THE POWER OF ONE

                                                           THE POWER OF ONE

 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.  Joshua 23:10 KJV

 What is the power of one?  The power of one is about individuals who have taken a stand and because of this, they have changed the world or the sphere in which they live. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, David killed Goliath, Gideon led a small army of 300 and was victorious over the enemy. Esther was instrumental in saving the Jewish people from annihilation. Mary the Mother of Jesus, offered her body to house the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!  After an encounter with Jesus at the well, the Samaritan woman became an evangelist to bring the Good News to her people.  Even though these had the power of one, they depended and were given strength by THE ONE GOD. 

It does not have to be a famous person or a person with great authority or fame.  It could be the average person like Rosa Parks who refused to go to the back of the bus.  It could be a famous person, such as Martin Luther King Jr., who stood up against discrimination. 

The power of one is also about unity.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—  I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  John 17:22-23 NIV

The power of one is also the battle between good and evil.  The evil one seeks to steal, kill and destroy. One of his favorite weapons is division and he loves to do this in the Church.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 NIV    The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.  1 John 3:8 NIV   All it takes is one evil person to rise up and manipulate and spew his or her ideology for the “good” of the people.  And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.   2 Corinthians 11:14 NIV

 How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! Psalm 133:1 NIV

then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  Philippians 2:2 NIV

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,  so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:1-5 NIV

We need to be united as believers to stand against the plans of evil.  One thing I have noticed is that many today are not standing together against evil.  There is strength in unity.  We need to stand together to show strength for what we believe in and who we are in Christ.   Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. Leviticus 26:8 NIV

The Body of Christ needs to be unified, especially at this time when there is so much deception.  We need to stand up for what we believe.  There are only a few leaders who are standing up.  Many have succumbed to pressure from the media.  It only takes one person to start a movement.  Be that one person who takes a stand. In so doing, who knows, you may be the spark that sets a fire for an awakening in your sphere or even the world!!

“YOU WEREN’T BORN TO FIT IT IN-----------YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!”  (Jim Caviezel)

One Solitary Life

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant. He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was 30. Then, for three years, he was an itinerant preacher.

He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He didn't go to college. He never lived in a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself.

He was only 33 when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied him. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his garments, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave, through the pity of a friend.

Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race. I am well within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned--put together--have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one, solitary life.*

*Attributed to James Allen Francis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE PANDEMIC OF FEAR

                                                               THE PANDEMIC OF FEAR

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself–nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”  (Franklin D. Roosevelt, Inauguration Speech on March 4, 1933.)

Note the words---“unjustified terror which paralyzes.”  There is a lot to unpack in that phrase.  It appears that fear can be unjustified in many ways.  Was the COVID 19 pandemic an unjustified terror?  No it was not!  Unfortunately, many people lost their lives and suffered greatly because of it, but the fear that it created resulted in an avalanche of paralysis that created a lethal weapon that impacted more of human kind than the virus itself resulting in job loss, the loss of many businesses, and the increase in suicides. 

“Fear not!” is the most repeated command in the Bible. In fact, it’s been said that there are 365 “Fear nots” in the Bible — one “Fear not” for every day of the year! Lloyd Ogilvie in Facing the Future without Fear even said there are 366 “Fear nots” in the Bible, one for every day of the year, including Leap Year! God doesn’t want us to go a single day without hearing his word of comfort: “Fear not!”  (Prince Thahir; Quora)

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10 NIV

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

 

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.  Isaiah 41:13 NIV

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  1 John 4:18 NIV

Fear causes anxiety, causes retreat, discourages common sense and is a weapon that the enemy (the devil) uses to manipulate people with his plans to accomplish his plans to lie, kill and destroy.  John 10:10, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  NIV

The pandemic of fear is not limited to the COVID 19 virus.  It grips all of us at one time or another, especially in the woke society that we are living in.  It has gripped some in the Church who are afraid to stand up for the principles in the Bible.  It has gripped the news media who are afraid to say anything out of step with the far left crowd.  It has paralyzed individuals from speaking up about their beliefs because they may lose their job. 

What is the antidote for this pandemic of fear?  I will tell you that it is in the Word of God.  It is our hope and trust in God living in His Kingdom where there is no fear but only love.  We need to take authority over this spirit of fear. One of my favorite scriptures is, Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  NIV

Don’t be afraid to speak out for what you believe.  If Jesus and the apostles had been afraid to heal the lepers who were the “untouchable” people, they never would have been healed.  If the woman with the issue of blood had been afraid to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, then she would not have been healed.  If David had been afraid of the giant, Goliath would never have been killed and the Israelites would never have had a victory.  David trusted in God.

 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 1 Samuel 17:45-46

If Martin Luther King Jr. had been afraid to march for civil rights, there never would have been de-segregation.  Rosa Parks was not afraid to refuse to sit at the back of the bus.  Corrie ten Boom and her family were not afraid to hide Jews in their home. 

Joyce Meyers says, “Just because you feel fear doesn't mean you can't do it. Do it afraid”

Do heroes ever experience fear?  I am sure they do but the difference between a hero and someone else is that they do the act even though they might be afraid!

I know we all struggle with fear.  Sometimes fear can be good.  We should be afraid of putting our hand in a fire because it will burn.  We should be afraid of jumping off of a cliff because we will die. 

“Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”
Arthur Somers Roche

“Five hundred years ago, Michel de Montaigne said: My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened. Now there’s a study that proves it. This study looked into how many of our imagined calamities never materialize. In this study, subjects were asked to write down their worries over an extended period of time and then identify which of their imagined misfortunes did not actually happen.

 Lo and behold, it turns out that 85 percent of what subjects worried about never happened, and with the 15 percent that did happen, 79 percent of subjects discovered either they could handle the difficulty better than expected, or the difficulty taught them a lesson worth learning. This means that 97 percent of what you worry over is not much more than a fearful mind punishing you with exaggerations and misperceptions.” (85% of What We Worry About Never Happens Don Joseph Goewey huffpost.com)

Fear and worry go hand in hand but,---- There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  1 John 4:18 NIV

 Since God is love, and He loves us and lives within us, then we have nothing to fear!!

THE PRESENCE OF GOD

                                                                 THE PRESENCE OF GOD

“When we acknowledge His presence, we are bringing presents to the Lord.”  These are words that the Lord gave me the other day when He was inspiring me to write about His presence.

There is a book that over one million people have read, entitled, “The Practice of The Presence of God.” It was written by Brother Lawrence.  He was born to poor farmers in 1611 in Lorraine, France as Nicholas Herman.  His parents could not afford to educate him so he enlisted in the army.

It was during his 18 years in the army that he was awakened to a spiritual experience concerning God’s love and grace.  He retired from the army and became a lay monk who was a humble cook in a Carmelite Monastery.  He discovered the secret of holiness by “practicing the presence of God.”

 “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.”

"We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king. It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God."

“He does not ask much of us, merely a thought of Him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you, in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can. Lift up your heart to Him during your meals and in company; the least little remembrance will always be the most pleasing to Him. One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think.”

“The difficulties of life do not have to be unbearable. It is the way we look at them - through faith or unbelief - that makes them seem so. We must be convinced that our Father is full of love for us and that He only permits trials to come our way for our own good.

“Let us occupy ourselves entirely in knowing God. The more we know Him, the more we will desire to know Him. As love increases with knowledge, the more we know God, the more we will truly love Him. We will learn to love Him equally in times of distress or in times of great joy.”

 

“The most intimate union with God is the actual presence of God.  Although this relationship with God is totally spiritual, it is quite dynamic, because the soul is not asleep, rather, it is powerfully excited.  In this state, the soul is livelier than fire and brighter than the unclouded sun, yet, at the same time, it is tender and devout.”

 

In 1998, the Lord gave me words for this song which is about seeking and resting in God’s presence.

 

“In Thy Sweet Presence, Lord”

 (Marty and Marcella Ward 1998)

 

In Thy sweet presence Lord, I humbly come.

In Thy sweet presence Lord, Thy will be done.

O choirs of angels, do humbly bow.

In Thy sweet presence Lord, we praise Thee now.

In thy sweet presence Lord, we joyfully sing.

In Thy sweet presence Lord, our gifts we bring.

 

Thy Living Bread, Thy presence fill.

My heart my soul, my spirit fill.

His blood was shed, to set us free.

Be born Thy living Word in me.

 

Carry the cross, with Jesus now.

Guide and protect, will be His vow.

His blood was shed, to set us free.

Be born Thy Living Word in me.

 

No one will ever be denied.

Come all to Jesus, for you He died.

His blood was shed, to set us free.

Be born Thy Living Word in me.  (Copyright 1998)

 

A Prayer for Resting in God’s Love

 

Father God, I come into your presence so aware of my human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for me. I thank you that there is no human experience that I might walk through where your love cannot reach me. If I climb the highest mountain you are there and yet if I find myself in the darkest valley of my life, you are there. Teach me today to love you more. Help me to rest in that love that asks nothing more than the simple trusting heart of a child. In Jesus name, Amen

 

 Sources:

1. Learn Religions, “Biography of Brother Lawrence, Practitioner of God’s Presence” by Mary Fairchild, updated July31, 2020

2.“The Practice of the Presence Of God” by Brother Lawrence

3. Beliefnet

IF

                                                                          IF

A small word with a very powerful use.  Many times it is used with regret, “If I had not done ____, then ______ would not have occurred.”  “If this happens, then I will do _____.”  “What if _____ doesn’t work?”

Perry Stone, who is an evangelist, tells about the true story of a woman who was in dire straits because her husband was dying of tuberculosis in a hospital and their only cow lay dying.  She was pleading for the Lord to help her.  All of a sudden, she noticed a whirlwind coming towards her and in that whirlwind appeared an angel that told her that her husband would be healed and that they would have another daughter and as a sign of this happening, the cow that was dying would be healed.

She responded that if this happened, then she would sell the cow and give money to missions.  The angel answered “There are no ifs in God’s plan.”  What the angel said was exactly what happened.  The cow was healed and her husband, two weeks later, was released from the hospital and they did have another daughter.

When God says if, it is conditional.  

 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  II Chronicles 7:14 NIV

Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—if you would only listen to me, Israel!

He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:31

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. Luke 17:6 NIV

 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NIV

When man says if, it is questioning the promise.

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”  Judges 6:12-14

When Satan says if, it is unbelief.

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.” Luke 4:3-4 NIV

Satan wanted Jesus to doubt His own Divinity, “If You are the Son of God…..” (Manna-fest, Perry Stone) 

The devil whispers in our ears, “If God really loved you ……”  He also questions the Word of God.  Just one seed of unbelief can change our faith in God.  We must stand on God’s Word and any promises that He has given us.  Yes, sometimes we may question something that God tells us that does seem impossible, like Gideon but in the end, he put his faith in God.  So must we.  There are times that I have a hard time believing promises that I know the Lord has given my husband and I that have not yet come to pass but I still continue to speak these promises and speak the promises of God just as Jesus spoke the Word of God to Satan.  The Word of God is a weapon against the enemy!

Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.  He received the promise of a son when he was seventy-five years old.  He believed God. 

And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.  And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.  All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. Hebrews 11:11-13

Summary of God's promises to Abraham

• All nations will be blessed in Abraham and his seed.
• Abraham and his seed are to possess the land for ever.
• Abraham is to be the father of an innumerable seed.
• Abraham is to be the father of a singular seed who will conquer all enemies.
• Abraham's name is to be great.  NOTE. These promises were not fulfilled by Jewish occupation of the Holy Land in Old Testament times.  (“God’s Promises to Abraham” Bible Education)

Yes, Abraham did not see every single promise in his lifetime, but it was his faith in God that made him righteous in the eyes of God.

 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. Joshua 21:45 NIV

Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. I Kings 8:56 NIV

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:4 NIV

The “ifs” in our lives should not direct our lives but the promises of God and the promises that He has made to us.

Prayer to the Great “I AM”
Almighty Son of God, You are the great “I AM.” You are faithful to Your promises and will defeat my enemies, though numerous and powerful. I will not be discouraged because I walk in Your divine presence. I will live in Your strength and courage, for You are my God. I have faith in You and Your word because I know that Your word never fails. I thank You for the many promises You have spoken over my life, and I place my trust in You. Amen. (“9 Powerful Prayers for Faith and Trust in God” Editor in Chief ConnectUS November 2, 2018)

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