BODY
OF CHRIST STAND UP
In the last couple of days I have been bombarded
with news of murders, rape, molestation, immorality of every kind, child abuse,
and amber alerts of children missing. As I kept hearing about all of these
heinous acts, my heart was saddened and I began to get weighed down on account
of all the evil deeds. All the while remembering a time a few years back when I
became so angry and with tears pouring from my eyes and soul, stormed up to the
throne room (since I knew I could come boldly) and cried out to God with
questions that you might have asked or maybe thought of asking at some point:
“God how could you let this happen”
“What are you doing, satan is having a field day,
and what are we doing”
“It says that we win, but it looks like we’re losing”
“Crime and more and more perverted acts are
increasing by leaps and bounds”
“Why am I here studying music (enter your area of
work) when people are dying, being sex trafficked, lied to, deceived,
slaughtered, murdered, molested day in and day out"
“In the year of 2013 there are over 27 MILLION
people in slavery around the world and oh yes the US has all of these things
going on in a much greater degree than Americans know or want to realize”
“Lord my brothers and sisters are dying and I didn’t
even get the chance to meet them, let alone shine my light. What can I do? This
is too big for me, how could I possibly even remotely make a difference?”
I had all of these types of questions running
through my head…and those same types of thoughts wanted to start attacking my
brain again…and then I remembered what I heard a leader of an organization who
rescues people from sex slavery. There was a European girl who had just been
rescued from years of abuse….(they were in some part of Europe…it was someplace
nice like Greece places we've vacationed or would like to visit….isn't that heart
breaking in the very same places we vacation, someone is living a nightmare on
repeat) Anyway they were there and this girl was rescued…as the woman leader
was making her way to where the girl was…can you imagine the meeting…what was
going on in the minds of these two. I’ll tell you…it knocked the breath out of
me….the girl who had been rescued began to speak. She started talking of some
of the horror that was a daily reality for her for years…she said “I would pray
and pray that God would rescue me….I prayed to Buddha and no one came, I prayed
to Mohammed (this is a true story I promise I’m not making it up) and still no
one came. So then I to prayed to Jesus, and you came. As she’s saying all of these things,
the woman was feeling good….she prayed to Christ! Yes, God hears!....this was
the girls last question; what took you so long?” The woman sat there stunned
and broken….she finally responded and said, “I don’t know, I don’t know what
was so pressing in my life that I didn't come earlier”.
I was undone,
weeping, thanking God for rescuing this one precious life and praying for her
restoration healing because I knew the road would be long. I also thanked the
Lord for His grace and mercy, sovereignty, His forgiveness, and for the girl
and the leaders honest response. I was forever changed by it.
There is great, great, great evil in the world,
so much so that you and I feel many times we can’t do much about it. If we do
pray, our prayers are even filled with defeat especially regarding topics such
as these so then we don’t really pray anymore.
I recently went to a concert and a singer-songwriter
said something on the same lines because he too had asked several of these
questions…when he saw so many people in poverty, to the point of death but then
one father of a family who had come to Christ through mission work that he was involved in spoke with great authority when they asked him what he would ask
for if he could have anything in the world. The father said as he stood in his
tent house made of dirt and straw, “There is nothing else I need, my family and
I have Jesus, I have everything, I don't need anything else.”
The singer-songwriter guy said… “We often ask
the question, where is God, but where are we?” We are His hands and feet? Where
are we, why are we not coming? What is holding us back?
BODY
OF CHRIST WE MUST SHOW UP!
Don’t you see; the world can’t afford anymore sick days from us!
People
are dying and so many without hope and without Christ. This should break your
heart for the Father wants no one, not even the people committing the heinous
crimes to perish. I know that’s hard to hear but it’s true He wants no one to
perish. Some of you may be thinking I can’t afford to help anyone else; I can
barely take care of myself, my family. I don’t have money to sponsor a child or go on a mission trip;
I have tons of debt, bills to pay, I can’t jump on a plane and go feed the hungry or
fight the trafficking, I have to work, I don’t have time… I understand all of
the barriers that humans face but I've come to encourage you. YOU STILL CAN DO SO MANY THINGS.
The enemy is trying to do his best to make sure we
don’t show up, here are some ways how. Fear,
lies (we’re not strong enough, capable etc), indifference, impatience, lack of compassion, not wanting to get uncomfortable enjoying our comfort, unforgiveness, disobedience, selfishness,
busyness, exhaustion, distractions, keeping believers fussing about trivial things denominations/their doctrines, gossip, slander, get you to never grow into
mature Christian but stay a baby and continue to live carnally, push off the
uncomfortable responsibility onto someone else, excuses, have us focus on our
image and our space on the internet, sin, try to get your mind off of the Lord
so that you can’t even hear the Lord crying out when the Lord is asking “Who
will go for me”. All the while every
moment people are crying out to God, God is grieving, hears their cries, sees
their pain, and cries out to us, asking again, WHO WILL GO FOR ME?
Beloved
we are His hands and feet, if we don’t go, who
will? if we don’t push past the obstacles and care for those God loves which is
everyone, and be bold, who will? If we don’t forgive, extend grace to the broken,
guilty and defiled (because we once were guilty too) as Christ did for us, who
will? I urge you dear brothers and sisters to GO! Just by writing this letter, this is one way the Lord told me
to Go. I had to be obedient because God told me to GO whether no one reads it or not, I must be obedient. I want God's desires to be reality through my life. Your “GO” may not be my “GO”
but it will still make a difference.
Here are just some ideas the Lord gave me
that will help the Body of Christ Stand up:
PRAYER-
Always pray, ask the Lord to break your heart for what breaks His and I promise
you that will already begin to open your eyes with revelation with the hurt all
around. The prayer of the righteous availeth much; we are all here because someone
was praying for us. Pray whether you think someone deserves it or not, I didn’t
deserve but I am most grateful for every prayer in my prayer account. Pray for
the guilty as if it were someone you love, prayer changes lives, ushers in
salvation, and turning away of sin.
WAKE
UP- To many of us are asleep, we know everything that
goes on in the world but we don’t even see the pain/torment or joy in someone who
might be living right under the same roof.
DO
IT AFRAID- We are too afraid, rebuke fear and
even if your legs are shaking, do it afraid. The Lord would just ask me to say
hi to someone, or start a conversation just to uplift someone’s day but I wouldn't do it b/c I was afraid, and I certainly didn't want to bring up Christ
b/c that might offend them. DO IT! People’s lives are at steak. The Holy Spirit
is in you, you don’t have to conjure up something, when He lays something on
your heart to do, do it. You can trust Him everything He tells you to do will
always build up and never tear someone down. Besides once you jump out there
the first time it gets better and easier, and you will feel so amazing knowing
you made a difference in ONE persons life! GREATER IS HE THAT LIVES IN YOU THAN
he that lives in the world.
ASK
GOD FOR IDEAS- Every good and perfect gift comes from
God, in grad school, I asked the Lord what could I do for people since I didn't have much money at all. The Lord gave me two ideas, If I found spare change I
would add to people’s meters so they wouldn't get a ticket, then I wrote a paragraph…just encouraging people that someone loved them (me) and was thinking
about them, and that God loved them so much and to have an amazing day and when no one was looking put under their windshields wipers before class starte…(because
so many people are facing terrible battles and suicide is on the mind of many)
If you know you can be trusted with helping a family with their kids, babysit,
be a mentor, how great it is to know that children are safe b/c to live is
Christ and to die is gain. Be that Christ like character for someone, your
great character and time could save a child from neglect and abuse. You make a
difference.
OBEY
AND LISTEN TO THE HOLY SPIRIT- Every time we don’t
listen the Lord or ignore His voice we will ALWAYS miss out and sometimes that
means other people too…b/c all of our actions effect somebody else. Ask the
Lord to grow sensitive to His voice, His heart, and His cries, then be obedient…if
He’s not saying GO, or trust that person, speak, or do that thing DON’T DO IT.
If He says do this certain thing, pay for this person’s meal, or groceries,
pray for that family…DO IT, He desires to touch people and make a difference in
people’s lives through you! What love!
DRAW
NEARER TO GOD- May He put a thirst in you like never
before, may you hunger for His word and His character above all else, and may
He give you Himself, in Jesus name. Just like any person the more time you spend
time with them, the better you know them, know their character, and their voice…hanging
out with God is the most beautiful and rewarding...you GROW, and you shine like
stars in the universe to God be the Glory…people need to see your light more than you know, because you are important and there is no other light exactly like yours.
Alright beloved, let us continue to live
as Christ, shine for Him, and Go and be brave for Him. We are His hands and feet. No matter
how great the evil, Jesus is radically saving, changing, restoring, healing and
rescuing lives every moment. He invites us to join in with Him, be His hands
and feet, be bold, be courageous, He believes in you, and you are loved
tremendously by Him.
In His Amazing love; be encouraged.
Madetoencourageyou.
