Moral Courage
The main morning meetings at Venue 2 New Wine were entitled : MORAL COURAGE
For that read: Faith - Risk etc Based on Hebrews 10v35-11v40
All very relevant stuff and encouraging to know that I'm on the right track. Although I sometimes wonder if it's not harder to take risks and step out of your comfort zone in your home country surrounded by home comforts and friends and family. God has called me to go far away (for a period of time as He decrees) and, although there are challenges and sacrifices to be made there, He is equipping me with everything I need - spiritually, emotionally, materially etc, to do the job he's called me to do. Hurrah for an amazing God!
'So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded.'
'But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.'
'Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.'
God told Abraham to leave his civilised and rather nice home and take his wife and go to a place that He would show him, without elaborating much more.
God told Noah to build a massive boat in the middle of the desert, when there were no rain forecasts for the foreseeable future.
God told Moses to waltz into his 'grandfather's' palace and claim back all the immigrant workers and lead them out into the wilderness.
These all took faith and courage. Now is not a time to be weak or cowardly. Now is a time to stand firm, to act on what God tells us to do, sometimes in mere obedience not fully understanding the whys and hows of what will happen next.
Someone once said that the safest place to be is in the centre of the will of God. Not so.
Whilst He gives complete protection and will never abandon us, it's possibly the most dangerous place to be. Jesus was fully in the centre of the will of God at all times, and he lived a dangerous life.
All this is great encouragement as I get back into a new routine of not being a teacher and being a full-time Christian worker. I'm so excited at the possibilities and opportunities that are already coming my way. I'm challenged to stay focussed and to fix my eyes on Jesus as I walk the path He has marked out for me. He leads me and guides my every step. It's a walk, not a sprint.
God loves everyone. He is saddened by the rejection that He gets from people, from people who have turned away from His love and even rejected His rescue plan in Jesus. He is distressed by the heartache he sees in the world from so much suffering and pain. The way is open for us to be reconciled to Him and to live in relationship with Him, so that he can lead us into great and amazing adventures with Him. It's about surrendering my ego and selfishness and submitting to His way in my life. It's a daily thing, constantly coming back to Him and His love, especially when things of this world press in and try to distract me away from that.
God has the ultimate authority and when we believe in Jesus and what He established by His death and resurrection, and are reconciled to God, He puts within us His Holy Spirit and suddenly we move from being merely natural, worldly people to having a supernatural nature. God has condemned the evil forces in this world, lead by Satan, to complete and total destruction, but the final judgement has not come down yet. Until that time Satan is still squatting in the world, but he's not in charge any more. He's doing his best to trick people into thinking that he is, and so many are fooled and fear him. But he is under the same authority as we are and God has given us authority and power to send him packing in the name of Jesus. He's like a naughty schoolboy who is trying to fool a teacher into doing what he wants when in fact the levels of authority are clear and he has no rights to think he can behave thus.
God's been saying a lot to me lately about authority. It's a funny thing. When you are given authority it's often to do something much bigger than you think you are capable of. When I became Headteacher, overnight I had more authority. But you have to use it. There are lots of nasties around in the world, keeping people trapped and tricking them into thinking that this is it and a life of fear is the best they can put up with. Not so. Jesus came to set people free, He came to give life to the full and to restore people to a rightful relationship with the Almighty Creator of the Universe. He has delegated authority to us to cast out demons, heal the sick and raise the dead, all in His name. This is the life of adventure to which He has called us. I feel God is telling me to get ready, crazy things will happen in Africa, where people are even more switched on to the supernatural than in the UK. It will be amazing, humbling and awesome and totally of God. I can't wait...!
For that read: Faith - Risk etc Based on Hebrews 10v35-11v40
All very relevant stuff and encouraging to know that I'm on the right track. Although I sometimes wonder if it's not harder to take risks and step out of your comfort zone in your home country surrounded by home comforts and friends and family. God has called me to go far away (for a period of time as He decrees) and, although there are challenges and sacrifices to be made there, He is equipping me with everything I need - spiritually, emotionally, materially etc, to do the job he's called me to do. Hurrah for an amazing God!
'So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded.'
'But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.'
'Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.'
God told Abraham to leave his civilised and rather nice home and take his wife and go to a place that He would show him, without elaborating much more.
God told Noah to build a massive boat in the middle of the desert, when there were no rain forecasts for the foreseeable future.
God told Moses to waltz into his 'grandfather's' palace and claim back all the immigrant workers and lead them out into the wilderness.
These all took faith and courage. Now is not a time to be weak or cowardly. Now is a time to stand firm, to act on what God tells us to do, sometimes in mere obedience not fully understanding the whys and hows of what will happen next.
Someone once said that the safest place to be is in the centre of the will of God. Not so.
Whilst He gives complete protection and will never abandon us, it's possibly the most dangerous place to be. Jesus was fully in the centre of the will of God at all times, and he lived a dangerous life.
All this is great encouragement as I get back into a new routine of not being a teacher and being a full-time Christian worker. I'm so excited at the possibilities and opportunities that are already coming my way. I'm challenged to stay focussed and to fix my eyes on Jesus as I walk the path He has marked out for me. He leads me and guides my every step. It's a walk, not a sprint.
God loves everyone. He is saddened by the rejection that He gets from people, from people who have turned away from His love and even rejected His rescue plan in Jesus. He is distressed by the heartache he sees in the world from so much suffering and pain. The way is open for us to be reconciled to Him and to live in relationship with Him, so that he can lead us into great and amazing adventures with Him. It's about surrendering my ego and selfishness and submitting to His way in my life. It's a daily thing, constantly coming back to Him and His love, especially when things of this world press in and try to distract me away from that.
God has the ultimate authority and when we believe in Jesus and what He established by His death and resurrection, and are reconciled to God, He puts within us His Holy Spirit and suddenly we move from being merely natural, worldly people to having a supernatural nature. God has condemned the evil forces in this world, lead by Satan, to complete and total destruction, but the final judgement has not come down yet. Until that time Satan is still squatting in the world, but he's not in charge any more. He's doing his best to trick people into thinking that he is, and so many are fooled and fear him. But he is under the same authority as we are and God has given us authority and power to send him packing in the name of Jesus. He's like a naughty schoolboy who is trying to fool a teacher into doing what he wants when in fact the levels of authority are clear and he has no rights to think he can behave thus.
God's been saying a lot to me lately about authority. It's a funny thing. When you are given authority it's often to do something much bigger than you think you are capable of. When I became Headteacher, overnight I had more authority. But you have to use it. There are lots of nasties around in the world, keeping people trapped and tricking them into thinking that this is it and a life of fear is the best they can put up with. Not so. Jesus came to set people free, He came to give life to the full and to restore people to a rightful relationship with the Almighty Creator of the Universe. He has delegated authority to us to cast out demons, heal the sick and raise the dead, all in His name. This is the life of adventure to which He has called us. I feel God is telling me to get ready, crazy things will happen in Africa, where people are even more switched on to the supernatural than in the UK. It will be amazing, humbling and awesome and totally of God. I can't wait...!
posted by Caroline @ 11:45 am
1 Comments:
At Tuesday, 01 August, 2006,
Anonymous said…
Wellcome Back!! We glaD you enjOyed youR holiday and if I unDerstand rightly you have plenty of money now to buy foot and other things in Africa and you pay your £600 deposit to dumb bureaucrats.
God has providEd, he is a good gOd!!
It is now AuGust first, you go in thirty five days. It is now good you are organized, you sit back and enjoy lazy summer days with your friends. They cry when you leave as you must be funny girl to no. I bet there is one man who will cry when you go to Africa, youre boyfriend will mist you when you go.
I look forward to more storeys from you.
Piotr.
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