Breaking News! STAND UP

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.