Warning Signs

Devotions
Sep 122011

Can you imagine driving down the road with heavy traffic before you and behind you, going by street crossings and roundabouts without any traffic signs? It would be chaos and road rage at it’s worst. Why then do we feel that we can tackle the highway of life without warning signs? What do I mean by that? Simply put, we wake up in the morning and tackle the day without the word of God. Why do we do that? Because the kids lunches need to be packed, because they need a ride to their after school activities, because we need to have coffee with a neighbor who needs a little encouragement, etc…. None of those things are bad but we can so easily drive ourselves into a wreck if we do not spend time with God first.

Hebrews 2:1 is a great warning sign. It says that, “we must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” The “therefore” refers to Hebrews 1. Read it for yourself. It is God’s love letter to his son. It reminds us that there is no higher being, even celestial, than Jesus. It reminds us that Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory” (Hebrews 1:3). It reminds us that there are basic truths in this life that just cannot be ignored. There are warning signs that will go off when we are tempted to drift away. Those warning signs however are not effective if we do not spend time in the word.

One of my favorite hymns is “Trust and Obey.” Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.… God declares in Deuteronomy 8:1 “be careful to follow every command I am giving you today.” There is another warning sign for you (yes and for me too). Be careful to follow every command, not because otherwise God will strike you with lightning, and not because He will not bless you otherwise, but because it will keep you safe. None of us in our right mind will drive through an intersection when the traffic lights are red and cars are rushing past. Yet we do it in our lives almost every day.

How do I obey God? I obey God with my heart by loving Him more than any other relationship, activity, achievement or possession. I obey God with my will by committing myself completely to Him. I obey God with my mind by seeking to know Him and His word so that His principles and values form the foundation of all I think and do. I obey God with my body by recognizing that it is not mine but His, and that the strength and talent He has given me are to be used according to His will and rules, not mine. I obey God with my finances by making a conscious decision that He is the source of my income and that I am simply the manager of it. Finally, I obey God by giving Him my future and deciding that my life will serve Him wherever I go (meaning really wherever the Army sends us) and whatever I do.

 

O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You.” Psalm 84:12

 

Submitted by Muriel Gregory

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Trust and Obey

Prayer Points
Sep 022011

In Deuteronomy 28:1-2 it says, “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all nations on earth.  All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God “.

God has so many blessings that he wants to pour out to you. However you hold the keys that unlock the amazing plans that He has for your life.  It is obedience to God that will open the windows of heaven for you to receive.  If you trust Him, He will bless you with all spiritual blessings and material blessings. If you choose His ways over your rights, He will give you great favor in all that you do in obedience to Him.  If we will pray, He will give you His power to change the world around you.  One of the keys is to Love and Obey His commands and we will therefore be blessed because of our obedience to God.  I pray that you will find great joy in doing what is right in God’s sight.  I pray for a breakthrough in any and every area of your past, present, future needs.  May you experience the fullness of being blessed through obedience, and may God’s great favor follow you all the rest of our days. Deuteronomy 28:8 says that “The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to.  The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. You may think that you are in a dry land right now.  But God in his mercy can turn all things around for His Glory.  Give thanks to the Lord for what He has done in your life and for what He is about to do.  Do not give up.  God is our restoration.  He is our provider.  Let’s find the keys that we need to use from being in our secret place and put Gods word to work in our lives.  Lets prove to our family and friends that we do serve and awesome God who was and is and always will be.  Let’s look for the breakthroughs that we need.  Let’s ask the Lord to bring the rain in all areas of our lives.  Ladies He loves you and He only wants to bless you and He will as we yield to Him and His ways.  Lets pray that our will is lined up to His ways.   Amen.

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With Actions and in Truth

Devotions
Aug 012011

Submitted by: Jeni Kopp

 “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

1 John 3:17-18

Let us pray…

Holy Spirit, pour into us a spirit that promotes movement. Call us to live according to God’s word and not of ourselves. Lord, when we see a need may we be compelled to do for others, those things that you have already done for us. You have clothed us; you have fed us; you have provided our every need; you have even laid your life down for us. May we not be stingy with the things we have and hoard for ourselves that which could benefit others. May we not live in fear that we someday may go without because of our giving to someone in need. Help us to see today the difference of the true meaning of need and our true abundance of life. I pray that every heart reading this, including my own, begins to live in humble thanksgiving. I ask this by the power of Your Spirit, Amen.

When earthquakes, storms, and volcanoes are in the headlines, fear strikes the pit of my stomach. Each story reminds me of how quickly our needs can change. Some need that seems so important today can lose all significance tomorrow.

As of a month ago, my aching “need” was to have enough money to cover the bills: telephones, cable, credit cards, presents, groceries, gas for our two cars, so on and so on. I also felt the need to have money left over for fun and eating out. I allowed myself to get stressed out over the idea that after I met my bills my other “needs” had to wait until another payday. “Can a need wait?” I asked myself.

What if that was my country, my town, and my home making headlines? What if all of my belongings had been washed away by the sea, or unrecognizably smashed and strewn across the neighborhood by enormous winds? What if that was my family looking for a lost child or spouse? What if I was all that I had left after such a disaster? An emergency plan cannot save us from what is to come by the hand of God. I pray only that if I should be the last thing standing I would turn to God with hope that he would heal such hurt. But on such a day as that, my needs will have nothing to do with the phones, cars, or cable.

I believe that my need on such a day, will be the need of Him alone, and that which only He can provide. All of my possessions will forsake me. My God, however, will never leave me or forget about me. He is all that remains. He is Everlasting to Everlasting, the Almighty One, the Creator of all things. He is Maker of all things, He is the Provider and the Giver of life abundant, and in Him alone is everything we need. He is a need that cannot wait.

When I know these things about the Lord my God, then how can I live without giving? If I know that my God will provide for me always, then how can I live as though He might not provide for tomorrow? How can my heart not be willing to part with the things of this earth that will rot and blow away? Who do I really trust my God to be? If He is the God of all my needs, then I can freely give without worry or fear, without sorrow and pain, but instead with a heart of joy, peace, love, and victory.

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Elijah

Prayer Points
Jun 172011

Submitted by: Rosario Seelen

As a servant of God, Elijah had several difficult tasks.  He prayed powerful prayers and experienced miraculous wonders.  Obedient to God’s calling; he publicly stepped out in faith.  He believed GOD would do as he said and prayed.  One obedient act led to several others, ultimately ending with victory.  Elijah saw God work mightily in his life, yet he went through a season of discouragement, loneliness, feelings of defeat and fearing for his safety.  Even then, God continued to show his faithfulness.

In 1 Kings 18, God tasked Elijah to deliver a harsh warning to the evil and sinful King Ahab along with his wife Jezebel.  Their sinful and wicked ways not only affected them but their entire kingdom.  God sent Elijah to bring a severe ultimatum…. repent and return to God or bring a 3 year drought on the land.

Elijah challenged 450 false prophets, settling the score when the people saw the fire of the Lord consume his water saturated sacrifice.  The Bible tells that the people fell prostate and cried “The Lord-he is God!” not once but twice and then it rained.  Through Elijah, God orchestrated words and deeds.  Undeniably this could only come from the one true living God.

Most of us, can relate to Elijah.  Elijah was a man of prayer and those were the times when God moved most.  We can credit several facts that helped Elijah become a powerhouse of prayers.  Here are just a few:

(1) Obedience– Elijah didn’t question or deny the power of God.

(2) Faith—Elijah prayed in faith.  He had an intimate relationship with God, clearly demonstrating that he knew God’s will.

(3) Trust—Elijah believed and trusted God.  God answered his prayer.  In these cases it was shown with great might.

Sisters, in our prayer life we can live as:

A power boat; driven with impure motives.

A power cord; accessing power only when needed.

A power broker; selling or negotiating with God.

Or…

We can choose to be a powerhouse, a source of influencing inspiration for others to seek God through prayer for His perfect will.

Let it be say that we women of PWOCI choose to be a Powerhouse of Prayers.

Lord, we repent of our sins.  Search us!  Reveal areas that aren’t holy, need strengthening, fortification and growth.  Help us to be obedient to you always.  Let faith arise with us and in this ministry, even when we don’t understand or things don’t make perfect sense.  Give us a discerning spirit for us to know to trust in the difference between yours and our will.  Show yourself mightily in and through us.  Give us a love for prayer. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

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Everlasting Arms

Devotions
Jun 052011

Submitted By Gervais Baptist

I’ve never cared for football. So much excitement over yards and downs. I just can’t catch the fever that so many fans enjoy. I’d rather do almost anything than watch a football game. But recently, a new respect for football players and what they do has blossomed inside me.

It began to sprout one day when I was carrying my five-month-old baby from the car to our front door. There was nothing on the paved path to trip over, yet I tripped. Some invisible obstacle caused me to stumble, fall to knees, then to elbows, and finally to lose my grip on the baby. As my hands opened and the back of John-Paul’s head hit a rock, my first thought was, “Why did my hands open? Football players fall all the time, and they manage to hold onto the ball.” The baby cried for about thirty seconds and was fine. Not a bruise, not a scrape on his little head. Pupils looked normal, breathing was normal, and heartbeat was normal. Thank you, Jesus. But still the bothersome question: why did I lose my grip?

I still don’t have an answer. It’s terrible to think that a football player cares more about scoring points than I care about holding onto my precious, vulnerable child. Is holding onto an object while falling a matter of practice? Is it a skill that only a few possess? Or did God, once again, use my weakness to display His strength? Maybe He’s saying, “You may have dropped the baby, but I did not. I will never drop him. And guess what? I will never drop you either.”

I don’t need football lessons. I need faith lessons. Thank you, Jesus. Not just for protecting John-Paul when I could not. Thank you, Jesus, for reminding me Who You Are.

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”  Deuteronomy 33:27a

 

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Time to Get out of the Way

Leadership Development, Local Limelight
Jun 022011

After completing the W.I.L.D. training last year I sat in a Chapel classroom with two other board members and cried.  I felt so overwhelmed and unprepared for the position I had been selected for as President of the Eielson PWOC.  The weight of every woman on Eielson suddenly sat on my shoulders.  I was very new to PWOC.  I had been a part of our Women’s Ministry at our home church in San Antonio TX, so I was not sure where this overwhelmed feeling was coming from.  I even met with our Chaplain to explain why I did not feel I was the gal for the job, leading other women in their walk when my walk was littered with junk and so many flaws.  Who am I?  How would I be used?  Why would I be used?

We are daughters of the Lord, shortcomings, junk and flaws.  We try and wear our “big girl” panties and do it our own way.  Then we are surprised when we fall short.  We need Christ every step of the way.  I know this, I believe this, and yet time and time again I try and do it my way and consult with Him from time to time.  I wonder…hum why do I feel overwhelmed?  He did not intend for me to just check in, He wants to be leading the way and wants my complete submission as His plans have been laid out for each of us.  Yet I compare our local installation with others and we need only 2 bible studies, we have monthly fellowship and we fit in a service project.  Never feeling as though it was enough.

We need to get back to basics.  God did not give His Son to save us from our sins for us to continue to do life on our own.  Eielson PWOC is a small group because that is exactly what His intentions were for us this year.  There is no shame or failure in being small.  So, I do I feel those things…well because living in the flesh and not the Spirit messes with our life.  Satan loves to do the dance when we are beating ourselves up.  Because then he thinks he has a small or even a large victory!  Well, I say get behind me Satan because I am a daughter of Christ and you have no place in this body! GET OUT!!

God is so patient with each of us.  He waits patiently for us to get out of the way.  I believe there is a reason we were so small.  I believe He has been very intentional and His timing is perfect.  There is a reason we do not have a selected board for next year because HE is still setting it into place.  His timing is perfect and ours is not.  There is a reason square pegs do not fit into round holes.  I believe that it is easy for us to get caught up in meeting the expectation of others and we miss seeking His expectation for our lives and our ministry.  We get caught up in the guidelines and rules and we don’t hear Him.  We are….I am so worried about letting others down that I miss that I am not shining in the light of HIS glory.

As I stated earlier we do not have a board for next year.  He breaks the pot, turns it back into clay and He shapes the clay.  This is not an easy process but know HE is bigger.  So big that He shows up at a small soccer field in Fairbanks AK to remind me that He has a plan for my life, for your life and for PWOC.  There are seasons of brokenness that we go through so that He can rebuild us.  It is uncomfortable and painful, however the reward is an amazing gift.  He CAN make a square peg into a round peg when it is time.  Are you willing?  I am and He is patiently waiting for each of us.

Peace

Kim, Alaska Region

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for.  But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.  An the Father who knows all hearts knows that the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.  And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.  For God knew his people in advance and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  And having chosen them, he called them to come to him.  And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself.  And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.  What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?  If God is for us, who can ever be against us?  Since he did not spare even his won Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?  Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own?  No one – for God himself has given us right standing with himself.  Who then will condemn us?  No one -for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”

Romans 8: 26 – 34

 

 

 

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Trust

Devotions
May 302011

Submitted by: Muriel Gregory

Self proclaimed prophet Harold Camping predicted that the rapture would happen on May 21, 2011. As I am writing this May 21st has come and gone and I am still here and since you are reading this you are still here too. The rapture did not happen or else we have done something terribly wrong. [insert smile] In Old Testament times, a prophet who made a false prophecy would be stoned to death. Given that option, I feel confident saying that most would pray and research scripture more before prophesying to the people.

So what went wrong with Harold Camping? Many things went wrong. First and foremost Jesus told us that we would not know the time or the hour of his second coming (Matthew 24:42). Second, he probably relied on his own understanding of the times (earthquakes, wars, tornadoes, etc…). The Bible is very clear on that and even warns us about it. Proverbs 3:5-6 says:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.”

This verse has given me peace at times when I had no peace and calmed my anxious thoughts. We do not know much and rarely understand what is going on around us but this much we know, trust in God and submit to Him and He will make your path straight. I do not know about you, but I do not need to know the hour of His coming as long as I know that He loves me so.

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Europe Region Update

regional review
May 122011

By Chris Young, Europe Region President

There has been a great deal of activity and change happening in our region over the last few weeks.  It’s made me realize how comfortable we get doing the same things year after year and it has also accentuated the fact that change can be complicated, especially when it affects so many people.

After many years of having our conferences at the same hotel we made a change in venue and, on the surface, that doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.   But it was.   We have long standing relationships with our last hotel and we have a detailed schedule that has only had to be tweaked slightly from year to year.  We had a well oiled machine of sorts.  We had set patterns of behavior and expectations.  We knew how to program our GPS and where we were going to.  Then it all changed!

The reality is that our new location, Edelweiss, is a secure location and we have chosen to err on the side of caution, at least for the foreseeable future.

Likewise, for many years, we had trained both the executive and appointed positions.  This year, due to space restrictions, we are only training the executive positions.   We’ve had to downsize and simplify in many ways.  Last year we trained 200 women whereas this year we have registered just over a hundred.  It’s different.

As our board has worked to adjust to this new reality, it’s been so inspiring to be a part of a team that is ready and willing to respond to these changes.  God is in charge and He is after something new this year.  Yes, things are going to look much different in 2011 but they are going to be good.  We can trust the Father and rest in His plan knowing Father knows best.

Ultimately I think trust is the main issue in all of these changes.  Do we trust God enough?  Do we believe that He does indeed see us and know what is best for us?  Can we yield to His plan with all of the unknowns?  Can we trust Him?  Proverbs 3:4-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”

For those of you impacted in our region, we ask for your understanding, prayers and grace as we move forward.  We are trusting God and want to walk in His present path and plan for our region, not remain in yesterday’s comfort zone out of convenience.  We are thankful for His today provision (Edelweiss), protection and guidance and are so grateful for the opportunity to serve you in this season of change.

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Do you Trust Him? Part 2

Seasonal teaching
Apr 222011

Submitted by Carleene Myer – Redstone Arsenal

Are you called to endure a Gethsemane season? Have you “been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29 NASB)?

During this Lenten season, let us meditate on the humanity of Christ….he suffered.  He would rather have not suffered…..yet he obeyed His Father because he trusted that He knew best.

Max Lucado states: “Nothing comes your way that has not first passed through the filter of his love.”

Do you trust Him? Webster defines trust as: Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing; confident belief; faith.

So, why do we stumble? … “firm reliance on the integrity, and character of God Himself” Did you get that from the definition of trust?…..I can digest that statement intellectually….I can believe that, I do believe that, yet, we worry, we are shocked when bad things are allowed to happen to us, our kids, our husbands.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don’t rely on your own understanding…..in all your ways, (acknowledge) rely (have firm reliance) on Him….. Proverbs 3:5,6

Trusting, and learning trust, for me, comes in the form of prayer……You may say, “I pray, in fact, I pray every day”…but, do we spend more time worrying vice praying…..I say if you know how to worry, you know how to pray…..I mean, best friend, perfect Father, Abba, Father praying……learning to turn worrying into heartfelt, Gethsemane prayers.

Seeing the anguish of my son, not in his right mind,(when he had a break down) and then crying out to the God who is reliable, who saw His own Son in pure anguish; He who understands, who hears, who commands angels to do His bidding….that is where prayer begins….

I am learning.  I don’t understand why my family has suffered in this way.  I see the grace of God daily in my life and I am learning to trust Him, especially when it all makes no sense. I live in the Psalms, and draw faith and confidence as I learn to praise and worship Him.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.  As they pass through the Valley of Baca (weeping), they make it a place of springs; …they go from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Psalm 84: 5-7, 12

I am learning to pray in ways I never thought possible…..but more importantly, I am learning how to worship Our Lord and Our King.  Praise Him through my circumstances and Praise Him for His incredible, perfect love.

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Do You Trust Him? Part 1

Seasonal teaching
Apr 212011

Submitted by Carleene Myer – Redstone Arsenal

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will keep you on the straight path. Proverbs 3:5,6

Such words come easily when the path is easy, even a slight downhill path… But when you’re looking at a wrecked car or a suspicious-looking mole, when war breaks out, another deployment begins….do you trust Him?

“Scripture, from Old Testament to New, from prophets to poets to preachers, renders one unanimous chorus: God directs the affairs of humanity. No leaf falls without God’s knowledge. No dolphin gives birth without his permission. No wave crashes on the shore apart from his calculation. God has never been surprised. Not once.”  Max Lucado

I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.

Isaiah 45:7

Some find the thought impossible to accept.  I did.  When I found myself in the psychiatric hospital with my son because he was suicidal, when my other son was deploying again, when my daughter became debilitated with nerve pain in her shoulder and lost her health and her marriage, I wondered where was the God I love and serve ….do you see Lord, do you hear Lord….are you true to your Word Lord?

I wish I could have spoken to Joseph, the Joseph of the many colored coat… His brothers abused him, selling him into slavery. Was God watching? Yes. And our sovereign God used their rebellious hearts to save a nation from famine and the family of the Messiah from extinction.  As Joseph told them, “God turned into good what you meant for evil” (Gen. 50:20).

“Best of all would have been a conversation with Jesus himself. He begged God for a different itinerary: a crossless death. From Gethsemane’s garden Christ pleaded for a Plan B. Redemption with no nails. ‘Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.’ Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him’ (Luke 22:42-43).

Did God hear the prayer of his Son? Enough to send an angel. Did God spare his Son from death? No. The glory of God outranked the comfort of Christ. So Christ suffered, and God’s grace was displayed and deployed.”  From Come Thirsty, Max Lucado

Are you called to endure a Gethsemane season? Have you “been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29 NASB)?

Coming, Part II of: Do you Trust Him?

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