The Tongue is a Fire

“So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell…but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” ~ James 3:5-6, 8-10 ESV

The tongue is a fire!

If we desire to be more intimate with the Lord and surrender our hearts to him, then we have to surrender everything to Him. This includes our tongue and our words. I don’t usually think about surrendering my words and tongue to God.  But it’s so important!

“Three things come not back. The spent (shot) arrow, the spoken word and the lost opportunity.”

As soon as our (my) words are out there we (I) can’t get them back again.

There is an old Puritan story of a woman who went to her pastor and he confessed that she was guilty of slander and gossip. She told the pastor that she wanted to turn from all that and be done with it, and she wanted the pastor to help in doing so. So he said to her to take chicken feathers and lay them on the doorstep of all the houses in the community.

In which she had done that she was to come back and ask him what else she needed to do. He told her to go back the next morning and gather up all the feathers and bring them back to him. She explained to him that she could not do that because the wind had blown the feathers everywhere. The pastor said exactly you might be able to turn from their sin and be forgiven but the wind has blown your words everywhere.

In which she had done that she was to come back and ask him what else she needed to do. He told her to go back the next morning and gather up all the feathers and bring them back to him. She explained to him that she could not do that because the wind had blown the feathers everywhere. The pastor said exactly you might be able to turn from their sin and be forgiven but the wind has blown your words everywhere.

I’m asking the Lord to give me a heart that desires to speak words that will ultimately glorify Him and to do good and not do harm. Have my heart Lord and my tongue.

Guest Post by Kris Allison

~  Inspired by an Alistair Bigg sermon where Kris was challenged to think biblically about the power of the tongue.

True Repentance

“Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.  And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in sight of everyone.”  ~ Acts 19:18-19 NASB

In this story in the book of Acts, we find a picture of true repentance.  These new believers fully turned to the Lord and away from the practices that previously held them in bondage.  They burned them so that they could not return to them.  They also did it in the sight of other believers for accountability and because of the joy of experiencing the true God over counterfeit sin.  They did this to completely cut ties with their former self and its practices.

How often I treat repentance as a partial turning.  I don’t take the necessary steps to cut ties with that sin.  Yes, I confess and turn for a time, but I still leave wiggle room so that I can come back and dabble in it again.  And I don’t share about it with others, but choose to deal with it on my terms and in privacy.  I do this partially because I feel as if I will be judged by those who are even close to me and partially because I want to be able to return to the sin in times of stress and coping.

In this scripture I see some principles, that if followed, would bring about much freedom in my life and in the lives of those who trust in Jesus.  First and foremost, sin and the enemy operate most effectively in darkness and secrecy.  By confessing to those who you trust and who love Jesus, you disarm the enemy.  He can no longer stand as your accuser bringing doubt and condemnation.  He loses his power!

Secondly, burn the pathways that can lead you back to participating in that sin that has so easily entangled you.  For these new believers, they created boundaries for re-entering into their lifestyles of sin by burning the very books that they would use in the practice of magic.  Creating boundaries in your life by burning sin bridges is not legalism.  It’s a healthy step that allows the Lord’s Spirit to bring the refining work of sanctification over your life.  

What do you need to bring into the light?  Who’s a safe believer that you can confess with to disarm the enemy in this area of your life?  What are your magic books and what would it look like to burn them?  These are all questions that I’m asking myself this morning.  Maybe you could do the same? 

The Purpose of Grief

The world looks different these days. It has changed how we handle, process, and grieve so many life events. For me, the new slowness of life around me has brought more attention and space for me to process grief. I am not a feeler. I tend to run towards anything that is happy and avoid the sad. But the stillness around me has left me with not much to do outside of process. 

Yesterday, 2 dear humans that were a part of my life left this world. One a family member and the other a woman who played a large part in my first 10 years in South Carolina. I felt the sad, and instinctively thought of how to get out of it. But, due to the current circumstances, there isn't much to run to.

So I sat in it and I wept. and I asked the Lord why death has to hurt so deeply. Why a season already causing confusion and a loss of control now had a grief and heaviness as well.

And in the sitting and the weeping and the hurting, I felt the sweetness of a Savior. The assurance of a Jesus who sits in the nights weeping and rejoices in the glory of the morning with us.

And I realized, maybe, just maybe, this is what grief is for. To remind us it is okay to be a human. To cry. To feel deeply. And to bring us back to the Savior, who is always near, even in seasons of confusion and heartache.

Guest Post by: Kam Kelley

That They Would Seek God

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“Having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their self habitation, that they would seek God.” ~ Acts 17:26-27

As I read this scripture this past week, I was reminded about the poem of the dash on a person’s tombstone. In it, the author writes “for it matters not how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.”

Listen to what Paul says in Acts 17 when proclaiming Christ to those in Athens. The Lord has already appointed our time here on earth and it’s just a small blip in the history of mankind. He’s even determined the boundaries of our existence. He knew before the foundation of the world when we would physically exist. He knew where we would grow up. He knew that you would be born in America, or Africa or Asia, etc.

This has huge implications, because it speaks of purpose. He could have chosen not to create me. He could have had me grow up in Europe in 400 A.D. or in the middle of the bush in Africa in the 1500s. But he didn’t, because he had purpose for me here and now. And his purpose wasn’t that I would be great or that I would make a name for myself. It wasn’t so that I would make significant contributions to this world, though I may. It was much simpler than that. His sole purpose was that I would seek Him, that I would know him and encourage others to do the same.

I think we get caught up in pursuing our own little dash, that we miss out on the fact that it’s not our dash in the first place. It’s His. It’s all about Him. Would that perspective forever define my dash? Would my dash be sold out to completely seeking Him?

~ Brent Roberts
Africa Freedom Mission

I Consider My Life Worth Nothing

Francis Chan, Founder’s Week 2020.

“People started coming forward for healing and everyone I touched was healed. This has never happened in my 52 years of life and ministry.”

This message is a challenge to consider our lives as worth nothing for the sake of the Gospel. Francis Chan just shares from the heart about why he felt called to leave the States and move to Hong Kong. He also talks about how he has over the past few years, believed that the Lord still ministers through believers through the miraculous.

“Do you still believe that if you lose your life, you’ll find it?”

Amen!

Continually Filled

“And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” ~ Acts 13:52

There’s a continual filling of the Holy Spirit that is available for those who trust in Jesus. And when we are filled, joy accompanies it.

I wonder aloud “Could the measure of my joy indicate how much and how often I am being filled by His Holy Spirit? The disciples in the book of Acts were continually being filled. Am I?

I believe that we experience full joy when we are filled by His Holy Spirit. The two go hand and hand. May I forever be identified with the believers in this verse and be someone who is continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit!

A Toast to the Stoudemayer's

A year ago tomorrow, these two, Trey Stoudemayer and Jacey Voris met in my home. They came for the weekend to be a part of training for summer leadership in Africa. Trey, a gregarious storyteller who could captivate an audience anywhere, and Jacey, a quiet and discerning young woman who just leads by example, were sure to be a match made in heaven, I just didn’t know it yet.

That weekend, Jacey was already committed to serving with us, but Trey was trying to decide on whether or not to go to Africa for the summer. As the weekend progressed, the call intensified, but he still had some tough decisions to make and needed some doors to open if if it were going to happen. As we prepared to head our separate ways, someone offered up a suggestion. Jacey told Trey that she felt the Lord leading her to fast for him and pray that God would open those doors. Long story short, He did! After a week of prayer and some conversations with his employer, Trey was given the green light to spend the summer in Kenya.

When the summer hit, and teams started arriving, I remember receiving daily calls from Trey. He would call me for advice on how to handle certain situations, ask questions about their itinerary or finances and sometimes just call to talk and catch up. Well, about halfway through the summer, our daily conversations took a turn. Trey informed me of his affections for one of the other leaders (you guessed it, Jacey!). He told me that they had not pursued anything, because they didn’t want it to distract from teams. He also told me that the feelings were mutual.

As the summer ended, so did the restrictions for pursuing a relationship. All this time, they knew that they were interested in each other, but they intentionally waited to make it official until after teams had wrapped up their summer. In that time of separation though, they formed a relationship that would turn out to be lifelong. At the end of the summer, Trey told me that they were coming home with intentions of getting engaged and eventually married.

Their first date occurred in Africa. Not many American couples can make that claim. They waited for the teams to leave and during the final few days went on a date in Nairobi. I still remember the giddiness in Trey’s voice when he called and told me about it. And after they left Kenya, Trey followed through with his word. He came home, bought a ring and proposed to that girl (just not in America)!

In September, a small group of our leaders traveled to Zimbabwe to pray and plan for Africa Freedom Mission. Jacey wanted to get engaged in a place that she loved and her love for Africa started in Zimbabwe. So, during our trip, Trey pulled her aside and asked her to be his wife.

I cannot express to you just how happy I am for this couple. I truly believe that they have all they need to be successful in marriage. They have a genuine love for Jesus, each other and come from families that have modeled Christ-centered marriages their whole lives. They are committed and disciplined. They’re not perfect, but they have a genuine desire to follow the Lord in everything. I remember a call I received recently from Trey. He said, we’ve started giving each other side hugs now because we are afraid of what any more physical contact might lead too. This is not normal for young adults these days, but it is for these two and because of it, they’ve been able save themselves for marriage, a pretty rare feat these days.

Tomorrow marks exactly one year, to the day, since this young couple met in my living room. And tomorrow marks the beginning of their lives together as Mr and Mrs Stoudemayer. So, in honor of you guys, I would like to raise a toast! To Trey and Jacey, may your lives be filled with laughter, joy, hope and love as you pursue a life with Jesus and each other. May you make such an impact for eternity by your union together that it shakes the nations. I love you both and am proud of who the Lord is maturing you to be. Many many blessings in this new season.

Love,
Brent Roberts
President & CEO
Africa Freedom Mission

His Presence is Our Home

There’s revival in the secret place. There’s a daily invitation that comes with a house key awaiting our response each morning. The presence of the Lord is home, we can turn the key knowing we are unlocking a love that takes us as we are and doesn’t leave us the same. The rotation of the key marks an exchange- beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise for heaviness, peace for anxiety. The exchange takes the frailty of our humanity and overflows the strength of His Holy Spirit into every fiber of our being. As His children, we are called into the secret place, where The Father’s arms are open awaiting our embrace- there’s a fire in his eyes that glances upon us with the utmost love and compassion. Every turn of the house key symbolizes the sweet surrender and submission to whatever the Lord may seek to reveal in the stillness of that moment. 

The more we abide in the Father’s heart, the more our hearts cry out for more of all that He is, the more our hearts break for what breaks his. The more we entangle ourselves with the Father, the more we mimic his ways and embody His character- my prayer is that this will always be known as our utmost honor and the greatest pursuit our lives will ever know. The Father uses intimacy to equip us- intimacy propels us into action. As sons and daughters, we must relentlessly seek to embody Christ so much so that the enemy trembles at our every waking day, the very steps we take the second we rise up should cause the enemy to tremble. As we dwell in His presence, hallelujahs become like arrows pointing in preparation for what’s to come. This starts by the simple acceptance to the invitation, our hands turning the key for the Father’s heart. 

“My heart will not be afraid even if an army rises to attack.

I know that you are there for me, so I will not be shaken. Here’s the one thing I crave from God,the one thing I seek above all else:

I want the privilege of living with him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of his face, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to him that he takes pleasure in my every prayer. In his shelter in the day of trouble, that’s where you’ll find me, for he hides me there in his holiness. He has smuggled me into his secret place,where I’m kept safe and secure—out of reach from all my enemies. Triumphant now, I’ll bring him my offerings of praise, singing and shouting with ecstatic joy! Yes, listen and you can hear the fanfare of my shouts of praise to the Lord! God, hear my cry. Show me your grace. Show me mercy, and send the help I need! Lord, when you said to me, “Seek my face,”my inner being responded,“I’m seeking your face with all my heart.”” Psalm 27: 3-8 TPT.

~Kristen Kinley

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Kristen Kinley is a junior at App State studying early childhood development family and children studies with a minor in nonprofit management. She is involved in New Life Ministry at Harvest House and is also participating in AFM’s summer leadership program in Zimbabwe. If you would like to help her in her fundraising, you can do so at this link: KRISTEN KINLEY.

Freedom In Being Vulnerable

“Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” ~ Galatians 6:2

I remember reading this in NY the night I met my team. Lets be real. I never expected to go to Africa for two months and leave with a family. Yes, I knew I would get close to people. But the friendship I built with my team wasn’t just a friendship, it became family. I was beyond stoked when we landed in Uganda and was so ready to go to orphanages, do street evangelism and feed the homeless. Pretty much everything you expect to do on a missions trip, but the Lord had other plans for Uganda. We didn’t get to do loads of mission work like we had thought we would and I kept asking God “why”

Didn’t He send us to Africa to do missions work. So why then was there not a lot of opportunities to do it?

On a sunny morning in Uganda when I was asking God these questions this is what I got.

“If you want to serve my people, you need to serve me first. If you want to teach my people about me, you need to surrender everything to me and live every day sold out in my name. If you want me to use you, start opening up your heart so it can be used. And if you want to share my love, start knowing my love for yourself.”

God wasn’t about to send me out to the people of Africa to tell them about Jesus when, first, I wasn’t truly living for him and, secondly, if my life wasn’t one that radiated Jesus.

That first started with me and my team having to be open with each other. Our past, our hurts, why we do things the way we do, our struggles and sins. We had to know each other’s hearts. Let me just tell you, when you open your heart to fellow believers in Christ and let Jesus move, freedom comes like you have never seen. The kind of freedom that brings you to tears and breaks what Ephesians call “the spiritual forces of evil.”

This kind of freedom can only be attained by the power that is in Jesus Christ. That’s what changes missions trips to be more then helping people. I now could go out and share Gods love because I was experiencing that love for myself. I could proclaim freedom and healing over someone, because I knew God was proclaiming it over me, and I could serve along side my team with love and joy because I knew them and their hearts. I will never take for granted what I got to do last summer.

I’m still in awe that I get to do it again next summer! If I would tell you something it would be this.

Be vulnerable with God and fellow believers, let Christ come into those parts of you that you have kept hidden. Let Him change you. Also.. go on a trip with Africa freedom Mission. You will be forever changed by what God does in and through you. You will also have a family that loves the heck out of you. Not just the best parts of you, but all of you and when you encounter a God and people who love like that, freedom over flows into every part of you, freedom that only He can give!

~ Mena Fox

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Mena Fox is 19 years old and lives in Southern California. Her desire is to serve full-time as a missionary in Africa. She will be going to Zimbabwe in the summer of 2020 to serve with Africa Freedom Mission’s summer leadership program. If you would be interested in supporting her trip this summer, you can do so at the following link: MENA FOX

Teach Me To Walk

This is a prayer I’ve been repeating ever since I became a believer. We all know that beautiful moment when a baby learns to walk for the first time. Everyone in that moment is transfixed on the baby, but the baby is focused on the parent who has their arms wide open waiting to catch the child when they fall. That’s exactly what the Lord does to us!! “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans‬ ‭6:4‬).

We are children learning to walk in the every day. Jesus died so we could walk in fullness with him!! The word “WALK” is used 212 times in the Bible. Walking in newness isn’t natural. It has to be taught by submission to the father. We’ve lost the beauty in asking these simple question: “Jesus how do I walk with you?” He listens to you!! “He inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.” (Psalm 116:2). The Lord doesn’t give you a desire to walk in holiness just so you can fall. He’s a gracious teacher. But are we willing students?

In the Hebrew “Walk” means “to live” . We must listen to his word and live by it. Knowledge without practice is dead works. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the spirit” (Galatians 5:25). I want to encourage the generation of people learning to walk (whether you’ve been a believer for 1 year or 50 years, or anywhere in between) don’t be afraid to ask the people around you questions either. We’ve all walked and we’re all learning. That’s what testimonies are, they are our walks being lived out. This is also for the unbeliever. If you’re still reading this, ask the Lord how to walk into newness of life with him. Reach out!! I don’t want you to miss out on the fullness of life that Jesus brings!! You’re not inadequate. Come as you are!!

~ Austin Panter

Thankful

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thanksgiving is so important in our walk with the Lord. It’s how we enter His courts (Ps 104). It’s referred to as an offering to the Lord (Lev 7:15). It’s how we glorify Him (Ps 69:30). It’s a sign of God’s restoration (Isiah 51:3). It’s a participation in the blood of Christ (For 10:16). It’s the heart of a converted believer (2 For 4:15. It’s a response to the generosity of God (2 For 9:11). It’s how we avoid obscenity, foolish talk and coarse joking (Eph 5:4). It’s how we stand against anxiety (Phil 4:6). And as you can see from 1 Thessalonians, it’s even to be practiced in the midst of extreme pain.

Thanksgiving is so important! Here, at AFM, we are so, so thankful! We are thankful for:

• Our ministry partners, Mary Kate Richardson and Michael Ngumbao Yaa who are serving underprivileged children in Mombasa, Kenya by providing education to those who cannot afford it. For Bruce and Sue Douglas who sacrafice their home and family to train and mobilize local church as well as AFM leaders for Kingdom work and who minister to the community of Lions Den, Zimbabwe. For Alex Mwilambwe and Laban Mwelwa, who serve the local church in Lusaka and are pursuing a vision to build an orphanage and training facility for youth in Chongwe. And for Noah Nkugwa, who serves the community of Mukono, Uganda by providing education to many different children.

• Our staff and volunteers who give of themselves for the sake of the ministry. For Kaylee Johnson, Hannah Rogers, Carly Orcutt, Trey Stoudemayer, Jacey Voris, Mary Rippetoe, Kam Kelley, Austin Panter, Caleb Roberts, Lucas Glover, and Taylor Suggs. You guys rock!

• Our Leadership Team, for Dave Crossland, Clay Hughey, Kris Allison and Stephanie Lerohl. We’re so thankful for the wisdom and experience that they bring to this ministry as we seek to follow the Lord’s leading in Africa.

• Our trials and tribulations, because they are testing our faith, and through testing and perseverance are pushing us towards maturity and a deeper love for one another.

• And last, but not least, our teams, to big of a list to give a specific shoutout, but thank you to all of you who have already signed up this summer to serve with us in Africa. You are our thanksgiving offering to the Lord for His faithfulness!

From the bottom of our hearts, Africa Freedom Mission wishes you the happiest of thanksgivings this year 2019. We pray that you would “be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Blessings,

The AFM Team!

Divine Appointments

“But an angel of the Lord spoke to Phillip saying, ‘Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza’…So, he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch…Then the Spirit said to Phillip, ‘go up and join his chariot.’” ~ Acts 8:26-29

Phillip had a divine appointment. Think about this account in its geographic and cultural context. Phillip is with Peter and John returning to Jerusalem from Sebaste (Samaria). Based on the text, it looked as if he was resting (“get up and go”) and an angel of the Lord spoke to him. His immediate response was obedience. How many times do we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit telling us to do something and we just sit there and debate “was that the Lord’s voice or just my own thoughts.” Or better yet, we debate with the Lord, “Next time Lord, I’m just too tired right now. Can I just rest a little longer?”

But Phillip’s response was immediate obedience. Now granted, the first voice he hears is from an angel of the Lord. So, I’m sure that got his attention. But there have been those times when I know that the Lord has asked something of me and I debate and try to justify non-action.

Think about what the Lord was asking him. “Phillip, get up now. I want you to walk 100 km out into the middle of the Judean desert. I’m not telling you why. Just get up and go!” If I’m honest, I think my response might have been a bit more delayed, but Phillip’s wasn’t. He gets up and he leaves for the desert.

When he gets there, he finds this Ethiopian eunuch sitting in his chariot. And not only does he find him sitting in his chariot on this desert road, he finds him at the precise time that he is reading from the prophet Isaiah about Jesus. Talk about the Lord teeing up an opportunity to share Christ! And that’s what he does, he shares Christ and the Ethiopian eunuch responds in faith.

As I meditated on these verses this morning, I came away with a few things I believe the Lord was revealing to me about himself, myself and his heart for the Nations.

Trust Me Always and Completely

When the Lord asks you to do something, there’s a purpose. It’s either for your good or the good of someone else.

I Am Love

In this account in scripture, we have the Lord asking one of his children to get up from resting and walk 100 km or more to save this guy who the Jews would have considered unclean and an outcast not worthy of entering the Lord’s presence.

My Plans are Precise

The Lord knew the exact time that Phillip needed to leave the villages in Samaria in order to cross paths with an Ethiopian eunuch who was reading a specific portion of Old Testament scripture that was preaching about Christ. He ordered everyone’s steps precisely so that Christ could be preached to this Eunuch and another one of His children could be added to the fold.

When I Ask, Obey Immediately

If Phillip had delayed, he would have missed the opportunity to share Christ through the scripture that the Eunuch was reading out of Isaiah. He might have missed the opportunity all together.

Join me in the Harvest

The Lord is always active calling sons and daughters to Himself. He uses His people by the leading of His Spirit to do this. If we don’t listen and obey, we miss out on the opportunity to partner with him in the Harvest.

Position Yourself First and Foremost to Listen

I believe the Lord has gifted me as a strategic thinker and planner. The thing that has always been my greatest strength has also been potentially my greatest weakness. If I don’t slow down to listen, I can plan the Lord right out of what I think He is doing. What if I lived more like Phillip? What if I positioned myself to listen and respond? How would my life and ministry look differently, if I woke up each morning, settled my heart and simply asked “Ok, Lord, what would you have me do today?”

People of Faith

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” ~ 2 Corinthians‬ ‭9:8‬

The Lord is always at work to make you and I, us, a people of faith. We fall short. We mess up. We sin. But God convicts and restores. We doubt and we hunger in our souls, but our loving Lord showers us with the bounty of His grace. It is an unending grace that is fuller, deeper, richer and far greater than our sin. It never ends despite our youth transgressions. God’s grace never diminishes when we doubt and is not idle when our soul hungers for truth.

This amazing grace of God is rich and extravagant. It is gentle and tender, but oh so powerful. It is unique and incomparable because it comes from the hand of Jesus. - @kris_allison58

A Burden for Revival

“The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord, and seek the Lord of hosts. I myself will go also. Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and pray before the Lord.’” ~Zech 8:21-22

Zechariah calls us to pray for a spirit of hope & urgency to prevail. He calls us for continual prayer that is seeking the Lord’s face & will. He encourages us to join united together in prayer- in the work of extraordinary prayer for *revival.* You hear many people talking about revival nowadays, throwing the term around loosely. But you see very few people who have a heart that is *burdened* for revival.

My question for you is: Are you devoted to asking and praying for the Lord to give you a BURDEN for revival?
I challenge you today. Gather a group & begin to pray to the Lord to give you a burden for revival. Pray together that the Lord would reveal His will to you & that He would pour His spirit upon you. Do this daily, weekly, as much as you can. & when you begin to feel the Lord’s prompting, go into the streets, to the nations, proclaiming & preaching the Kingdom of God at hand. Then watch what happens & how the Lord will use you to set the captives free & revival breaks out.

Spirit-directed prayer opens the way for blessings of the Kingdom of God to come upon the earth with healings, deliverances, salvation, holiness, compassion for the poor & oppressed, & the fruit of the spirit. Above all, God is glorified, worshiped, and praised.

We know that the ultimate battle has already been won (Col 2:15) but we also know the Lord left us work to be done until He comes back to us again. (John 14:12) The battle of this age in time is won in prayer.” — @merippetoe.

The Lord of the Harvest

Its time to DIG!!

Galatians 6:7 says “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
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Did you notice how Galatians 6:7 starts it says “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. This is where the root cause of sin lies. Sometimes we are deceived, we either don’t believe the truth or we think we will somehow be the exception to Gods law.”

We reap what we sow! We cannot sow crabgrass and expect to reap pineapples. We cannot sow disobedience to God and expect to reap His blessing. What we sow, we reap. Let us not deceive ourselves: We will reap the harvest of our lives. But this does not dismiss trials or testing!! (Read James 1 and 1 Peter)
Why do farmers plant their seed? Because they expect to harvest a great deal more than they sow. A single seed that sprouts can yield dozens, and even hundreds of seeds.

It is the same way with both sin and righteousness—a small decision before the Lord whether righteous or unrighteous reaps a much bigger crop. Jesus used the picture of a sprouting seed to show that when we allow God’s Word to produce good things in us, the results multiply: “The one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty” (Matt. 13:23). On the other side of that, the prophet Hosea describes what awaits those who choose to sow seeds of wickedness: “They sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind” (Hos. 8:7). Some are deceived because their present seed does not appear to be producing an immediate crop. So they continue down their course, mistakenly believing that there will never be a harvest.

But unlike the crops of the field, which get harvested at approximately the same time each year, there is no regular timetable for the harvest of life. Some crops we reap quickly; others take a long time. But do not be deceived—their season will come. We are not sowing good seed and doing good works to receive the blessing of the Lord. Our faith is not based on works, it’s to bring glory to his name alone!! — @austinpanter02

A Good Soldier for Christ

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. NO soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the One who enlisted him.” ~ 2 Timothy 2:3-4
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We are called to be Soldiers of the Gospel and to take His name to the ends of the earth. Soldiers are mission-minded with one objective that they carry from the very one who sent them. Soldiers are active and they are obedient. They are attentive and they are loyal to their Commander. And it is NOT accidental that God’s Word calls for His disciples to be likewise.

Soldiers face death daily; they go through hardship and they endure suffering for what they believe in. They live a life on the battle field and aren’t oblivious to their surroundings. Some of us today are living a life in the middle of war as if we are on vacation: completely careless and ignorant to the spiritual warfare around us and the mission that is set before us. We need to WAKE UP to what is happening NOW! We can no longer sit back and watch as the world is starving and thirsting to know Jesus Christ when we are the ones with the GOOD NEWS! If we don’t tell them, who will????

With that being said, a good solider of Christ is one that is willing to risk it all like a REAL Soldier. Following Jesus costs your life...are you willing to risk your life for the gospel? Are you ready for the battle ahead? Will you obey the very One who is sending YOU? It’s time, soldiers, to be ready for battle and obedient to the mission laid in front of us TODAY! — @carlyorcutt

Fruit, Not Gifts

“Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.” ~ Acts 6:3

 There are requirements of those you select to lead.  Notice the verse didn’t say select seven men who are gifted in administration or helps, etc. The gifting is never the qualification of those who lead.  Their character, submission to the Lord’s spirit and resulting wisdom that they display are what qualified these men.  

True leaders should always be selected primarily by their fruit and then by their giftedness, not the other way around.  All too often, I think about my own ability to lead others and I think that I’m ill-equipped because I’m not a gifted speaker or boisterous leader.  This is not God’s way of thinking, because my ability to lead is not rooted in my gifting but in my consistent walk with the Holy Spirit where the fruit of the Spirit is actively present.

Look at Moses.  He argued with the Lord because he was trying to define his ability to lead others through his gifting instead of through his consistent pursuit of a loving God.  He said "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." ~Exodus 4:10.

Gifting is important, but it’s not God’s criteria for choosing leaders.  It’s their heart, their character, their displayed wisdom over time, it’s by the fruit of the Spirit and not the gifts of the Spirit.  

Lord let my life be a consistent display of your fruit through a life surrendered to your leading!

~ Brent Roberts
President | Africa Freedom Mission