The sweet life is simple when you’re sincere. It’s wonderful to be doing something today that I started doing 30 years ago, enjoying it more today than ever before. It’s a wonder to wake up every morning feeling like there is important work to be done on the earth, knowing every bit of your energy will be needed. You get cleaned up and ready to go for Big Kingdom Business every day.
God has done a marvelous thing for human beings! He has attached His eternal value to everything we do. We are not measured by others opinions of what we do…only by our attitude in a desire to please Him and serve others as we do it.
The top industrialist can carry this attitude as well as the most humble street cleaner. The most popular TV preacher can do it as well as the quiet country pastor who no one may know. When connected to deity, Jesus said even the giving of a glass of water is not unnoticed. That energizes me to think that everything counts. Jesus is not looking at what you have… but what you do with what you have.
Today as you start off with your first cup of coffee, don’t start complaining about what you don’t have. Don’t put off life until a future time when you look more blessed. Enjoy the moment! Make the most of it with a sincere joy in your heart that you have another day on earth to do good, knowing that it counts for eternity!
Deep in the quiet of the soul, when the sun sets over the last mountain range and the warmth of the day slowly dissipates into cool breezes that chill the sweat from your day’s labor, you hear His voice whisper “I WILL PROVIDE.”
At the end of the day, when the clamor of ideas has quieted and the energy of people’s interaction is spent, you stand alone with only your thoughts and the mission before you. It is in this moment you hear His voice, “I WILL PROVIDE.”
The “how” is in His Hands.
You wake up each morning like a diligent farmer ready to milk the cows, feed the chickens, and plow the fields. You do the natural, and let Him do the “super” so your life has a supernatural flavor to it. Paul’s conviction becomes your conviction when he says, “The Lord shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). You are resting with no evidence, no sign, and no prophetic word. Faith arises in your heart as sure as the sun comes up in the morning. All is well, “I WILL PROVIDE.”
Today you must find your place of rest in Him and in His Word. The days may change. Government may change. The economy may change. But you do not change, knowing that He said, “I WILL PROVIDE.”
Examine your life today. In what areas are you not hearing the Lord say, “I WILL PROVIDE”? Believe, and He will be faithful to His Word.
James is telling us to have a supernatural response when he writes, “My brethren, COUNT IT ALL JOY when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4 NKJV emphasis mine).
There is no joy in bills that are not paid.
There is no joy in supply lines that look cut.
There is no joy in sickness or pain shouting for attention.
This is when we COUNT IT ALL JOY. We decide to give a different response than the natural mind wants to give. We decide to laugh when others cry, to sing when others moan, and to expect good things when others just see dark clouds ahead. What can produce this type of response?
You know something the world does not know. You know that God is greater than the fallen, broken world. You know that God is good and a friend to those in time of need. You know that you have a name above every name that heaven responds to. You know that you have a destiny on earth to fulfill and a place far greater you are going to. You know you have a promise recorded in a book for all to see that guarantees God’s presence in your life and a witness within you that He truly does live in you.
You have a supernatural experience called the new birth when your sin nature was removed and God’s very Spirit and nature was given you. This happened when you decided to believe what He had said concerning His son Jesus. This miracle was just the beginning of a miracle lifestyle based on His Word, His sacrifice, His plan, His presence, His power, and your decisions.
This is how you can COUNT IT ALL JOY when you face the fallen world full of defeat, destruction, and despair!
Most people are dead while they are alive. Their dreams have died. Their drive is dead. Their desire is dead. Their destiny is dead. They are just going through the motions of existence, many times turning to drugs to deaden their thought processes so they will not look up anymore into the world of their own perishing possibilities.
It’s like an eagle’s egg that has been mistakenly dropped into a chicken coop. The eagle hatchling gets so used to seeing how chickens behave that he starts acting like one—until the day he sees a bald eagle soar overhead. Then he can begin to dream again!
If he dares to believe, he will spread his wings and flap. When he takes that first step he will discover that he was destined and designed to fly. He was not meant to live as a chicken!
Remember the days of your youth when your imagination knew no boundaries? It is a gift of God to make your days on earth a heaven, and a way for the life force of faith to bring dreams to pass. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a sign to every human that they can live a resurrected life. We are NOT captives of our past, our circumstances, or the opinions of the people around us. We are destined to soar as we embrace the destiny of our Creator and act like Him!
The message of the Gospel is new life to those who are dead. Cherish this new life. Fight for it. Stand in it. Let it take you places you never dreamed possible!
I have been in the center of Bangkok, where at lunch time they come out and crawl on their knees to these beautiful idols and temples so they can put food on these little houses to sacrifice to the gods.
I’ve been in Mexico where they walk for hours and days, sometimes on their knees, in order to offer sacrifices at certain times of the year. I’ve been in the Philippines when they are literally crucifying themselves again because it’s Easter. I’ve been in India, where they say there is over 300 million gods, where every place on every corner, everywhere you look there is an idol, a temple, a statue, a place to offer an offering to the unknown god who does NOT answer prayer.
But for you and me, we have a faith and not a religion, we have a RELATIONSHIP. A relationship where Jesus tells us to ASK that our joy may be full. ASK that we might receive. ASK that it might be done unto us. ASK so My Father can see it come to pass.
We are not beggars, we are believers! Hallelujah!
When we moved to Russia in the early 90’s it was a very gray place. I remember the heaviness that hung around the country like a cold, wet blanket. Coming from Florida I wasn’t used to this very cold, damp place, and developed the habit of soaking in the bathtub to try to get warm. As a result, this ugly little soviet-style bathroom became my “palace” of joy!
In this place I would celebrate the blessings of God no matter how small. At times, my celebration was thanking him for the loaf of fresh bread I found in the market, or a can of tuna I bought from a street vendor. I would sing, sing, sing, replacing this blanket of Soviet depression with a picture of new possibilities! In this attitude of gratitude I found new altitudes to which I could soar! I found new hope, new strength and new life!
Remember, God gave His all for us when he gave us His Son! Remembering His sacrifice causes us to soar on the wings of love!
“Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing… Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good!” Psalm 100 KJV
“Beloved, now are we the sons (and daughters) of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
There is no ‘if” in this verse. It doesn’t say we qualify if we are good enough, if we pray enough or if we give enough. He has qualified us by His sacrifice, His blood, and His victory over Satan.
When do we become more like Him? The key is to see Him and practice His presence. As we see Him here in this life, we are changed into His likeness in word and deed!
Today as international travel plans unfold, our team is remembering the goodness of God in covering all of our personal, travel and outreach costs.
Several years ago Kevin and I were involved in a grueling yet very rewarding Tent Outreach schedule in Eurasia. At the end of these events most of our extra capital had been expended. We were tired, not realizing that we needed a rest and that God had a great surprise in store for us.
To fully develop this story I have to digress to a prayer meeting conducted in our US office in early spring of that same year. Often during staff prayer meetings the Lord will unfold strategies for reaching into new territories with the Gospel. On this particular morning as we prayed a name kept rolling up out of my heart, Cabos San Lucas. I remember thinking, that’s in Mexico somewhere. I’m not going to Mexico. We’re busy in Eurasia launching this 100 Tent Project! So we continued about our schedule and logged this thought in our memory for some day in the future.
After finishing our Eurasian summer tent schedule Kevin headed to the US to meet with partners, while I stayed in Moscow to review outreach results and prepare plans for the coming months. Late one evening a call came in from our office in the USA. It was one of the women who had been in the staff prayer meeting that day. She said, “Leslie, one of our partners called and would like to know if you could catch a plane to Cabos San Lucas. They aren’t able to use their vacation property and would like to give you the week for free.”
WOW! What could I say but yes? But how would I get there? Tickets must be expensive at the last minute, and I’m in Russia and would only touchdown before needing to change planes and head on to Cabos San Lucas. Well, as you guessed, God did another miracle and provided free airline tickets through the diligent efforts of an agent that had been born again through missionaries at an outreach in Belarus!
I share this story as a reminder to myself of the goodness of God, our partners, and friends just like you. Who could have guessed that after a very busy ministry schedule where we had been living in appalling conditions, working in radiation zones, etc. that God would open up such a magnificent door of blessing, and that He would partially reveal this months before it happened.
Folks, this is encouragement to all of us to stay strong in the face of adversity, and know that the goodness of God rests upon us! In the coming year, make it a priority to grow in intimacy with Him and experience His reassuring hand sweeping life’s obstacles from your pathway!
“Early in the morning will I seek thee…” (Psalm 63:1).
This familiar line is an encouragement as we embark on a new year. As you begin this year remember the awesome things that God has done for you. For each one of us who are born again we have ‘super’ living in our natural!
The supernatural is Christ indwelling our natural flesh. The greatest miracle of all is the miracle of salvation! What is this? The reality that we may call on Jesus and He will forgive our sin, wash away those things which have bound us and fill us with His new life. This NEW LIFE is available to each one of us!
What do we say to these things? “YES LORD! This year I receive your NEW LIFE!”
It’s an exciting time of year – a time of decorations, baking, lights, and of course, Christmas gifts!
There is another very special aspect of this season – it’s what the angels said, Behold, unto you a Savior is born. Good will towards all of mankind. Christmas is indeed a miracle.
When Kevin was a young boy, his father passed away, leaving eight children. For the grieving family, it looked as if there would be no gifts for Christmas that year.
On Christmas morning however, as the family awoke not expecting any gifts at all, they found on the front porch a giant box of presents for all eight children. It was truly a miracle Christmas for all.
Today, the greatest miracle gift of all is Jesus. May He be at the very center of your Christmas. May He be the focus of all and may you realize how meaningful your gift to the nations has been.
…And so from our hearts to yours, we say, Merry Christmas!
Leslie, Kevin and the Christian Adventures staff
