As with likely many of you, when the hustle and bustle of Christmas is past I look forward to some quiet time to seek the Lord as to what He would have for me in the New Year. This year I was drawn to a book a friend gave me, The Rewards of Simplicity by Pam and Chuck Pierce. It would seem once again I need to learn the rewards of simplicity. I long to continually “simplify” my life. Not just a cutting back on activities and busyness, although that would be good for sure, but rather living in a place of peace, with a mind at peace in the midst of our world that seems to provide all the right ingredients for anything but “simplicity.”

I began to read the book. Allow me to quote Pam Pierce……. “simplicity is one of the spiritual disciplines practiced by Christians all over the world. Like prayer, meditation and fasting, simplicity holds an essential place in the life of any sincere believer who is seeking a deeper, more intimate communion with the Father.” It would seem that the more I can simplify my life, the greater the opportunity for me to get to that deeper intimate place of communion with my heavenly Father.”

Pam Pierce suggests that the first key to a life of simplicity is……….FAITH!!

Without FAITH surely it is impossible to please God.

Faith is a vital piece of the full armor of God we read about in Ephesians 6. I have studied the armor of God many different times over the years and have always been encouraged when I have done so. One book I read that I found very inspiring may bless you. It is Restoring your Shield of Faith by Chuck Pierce and Robert Heidler. Faith is described in Eph. 6:16 as a shield. Chuck Pierce and Robert Heidler explain that the shield Roman soldiers carried in the time of the writing of Ephesians 6 was a large rectangular defense of metal that covered the entire length of a soldier’s body. Roman soldiers would line up shoulder to shoulder with their shields held in front of them and move across the battlefield like an armored tank. WOW, what a picture that presents. The Word tells us that the shield could extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy just like Jesus destroyed the works of the enemy. He took my guilt (Is. 53:6), He took my infirmities (Is. 53:4-5), He took my poverty (2 Cor. 8:9), He became a curse for me (Gal 3:13-14). His protection is activated now when I pick up my shield of FAITH.

Today join me in simplifying your life. Stand on the Word of God and let’s activate our Shield of Faith.

Patricia L. Wenzel
Women of Character Graduate

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 27:5
For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.

As I read through Scripture, my old training peeks it’s head through, causing me to wonder, for just a split second, how I could possible go to heaven, but just for a split second.

I was recently reading Revelation 21:8, But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. Revelation 21:27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false…”

I’d like to say that in some ways that describes me at different times before I came to Christ; however, in all honesty, that describes me at different times SINCE I’ve come to Christ.

Growing up to believe that it is by my deeds that I will gain or lose heaven, I fear, at moments I am better described by the characteristices of the doomed rather than the saved.

BUT…
Whether I feel more doomed or more saved is not what determines my eternal destination – AMEN!! The last part of Revelation 21:27 proclaims the truth: But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

My name is written in the Lamb’s book of Life!! If your name, too, is written in the Lamb’s book of life it has not been put there by you or as a result of anything you have done or not done, but it is there written by God’s own hand. It is in God’s handwriting.

Diane

DIGGING DEEPER
PSALM 27: 3-4
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.

How are you doing? We have received replies back from some of you committing to join us in this journey. Perhaps you are journeying with us. We’d love to hear from you. May God bless your time in His Word. If you are just joining us, go to our website http://www.americaskeswick.org and check the Victory Call blog for Monday, February 1st, 2010 for more information.

PSALM 27:1-6
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.
5For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
6And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

Commentary:
“In singing Psalm 27, God’s people have a way of not simply expressing confidence in him but of cultivating that confidence for the widest range of challenging life situations. The psalm uses several synonyms for “enemies” (vv. 2, 6, 11, 12), giving it the concrete setting of a faithful person beset by those who would destroy him with bloodthirsty and deceitful means; one who can trust God in those circumstances can trust him in other situations as well.”1

1 ESV study Bible ~ study notes, pg. 970.

Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Points to Ponder:
Has the LORD your God been your Shepherd today? Are you tangibly aware of His mercy and His goodness leading you through the good and the bad moments of your day? Do you know that whether you walk in the valley or on the path He, your Abba, is leading you for His name’s sake?

Application:
Take time right now to pause and give audible praise to God for the specific ways you see His hand of goodness and mercy in your life this week, as you have been intentional to read and meditate on this beautiful Psalm.

Stephanie

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority. Colossians 2:8-10

This year at America’s KESWICK we have been encouraged to read through the Bible in a year. My pastor also has been encouraging us to read the Bible prayerfully without reading from others’ point of view. His desire is for us to prayerfully learn what God has said through His Word. For a book and Bible study junkie such as myself, I know this will be hard. Not because I have never read the Bible in a year but because of all the other reading I enjoy. I enjoy studying but I need this challenge to trust and depend that the Holy Spirit really is my teacher. No man, regardless of his knowledge or understanding, is greater than having the Holy Spirit teach and lead me into all truth. We must always be on guard so that we will not be taken captive by the philosophies and deceptions of men. They abound today through books, radio and TV. Just scan a bookshelf at your local bookstore and see what is mingled in with solid teaching. The best way to safeguard against these deceptions, traditions and principles is to truly know what it is that God says.

So, I am combining these two challenges and reading the Bible through out the year and reading less* of others’ thoughts and ideas. Colossians 2:3 says …in whom (Christ) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Let’s look to Him and dig for treasure.

“We must be diligent, constantly, on guard, and ever alert to those deceitful and ultimately destructive philosophies and theologies that to the slightest degree draw us away from reliance on Christ and his all-sufficient grace. Any idea or system of thought that would suggest he is not supreme and sovereign or that he is not infinitely and exclusively worthy of our absolute devotion and admiration is demonic at its core. Beware, says the apostle, of any such philosophy. Identify it. Denounce it. Deliver others from its destructive clutches.” **

*Please know that there are plenty of good materials to read from well learned men. In no way am I throwing out the books I enjoy. But I know that I can spend more time in the Word if I cut back on other pleasure reading. A good question to ask is “How much time do I devote to each?”

Kathy Withers

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

**The Hope of Glory, Sam Storms, chapter 47.

I think about the way we Americans eat. Are we EVER hungry? Or do we keep our stomachs full enough all the time where we don’t even feel hunger pangs?

Recently I’ve become aware that I don’t usually feel those “pangs.” And it has led to me being overweight. So now I’m trying to let my body get hungry and am happy when I feel them. It’s OK to feel that stomach growling!!

But I wonder if I could apply the same thoughts to how much I hunger for the Word of God?

We’d probably be doing okay in our walk with the LORD if we are “fat” by indulging in the Word. So it’s GREAT to be a “fat” Christian!! Ha! No – but I think you get what I mean.

Lately I’ve had this thought that if my Bible, the Word of God, was taken from me, never to be returned, would I miss it? How much do I know by memory that would help get me through difficult times? I started getting “pretty thin” very quickly!

So I guess what I’m saying is this, “how hungry are you?” Are you on a good indulgence of the Word or does your heart hunger? You know, my heart hungers even if I am in the Word! He keeps drawing me in. He keeps us wanting more…

May we all become “fat” Christians!!

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be SATISFIED.

Sue Mercer
Women of Character Gradate

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

I was reading an excerpt of a new book through an online book club and was struck by this:

“Becoming the apprentice of a rabbi in the first century was, therefore, quite different from the experience of a typical twenty-first-century student.

Today, students want to know what their teacher knows so they can achieve a grade, complete a course or pass an exam. In contrast to this, a first-century apprentice wanted to be like their teacher-to become what the teacher was.”1

It should not really have been such a revelation to me, but it really hit me as a point of self-examination. Most of my life, I think I’ve been more of a student of Jesus than an apprentice. I may say that I am a Christian, a Christ-one, a Christ follower… but am I just learning what Jesus taught so I can spout it back to someone, or am I striving to become like Him?

The book went on to say, “A talmid (apprentice) followed the rabbi everywhere, every day and every hour of the day-often without knowing or asking where he was going-with one simple goal: to imitate him.”2

Wow! Do I follow Jesus that faithfully, that trustingly? And is my one simple goal to imitate Him?

If I’m going to say “yes,” I need to do it now, every day, every moment of every day. It has to be a continual, conscious choice, or I will easily fall back into “student” mode and forget to be an “apprentice.”

What about you? Are you a student or an apprentice?

Ruth Schmidt

DIGGING DEEPER:
Psalm 23: 4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

1 Apprentice: Walking the Way of Christ, By Steve Chalke, Published by Zondervan, Copyright (c) 2009
2 ibid

This January, our President and CEO of America’s Keswick, Bill Welte challenged our staff to memorize Scripture each week as part of the DIGGING DEEPER focus this year. Here is an excerpt from Bill’s on-line challenge/encouragement: “Our theme verse is: “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know” Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV).

Rather than just focus on this theme for the summer weeks, I am making this the theme for the entire year. Getting people into God’s Word on a daily basis is a passion that we will continue to develop throughout 2010.

Just think what might happen if all of us partner together to DIG DEEPER INTO GOD’S WORD and EXPLORE THE PROMISES OF GOD! Will you join me in the adventure to “DIG DEEPER?”1

We are going to join together with hundreds of others in DIGGING DEEPER INTO GOD’S WORD by following the Scripture memorization schedule we as a staff are following. Here’s our plan: Starting today, February 1st — each Monday you will receive the Scripture for the week with a brief commentary, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will be a typical Victory Call Devotional . At the bottom of each there will be a portion of the week’s Scripture to memorize (should you be willing to take up the challenge and join us on the journey). Rounding out the week, on Friday along with the week’s Scripture will be some points to ponder and application questions. What do you say? Are you up for a challenge that WILL dramatically change your life?

Join me… on a Journey into the very Heart of God.

Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Brief Commentary:
Psalm 23 was written by David. A very familiar passage of Scripture, quoted by believers and non-believers alike. David, a shepherd himself as a young man, understands the tender care of a shepherd for his sheep. He knows that God cares for him with even greater tenderness and protection than he himself provided. “Psalm 23 is a song about the Living Great Shepherd who currently oversees His sheep.”2 The same Shepherd, of whom David speaks, is the same Shepherd of your steps and soul if you are one of His sheep (regenerated by His Spirit). He is present in your present, you have no need or want and in its place, He pours out His goodness and mercy upon your head.

1 For Bill’s challenge and a Bible reading plan go to this link: http://www.americaskeswick.org/475372.ihtml

2 The Psalms: Expositional Devotional Studies by Don Kelso

Ya Ya, what a nickname! My nephew coined my sister that when he was little. He couldn’t say her name, Rosel; it sort of came out Ya Ya. Ya Ya, it is! All the kids and most of the family started calling her that, too. She loved kids and they loved her! Maybe it was the child in her, maybe it was because she didn’t have children of her own, maybe it was just her gift. I’ve asked for this Victory Call to be posted on this date in hopes it might be a WAKE UP CALL.

My sister had a lot of love in her heart, but she also had a lot of fear. So much so, it held her captive for a year, one year too long. She’d felt a lump in her breast and was afraid that it might be cancer. For one year she lived with this fear, and this lump. It didn’t seem to go away, as I’m sure she’d hoped it would. Finally, she did go for an exam and x-ray and was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. The doctors offered a plan of treatment, which she did, that included a lumpectomy as well as chemotherapy and radiation. However, the doctors also explained that while there was treatment, the possibility of reoccurrence was very high. The cancer was treated and for a short time went into remission only to return fairly quickly and with a vengeance.

Perfect love casts out fear… that’s the verse that came to my mind one day while visiting her in the hospital. She was pretty well medicated, but that seemed to grab her attention. “All fear”?, she asked. “Yes…all fear.”

“Where’d you get that from?” “The Bible.” “Where in the Bible? What version is that?” Oh, my goodness this woman was enough to drive anybody crazy! And she did sometimes! “I’m not sure what book the scripture is from but I’ll find out and tell you. It’s definitely in your Bible, too, it doesn’t matter what version, NIV, NKJV, whatever, it’s in there.” “Let me write that down.” She couldn’t really write at that point so I wrote it on the back of a bank receipt I had in my purse. (There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment., 1 John 4:18a) Come to think of it, that was really a very appropriate place for something she/we could bank our souls on, God’s Word! Amen?

I’m thrilled to say she did do just that. While Rosel was a very religious woman, she had yet to fully place all her trust in Jesus Christ ALONE. But praise God, just a short time afterward, the Lord used my sister Lisa to lead Rosel to Himself.

Ladies, sisters, I don’t enjoy my yearly visits to the doctor. But I go. I don’t want to hear any bad news. But I go. I don’t want cancer. But I go. I’m asking you today to please remember to go! God holds my life and my soul in His hands…and someday I will die, unless He returns first. But while I’m here, He’s given me the gift of life and I believe He wants me to take care of me.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAKE CARE OF YOU, AND PLEASE GO!

Ya Ya went home to be with the Lord one year ago today, January 29th 2009. She was 48 years old.

I wish I could say she was a breast cancer survivor; I can’t. But I can say she is a Soul Survivor!

Dina Seaton

I think most of us could say and do say, “Lord I want more of you.” This has been part of my prayer life for some time. I want to know God more intimately. I love God but I don’t think I love Him near enough. I want to always be in His will and I would love to hear clearly from Him when I’m confused about which way to go. I don’t think I’m alone in having these desires.

I believe we do hear from God in various ways and through various means. The problem is even if we did hear the very voice of God we would still question. Reading in the book of Exodus I would say we are in pretty good company.

Exodus 33:12-14, 17-18 Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

Moses actually spoke with God!!! God gave him the awesome task of leading the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. Moses knew he had this task to do, God had told Him but he still wondered who God was going to send to be his right hand man…just hearing God’s instruction was not enough to give him confidence. Moses believed he found favor with God but he still wanted to know God more intimately. He was not satisfied and hungered for an even deeper relationship with God. This is hard to understand! Moses actually was able to speak to God and hear His voice. YET, it wasn’t enough… he wanted more. It is true that the closer you get to God, you just hunger to be even closer.

In response God promises that His Presence will be right there beside Moses every step of the journey so he will never be alone. God also promises to give rest to Moses. What a deal!

Moses wasn’t satisfied. He wanted still more of God! And in verse 17 Moses boldly asks, “Show me your glory!”

If Moses can boldly ask for more of God there isn’t any reason why you and I can’t boldly ask for a deeper relationship with Him, or to hear from Him. But no matter how much deeper and richer our relationship will grow, I don’t think we can ever truly be satisfied this side of heaven. I can only imagine that when we see Him face to face in glory, it will only be then that our longing for a deeper relationship will be satisfied.

1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

I look forward to the day when hunger for Him will be filled to the max!

MaryAnn

MaryAnn and John Kiernan have been married for 36 years, have 2 grown/married sons and are the proud grandparents of 3 grandsons. She serves at America’s Keswick as a Biblical Counselor and also as Intake Coordinator for the Colony of Mercy. Her life verse is Romans 8:28.