“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
by: Jesus- Matthew 6: 25-34 NKJV- The Bible Gateway
Early one morning in September 2020, I had a vivid dream:
My husband and I were in a small room inside a big building. I was not sure, but perhaps it was a hotel. I know the building had many rooms. We were inside huddled together in a corner, sort of hiding. In the dream, I saw our room door was shut, and we looked at the glass window to the hallway to make sure no one could see us. Then suddenly the door opened. A woman came in, with short hair, maybe in her late 60’s. She went straight across the room and stood next to the window to the outside world. It was a small window, and she opened it a little for us to see. As she pointed at the window to the outside world, we could see that the sky was dark and bleak. It was supposed to be daytime, perhaps afternoon, but we could see stormy clouds. Then she pointed to a white stone that looked like a chair or throne which appeared like a vision or an invisible movie screen picture on the wall. It was like a marble stone chair with bits of clay. We saw the picture, like watching a movie scene. Then she said to us, “That’s Jesus, on the throne. He is the rock.” And then the dream ended.
After a couple of days or so, as I pondered and prayed about the dream, I felt that the Holy Spirit revealed to me a portion of the interpretation of the dream. The woman was an angel. The dark clouds outside, were the chaos and all the negative things happening in the world. (During that time in real life, there was chaos happening in the country such as the pandemic, protests, etc.) Then the Holy Spirit led me to Psalm 91:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2 NKJV)
This is what I felt led me to the meaning of the dream. The room we were in was like a secret room. There were other rooms in the building. The woman was an angel of God.
Despite all the bad things and chaos of those dark days, I was reminded that if Jesus is our Lord, He is our Rock. If Jesus is our Lord and Rock, then we stay in the secret place of the Lord, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” We are safe and secure in the secret place of the Lord. He shall hide us in times of trouble under His mighty wings.
Angels
In the dream, as I mentioned, the woman who came to our room represents our angels whom the Lord God sends to guard and protect us in times of trouble. In the Bible we know that angels are also messengers and God’s ministering servants.
“Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word.” (Psalm 103:20 NKJV)
We read in the Bible where angels delivered messages to Abraham (Genesis 18), Gideon (Judges 6:11), the parents of Samson (Judges 13:3), and others. In the New Testament, Mary was visited by an angel (Luke 1: 26), as was Zacharias (Luke 1:11), and others.
Let us look at the story of Mary and Zacharias when angels appeared and spoke to them at separate times:
An angel spoke to Mary and said, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus.” (Luke 1:31 NKJV)
Mary’s final response was: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38 NKJV) Mary just agreed with the message of the angel as she believed in her heart that it was the will of God.
Let’s see the story of Zacharias when an angel told him that he and his wife would have a son, John the Baptist, also in Luke 1:
“Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John” (Luke 1:13 NKJV).
And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” Because of unbelief, the angel said to Zacharias:
“I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” (Luke 1:20 NKJV)
The Power of Words
A few years ago, I read a book by Charles Capps with the title “Angels.”[i] According to Mr. Capps:
“Be careful what you say. Your Angels are listening! Don’t speak negative words before your angels.”
Capps explained further that angels are very much alive on earth. As they worked in the Old Testament and the New Testament times, they are still working now on behalf of God’s people.
According to Mr. Capps, one day the Spirit of God spoke to his spirit:
“One reason the words you speak are so important is because the angels are listening to what you say… I designed them as ministering spirits. They stand beside you daily, listening to words that come out of your mouth. If your words are in line with my Words, then the angels go to work immediately, causing the things you speak to come to pass. But if you speak things contrary to My word, you won’t get an audience with angels. They won’t operate on those words. Words spoken contrary to My Words will bind the angels. They will back off, fold their hands, and bow their heads… You should speak in line with My Word in order for my will to come to pass in your life. Man was designed to speak truth, to speak his will.”
He went on to say how detrimental it is when people say things like, “Nothing ever works” or “I never get healed,” etc.
The Words of God are powerful and very important, as Jesus said to His disciples:
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63 NKJV)
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, youwill ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7 NKJV)
Our words are important, too, as the Bible says:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV)
Of course, as Christians, we do not pray to angels, but to our Lord God. However, God sends His angels to minister, and to answer our petitions and requests. The angels get their instruction from God as they heed the voice of His words. (Psalm 103:20)
The apostle Paul warned:
“Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, … (Colossians 2:18); and “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8 NKJV)
About prayer and intercession, we pray in faith as Jesus said:
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says…” (Mark 11:23 NKJV)
Notice Jesus said again, “believe that those things he says will be done…” The use of the words of our mouths is important. “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45 NKJV)
As we pray in faith, we also must watch what we say. Sometimes, I catch myself after praying for some situation saying something like, “I’m not sure if God listens to such prayers…”
As Christians who are familiar with the Bible, we should try to be careful about saying negative words. However, with some of the negative things going on, it is sometimes easier to paint the worst scenario. As Christians, God gave us the gift of faith. Jesus said His followers are supposed to be the salt and light of the earth.
Derek Prince said, “Christians are responsible for the government they live under, if you would take less time to criticize (which is the use of our mouths), and more time to pray, you would have less to criticize.[ii]”
[i] Capps, Charles, “Angels”, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harrison House, 1984
[ii] IFA, Derek Prince, “Praying for Your Government”, p.18, Intercessors for America, Derek Prince Ministries
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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 3:16-17, NKJV
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9NIV)
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
Jesus is coming back soon!
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
Prayer of repentance and commitment to Jesus as your Lord and Savior:
Dear God, thank You for your love for me and for sending Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus for dying on the cross for my sin. I believe that God raised you up from the dead. Please forgive my sins. I open my heart to you. I commit and trust my life to Your Lordship. Please help me, Holy Spirit, to live the life God has planned for me. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
If you pray the prayer above, you are now a child of God and forgiven because of Jesus Christ! What to do next?
Christianity is not just a religion. It is a personal relationship with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
God speaks to us through reading the Bible every day. (www.biblegateway.com)
We speak to God through prayer in the name of Jesus.
To hear good Bible teachings, look for a good Bible believing Christian church to be part of, or maybe look for online for now.
This poem, “Traveling on my Knees” has inspired us, especially these days when we are not able to travel for our ministry. May this poem inspire you too.
Last night I took a journey To a land across the seas; I did not go by boat or plane, I traveled on my knees.
I saw so many people there In deepest depths of sin, But Jesus told me I should go, That there were souls to win.
But I said, “Jesus I cannot go And work with such as these.” He answered quickly, “Yes you can By traveling on your knees.”
He said, “You pray; I’ll meet the need, You call and I will hear; Be concerned about lost souls, Of those both far and near.”
And so I tried it, knelt in prayer, Gave up some hours of ease; I felt the Lord right by my side While traveling on my knees.
As I prayer on and saw souls saved And twisted bodies healed, And saw God’s workers’ strength renewed While laboring on the field.
I said, “Yes, Lord I have a job, My desire Thy will to please; I can go and heed Thy call By traveling on my knees.”
Celebrating 7 years of God’s love and faithfulness!
Last week, April 27, 2021 we celebrated our seven years wedding anniversary! We praise the Lord for His gift of love and marriage. We thank the Lord God for bringing us to serve Him together in reaching others with the love of Jesus through personal ministry and with Far East Broadcasting Company, (FEBC). Here are some highlights from our ministry and personal trips the past years.
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
Brasher Spring Camp meeting in Alabama where we first met in 2010
April 27, 2014 Wedding at Camp Sumatanga, Alabama
FEBC Bali, Indonesia 2015
Visited FEBC Bali, Indonesia in 2016
Celebrating 2- year wedding anniversary in Helen, GA 2016
Ministry trip in Jakarata, Indonesia 2017
Ministry trip to Seoul Korea, 2017
Mission Conference, (GIC) at FUMC Decatur, Alabama 2018
FEBC Shortwave, Philippines 2018
Phnom Penh, Cambodia 2019
David working on a piece of broadcast equipment in FEBC Cambodia, 2019
Western Wall, Israel trip 2020
Little River Canyon, Alabama
Celebrating 7 years in Fall Creek Falls, Tennessee April 2021
Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Jerusalem)
Reading: Mark 14:10-66
Key verse: “And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.’” (v.36)
Mark 14: 36
Abba, means “Father.” Jesus called God His Father, meaning He has a personal and close relationship with God. Jesus knew He could call on His Father anytime, especially in times of trouble and distress. “Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.’” (v.34)
Jesus knew His Father, the Lord God, is all-powerful and all-knowing. “And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for You…’” (v.36). Jesus knew His Father could do anything. God created the heavens and the earth. He had all the power and resources. He could command His legions of angels to stop and intervene in His Son’s situation if He desired to.
Jesus knew well that His Father is gracious and merciful. “Take this cup away from Me.”
Jesus knew His Father loved Him very much, and He could spare Him from suffering if He wished to do so. However, in all these circumstances, Jesus still submitted to the Father’s plan and will.
“…nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
Jesus was humble and submissive to His Father’s will because He knew His Father’s plan of salvation for us all. Jesus was willing to suffer because He knew His Father’s heart was to save everyone from sin and hell. Jesus knew His Father loved Him, but God the Father also loved every person in the world, so He was willing to sacrifice His only Son.
“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
Reflection:
Because of God’s great love for you and me, Jesus gave His life on the cross. Jesus submitted Himself to the will of the Father for the forgiveness of our sins and salvation of our souls, to give us eternal life.
See: Philippians 2:5-11
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it [b]robbery to be equal with God, 7 but [c]made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus thank you for your willingness to submit to the will of the Father. Holy Spirit please help me be willing to submit also to my Lord’s will and plan. Amen.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Jesus Christ – John 8:32
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, – by Paul, I Corinthians 15:3-4
Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem
TRIAL
So, then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands. Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.” Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”
When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”
But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”
Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”
The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”
Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away. –
John 19
CRUCIFIXION And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore, the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So, when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So, there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby. – John 19
Resurrection:
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. -Mark 16: 6-8
But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.- John20
Empty Tomb in the Garden Tomb, Jerusalem
The Apostles Commissioned
Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
So, Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
From the Gospel of John Chapter 19, 20
Other References: Matthew 27 & 28, Mark 15, &16, Luke 23 & 24
The Creels' Catch 