What is the Report…

…about you? Take a moment to read 3 John (NIV) below and consider the report that John received from fellow believers about Gaius’ hospitality and love and Diotrephe’s lack of hospitality and love.

The elder,

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone-even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him and you know that our testimony is true.

I have much to write to you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

Have you ever said, “Sure, you can come stay with me for the weekend, or I’ll host a few people from the mission team coming in?” And then, once the words come out of your mouth, your brain starts to run wild with all the things you need to do….Clean the bathroom, make the beds with fresh sheets, go buy coffee, coffee filters, I wonder if they like eggs, I wonder what kind of chocolate they like, and on and on the list goes.

And then when they leave, your brain starts again…they said they had a great time but I wonder if they’re just saying it to make me feel good, did they really feel welcome in my home, what can I do better next time and the list goes on and on.

Right in the middle of all the questioning, you get a text from your pastor, and they say, “Wow, you really knocked it out of the park! My phone just blew up asking if they can stay with you next year. Thank you for opening your home and loving on people!” Suddenly, you go from questioning to feeling encouraged, and although you are exhausted and know you have to clean the sheets and the bathrooms, you have an unexpected energy that hits you and before you know it, you’re reading your house for the next guest.

Those who stayed with Gaius reported to John how Gaius had treated them with warmth and the love of Christ while they were with him. Gaius was willing to face reprimands from Diotrephes, who apparently did not show Christ’s love to fellow believers. At least, that’s how I read it.

So, here’s the question, what is being said about you? Are your co-workers going home and talking about how you have shown them love and hospitality, or are they going home and complaining about you? Is your family always complaining about how selfish you are, or are they telling people you are there to help in any way you can? And trust me, I am not just asking you the question! Reading 3 John had me asking myself these very same questions. I want to be sure I have a heart like Gaius. Willing to show love to those around him and not a prideful heart like Diotrephes who gossiped and refused to welcome fellow believers.

If you’re unsure about where your heart is, ask the Lord. He will answer! Then, be vulnerable with someone you know you can trust and ask them to hold you accountable for how you treat people. I know he has revealed some things to me, and I am working on them!

One last note…if you are interested in opening up your home to host someone and you’re not really sure what to do, I would suggest talking with my friend Kim Tucker. She is a Gaius if ever there was one!

The Power of Words

In my very first semester at Southeastern University, I had to write a paper on the power of the written word, from a Christian perspective. I cried several times throughout the writing of the paper as I was learning things such as how to write a cover page, set up proper margins, and properly cite quoted work. My first submission came back with a C and a note from the professor, “Let’s set up a time to talk.” My second submission came back with a B+ and a note, “Almost there! I know you have an A in you! If you fix the areas I’ve highlighted, you will make that A!” I fixed the areas and submitted the paper one last time, A+ and a note from the professor, “Now you’re on the right foot!” Following is the result of a patient professor who knew words of encouragement were needed!

From the very beginning of time, it was the spoken word that created the world and gave it life. It was also the spoken word that brought death to a perfect creation. God had given a mandate to Adam, he could eat of any tree in the garden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Upon eating this tree, he would surely die. The enemy didn’t use an earthquake to get Eve’s attention, he used the power of words. Looking at today’s world you can see that he’s still up to his old tricks. This is why Christians need to understand the power of their words, whether written or spoken. In an article for Christianity Today, Meadow Rue Merrill writes,

For the Christian writer, the worth of our work does not lie in the marketability of our words or in what honors we may win; it lies in how our work furthers the kingdom of God. If our goal is to write a bestseller, we may achieve it. But if our goal is to write in response to the impulse of God, we may forgo temporal approval to achieve something far greater – or we may attain both. The result of our work is beyond our control. As Christians, we are simply called to be faithful.[1]

When Brett and I became missionaries, I started this blog with the sole purpose of telling the stories of our daily lives. I didn’t want to make money or a have huge following, I just wanted a way to express myself. It was in the writing of the blog that I realized just how powerful our words are and the effects that our words have on others. We had just been through an extremely hard season in eSwatini when I sat down at the kitchen table and penned these words;

Where Are You Lord?

Oh Lord, where are you in the midst of my drowning? The waves continually crash over me, dragging me to the rocky, murky bottom. The coral that you created to have beauty, is ripping me to pieces with their sharp, jagged edges. My feet are caught between rocks and my body is being wrapped up in the kelp as the waves continue to push me downward into the abyss. My lungs fight for air as my heart burst and is broken over the words, “The baby has died.” Oh Lord, where are you” Wave after wave after wave has pushed me further and further and further under. I grab, I reach, I strain for someone to pull me up, but there is no one there. They are all safely tucked away in their boats of safety, behind their wall of, “Why should I care, she chose this life.” I can no longer fight, I release the breath that I’ve been holding. I give up. Oh Lord, where are you? And then I look up. A strong arm! A mighty arm! You are here! Here in the midst of the mighty storm that seeks to drown me. Here! My very present help in time of need. Here! Saying, “Peace! Be still!” You are speaking words to my heart that only I can hear. You restore my torn and battered flesh. You breathe your breath of life into my lungs. You gently gather every shattered piece of my heart and lovingly put it back together. You pull me onto your lap and continue to speak words of encouragement and refreshing to me. You are mine. You are beautiful. I will never leave you. You are priceless. You did not fail. You are my beloved. Be healed.

These written words poured out in a moment of despair, and helped others find healing in their grief. I was overwhelmed that my words had held such power. However, to show how words can also lead to death, I must also share the following.

While serving in Africa, we found out just how strong the power of words, especially curses, can actually be. We worked with a young woman who had a beautiful daughter. When her daughter was one, she found out she was pregnant again. Her neighbors were not happy that she got pregnant “so soon” after her firstborn and they spoke curses over her. “I curse you and tell you that this baby will die.” Though she is a Christian, she took these words to heart and indeed, her baby died. This is the reason that most African women don’t tell anyone that they are pregnant, nor do they talk about it. And no one touches a pregnant woman’s belly. The belief is that if someone touches the belly they will put a curse on the mother and the baby and these curses cannot be broken. The power of words is that strong.

Matthew 12:36-37 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. I know that this scripture especially states words they speak, but I believe that the written word also falls into this. It is a heavy thing to know that we will give account for every idle word. When we write we must pay attention to our words and make sure that they are words of life and not death.

“We never know – perhaps the seeds we sow in our writing and our teaching of writing will someday bear fruit.”[2] Icy Lee.

[1] Meadow Merrill, “The How and Why of Writing as a Christian,” Christianity Today, December 11, 2019. Accessed, April 17, 2021. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/december-web-only/write-better-andrew-lepeau-editor-intervarsity.html?utm_medium=widgetemail

[2] Icy Lee, “Living Out the Christian Faith in the Writing Classroom,” International Journal of Christianity & English Language Teaching, Volume 2, March 2015.

Psalm 16:11

Original post 8/31/2016

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

There are three very precious promises in this one verse!

1. He makes known to us the path of life.

In life, we are constantly making decisions. Some we can make without even thinking…like coffee or tea, cake or pie…these are simple because we know what we like and we know what we want. Then, we have the life-changing, path-altering decisions that require prayer and hearing His voice clearly. We don’t necessarily want or desire to make these decisions, but we must. This promise lets us know that He will make the correct path known. I think this takes a lot of the stress out of it. He will speak and make it clear to us so that we know that we are in the right place. So, having trouble figuring out what to do? Lean in and listen. He will make your path known!

2. There is fullness of joy in His presence.

Fullness of joy! Not happiness, joy. Happiness is an external feeling, but joy is what we can have in the midst of trials. Joy that is full! I have people tell me all the time, “You’re too happy in the morning. Are you always this upbeat?” I am high-energy and upbeat, but my joy is anchored in His presence. Now, are you struggling to find your joy? My advice? Spend time in His presence and allow Him to fill you up!

3. At His right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Wow! Pleasures forevermore! God gave us such pleasures to enjoy…our families, silly kid grins, laughter, animals, coffee, cake…so many pleasures. However, the greatest pleasure that He gave us is Jesus. You know, Jesus sits at the Father’s right hand, and in Jesus, we have the joy of being forgiven, salvation, health, redemption, adoption, and belonging! What beautiful pleasures we can enjoy!

Father, bless those who read this today. Make known the path that You have for each of them and each member of their family. As they spend time in Your presence, fill them with a joy that overflows into all they do. Allow waves of joy to break over each of them, drowning them in your love and laughter. Remind us that in Jesus, we have such beautiful pleasures already paid for through His death and resurrection. Jesus, thank You for freely giving all! Holy Spirit, thank You for leading us in all we do this week. Thank You for making our lives joyful because of all You do and who You are. In Jesus name, Amen!

Let Everything!

Psalm 150 is one of my all-time favorite Psalms!

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
   praise Him in His mighty heavens!
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
     praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with the trumpet sound;
     praise Him with lute and harp!
Praise Him with tambourine and dance;
     praise Him with strings and pipe!
Praise Him with sounding cymbals;
     praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let EVERYTHING that has BREATH praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

According to Strong’s Concordance, praise hālal H1984 means to be clamorously foolish, to rave, to boast, to celebrate, to give glory to. When I read this, I cannot help but think about King David returning the Ark of the Covenant, the representation of the very presence of God, back to Jerusalem.

In 2 Samuel 6:1-2, David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. Vs. 5 And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. Take a moment and imagine the sound that thirty thousand-plus people were making as they marched. Now, imagine them shouting, singing, playing lyres, harps, castanets, cymbals, and tambourines…I mean have you ever heard of a quiet tambourine or cymbal?! This was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a quiet procession! My guess is, you could hear them coming from miles away!

Imagine you are living in the city of David, you hear a celebration and wonder what is going on and you look out your window to see King David dancing with all his might before the Ark, dancing with all his might before the presence of God! Would you stop washing dishes, grab the kids, and head outside to join the celebration of Jehovah? I like to think I would be right in the middle of it!

The people were having a party! It was loud and boastful, and it was a celebration giving glory and honor to Jehovah, God! The representation of the very presence of God was back among the people! They were celebrating their Healer, their Rock, their Strong Tower, and their Deliverer! How could anyone help but worship?

Everyone was having a great time, except for Michal. She looked out her window and had nothing but contempt for David. Michal felt David had made himself look like a vulgar, shameless fellow instead of the mighty king that he was. She was so concerned with how things looked that she missed the entire point, the Ark of the Covenant, the representation of the presence of God, was back and there was great reason to rejoice. Because of her contempt, Michal missed the whole celebration and she missed the whole point. But don’t we do the same thing?

Psalm 150 speaks of trumpets, lutes, harps, tambourines, strings, pipes, and even LOUD clashing cymbals being played in the sanctuary, and yet we go into our places of worship, the place that represents the presence of God and we slip in quietly almost like we’re afraid we’re going to disturb God.

Here’s something to think about, the Israelites were celebrating and they had to stay in the outer courts and could not even go into the Holy of Holies. They couldn’t come close to the Presence of God because of sin. But when Christ died on the cross, the veil that kept the “ordinary” people out of the Holy of Holies, was torn in two and we gained access to the very Presence of God! Is that not something to rejoice about?!

I know what He brought me out of and how He redeemed me. I know how He protected me and how He went to the enemy’s camp and said, “This one’s debt has been paid and she belongs to Me!” So! As for me, I will worship God, my Redeemer, Healer, Rock, and Strong Tower with my entire being. I will clap my hands like cymbals, my shout will be like a trumpet blast, and oh yes, I will dance before the King the Kings because I know what the blood Jesus did for me.

Anything Really Good…

Original post 6/23/2016

…is worth the wait!

Recently, Brett had breakfast with someone that asked him the following question….

“Do you believe that God is closing this door?” They were asking about our new journey with Children’s Cup.

At first, I was not very happy about this question, and it took me about an hour to get my words to come out (stop laughing!) concerning how I felt about being asked the question, however! This person asked the hard question and they did it in love and concern for Brett and me. I am thankful to them because this question forced me to spend some time with God to get an answer.

The question was asked on Friday and by Sunday, Brett and I had our answer! Persevere!

The Lord spoke to me about how we live in a microwave world. We want everything right now, this minute, no waiting! We want websites to open within seconds. We want our text messages to go through in a nanosecond. We want it right now, whether right now is good for us or not. Think about that for a minute.

Just about everything is available in microwave form, but it’s not good for us. The thing is, when we heat things in the microwave, they come out too soggy, too crunchy, too rubbery, too…well…yucky!

Anything really good is worth the wait!

Think about it…have you ever been around when your grandmother fixed a pound cake and all you wanted was for that oven to ding so you could get a slice? It seemed to take forever! But when that first bite hit your mouth…Oh. My. Goodness!

Anything really good is worth the wait!

The Lord spoke to Abraham and promised that his offspring would be like the number of the stars. The problem was, that this promise wasn’t happening fast enough for Sarah, so she took the microwave approach and gave Hagar to Abraham. God blessed Ishmael, but Ishmael was not the promised son. Isaac was. Ninety-nine years old! Abraham and Sarah had waited for the promise of Isaac. They were both past the child-bearing years! But God! Sarah conceived, they had Isaac, and the promise was fulfilled!

Anything really good is worth the wait!

Let’s move on to David. It is believed that David was anointed king over Israel when he was about 25 years old and then had to wait until he was 30 to actually rule over Israel. In those five years, many things happened…David became the armor-bearer to King Saul. He killed Goliath, and King Saul became Jealous and tried to kill him. David had to escape from King Saul and ended up living in a cave…the anointed King of Israel was living in a cave! Many other things happened to David before he became King of Israel, but David persevered! King Saul dies and finally, David is anointed King of Israel! The promise from God that David would be King has finally happened! Five years AFTER he was anointed!

These are only two, of many, examples in the Word where God spoke a promise and it was many years in the making. God has used these examples to show me that anything really good is worth the wait!

So! The question is this, what do you do in the waiting? Do you wait in worry and anxiousness or do you wait with open hands? Honestly, I’ve done a bit of both. Yep, I’m human! I have days where I cry, “When, God, when will we get the funds we need?” And then I have days where I cry, “God, you’re so awesome and I fully trust that You are doing great work and that our funds are coming in!”

Are you in the place of waiting? Are you wanting a microwave solution, even though waiting for that pound cake is better? We’ve all either been there, are in the middle of it, or are going there. There is good news! His Word gives us plenty of encouragement on how to wait and what happens when we wait!

Psalm 130:5-6 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word, I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

Psalm 27:13-14 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord: be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Proverbs 3:5-6 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 straight your paths.

Isaiah 40:31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Acts 1:4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me.”

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and completely lacking in nothing.

Romans 5:3-5 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Hebrews 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have one the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

And you can’t have one without the other!

Rise Up!

Original post 7/7/2015

Titus 2:3-5English Standard Version (ESV)

3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Has God ever spoken something to you that you questioned His timing or said the words, “Um, I think you’ve got the wrong person?” Now, for those of you who just answered “No,” I will be praying for you because I believe we’ve all done it at one time or another. My time was about two months ago. God began to speak to me five words…”rise up, daughter of God!”
My very first thought was, “rise up? I thought I did the rising up when I left my family and moved to South Africa to do the work of the ministry?”

God’s response? “Yes, you did. Now, I want you to rise up further.”

“This is getting ready to get even harder, isn’t it?”

“Yes, my daughter, but it’s nothing that you can not handle as long as you choose to stay rooted in Me and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. You can do this!”

“How do You know?” YES! I just asked God that question…stop laughing!

“Because I created it in you. I created you for good works!“

“Ok, then. Let’s do this!”

In the beginning, this was awesome, and I was ready to do it, and then…yep, then life happened. I had the opportunity to start walking out exactly what God was calling me to. I had the opportunity to rise up and honestly, I. Did. Not. Like. It!

Growing up, I remember my granddaddy, a great man of God, saying, “This is what the enemy of our soul desires to do, steal the Word that has been spoken to us, because he knows that if it takes root in us, we will draw our swords and do battle. Rising up to be who God intended for us to be.

Make no mistake, battle lines were drawn.

The enemy of my soul is on one side, ready to steal the word, with me on the other, sword drawn, ready to rise up.

The difference between the sides is this: God, my God, is on my side! God had spoken a word to me that I grabbed onto and planted deep within my spirit.

Yes, God is calling me deeper. God is calling me to be a complete Titus woman.

Be reverent.

Rise up!

Don’t gossip. Even with prayer requests!

Rise up!

Teach what is good. Which means I must know what the Word says!

Rise up!

Train the young women.

Rise up!

Even when I want to yell and scream.

Rise up!

Be pure.

Rise up!

Submit to Brett.

Please know that I have not yet arrived; however, I am trying my best to fulfill the role God has entrusted to me.

Rise up!

Rise up, daughter of God.

Rise up!

March 20, 2024, God gave me this mandate again in March of 2022 and the fruit of that Rise Up moment will be fulfilled on April 26, 2024, when I receive my BS in Ministerial Leadership: Pastoral Care and Counseling! And after that date, I’m pretty sure God will have other Rise Up moments for this daughter!

Beautiful Hands

Original post 6/25/2015

God has called each of us to be His hands and feet on this earth. Yesterday, I got to bless the hands of a beautiful Gogo in Dwaleni. The lady’s name is Zodwa, and yesterday was her birthday. I asked the ladies to speak out what they love and appreciate about her. Here are some of their words…

When I was getting tired of being the only one making sure that the center was clean, God sent me Zodwa. She comes every day and cleans the center with joy.

She loves the children and wants to see them have plenty to eat.

Her smile is full of love.

As these words were spoken over her, I could tell that her heart was being encouraged. I also heard the Holy Spirit say, “Get where you can hold her hands, look her in the eyes, and bless her.”

The Holy Spirit took over as I took her hands and spoke life into her. I’m not sure of all that I said, but I remember talking about her hands and how God is using them to bless people.

Warning rabbit trail ahead!

Earlier, she had given me a shawl and a hat that she had made—in ONE day! I remember talking about how her hands had blessed me so much, and with those words, tears fell. You see, Zodwa is old enough to remember the hard times of apartheid. She is old enough to know that a white woman should never say that a black woman’s hands had blessed her. She is old enough to remember, and I am too stubborn to allow the color of our skin to separate us!

As we held hands and tears fell, we were knit together in Him.

Colossians 2:2 Being knit together in love; to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ.

Call Back

The original date for this post was December 20, 2012, however, as I read back over it this morning, I realized that the message is still important. We must encourage those lost in the fog of life, just as we were encouraged by those who went before us.

Streams in the Desert December 19, 2012

If you have gone a little way ahead of me, call back-
It will cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track;
And if, perhaps, Faith’s light is dim because the oil is low,
Your call will guide my lagging course as wearily I go.

Call back and tell me that He went with you into the storm;
call back, and say He kept you when the forest’s roots were torn;
That, when the heavens thunder and the earthquake shook
the hill,
He bore you up and held you where the lofty air was still.

O friend, call back, and tell me for I cannot see your face;
They say it glows with triumph, and your feet sprint in the race;
But there are mists between us, and my spirit eyes are dim,
And I cannot see the glory, though I long for word of Him.

But if you’ll say He heard you when your prayer was but a cry,
And if you’ll say He saw you through the night’s
sin-darkened sky-
If you have gone a little way ahead, O friend, call back-
It will cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track.

Why, you may ask, did I open today with such a poem? I’ll tell you why! As I read this yesterday (December 19, 2012), I recalled many stories of faith that my grandparents, aunts, uncles, mom, dad, and yes, even myself, have told through the years. Telling your story is a way to “call back” to those going through life’s struggles. People need to hear how God has brought you out of the storms of life. They need to hear how God’s light shone brighter when you were walking through darkness to show you the way. They need to hear that as you walked through the desert of a particular season, you found an oasis in Him.

Today, I am reminded of the story my granddaddy Robbins told of being in a foxhole and hearing a voice say, “Get out of this hole.” He asked his buddy Crawford, “Did you hear something” and Crawford said, “You’re dreaming; go back to sleep.” He covered up with his blanket, settled back down, shut his eyes, and again he heard, “Get out of this hole and get out immediately.” He grabbed his stuff and headed out of that hole with Crawford behind him. As soon as they got out of that fox hole, it collapsed! Every time he told that story, and believe me, it was a lot, I got goosebumps. Instead of being buried alive in a foreign country, he came home to preach the gospel. Every time he told that story, he was “calling back” to someone. Encouraging them that the voice of the Lord is real.

My dad is a giver…period. He loves to give! Many years ago he was out and someone bought his meal. I remember him telling us kids that his prayer was that one day, he wanted to be at the point where he would be able to do the very same thing. Today, he is at that point. He is at that point because he came to understand the value of the tithe and he began to act on it. When he shares this story he is “calling back” to those going through financial struggles that if you’ll do what God asks you to do, He will bless you!

I recall the time my mom spent many a night in prayer over her wayward daughter. The times that Brett lay on the floor crying out for God to restore our marriage. Now they can “call back” to those whose daughters, sons, wives, husbands, and children are not living according to the Word of God and say don’t give up hope! God answers our cries for the lost!

These stories of faith will carry us into the next journey of our lives. We are headed into a world that needs people willing to “call back” and tell them that the road they are traveling may be hard, but God is traveling with them. There may be times while we are gone that we will need someone to “call back” to us that God is doing a great thing and to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I’m encouraging you today to “call back” to those struggling in their lives and let them know your story of triumph. “Call back,” as Abraham did to Isaac. As Isaac did to Jacob. “Call back” and tell of the goodness of the Lord! Call Back!!

For…A Bigger Word Than You Think

A few weeks ago I posted a picture of these three notebooks…

These notebook are filled with over 100 scriptures that tell us of God’s healing power, and it took me a little over a year to complete. Using Blue Letter Bible, Bible Gateway, and Webster’s 1828, I took a deeper look into what the key words of the passage meant. Sometimes, we may think we know what a word means, like Vizzini in The Princess Bride, when in reality, we are way off base…

Working on this word study, I thought my eyes were the only eyes that would see it…I was wrong. At church the following Sunday, some friends at church were sharing a diagnosis with Brett and me. As soon as they told us what was happening, I knew the Lord was speaking to me about giving them my journals. Have you ever heard the Lord speak to you about giving someone your own personal journal? It is a very vulnerable moment. Why? I didn’t just write what the words of the verse meant in Greek, Hebrew, or Webster’s 1828; I wrote out what it was saying to me at that moment. Vulnerable! The moment I saw this couple the following Sunday, they shared how they were using them and how grateful they were for them…and they were even able to follow my rabbit trails! With all that said, I thought I would move into a different word study…wrong again! I tried to start a different word study but kept returning to healing. I knew I was to start again. In the last study, I focused only on the cross-reference that pertained to healing; this time, it feels like I’m to focus on all the cross-references…I’m pretty sure it will take longer than a year this time!

James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray FOR (emphasis added) one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
NKJV

We will be focusing on the first part of this verse: confess your trespasses to one another, and pray FOR (emphasis added) one another, that you may be healed.

Strongs: confess G1843 exomologeō: to confess. Websters 1828: confess: to own or acknowledge. Own: in general, to acknowledge; to confess; to avow; to admit to be true; not to deny; as, to own our weakness and frailty.

Strongs: your sins G266 hamartia: that which is done wrong, sin, an offense, a violation of the divine law in thought or in act.

Strongs: to one another G240 allēlōn: one another, reciprocally, mutually. Websters: mutually: in the manner of giving and receiving.

Let’s stop and clarify who we are confessing to. We are not confessing to our hundreds of Facebook, Instagram, X, or any other social media platform you can think of. We are not confessing to the person we know will share our confession as a “prayer request,” (please don’t be that person!) We are confessing to the people who are actually in our lives, those we do life with: spouse, trusted friend, small group, etc. This is a two-way street, we do it for one another. We confess to the people we know will take the next part of the verse seriously.

Strongs: and G2532 kai: and, also, even, indeed. Websters: and: is a conjunction, connective or conjoining word. It signifies that a word or part of a sentence is to be added to what precedes.

Strongs: pray G2172 euchomai: to pray to God. Websters: pray: to supplicate; to entreat; to urge. Supplicate: to entreat for; to seek by earnest prayer. Entreat: to make an earnest petition or request.

Strongs: for G5228 hyper: in behalf of, for the sake of. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon: for, i.e. for one’s safety, for one’s advantage or benefit (one who does a thing for another, is conceived of as standing or bending ‘over’ the one he would shield or defend).

Normally, because I know what the words mean, I ignore the little words like and, as, in, for, etc., but on this particular day, I felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit to look a little deeper into the word for. When I read that for is conceived as standing or bending ‘over’ the one he would shield or defend, I was stopped in my tracks. Do we realize when we pray for one another, it’s like we are forming a shield of protection around them? When we pray for one another, we are using our shield to cover them. I picture it like this…

https://youtu.be/w31hkqM_vtk?si=LdWn62aOKSGYngFE

You can watch the entire clip, but my focus is on what happens between the beginning of the clip and the 1:46 mark. “Whatever comes out of these gates, we’ve got a better chance of survival if we work together.” As you will notice in the clip, those who panicked and separated themselves from the group, were quickly picked off. They had no protection from the enemy that was coming out of the gate. Sound familiar?

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
ESV

They needed one another to survive the arena. We need one another to survive the arena of life! Jesus, the Son of God, shared his joys, frustrations, and sorrows with twelve men. If Jesus, the Son of God, shared his life with people, what makes us think “all we need is Jesus” and nobody else?” Hear me…Jesus is our all in all. He should be the person we call on first. But! I firmly believe that Jesus knows we need others in our life to form a shield of prayer around us when life gets too much, we’re making dumb decisions, we’re facing a sickness, or any other reason you can think of.

Why are we confessing and praying for one another? Healing!

Strongs: that (so that) G3704 opōs: how, that. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon: Used after verbs praying, entreating, asking, exhorting, to denote what one wishes to be done.

Strongs: you may be healed G2390 iaomai: 1. to cure, heal. 2. to make whole. a. to free from errors and sins, to bring about (one’s) salvation.

I don’t know about you, but I want everyone in my life to be healed! Healed from whatever would hold them back from receiving God’s best for them. I want my prayer to form a shield of protection around them so that the enemy does not devour them. And! I want others to do the same for me! But guess what? In order for that to happen, we have to go back to the beginniing of the verse and remember that it says to confess to one another. Tell others what we’re struggling with and allow them the opportunity to pray.