God's Love and Power

Now there's a title! Growing up with Joyce as my mother, I learned much about God's love and power.  You'd think that knowing of his love and power would have made for a life free of trials.  But no, that's not the case.  You see being a believer in God means having a faith that takes one through even the most difficult of times.  One of those times came my freshman year in high school. 

That year my father was in a trucking accident.  During a normal work day a semi-truck driver accidentally rear-ended my dad's semi-truck, causing him to rupture one or more discs in his back.  It caused him much pain and much diagnosing before it was discovered that he would need surgery.  That surgery meant that he would not be working.  And in the 1980's much like today, hourly work was hourly work.  Which in translation means, no work- no pay.  So my parents had a decision to make and they opted for surgery.  Harder yet was the fact that workman's comp was refusing to pay for his surgery or time off and we were without money. 

I remember my mom getting up early in the morning to deliver newspapers.  She did this so we had enough money to get by.  Even with this extra work, it was not enough.  As a family we watched as our finances dissipated.  Yet my mom never lost faith.  She would always say, God will provide.  Now Christmas was coming and my mom was busying herself with the fact that we would likely not have Christmas gifts. She mustered up all of her know how and started making gifts with whatever she could find in our home. 

At the same time, I was needing a dress for our high school band concert and we could not afford one.  Now one might think that it would only make sense that I just use an old dress that I already had.  That would be logical however the dress had to be white and I did not own a white dress.  

My mom and I went "window shopping" as we often did.  You see even when my parents did have a full income, we had very little and we only got new clothes once a year.  We looked at dress after dress.  And I found my favorite.  It was this beautiful white dress.  I looked at the price tag and knew that we could not afford it.  The dress was $25.  This was half of my yearly allotment.  Oh man, was I heartbroken.  But then I did something. I selfishly and silently prayed and asked God for this dress.  I prayed that somehow, even though we had no money, that God would help us earn enough money to buy this dress.  Now when you are 14, you are not very smart about money.  What on earth was I thinking?  Really?!  We didn't even get an allowance! None-the-less, I hoped that something would fall in my lap.  

To my surprise it did.  I will tell you however, it was not at all what I expected.  After church one Sunday the pastor told my mom that there was a package for her in the back.  We went to the back of the church and the package had my name on it.  I was confused and so was my mother.  I opened the package and what did I find?  A dress.  Not just any dress though.  It was a white dress!  THE white dress I prayed for!  Wow!  What an answer to prayer!  But that's not all.  The wonderful person who purchased the dress for me, also bought my sister a sweater and a pair of pink corduroy pants.  We all sat there in awe.  My mom had tears rolling down her face as I said, "This is the dress I prayed for!"  

Now you may be a skeptic, and you may think this is all coincidence, but there is absolutely no way anyone would have known I prayed for this dress.  I told no one.  And there is no way my mother would have told anyone either because she and my father were far to proud to ask for a handout or to tell someone they couldn't afford a dress.  After all- my mom was the queen of saying, "God will provide."  And he did.  It was probably the first time I ever really had a prayer answered by God.  It was one of the first and many that he's answered. I since have learned to pray for things that are much less concrete and far more eternal.

 And with each prayer, I have the privilege of seeing his Love and Power unfold in my life.

On a side note- I cherished that dress so much that I had my senior pictures taken in it.  This is a special thanks to whoever listened to God that day and bought the dress!  

With that I share with you Pastor Joyce's word today on God's Love and Power. 

God’s Love and Power

God spoke to the people of Israel this timeless message through the Prophet Hosea when He said in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” They had been told of His redemptive nature and shown His great love for them as nation that He chose to deliver from the jaws of the world.  Yet they did not call on Him nor did they heed His direction that would bring to them abundant blessings.  In other words they refused to believe in that which they could not see and were captured by the things they saw.

We then, body of Christ, are no different than those who failed to grasp how great the Father’s love for them is. We read about it and know about it but we tend to stop at comprehending that it is cast abroad in our hearts by Him who gave His only Son for our ‘once and for all redemption’.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

He didn’t stop there; according to Ephesians 2:17-19 it states, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you, being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend…and know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Plus we are seated with Christ in heavenly places and given authority over all the principalities and powers and might and dominion.

No enemy can stand against us because we are one in Christ and from the throne of grace we have been given a position of authority.  When we by faith believe this truth we will no longer make petition to the Father from what we see in the world; but we will prayer the prayers of the Father from the position of authority where we are in Christ and pray the will of the Father from heaven to earth.

Stand on His word and know that the powers and principalities of this world have no dominion over us and we will not be destroyed because of our lack of knowledge.

The Fight of Faith

Have you have been in a place in your life that you know you are supposed to do something, or for that matter, have been called to do something, but you doubt everything about it?  In times of doubt, we tend to overthink things, we try to control them ourselves, and we see opposition as a "sign" that surely we must be in the wrong place and time. 

When that happens we need to stop for a moment and think about what is going on.  A colleague of mine recently shared this with me.  He said we need to change the "story" we have been telling ourselves.  Now while this is absolutely true, sometimes this is easier said than done. A recent quote that came across my desk goes along with his advise though.  "You'll never reach your destination if you stop and throw rocks at every dog that barks".  Interestingly, both statements are true!  Do we tell our selves that we can't?  Do we tell ourselves that the "barking dogs" are in the way?  Faith doesn't ask us attack the obstacles that seem to be getting in the way of our mission.  Instead faith asks us to see through the opposition and keep on moving. 

I can say that too often I have willingly taken on a challenge that I knew wouldn't be easy.  I went in with eyes wide open, only later to doubt that I could actually do it.  Or for that matter, wondered if I was supposed to!  Faith doesn't ask us attack the obstacles that seem to be getting in the way of our mission.  Instead faith asks us to see through the opposition and keep on moving.  Pastor Joyce discusses the fight of faith with regard to Timothy and the Ephesian church.  As you read today, think about your Fight of Faith?  What is your calling?

The Fight of Faith: Pastor Joyce Wyrostek

Paul positioned Timothy in leadership over the Church in Ephesus.  The church was established by Paul as he spent three years building and equipping the saints there; it was a powerful church and drew people from the entire surrounding region.  Timothy had a big job on his hands and at times may have been overwhelmed by the oppositions that stood before him.

In his letter Paul writes to him; 1 Timothy 6:12, “ Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” And later Paul writes in 2 Timothy 1:6-7, “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear (timidity), but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Timothy was a born again, spirit filled believer who had traveled with Paul and ministered with him; eternal life was not an issue.  He knew that he was sealed by the spirit and had eternal life.  What Paul is referring to here is not life in the hereafter but the life now being lived on earth.  Eternal life is for the here and now; it is filled with every promise of God that comes with salvation, a life lived in complete and total victory in Christ Jesus. 

Paul is telling Timothy to stir himself up so as to live as he is seated with Christ at the right hand of God. Timothy need not be overwhelmed by the oppositions because he had authority over everyone and everything that came against him.

This timeless, changeless advice comes to us as we stand on the Word of God.  We must stir up the gift of God wherein we are called to take dominion over every circumstance in our life and act out the victory so dearly paid for on the Cross. Like a soldier in battle we grab hold of the promises and stand on them; never being moved by what we see, but fighting the fight of faith.

I'm back!

It has been 9 months since I last posted on this blog.  I thought today would be a great day to re-launch my blog as it is Joyce's birthday.  She would be 74 years old today.  There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her and the impact she had on the world around her.  She was always looking for a way to experience this greatness and wonders of God and to honor the one who she so faithfully served.  

Joyce had a love for life.  She was a mother, wife, athlete, mentor, scholar, leader, pastor, realtor, you name it, she tried it.  Much like Paul of the bible, Joyce was a stranger to no man.  She would step in an help wherever she was needed and would share the love of Christ through her actions, be they ever so subtle, or an all out in your face sermon.  She was no stranger to the miracles of God. 

One of my fondest memories was hearing her tell us to wait.  She'd say, "It's all in God's time".  Oh the frustration that would bring.  Later however, her words would ring in my ears and in my heart.  Because of her unyielding faith, I am proud to say that she left us a legacy of faith and hope.  I share with you today her word for the day on timing.  Enjoy as you ponder her writing on God's perfect timing.  

Timing

In Acts 3:2 tells us, “a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple.” Daily people who came to worship or pray passed by this man and laid money at his feet.  It was the only way he could make a living. If he had been there every day for years it means that Jesus passed by Him many times during His times at the temple in Jerusalem; yet Jesus never laid hands on him. 

An interesting fact is revealed about this gate called Beautiful…in the original language it is translated ‘hour, time, or the right time.’  When Peter and John came for the hour of prayer it was now the ‘the right time’; the gate of heaven opened and when the name Jesus was spoken a creative miracle happened. Everyone in the city knew the man who daily came to the temple begging alms, when they saw and heard Peter explain by what means this miracle happened about 5000 believed.

God has a plan that is bigger than we know that includes much more than we can see in the natural; when we doubt and become discouraged by the delay in what has been promised we may slip into unbelief.  We must stand guard against the thoughts that attempt to provoke us into believing anything other than what God has said and promised in His word.

One day and suddenly we will see heaven open and the Spirit of the Lord will deliver all that He has said, but it is in His timing when everything is positioned to bring forth more than what we could ask or even think.  As we are waiting we will just keep praising Him for at the ‘right time’ we will be seated at the gate called Beautiful.