  Tony Cooke in his article  Why You Don't Have to Confess Sins(You Didn't Commit)

Through faith, we speak out acknowledging our sins, yet speaking in agreement with God's Word regarding our sins; knowing that we have an advocate in Christ Jesus who paid the price for our sins once and for all 2000 years ago.

Who Am I? I Am Abnormal.

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  Ephesians 2:4-7

Why did God quicken ("to quicken" here means "to come alive") us?

To show us the exceeding riches of his grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.

What does grace mean?

 Grace is synonymous with Favor.  Grace (favor) is given to us because our God is a merciful God and His love for us is as that of a Father who wants the best for His children, regardless of whether they are deserving or not.  We cannot earn it by doing.  We cannot loose it by not doing.

Our lives become abnormal as we experience the supernatural favor of God. An outsider watching your life will begin to see a difference.  The world takes notice that you do not experience what they experience.  "How do you do it?" they ask.  "Why is the country in a recession, yet you seem to being doing very well for yourself, and even happy compared to everyone else?"  Your answer, "I have a Great God, A wonderful Father who wants me to succeed in all I do."  

Trust Him.  Receive the Favor by knowing what it is.  Deut. 28 explains many of the blessings that are yours and the favor you can expect as a child of God.  Read and meditate on these and other scriptures that put the "Truth" in you, and make your FREE.

"Born of the Spirit"

I vividly remember the day in August 1986, that Jesus became Lord and Savior of my life, including the emotions and feelings that accompanied the experience of becoming a "NEW CREATURE" in Christ Jesus.  

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10)  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  Romans 10:9-10

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."   2 Corinthians 5:17

Being a new creature in Christ Jesus was just the beginning.  

What happened that day?

photo credit:
http://www.transformedblog.com

Many Christians believe that when a person confesses with their mouth the Lord Jesus, and believes in their heart that God has raised him from the dead that God fills their spirit up by pouring His Spirit into your spirit.  And, they call this "being filled with the spirit."  This is not what happens when you receive Jesus. 

Before receiving Jesus (by confessing with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead), Satan was the father of your spirit (we are a body, soul, and a spirit - this is another teaching for another posting).  When you said, "Jesus come into my life, and received Him as your Lord and Savior, God reached in to your life and replaced your stony heart.  He takes your old spirit man out, and gives you a new spirit man.  That is being BORN OF THE SPIRIT. 

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."  1 Corinthians 12:13

"...but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:"  Luke 3:16

As we are born again, the Holy Spirit baptizes us and places us into the Body of Christ.  We are born again, once of water (our natural birth into the world) and again of the Spirit (becoming a new creature).

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5  

This is automatic in every new believer's life.  Salvation is the baptism into the Body of Christ. This is the born again experience.  

This experience provides us a new spirit man, but it is up to us to feed our minds and change our thinking, thus affecting our body (the flesh).   This is very important to growing and maturing as a believer in Christ Jesus.  

"If we continue to think the same, talk the same, and act the  same way we did before we met Jesus, then we're missing out on the good things God has in store for us in heaven." ---Jerry Savelle

While a new believer may experience and exhibit outward change as a result of the new birth in Christ Jesus, the outward transformation in the body and the soul is a process of renewing the mind and applying what is learned from the Word of God in ones life.  

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2

 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  2 Timothy 2:15

Photo credit:
http://www.theopenedbox.com

Even as a seasoned believer, I find reading and studying passages of scripture over and over, regardless of how many times I have read them before, produces new revelation (new understanding revealed to me) each and every time.  Each revelation deeper than the one before it, causing me to always see something new in God's Word that I did not see before.

Who Am I? I Am New, and Daily Renewing.

I vividly remember the day in August 1986, that Jesus became Lord and Savior of my life, including the emotions and feelings that accompanied the experience of becoming a "NEW CREATURE" in Christ Jesus.  

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10)  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  Romans 10:9-10

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."   2 Corinthians 5:17

Being a new creature in Christ Jesus was just the beginning.  

What happened that day?

photo credit:
http://www.transformedblog.com

Many Christians believe that when a person confesses with their mouth the Lord Jesus, and believes in their heart that God has raised him from the dead that God fills their spirit up by pouring His Spirit into your spirit.  And, they call this "being filled with the spirit."  This is not what happens when you receive Jesus. 

Before receiving Jesus (by confessing with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead), Satan was the father of your spirit (we are a body, soul, and a spirit - this is another teaching for another posting).  When you said, "Jesus come into my life, and received Him as your Lord and Savior, God reached in to your life and replaced your stony heart.  He takes your old spirit man out, and gives you a new spirit man.  That is being BORN OF THE SPIRIT. 

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."  1 Corinthians 12:13

"...but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:"  Luke 3:16

As we are born again, the Holy Spirit baptizes us and places us into the Body of Christ.  We are born again, once of water (our natural birth into the world) and again of the Spirit (becoming a new creature).

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5  

This is automatic in every new believer's life.  Salvation is the baptism into the Body of Christ. This is the born again experience.  

This experience provides us a new spirit man, but it is up to us to feed our minds and change our thinking, thus affecting our body (the flesh).   This is very important to growing and maturing as a believer in Christ Jesus.  

"If we continue to think the same, talk the same, and act the  same way we did before we met Jesus, then we're missing out on the good things God has in store for us in heaven." ---Jerry Savelle

While a new believer may experience and exhibit outward change as a result of the new birth in Christ Jesus, the outward transformation in the body and the soul is a process of renewing the mind and applying what is learned from the Word of God in ones life.  

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2

 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  2 Timothy 2:15

Photo credit:
http://www.theopenedbox.com

Even as a seasoned believer, I find reading and studying passages of scripture over and over, regardless of how many times I have read them before, produces new revelation (new understanding revealed to me) each and every time.  Each revelation deeper than the one before it, causing me to always see something new in God's Word that I did not see before.

Who Am I? I Am a Chaser and a Fixer.

Faith begins where your ability stops.

When you have done all that you CAN do, it is in the hands of God.  You cannot do anything more.  Stand, in faith, that is done.

Example:  A married couple.

Photo credit: unknown

A couple has a huge fight.  They cannot seem to come to agreement on the matter at hand.  One of them decides he/she does not want to be with the other any longer and they break up. 

The spouse who stayed may say, "I am believing God to restore my relationship."  The situation goes on and on, possibly ending in a final divorce.

In this situation, they have yet to do all they can do to restore the relationship themselves.  It may be as simple as saying; "I am sorry,"  "Let's work this out,"  or "Forgive me, I was wrong." It may be as complex as marital counseling from a Christian professional.  

Faith begins where your ability stops.  What did they do to restore the relationship?  Did they attempt to reconcile?  Or, did they let it go and say that it is up to God?  

After we have done all that we can do, faith begins to move in our situations, whatever they may be.  God has commanded US the ministry of restoration.  He did not command himself to restore people.  

What does this mean?  It means that even when you have been damaged and hurt, it is your responsibility as a Christian to chase the situation and fix it.  

Keep in mind, sometimes it is best to let God heal first before you do something.  In these situations it is best to spend time in prayer and ask God, "What do I do with this?"  (Please note:  In situations where your life may be in danger due to physical abuse, drugs, etc--the other person may require a healing in that area by God, before restoration can take place.)  







Know the will of God in your situation via His Word, the Bible.  You must KNOW the will of God before you can have faith in it.  Then, after you have done all you can do, stand in faith, know that His Word it truth, and your situation is conquered.  You have victory in Christ Jesus.  

Who Am I? I Am Knowing, Free, and Full of Faith.

Faith begins where the will of God is known!  Meditate on this.  Stop and think about it.  Why is this statement true?  What does it mean to me?

 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32

In this verse, Jesus says you will know the truth (God's Word), and it is that truth, that Word of God that will make you free.

Washing my son's clothes during his teenage years proved to be a profitable venture.  Seemingly, every week, I found money in his pockets, the washing machine, and the dryer.  I kept a little jar and collected the money found in his laundry each week. 

Trying to discourage this behavior (after it became a problem), I had announced a rule, if it is left in your clothes, Mama is keeping the money.  There were weeks his cash flow would be a                     

little low, and he would stay in rather than go out with his friends.  Many of these times, I later found cash in his clothes as they were washed them.  He had stayed home because he did not know the truth.  He had money.  All he had to do was go and pull it out of this pockets in the laundry.  However, believing that he was broke, he could not act on what he really wanted to do for the evening.

Faith begins where the will of God is known.  

You must know what you have before you can act on it.  

If God's Word says, He leads me in triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14), then He leads me in triumph.  

If God's Word says, I am redeemed, I am redeemed (Romans 3:24).  

 If I am a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), I am a new creature.  

I can act, by faith, on what I know as truth.  God's Word is truth in our life.  However, I can only have what I KNOW God says I can have.  Therefore, each of us must take the time to learn the Truth, and then we can become free in it.  

Who Am I? I Am Trusting Him, and Thankful for You.

Who Am I? I Am Trusting Him and Thankful for You.

Today's Who Am I?  DailyDevo is an excerpt from "Tales of a Modern-Day Missionary" by Joy Neasley.

Photo credit:
http://www.christiansincontext.com/2013/02
/how-should-we-support-missionaries.html

Writing this blog can be a bit intimidating.  Over the next year or so, the goal is to provide readers with the insights of what it is like to be a cross-cultural missionary - a missionary called by God to a country or people other than his/her own native country or people.  

Writing with the purpose to communicate the reality of being a missionary means writing both the struggles and the joys of missions work, providing a basis for your prayers for me, the people I work with, and the local people.  

Paul was bold in the following statement to his supporters, making them aware of his struggles and his joys as a missionary in 2 Corinthians 1:8-12.

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:  (9)  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:  (10)  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;  (11)  Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.  (12)  For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

Paul pointed out that it was God who delivered them, but drew attention to the importance of his supporter's help through prayer.  

Those who support missionaries through prayer need to know the reality of the mission field and the needs of the missionary to provide effectual prayer.

Photo credit:
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/clip/look---.html

This blog is an attempt to provide you with an inside look at what a missionary does, and experiences on the mission field, both struggles and joys.  However, due to the country in which I work, the places,names, and photos of the people and area are either changed or modified for security reasons of all involved.  

Today, let's discuss culture shock.  I have experienced this many times over the years while traveling and living in other countries before settling in Asia back in Spring 2008.  Yet culture shock seems unavoidable each time.  Here in Asia was not different.  

In the beginning, there is a period of becoming instantly illiterate.  I may as well have been mute and deaf, because I could not read, understand, or speak the local language.  The game of Charades became a way of communicating on a limited level until I began to grasp some of the language and locate local people who spoke at least a little English.  In Asia, it is not just speaking the language that produces illiteracy in a foreigner when they arrive to the country, it is also the Eastern way of thinking, and the cultural differences.  The Eastern way of thinking is very, very, very different than a Westerner may think and act in even the simplest daily activities.  

Culture Shock
Photo Credit:  http://2vancouver.com

Upon arrival in Asia, I also faced financial adjustments, unfamiliar foods, differences in personal hygiene, learning to live without the sphere of personal space Westerners are accustomed to having, changes in living conditions, and so on.  Due to living in other countries, courtesy of being a military spouse in my younger days, I did make the adjustments and continue to learn the language, local dialects of the language, and culture.  



Of course, I had special people like you, praying and interceding for me, making the adjustments easier.  It was and is an encouragement to know that believers back home and around the world pray for me, and the others I work for and with here in this country.

Here are a few ways you can pray for missionaries in this area:  

Don't forget to email encouragement
to missionaries you know.Photo credits:
 http://moreformissionarymoms.blogspot.com

• Pray for travel to the different areas of Asia, and the ability to adjust to the cultural differences within the country itself.  Also, include the ability to effectively communicate with the local people of each area. 
• Due to the country we work within, our church is mobile.  Even our home changes periodically to meet the demands of our work here.  Pray for wisdom and direction in these areas and the adjustments that must be made with each move.
• Pray for healthy and strong relationships with people within the country, our families, our ministry team.  Pray also regarding strong and healthy relationships with our partners, friends, and family back home.
• Pray for continual increase in learning the language and culture; understanding, reading, writing, and speaking.  

Culture Shock

Photo credit:
http://www.christiansincontext.com/2013/02
/how-should-we-support-missionaries.html

Writing this blog can be a bit intimidating.  Over the next year or so, the goal is to provide readers with the insights of what it is like to be a cross-cultural missionary - a missionary called by God to a country or people other than his/her own native country or people.  

Writing with the purpose to communicate the reality of being a missionary means writing both the struggles and the joys of missions work, providing a basis for your prayers for me, the people I work with, and the local people.  

Paul was bold in the following statement to his supporters, making them aware of his struggles and his joys as a missionary in 2 Corinthians 1:8-12.

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:  (9)  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:  (10)  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;  (11)  Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.  (12)  For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

Paul pointed out that it was God who delivered them, but drew attention to the importance of his supporter's help through prayer.  

Those who support missionaries through prayer need to know the reality of the mission field and the needs of the missionary to provide effectual prayer.

Photo credit:
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/clip/look---.html

This blog is an attempt to provide you with an inside look at what a missionary does, and experiences on the mission field, both struggles and joys.  However, due to the country in which I work, the places,names, and photos of the people and area are either changed or modified for security reasons of all involved.  

Today, let's discuss culture shock.  I have experienced this many times over the years while traveling and living in other countries before settling in Asia back in Spring 2008.  Yet culture shock seems unavoidable each time.  Here in Asia was not different.  

In the beginning, there is a period of becoming instantly illiterate.  I may as well have been mute and deaf, because I could not read, understand, or speak the local language.  The game of Charades became a way of communicating on a limited level until I began to grasp some of the language and locate local people who spoke at least a little English.  In Asia, it is not just speaking the language that produces illiteracy in a foreigner when they arrive to the country, it is also the Eastern way of thinking, and the cultural differences.  The Eastern way of thinking is very, very, very different than a Westerner may think and act in even the simplest daily activities.  

Culture Shock
Photo Credit:  http://2vancouver.com

Upon arrival in Asia, I also faced financial adjustments, unfamiliar foods, differences in personal hygiene, learning to live without the sphere of personal space Westerners are accustomed to having, changes in living conditions, and so on.  Due to living in other countries, courtesy of being a military spouse in my younger days, I did make the adjustments and continue to learn the language, local dialects of the language, and culture.  



Of course, I had special people like you, praying and interceding for me, making the adjustments easier.  It was and is an encouragement to know that believers back home and around the world pray for me, and the others I work for and with here in this country.

Here are a few ways you can pray for missionaries in this area:  

Don't forget to email encouragement
to missionaries you know.Photo credits:
 http://moreformissionarymoms.blogspot.com

• Pray for travel to the different areas of Asia, and the ability to adjust to the cultural differences within the country itself.  Also, include the ability to effectively communicate with the local people of each area. 
• Due to the country we work within, our church is mobile.  Even our home changes periodically to meet the demands of our work here.  Pray for wisdom and direction in these areas and the adjustments that must be made with each move.
• Pray for healthy and strong relationships with people within the country, our families, our ministry team.  Pray also regarding strong and healthy relationships with our partners, friends, and family back home.
• Pray for continual increase in learning the language and culture; understanding, reading, writing, and speaking.  

Who Am I? I Am A Temptation Resistor.

Tempation or Sin

Mama kept an old-fashioned cookie jar full of store bought and fresh baked cookies in the cupboard. In the dining room, near the cupboard, sat a large, oval, wood table with a huge table cloth overhanging at least halfway to the floor.  

Roughly preschool age, I remember hiding under the table early in the mornings, waiting for mama to make breakfast.  The cookie jar just in view.  Most mornings, my sisters (younger than myself) and I begged mama for one of those cookies.  She handed us one cookie each, eventually.   

Photo Credit:
http://zerohacking.blogspot.com/2013/02/
session-hijacking-cookie-stealing.html

One morning, mama slept longer than normal.  My sisters and I played under the table while we waited patiently for her.  That cookie jar beckoned us ...until ....I climbed up into the cupboard and retrieved it.  Handing it to one of my younger sisters, she carried it under the table.  

We ate cookies galore that morning, and put the cookie jar back in its rightful place on the shelf before returning to our room.

When mama came to the kitchen, we immediately heard our names called and mama inquired about the cookie crumbs under the table. We were caught.  

What is my point with this story?  Many believers are tempted by thoughts, in which they do not entertain, and yet they think they have sinned.  However the fact is they have only been tempted to sin.  In the above illustration, it did not become sin until my sisters and I acted on our the thoughts and went for the cookie jar.  

The enemy takes advantage of young believers by deceiving them into thinking they have sinned, leading the new believer into guilt, and possibly believing they are not good enough, or never will be good enough to be a Christian.

Being tempted is not a sin.  This is scriptural.  Hebrews 4:15 tells us that even Jesus himself "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."  

Every believer is presented with temptation.  Jesus' example shows us that the temptation is not the sin.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says that temptation is common to man.  It is participating in the temptation, which Jesus did not do, that is the sin.  

When faced with temptation, resist it. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7  

Do as Paul advised in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Who Am I? I Am Educated, Knowledgable, and Informed.

Faith and doubt do not cohabitate.  They do not coexist.  

Doubt is hindrance created by thoughts the enemy has placed in your mind, and those thoughts were entertained rather than resisted.  Doubt is also a result of ignorance.  

Ignorance is not the dirty, name calling, word many believe it is.  Ignorance is simply a lack of knowledge, information, or education. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  John 8:31-32  

My son-in-law just received a new cell phone as an early Father's Day gift.  Let us say his old phone was destroyed, he dropped it in the kitchen sink while washing the dishes (I really do not know what happened to his old phone.  This is just an example.)  He is upset and frustrated because he is without a phone for days.  Trying to work out getting a new one,  he is ignorant of the fact that is new phone is actually right under his nose.  He lacked the knowledge that his new phone was sitting in the house wrapped in a pretty brown wrapping paper with white polka dots, and a beautiful pink bow.  Because he did not know he had a phone, he did not have access to using it, until it was presented to him.

The same is true with The Word of God.  One of the root causes of doubt is simply ignorance of your rights and privileges, blessings and favor, as a child of God, not knowing who you are and what is yours.  Faith is the opposite of doubt.  

How do you dispel doubt?  Build faith.  

Dig into God's Word and gain knowledge of what it contains.  Gain the necessary information to have faith.  


"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."  Romans 10:17