A Leader Who Shines....Connects with Preparation

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday
Apr 202011

Submitted by Victoria Robinson

Live the Prepared Life. Preparation is an activity that is often attributed to God: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” 1Corinthians 2:9

It is also an activity that God wants for believers.  Before the Boy Scouts had the motto “Be Prepared” God called His people to live the prepared life!

The ministry of Jesus was introduced by John the Baptist who declared: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord” in Luke 3: 3-6.

Francis Frangipane has written:

“Repentance always precedes the coming forth of the living Christ in a person’s life. To prepare and make ready is the purpose of repentance.  Let us understand this: John’s repentance didn’t just make men sorry, it made men prepared.”

What does this prepared life look like?

First we start with repentance.  We must turn from anything that is keeping us from God’s best for us and purpose to live what we know is God’s will for our lives.

Second we see in 1 Peter 1:13 “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  Our minds are “prepared for action” when we are prepared to pray, preach or die!

Pray

There are public service announcements that prepare us on what to do if our clothes catch on fire, to “Stop Drop and Roll!” As PWOC leaders we need to be prepared to “Stop, Drop and Pray!” This comes by daily having our hearts set to “pray without ceasing;” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Preach

“But in your hearts always set apart Christ as Lord, always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15

“Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary use words.”( Francis of Assisi)  We must be prepared to preach with or without words.

Die

It is said that the person who has settled where they will spend eternity is truly the person who is prepared to live their earthly life.  Paul said; “To me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

In John 14:2 we read the words of Jesus; “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

Jesus is preparing a wonderful place for us.  This is a powerful motivator to live a prepared life for Him!

Be prepared to pray, preach or die!

A familiar chorus gives us a prayer for the prepared life.

Lord Prepare me to be a sanctuary,

Pure and holy, tried and true

With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living

Sanctuary for You

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Where is God Working

regional review
Sep 302010

Submitted by Leona Tatum, West Region President

Since becoming the West Region President, I see God constantly moving in our region.  Early in my term I felt God moving me to look at the installations in which we currently had PWOC chapters and then to look and see where we were not.

As I began to do this God allowed me to see that there were still many installations that did not have PWOC chapters and in some cases when I would call to inquire, I was surprised when I would hear someone say that they had never heard of PWOC.  I have to tell you in the beginning it was very overwhelming as I was trying to understand what God was doing.

Now, I have to say that my plan was to contact everyone and then start sending out information packets because I wanted others to know and experience the love that can be found when “Daughters of God” come together to worship, study, pray and cry.  Yet, over the last few months I noticed that this has slowed down in a lot of ways.  Times that I wanted to work on this I found myself having to do other things; and would not be able to move towards this goal,  yet I knew that God was in the midst of this work.  A  wonderful thing that started happening  during this time was that God divinely positioned women in some of the places in   With every location God showed me , I thought it meant I needed to pursue it. However, then God would send someone to me that would be moving to that location.

I have to say that while there are many more locations to inquire about,  I have learned in this season that when we allow God to show us where He is working, it doesn’t always mean that He needs us to DO anything. He just wants us to know that He is moving in His time and in His way.  So, if you, like I, started this journey thinking of all the things you needed or wanted to get done, and felt that things were moving slow, please be encouraged.  Know that God is working at His pace and in His way.  He sometimes just wants to remind us that all we have to do is to be available to His leading.

The theme that God gave me for the West is Women Positioned for Prayer and I can truly see that as we pray  God is adding not just installations but to those who love Him.  God is truly raising up women that will “Shine In the Light of His Glory”.

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The West region update is published on the fourth Thursday of every month. Submit comments or suggestions to: WestPresident@pwoc.org

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“When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.”

regional review
Sep 232010

Submitted by Kelly Phillips, Pacific Region President

As the mother of two young children, I understand why mama grizzlies go on the attack.  Recently it seems that my eight year old daughter has been the subject of verbal attack from some of the other neighborhood girls.  She walks in the door crying because one girl or another said something mean.

When I see my child hurting, Mama Bear comes roaring to the surface, claws and all.  My first thought is that I want to give that little child a piece of my mind.  I’m tempted to fight fire with fire.

Fortunately at this point the Holy Spirit usually speaks to me and reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5.

“But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also…But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”

Matthew 5:39, 44, 46

It can be difficult to convince an eight year old that she should turn the other cheek, especially when I am more than willing to go “turn the cheek” of the offending child.  But we are different from most of the families in our neighborhood.  We bear the name of Christ.  Because of that, we MUST react differently.  If I come roaring out of the house in defense of my child, then I am no different from any other person.  And if I come out to defend my child, she doesn’t learn the lesson of how to appropriately deal with sinful people in a fallen world.  Neither of us really wins.

We have a new routine when my daughter comes home in tears.  The first thing we do is pray together.  We pray for the child who has hurt her and then we pray that she would be able to forgive that child.  Recently I was blessed to see her mend a friendship with another little girl in our neighborhood.  It was so very difficult for me to keep Mama Grizzly in her cage when the offense occurred, but by the grace of God I did.  This little girl now comes to church with us every Sunday.  Her brothers have begun to tag along as well.  I have hope that mom and dad may not be far behind.  All because I didn’t try to fight fire with fire.

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Prayer Points for July 11th-17th

Prayer Points
Jul 092010

Many of us enjoyed summer kickoff this week. Let’s pray together that this would be a time of building up and being encouraged by God’s Word of grace. We pray that each sister would know her inheritance in Christ.

32“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

Acts 20:32 (NIV)

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Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place

Devotions
Oct 052009

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed”. Mark 1:35

The book of Mark depicts this beautiful picture of Jesus getting up early to pray in a solitary place. I encourage you to do that this week. As soon as you get up, go to a solitary place (closet, bathroom, outside) and pray. Simply ask God to bless your day and lay any issues at His feet. Then spend some time in silence, waiting to hear what He has to tell you. This is an exercise that requires commitment and perseverance because a lot of time, you will not hear anything from God. However the more you do it, the closer you will feel to Him and the better you will be at recognizing His voice. Meanwhile I guarantee you that starting the day at His feet will make your outlook better.

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Spiritual Renewal

Devotions
Sep 142009

A close family member had died. During the three days it took to travel home, God prepared me to enter the world of deep loss, pain and suffering. For different reasons, I knew I would need what Stephen had in Acts 7:55-60.

As Stephen is about to be executed, we are told that he, “full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ At this they covered their ears, and yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him…While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed…Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

What happened here? First, Stephen prayed by looking at up at Jesus. Second, the Holy Spirit made what Stephen knew in his mind a reality to his heart. At the very moment the earthly court was condemning him, he realized that the heavenly court was commending him. He experienced fullness from what Jesus made possible for him through His work on earth, the cross, death etc. This is an experience of the gospel. At that exact moment, Stephen got an extremely vivid, powerful sight of what he already knew intellectually—that in Christ we are beautiful in God’s sight and free from condemnation (Col 1:23).

The Spirit took that intellectual concept and electrified his entire soul, mind, heart and imagination. Finally, Stephen was able to exhibit the new humanity that God is creating. He had courage. He forgave his oppressors. He faced his accusers not just with boldness, but with a calmness and joy. That is spiritual renewal. It is not simply an emotional experience—it is a heart changing and therefore life-and-practice shaping work of the Holy Spirit.

What circumstances are surrounding you? Do you face them with the fullness Stephen had – no matter how little or big they seem? What Jesus did for you is for right now. Pray for courage to let the Holy Spirit show you where you specifically need renewal and for that prayerful dependence to increasingly characterize your life.

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