1 Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
This seems like such a simple verse to live by, but recently I have been challenged more and more on what it really means.
There have been many instances in my past of having to sort out “what really happened” while dealing with students involved in disciplinary proceedings. It was always difficult when you only have two distinctive sides to a story and no witnesses. However, I have also found that witnesses often distort what really happened because they begin to interpret happenings from what they think they saw happening rather than just what happened. The other day I was in a position to have to observe the goings on at the home of one of my “clients”. Now, I can tell you what I saw, and then I can tell you what I started thinking might be going on. The reality of this verse came through loud and clear. From what I saw, I could have made all kinds of judgments regarding their behavior, which went from innocent to very guilty. See, appearances really do make a difference. What I do and how it “may” look to others can really distort their view of my faith and me. I came away from that evening being ever so mindful that even if what I am doing is innocent, if I am not aware of how others may view my actions I could be accused of being very guilty by those watching me.
I also became vividly aware of the verse in John that reminds me to: “stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” (7:24) As much as I do not want people to make judgments about me by what they think they see, I need to make sure I don’t do the same.
How are you living? Are you living so that others cannot misconstrue your actions to be something they are not? Are you making sure that before you come to conclusions about others you find out the truth? May we all take a good look at ourselves and make sure we are only displaying Godliness through our lives.
LDJ

Whew!
It did not occur to me until fairly recently how much work it is to pray. Perhaps that’s because I wasn’t really exerting much effort doing it. In May and June, several people in my life from family to friends to co-workers to counselees have walked through deep waters. I was, and continue to be, compelled to pray for them. Initially, it was almost constantly on my mind. I was praying periodically with others and then silently much of the rest of the time as I worked my way through those things in one’s day that don’t go away when trial strikes.
I found the constancy of need and the multiplicity of problems – serious problems, life and death problems, emotionally and physically draining. I almost, almost felt like I was running out of words to say that were not falling into vain repetitions.
All that to say, I was out of shape. I have begun (after 23 years a believer) to see prayer similar to physical exercise. I have shared this illustration before but it provides a picture of what I am talking about here. About 18 months ago, I decided to see how many military style push-ups I could do (on my toes, not on my knees). The first day I think I could do about 3 and that with much moaning and groaning (for effect). Every other day I practiced and over several months I built up the muscles in my upper body until I could do 30 pushups. I kept that up for a while but over time I gradually stopped practicing. Recently I tried to see how many I could still do – 10! That’s it – 10! If we don’t use our muscles, they loose their strength.
In much the same way, I believe prayer is like a muscle. It requires regular practice, effort and perseverance to develop a powerful and effective prayer life. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16. What is fervent? “exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling : zealous” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). I believe that is what Paul meant when he said “…pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17
In the past several months, the Lord has taken a number of our faithful prayer warriors home. They will be sadly missed. Who will take their place? I believe that through the recent situations at America’s Keswick, God is training up a new generation of prayer warriors. Are you up to the challenge? Are you ready for some prayer exercise to build your prayer muscles?
I am so grateful for the privilege and power of prayer. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16. What good is a privilege if we don’t avail ourselves of it and the benefits that go with it?

So Ladies, don your battle armor. Develop the prayer muscles necessary to become part of the next generation of prayer warriors that will tirelessly ward off the enemy and stand in the gap with and for those in the heat of the battle.

Diane

Blankets or no Blankets – Praise the Lord

I remember when I was only about 12 we had a preacher at church that was talking about being excited when God does things in our lives.

He told a story of an older woman who did not have much money or anything else for that matter. This lady Sunday after Sunday would yell out during all the meetings “Praise the Lord”. The pastor felt that some times it was fitting and other times it was becoming a bother to those around her.

The pastor sat down with her one night to explain the situation and reminded her of the quilts that she admired so in his home that his wife made. He told her that if she stopped getting so excited each meeting and stop yelling out Praise the Lord he would give her two blankets. Well of course with not having much money to ever buy one of those quilts she agreed.

Well a few weeks went by and on one Sunday the preacher was fired up and she was just bursting and she yelled as loud as she could…”Blanket or no Blankets Praise the Lord”.

When is the last time we got really excited about the Lord? Do you still get a tear in the corner of your eye when you hear that someone just got saved? Do you get excited when a verse jumps out at you?

Luke 15:7 (King James Version)
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Are we so covered up with compliancy that we have lost the Wonder of it All? Blankets or no Blankets we need to be Praising the Lord all the time and share our excitement with someone.

Lynn Wilson

God’s Amazing Love

Have you ever thought of just how amazing God’s love is? It’s hard to wrap our minds around the complexity and depth of His love for us. I was reading 1 John 4:4-21 and was reminded of how much the world waters down God’s attribute of love. Verse 8 says “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (emphasis added). It makes me sad that the world focuses so much on only the second half of the verse. As important as this attribute is, it can’t be separated from His other attributes, for it robs God of His true character. In A.W. Tozer’s book “The Knowledge of the Holy”, he lists 18 attributes of God that are found in the Bible. God is: Infinite, sovereign, wise, Holy, Trinity, omniscient, faithful, omnipotent, self-sufficient, self-existent, just, immutable, merciful, eternal, good, grace, omnipresent AND God is love. None of these can be separated from the others.
In Greek there are actually 4 different words for our one word “love”. Understanding those words helps to better appreciate the depth and beauty of God’s love. In verse 8, the Greek word for love is “agape” and this is what I will focus on. Agape is a sacrificial and unconditional love, John 3:16. It is a love that doesn’t depend on beauty or goodness. God’s love stands alone, it is sovereign and independent. Romans 5:8 says; “but God shows His love (agape) for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” God’s agape is not self seeking, 1 Cor. 13:5, [agape] “does not seek it’s own.” God’s agape transforms us into treasure. Isa. 13:12 says; “I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir.” God’s agape seeks us out. Luke 19:10 says; “The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.”
God’s love is truly amazing! I’d like you to make a mental picture of a diamond, the Hope Diamond. It’s a breath taking diamond of 45.52 carats. Picture all the intricate facets, all gleaming and refracting light. Now imagine that this is a representation of all the attributes of God. If you would say that God is only one attribute…like love…then God becomes nothing but a pane of glass and He loses all His brilliance. It is all of God’s attributes that make Him so breathtaking!
God calls you and me to agape because He is agape. To me….it’s sobering to think about the kind of love that God calls us to… agape not just for our children and spouses but for our neighbors too. Agape is costly…..are you ready?

MAK

He Said…She Said…They Felt – Part II
How would you like it if your husband gave you dead roses? I didn’t like it. I felt unloved, unappreciated, unimportant and did I mention I felt unloved? Well, I did feel unloved, but the truth is I felt that way before I got dead roses. And more of the truth is he did love me. Years ago…and early in my marriage I had asked my husband for white roses in a box for my birthday. (I had very grand ideas of what love should look like.)
He was very sweet and got me exactly what I had asked. He even went to the extent of carefully hiding them in the closet overnight (because he knew I couldn’t wait for anything and would probably snoop, which I don’t advise you do!) The next day he gave me a beautiful card and my box of roses, of course when I opened it they were not looking very perky! I tried not to show my disappointment but in my heart I felt unloved, like he didn’t care enough to get it right. I thanked him, put them in water and a few hours later they looked great! I was happy about that but still madder than a hornet! Why? I felt unloved and in my mind love looked like everything I saw on TV or in the movies, no mistakes, no dead roses! I don’t know what he would say but I will guess that he felt like nothing he did was ever good enough. Sound familiar?
Just by “happenstance” I stumbled across the comments in yesterdays VC which were written down on index cards and left behind from a Keswick ministry event. I couldn’t help but feel I needed to find out what the story was behind them and offer my two cents.
The problem wasn’t that my husband didn’t love me he did show me love in many ways, like the time he bought me a statue of a rabbit ( I collect them ) and gave it to me for Christmas. That was thirteen years ago…he had bought the entire collection and gave me one each year for Christmas. I now get them from our son. I’m told I have many years to go. What he and I lacked was good communication. Instead of trying to always make him into my minds image of what love looked like, I could have tried to see the love in the things he did do. Dead roses were all I saw, but how about the fact that he did get what I asked for, so what he goofed, I believe it was the first time he had ever given any woman flowers, he simply didn’t think about it. So ladies how about a little grace, how many things have you goofed up recently? Look for the evidence of love and give evidence of yours.
God’s word tells what love looks like in 1Corinthians 13: 4-8,
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Wives respect your husbands. Don’t get on the phone and bad mouth him to anyone that will listen. He’s not a mind reader. Share your heart with him.
Husbands love your wives. Go buy those roses you know will die in a few days! It’s not a waste of money; it’s a gift for your wife. Share your heart with her.
Above all be real with each other.
Dina

He Said…She Said…They Felt – Part I
Here was the scene being acted out at a recent Families For Christ Weekend :
The wife is talking on the phone telling someone that she doubts her husband will remember it’s their anniversary. To her surprise he comes in a few moments later with a card and flowers for her. However, he had purchased a birthday card by mistake. The wife reacts complaining that it obviously was not important enough to him to get the right card. His shoulders slumped.
This following comments were from an audience of couples who watched this scene acted out. The men responded how they thought the husband felt and the women how they thought the wife felt.
He Felt…
Felt that no matter what he will do, it’s never good enough for her. Also this woman is so hard to please- if she only will know my motive or intension. How I feel for her with the intention I did it.
No respect-no feeling.
Unappreciated, dejected, scared, upset.
At least he tried!
Unappreciated, useless, rejected, incompetent.
Put down because he’d made a small mistake. She really isn’t interested that I tried-was trying.
Felt like: What’s the use in trying?
Rejection, frustration, anger, despair.
Felt his actions were unappreciated and his mistake was pointed out.
Embarrassed, ashamed, disappointed.
No consideration of this thoughtfulness!
Unappreciated or rejected as being forgetful of the special day.
Wrong, unappreciated, not good enough, and sorry.
Felt like the attempt was worthless even though the man tried with the card and flower.
Unacknowledged, thoughtfulness unaccepted.
Not good enough. Didn’t see the effort made.
Hurt, Unappreciated, disrespected.

She Felt…
Hurt, he didn’t care enough to pay attention to the details. Like he was just doing it so that she wouldn’t be in his face about forgetting.
Unappreciated, unloved, sad, hopeless.
Unimportant to him, unloved, as if she has no worth to him because he was careless and didn’t pay enough attention to the gesture to do it accurately.
Unloved, hurt. NO LOVE.
Unimportant, disappointed, brokenhearted.
Unimportant, unloved. An afterthought, bought card just to fill an obligation.
She felt disrespected not loved, he didn’t remember. Not loved.
Unappreciated, undervalued, unloved.
Disappointed he didn’t care enough to even read what the card said.
He didn’t care enough to buy the right card. Disappointment, unloved, neglected, forgotten, let down.
Hurt, not heart felt. He was self motivated, did it to keep her from complaining to him and keep him out of trouble.
Not loved, not considered, not thought of, not cherished. Is she not important?
Anger, unloved, like the man was stupid.
Unloved, Unappreciated, neglected. He didn’t care enough to take time to read the card.
Wife last on the list, unimportant, she wanted to be loved enough to feel special and remembered in a special way by doing what was special in her own mind.

Dina

A comment from one of our readers:

It is interesting how the Victory Calls have kind of been in line with what God impressed on my heart this week in my time in the Word.

I was in Proverbs and it was talking about wisdom and understanding and how we need to guard her for she is our LIFE. That led me to John 6:63 and that talks about how it is the Spirit who gives us LIFE. And then that led me to 2 Corinthians 3:6 and then I read the whole chapter for a little background. At the end of that chapter is this verse:
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

The word “liberty” caught my eye so I looked it up in the concordance. It was defined as “freedom” but then it said that it was taken from another word that means – “unrestrained (to go at pleasure)…” I stopped reading there.
That definition bothered me a little bit and then I went back and continued reading the rest of the definition.

“i.e. (as a citizen) not a slave (whether freeborn or manumitted), or (gen.) exempt (from obligation or liability): – free (man, woman), at liberty.”

Okay, here is finally where I think that we connect with Victory Calls.
On Tuesday, (6/6) Steph was encouraging us to “shout out, Halleluiah!” And today(6/7) you are encouraging us to “throw our heads back and delight in His LIFE in you”. Well, I feel we can DO both of those things BECAUSE He has set us FREE!! We are FREE from sin and death! We can have unrestrained pleasure in NO LONGER being a SLAVE! But we can walk (live our LIFE) in the newness of LIBERTY. We can throw our heads back and breathe in fresh, clean air, smile and bask in how much He loves us. That sense of freedom should not be turned into selfishness – seeking after our own pleasures – but seeking after what pleases God. It is the Spirit that gives us life, He works through our FAITH. He’s the One who helps us see in our circumstances (by giving us wisdom and understanding) that we have the FREEDOM to CHOOSE to die to our old ways and to walk in FREEDOM to show God’s character to others.

I just want to share that I’m shouting Halleluiah and throwing my head back and delighting in my Lord and Savior this week! Thanks for the encouragement!

Sue

Thursday, 6/2/06 – Stephaine wrote the following VC in her car on the way to work.:

What if…
What if you did all that was up to you to do? What if in the midst of it, you prayed, pleaded, begged, fasted, discipled, and oh, yeah and made mistakes (you know -didn’t do some things right) disciplined too hard; not enough, too soon, too late. What if you loved with the best that was in you day-by-day, moment by moment? What if you were in church, at church, with church people (believers, other followers of Christ) most of your spare time? What if you guarded, protected, cared for, stood in the gap for, cried out to God for? What if you did Sunday school, Children’s Church, Youth Group, Missions Trips and Home Schooled?
What if you did all of the above and more, for your children believing with all your heart that they would grow up and not depart from all that training…and they walked away to do whatever was right in their own minds?
What if….?

Then God!
Then God!
Then God!
We must remember God is great!
He is sufficient!
He is able to take the heart that feels tattered and broken and keep it safe and secure.

Dear my beloved one:
There are moments you will want give up and give in. I implore you-
DON’T!
STAND!
GO TO GOD!
Go to Him with everything from the bitter to the sweet.
Remember, He neither slumbers nor sleeps. He is present-everywhere, all the time. He sees that child of yours. He sees you. Trust Him with your precious one and remember no matter what happens, He is God and He is in control.

Stephanie

That same morning, Stephanie received a call that her precious child was on the way to the hospital in another state on the west coast. Within an hour two more calls came in with the grave news that her daughter’s liver was failing and that she was on life-support. Before leaving for San Franscisco herself, Stephanie made the comment that what she thought was a Victory Call was actually her loving Heavenly Father, speaking truth to her heart what He knew she was going to need in just a few hours later.

Diane

“In everything set them an example by doing what is good…” Titus 2:7

When I first started working as a waitress, at 17, I remember meeting a new manager that started shortly after I did. I still remember where I was standing, when he shook my hand and said, (and I quote) “Diane, you have the face of a model, too bad your body doesn’t match.” It was one of the few times I was speechless in my life.
I have never aspired to be a model, that is, until recently. I find myself praying and asking the Lord to do a work in my life so that I may model Christ, model change, model victory to women. I want Christ to be so manifested in my life that others will see that God is real and that He keeps His Word so that they will be encouraged to believe and trust Him.
A few years ago, I was praying on the way home from Higher Ground asking God to make Hebrews 4:12 real in my life so that it could be an example of that truth to the women. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) The next morning God revealed the thoughts and intents of a prideful heart with Psalm 12:3; “May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, who have said, ‘With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?'”. oooohhhhhh, that stung. Then, just last fall when I was flying out to the west coast, I asked God for victory over my fears so that I could be an example of the truth and power of taking God at His word. I had more peace on the trip that any other in the last 27 years! I was able to come back and share the reality of Christ with the women at Higher Ground and we got a week of Victory Call devotionals out of that experience (see VC November 7-11, 2005 on our website http://www.americaskeswick.org). It is not because of me but because of Him that there is a story to tell.
Are we living life in such a way that others will catch the vision of life lived with Jesus Christ? When people watch us are they compelled to say, “He’s real!”?
May we model Christ in everyday life not just at church. May we proclaim,”He’s real!” in every way, with every breath.

Diane

Why did Jesus go to the Cross?
1 John 2:2, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” (NKJV)
1 John 2:2, “When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good-not only ours, but the whole world’s.” (The Message)
What did Jesus suffer through His crucifixion?
Deep distress: Matthew 26:38, “Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death…”
Surrender: Matthew 26:42, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
False accusation: Matthew 26:65, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!”
Abuse: Matthew 26:67, “Then they spat in His face and beat Him, and others struck Him with the palms of their hands.” Matthew 27:26, “then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”
Betrayal and condemnation: Matthew 27:22b, “They all said to him, ‘Let Him be
crucified!'”
Humiliation and mockery: Matthew 27:28-31, “And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.” Matthew 27:39-44, “And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.'”
Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.”
Forsaken : Matthew 27:46, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

What benefits do Believers have because of His obedience unto death? I don’t have room to list them all. There are many, many benefits. Here are only a few.
Forgiveness: Ephesians 1:7, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”
Freedom from the power of sin: Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Freedom from condemnation: Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Freedom: John 8:36, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
His presence: Colossians 1:27, “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is not longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”

All that to say, “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.” Isaiah 53:11

This question keeps gnawing at me: Is Jesus enjoying the fruits of His labor in my life? How about you? Is Jesus enjoying the fruits of His labor in your life?

Hmmmm.

Diane