With All These Conveniences……Could I Do Less?

Someone asked me how I could possibly devote so much time to my blog every day – 365 days a year. My response: I know God gave me this mission to be an encourager and a light in the darkness. I promised to fulfill that mission from the get-go. My "ministry" platform just happens to be on social media. What a convenient way of spreading the Good News -- unlike the ways of our forefathers.

It wasn't so convenient last week at our cabin in the woods without easy access to wifi. I wrote my blog during the day and had it ready to go “live” the next morning by 6 am. I was up at my usual 5 am, but unlike at home, so as not to wake the other sleeping family members, I’d creep around using a flashlight, then quietly exit out the front door to my car. I used the flashlight to break up the pitch black darkness. It was eerie – not knowing what might be lurking somewhere in the woods. One thing I knew for sure – the same God Who called me to it, would see me through it. I drove about three miles to where there was decent wifi to post my blog from my phone. I felt victorious each day when it went "live"!

That was such a minuscule inconvenience compared to the Apostle Paul's location in “posting” his writings! He penned or dictated Galatians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians and Romans, and from his PRISON CELL, he penned or dictated Ephesians, Philemon, Colossians, and Philippians, then, 1 Timothy and Titus, and during his second Roman imprisonment, he wrote 2 Timothy. He probably wrote with a quill pen and parchment if given that “luxury”, but if not, he probably dictated to others from his prison cell window.

How could I not obey the same voice of the Holy Spirit who spoke to Paul? If he could carry out God’s call in conditions beyond comprehension in a cold, dark, damp prison cell -- without a computer, wifi, car, air-conditioned or heated home or office with electricity, a near-by restroom and kitchen stocked with food, running cold or hot water, and the comfort of a cozy bed (Need I say more?), how could I not fulfill this sweet and comfortable mission that God has given me? What a wuss I would be to complain in any way!

I do sense the Holy Spirit's leading each day for writing what I need personally and for what someone else may need to hear to kickstart their day. I know it’s easy to scan through such a wordy FB post or my blog website ( Mypeacezone.com ). But, most importantly, is the message that I convey to hopefully help someone feel so deeply loved by Father God which causes them to love deeper, to rejoice and live in gratitude more. That they begin to live in audacious faith in spite of the storms. That they share with someone else one of the messages that may inspire and motivate them to pursue God with all their hearts.

I will not give up until I’m taken up. I want to run into St. Paul in heaven, applaud him and say “Way to go with all that incredible example of faithfulness of giving us God’s words because they sure made a difference in my life.” And, in some small token of faithfulness, I hope to hear those words from those I might have inspired to finish their race strong – just like St. Paul told us to! How could we do less than give our best to God Who gave His all? 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down!

Several years ago, my husband and I really needed to sell some highway frontage property that we owned. He was very ill and we needed the sale in order to help make ends meet at that challenging time in our lives. My husband’s sister grabbed my hand and said “Come on. We’re going to do the "Jericho March" around the property. We patterned our walk from Joshua's valiant walk around Jericho 3,000 years ago. As we walked, we were asking God for divine intervention and for those ominous financial walls to come down. Only a few days later, a pastor in the city called and asked to come by to see us. Long story made short, he wanted to purchase the property for his church – putting a pavilion and other facilities there for the church. The rest of the story is history because we sold the property to them and we all rejoiced that the property was going to be used for God’s purposes. Win. Win.

When my Sweetheart was in the hospital for yet another “emergency” surgery, my prayer pals -- my sis-in-law and another friend said “Let’s walk around the hospital 7 times and pray and praise for God’s divine intervention. We went by my Sweetheart’s hospital room and gave him the “V” is for victory hand sign. As we started out on that walk, it was lightning. We said, “God is giving us a “light” show! It was sultry hot at first and then it turned to a sweet, cool breeze. Again, we sensed God was sending us the cool air of His Spirit. Another loop around, and a flock of geese, in V-formation, flew over our heads – another sign of VICTORY ahead for us. That’s the way God rolled for us in some of our most faith-challenging times. Sounds a little fanatical, doesn’t it? But I assure you when God sees our willingness to be fanatical for Him and truly believe that “Nothing is impossible with Him”, He’ll answer our prayers – maybe with a “Yes; No; or “Hang on – not right now, but later!” but He still answers. My Sweetheart survived another critical surgery and we had him with us a while longer.

Does that sound radical to you? That is just the way we rolled and it’s the way I still roll. I have audacious faith in my “unlimited” God and in His love for me. So, when we were in Jericho at the site of the original walls coming down last week, I was quiet on the outside, but inside – I was doing cartwheels. Before, my faith was based on the story in God’s Word. He said it and we believed it, but now I had the actual reference for Joshua’s audacious obedience to God’s commands. Along with the other pilgrims on our journey, we were standing on the site of Jericho's walls coming down. Here’s what I found out in my Bible studies (yes, this pilgrimage is causing me to reference back to how God brought about so many miracles and if scripture says “He’s the same, yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), then why wouldn’t I stand solid on what He did “yesterday”?).

Here’s the deal….if Joshua had met with his military advisors, no one would have come up with this seemingly “wacko” plan of walking around the walls 7 days in a row and on the 7th day to walk 7 times around and then blow the trumpets and shout and the walls would come down. Most certainly THAT plan was NOT one that man would design. It was a definite FAITH plan and we read in Hebrews 11:30, “by faith, the walls of Jericho fell down …” In spite of the taunts that were perhaps hurled down at them from the walls as they marched silently around Jericho, they were willing to look foolish and simply rest in the Lord. He was their source of strength.

Every day we have options –- to expect the worst or to truly place our trust in our God who loves us so passionately and desires to bring us through every test, trial and challenge in this life. Oh, we may have some bumps and bruises along the way, but we'll weather the storms, the conflicts and the tests as we place our trust in God's game plan for our lives! When we do that -- those walls will come tumbling down!