roniya“Live for the glory of God and the good of many.”

Hello friends,

Greetings in the Name of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ!  Right now I am with my family at a retreat center in the Ozarks.  It is a blessing to have time together away from the pressures and busyness of normal life.  I have been grateful to have some quiet moments with the Lord sitting on the ledge of a bluff looking out over Table Rock Lake with the warm August breeze blowing gently through the trees.

How quickly the summer slips by!  I am amazed that there are only four months left to this year.  How have I lived the past eight months for Christ glory and how can I pour out my life even more over the next four?  The words of the Psalmist are increasingly more and more becoming my words, “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.” (Psa 39:4-5). We have so little time to live on this earth, so little time to forsake all to follow Christ, so little time to love Him in this fallen world, so little time to run this race that is set before us.  How well are you running?  We need to ask ourselves this question and not live life carelessly because we will one day give account to our Creator for each word that we speak and each moment that we live.

The more I come to understand all that Christ has done to provide salvation, justification, and sanctification for me the more I long to have the privilege of serving Him and even just doing one thing for Him.  He is worthy of everything we could possible give Him.  To just have the privilege of serving Him in the most obscure manner for all our days would hardly come close to showing a return of love that He is worthy of and deserves.  And yet, He is so pleased with us and loves us so much, not based on what we do, but on what He has done, and we can rest content in His love knowing that it is not what I do that counts, but what Christ does in and through me.  This brings forth a lesson that the Lord has been teaching me over the summer.

Childlike Dependence.

I thought I had that all figured out and was walking in a place of leaning and depending…but the Lord has brought circumstances into my life over the past few months that have proved to be a trial to my faith and have revealed how easily my heart tends to walk according to it’s own understanding.

LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever. (Psa 131:1-3)

At the beginning of August I made a trip up to Nebraska with my dad and sister.  Here is a journal entry from that week:

“I would be treated as a child and guided where I go”

Childlike dependency. . . I have so far to go in learning this.  I came up to Nebraska with great plans of accomplishing an important project.  I envisioned quiet hours of focusing on this project with minimal distractions.  It was not meant to be.  I woke up the first morning with the beginnings of a bad headcold.  On the second day the pain was so great that I mainly spent the day in my room listening to Sarah Edward’s biography.  I was so discouraged over my helpless state and groaned before the Lord asking why He had allowed this sickness.  By the third day I gave up on my project and settled down to rest and read.  This evening as I sat out on the hay-bales soaking in the warm August sunshine I again sought the Lord as to why my plans had be so unfulfilled.

~Childlike Dependence~

My Father desires that I lean completely on Him for everything including my plans.  It is not wrong to have plans, but seeking my Father’s will must be preeminent above all other guiding factors.  If He wants me to work on my project, blessed be God; if He sees best that I be humbled through sickness, blessed be His Name.  All that He does is good and He must have my complete trust because human looks and hearts may deceive me, only God’s way is perfect, perfect wisdom is found in God alone and He will never fail the trusting child.  I live for Him, I breath for Him alone…it is only fitting that I depend completely on Him, My Abba Father.

That very evening when I wrote the blog post was the night that we made a six hour trip to the closest VA hospital for my dad who was having serious issues with his eye.  Thankfully the Lord touched his eye and it is healing.  But as we travelled there I marveled over how the Lord had been teaching me about dependency right before we made an unexpected visit to Omaha and suddenly ended up in an emergency room.  Later that morning we visited an old friend of my parents.  By this time, I was completed exhausted from being up all night and really didn’t want to spend the extra time visiting this lady.  I walked into her home and looked up to see a plaque that read, ‘God is the Blessed Controller of all things’.  Once again the Lord confirmed to me the lesson that He was teaching me to depend upon Him.  Since that time I have had so many trials and tests come in and I am so grateful for the foundation of complete dependency on the Lord.  Truly the Lord is faithful to those that fear Him and trust Him.

A couple weeks ago my family tasted of the bitterness of a precious life cut suddenly short.  My sister-in-law was 23 weeks pregnant with their first child.  Great was the joy over the announcement of this child’s coming earlier this year…and great was the sorrow when her mother went into early labor and delivered little Christine Hope who weighed 15 oz and was 11 inches long.  Little Christine made a valiant effort to live and she did live for nine brief hours before her soul took flight to the arms of Jesus Christ and left behind her fragile and beautiful little body. We had a beautiful graveside service for our sweet little girl.  There were so many people who came to weep and mourn with my brother and his wife in their grief.  She only lived nine hours….and yet her life impacted people around the world.  The Lord used her life to inspire me and spur me on to live even more passionately for Jesus Christ and the glory of God.  If someone so small could honor Him so much, how much more glory and honor should our lives bring to Jesus Christ!  You can see pictures of my beautiful niece here, www.christinehope.courvillefamily.com

Another lesson that the Lord has been teaching me is that of contentment.  Once again, I thought I had this lesson down and was doing pretty good in this area….until I was tested.  The Lord has allowed me to go through a severe trial of trusting Him with a particular circumstance in my life.  The Lord greatly used the Free Grace Broadcaster fall issue on contentment to bring conviction to my heart as well as more understanding about contentment.  Here are a few definitions of contentment that were helpful for me: “Contentment is a disposition of mind in which we rest satisfied with the will of God respecting our temporal affairs –without hard thoughts or hard speeches concerning His allotments and without any sinful desire for a change.  It submissively receives what is given.  It thankfully enjoys present mercies.  It leaves the future in the hand of unerring wisdom.” William Plumer. “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.” Jeremiah Burroughs.

This evening I listened to a sermon by Rolfe Barnard on how God gets men lost.  It was a powerful sermon that I highly recommend.  I am more and more convinced of the importance of the principles of salvation that are laid out in this message.  A man or woman must come to the end of themselves before Christ will begin His work in them.  Salvation is not for the person who is just adding it to their life to improve the journey.  Salvation is for those who are desperate for help and know that they have no help outside of Christ.  And then, it is the Lord who saves.  He is the One who quickens and regenerates, and it is according to His mercy that He saves anyone.  This is what David Brainerd came to realize as he was seeking after God:

1. God demands perfection from man that is impossible for man to produce.
2. God demands saving faith that man cannot produce.
3. God has the right and exercises the right to give or withhold faith.
4. God can save a man or damn a man and still be God and get glory.

When a man or woman comes to this point, to where they’re truly lost, then they’re ready to be saved, then they’re ready to start to cry out to God for mercy, and if they truly believe the promises of God as well as the sovereignty of God, then they will not stop crying for mercy until God either saves them or sends them to hell.  That is the kind of desperation one must have in seeking the Lord for salvation.  If you don’t care that much about it, then you probably aren’t lost enough and you’ll go straight to hell.

I really do not know who all reads this blog, but if you’re reading this and have never examined your life to see if you’re right with God according to the Scriptures, I plead with you to do so.  The book of 1 John is a picture of a true Christian.  If you have been born again, then the characteristics (freedom from a life of continual sin; love the brethren, hate sin, you do not love the world, love God, overcomer, etc) will be seen in your life and the Spirit of God will bear witness while you read it that it is true.  Please do not be afraid to examine your life to see if you are saved.  There isn’t anything more important than making sure that you are a child of God and that you are living a life pleasing to God.  It is Christ who saves you and it is Christ who works in you.  But if your life is missing the present and continual working of Jesus Christ, then you stand in danger of spending eternity having the eternal wrath of a righteous and just God poured out on you.  Another test is if you love the Word of God.  Is the greatest delight of your life to read the Bible? Is it alive and quickened to you by the Spirit of God?  If not, has it ever been?  This is a true characteristic of a Christian.  If you’re backslidden and once loved the Word of God and once hated sin, then seek the Lord quickly right now, do not harden your heart in unbelief, repent and seek Christ’s blood for cleansing and forgiveness.  The Father welcomes the erring child as soon as they turn their faces back to seek Him.  But do not remain in the far country pursuing your own way.  It is eternally dangerous to be there.  “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” (Heb 10:38-39). Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of your faith!

For those who actually took the time to read all of this….thank you.   I expect this fall to be very busy with family camp and two weddings.  But if I have a chance and the Lord’s leading….I will update this blog.  It’s all up to the Lord and how He leads and enables me to walk in the way of His perfect will.  Feel free to email me anytime.  And if you are troubled about your soul and need to talk to a sister or brother who knows Christ and can help you seek him, please let me know.

May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you and keep you close to His heart all throughout your life.

Do not forget the brevity and fragility of life….and the sure hope there is in Christ Jesus for those who will seek Him with ALL their heart and find Him.

Leaning on my Beloved Christ,

sister Joy

Dear friends,

Greetings in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ! For those few people who do read this blog, here is an update on some of what the Lord has been doing in my life and the lives of those around me.

This summer is rapidly slipping by and will soon be gone. The Lord has been very gracious in making it thus far a summer that has been exceedingly profitable in the growth of my love and knowledge of Jesus Christ and has been fruitful in opportunities to pour out my life for the LORD in love and service to the body of Christ as well as the unsaved.

It has been a blessing spending time alone seeking the LORD through prayer and the study of the Word. I have found the secret place to be even more of a place of renewing of my strength then it ever was before. If any of you do not have the fixed habit of spending much time alone with Jesus Christ, I urge you to place a higher priority on this. It is for the growth and protection of your own soul to spend much time seeking the Lord.

The Lord has been good in bringing into my life several new sisters, some of whom have been recently made new creatures in Christ, and giving us many opportunities to fellowship and pray together. I rejoice in the works of the Lord in each of their lives and am so grateful for their humility and desire to grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ. It has been wonderful seeing them grow in the area of modesty both in apparel and spirit. In the middle of June seven of these sisters were able to come to Missouri for a visit and we had a most blessed time together.

Once again the Lord has given my father the privilege of organizing South African Evangelist Keith Daniel’s fall tour to the US. It is a time consuming task that my father fulfills with much carefulness and dependency on the Holy Ghost. The Lord has given me the blessing of assisting my father in this project and I rejoice to say that for the time being, the schedule is completed, tickets bought and all the information has been sent to each pastor. Next on the list in this area is to begin preparing for family camp in the areas of registration and media ministry. If you would like to see where Keith Daniel will be speaking you may go here, and if you have any interest in attending our church’s family camp, October 1-3, where Keith Daniel, his wife Jenny and son Roy will be the main speakers you will find more information here.  Tour Schedule. Family Camp.

One of the highlights of this summer was my recent trip to Texas with my beloved sister Jen. The Lord clearly directed us to go down there to visit and hopefully edify and encourage the saints and it was such a delight to be led of the Lord every step of the way. For the sake of remembering all that the Lord did I will share more with you about this trip. If you find the details to be too cumbersome, please do not trouble yourself to read over this. I know I tend to be a wordy writer, but I will attempt by God’s grace to make every word profitable to the reader and glorifying to the LORD.

We drove down to Allen, TX early Thursday morning, July 8, to arrive in time to go out to lunch with our dear friend Debbie Speed. It was special to meet Debbie’s co-workers and spend time with this joyful lady. I have met few people who exuberate so much joy and enthusiasm in loving and caring for the people around her. I know it is the Lord’s grace to fill Debbie with so much joy in the midst of many trials.

Navigating through Dallas traffic on our way to Arlington was an adventure and test to trust the Lord to direct our steps. Looking back He really did help us get to Arlington and I could see His hand clearly guiding us, even in the missed turns and frequently adjusted route. We arrived at Jesse and Lindsay Morris’ home that afternoon and how I praise God for this godly couple and their generosity in making their home available for the Lord to use it however He pleases. A more hospitable and flexible hostess than Lindsay I have rarely seen. And Jesse is a faithful servant who was ever watchful for the practical needs of his guests.

It was a wonderful blessing and encouragement to spend time fellowshipping and visiting with brothers Sean and Ryan, as well as meeting brother Chris (a godly brother recently saved in March who is ablaze for Christ and meekly following his Master with everything he has). The Lord has directed brother Sean and brother Ryan to oversee the establishing of a church in the Dallas area. To read more about this you can visit their website here. I rejoice in the faithful obedience of these godly men to follow the LORD in starting this church and I praise God for the wisdom and great discernment He has given them for this daunting task that would be impossible but for the grace of God and leading of the Holy Ghost.

It was a great delight to see sister Stephanie again. Her boldness and zeal for sharing Christ’s Gospel with those around her was a great blessing to observe and glean from. Sister Megan came over later that evening and how my heart rejoiced to see this beloved sister that the Lord has given me. I am exceedingly grateful for how the Lord has knit our hearts together in true Christian love and friendship. Sister Meg is one of the godliest women I know and the sweet fragrance of Christ’s love and compassion overflow out of her life into the lives of all those around me. A greater example of a merciful and compassionate heart I have not found.

Sister Lindsay and Sister Stephanie

At the end of that evening we followed Meg to her home in Dallas where we spent the next few days with her and her family. We were so grateful to the Turner family for their gracious hospitality in opening up their home to us. It was a blessed quiet place to be for a few days to seek the Lord as well as spend precious time praying, studying the Word, and fellowshipping with sister Meg. The Lord gave Jen opportunity to practice her gift of cooking which proved a great blessing to the Turner family and all those who tasted of her skillful cookery.

Friday evening we went over to Arlington for dinner with all the saints there. Sister Meg’s friend, Kelsey, also came and on the drive over she shared her testimony with Jen and me of coming out of the Christian Science cult. I learned a lot about this deceitful movement and am grateful to the Lord for bringing Kelsey out of it. We also met Ben Douglas, a friend of sister Meg.

It was a blessing to meet brother Brett, a friend of sister Stephanie, who was born again earlier this year. It was good to see his softness toward the Lord and eagerness to grow in holiness and truth. Sister Kelsey flew in from Memphis and I was so glad to see her again. We had spent one hour together in Memphis back in May and I was very excited to have more time with her. The Lord plucked sister Kelsey out of the net of false Christianity earlier this year and He has given her a heart that is hungry for truth and surrendered to obeying the Lord no matter the cost. The Lord graciously gave us much time together during my last few days in Texas and closely knit our hearts together. I also met sister Emily who was saved June 30 and was aglow with the love of the Lord. The Lord mercifully saved her from much deception and made her heart so tender to Him. Her humility and sincere love for Christ was a blessing to be around.

Friday night we had a blessed time of singing hymns together and praying together. It reminded me of the early church and how they gathered in homes to pray and seek the Lord together. The saints are truly walking in the fear of the Lord and comfort of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of the Lord is present amongst these dear saints, and working mightily to purify them and make them holy. The men are dependent on the leading of the Holy Ghost in everything that they do and faithfully seek Him for direction. There is true charity amongst the believers that is not self-seeking nor self-exalting but each esteeming the other better than themselves. A purer and more loving setting of believers I have never experienced before. The brothers are faithful to exhort, reprove and encourage the saints through the Scriptures by sharing what the Lord has been teaching them. There is a strong commitment on an individual level to seek the LORD first and spend much time with Him. Each one is burdened for lost souls and is faithful to witness wherever they go. There is spiritual reality, transparency and the joy of the LORD is evident in each saint (more or less so in each one according to spiritual maturity).

Saturday was a sweet day of fellowship with sister Meg in her home. We had dinner with her family that evening and the Lord gave a few opportunities to speak for truth and love into their lives. After dinner we packed up our belongings and traveled over to Arlington where we stayed for the remainder of the trip with Jesse and Lindsay in their home along with sisters Stephanie and Kelsey.

Saturday evening after a time of prayer and seeking the Lord about going to downtown Dallas to witness at the clubs, the Lord directed for brothers Sean, Chris, William and Brett and sisters Stephanie and Kelsey to go out and seek to share the Gospel with lost souls. It was my first time to go share the Gospel at a club and I was a bit apprehensive about it, but I submitted to the Lord and His direction and wholly trusted in Him to help me and give me the words to share.

Here are a few pictures from that night to help you visualize what it was like. The club was on one side of the street and people would line up outside waiting for admittance into the club. The brothers stood on a medium in the street and preach to the people standing in line while the rest of us spread ourselves out to pass out tracts and talk with people on the other side of the street. There were about seven policemen and policewomen who were present to break up any fights. Unfortunately they did not take a favorable view of us sharing the Gospel, but we respected them and tried to show the love of Christ while at the same time not backing down on sharing the Gospel. Sister Steph and I ended up on the end of the block passing out tracts to the few people who came our way. Having less people coming through gave us more opportunities to talk with people.

Eventually Stephanie engaged an atheist in conversation who was very arrogant and confident in what he believed. Truly the god of this world has blinded his mind to the truth of God’s existence and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the midst of that conversation, sister Kelsey called me away from it and asked me to show another man who she was talking with the Scripture about women not teaching. I shall call his name ‘Fred’. At first he refused to believe that the Scriptures taught that and so I showed him 1 Timothy 2. His main hang-up was the way the brothers were preaching the Gospel. He said it was too harsh and would turn people off. I showed some Scriptures to him from Matthew 23 about how Jesus preached to the Pharisees as well as some verses on John the Baptist’s preaching. ‘Fred’ was convinced that the way we girls were sharing the Gospel was much more affective than the guys preaching. To demonstrate this he stopped two black guys who I will call “John” and ‘Benjamin”. He started a conversation with them comparing the preaching of the guys to us girls and asked if the preaching of the guys turned them off. They nonchalantly agreed. Then ‘John’ started saying how he was a Christian but he just needed his ‘private time’ and that there wasn’t anything in the Bible that said it was wrong to drink or smoke. I opened up my Bible and started to walk him through Galatians 5:16-21. In the middle of verse 21, ‘Fred’ interrupted me and wasn’t going to let me finish the verse, but ‘John’ stood up for me and insisted that I finish. ‘Fred’ decided to leave the conversation and left me with ‘John’ and ‘Benjamin’ to preach the true Gospel to them as well as the fruits of a true Christian. I went over Scripture after Scripture, especially in Matthew 7. ‘John’ said he was born again but the fruits of his life did not confirm that. He looked over at his friend ‘Benjamin’ who as I later found out had just come from talking with brother William and had earnestly preached the Gospel to him, and ‘John’ asked ‘Benjamin’ if he was saved. ‘Benjamin’ said ‘no’, so ‘John’ asked me to pray for his friend to get saved. I said, ‘Okay, I will pray for both of you. But let me tell you what I am going to pray so that you are sure you want me to pray for you. I am going to pray for God to do whatever it takes to save you. I am going to pray for God to takeaway everything you own, your home, family, job, if that is what it takes whatever to save you, I am going to ask Him to show you your sin, etc…’ They looked at me very soberly and agreed that they wanted me to pray for them. I started praying for them right there on the sidewalk pleading with God to do whatever it takes, pleading with God to show them their sinfulness and to bring them to the place of absolute brokenness and weeping over their sin and at the right moment to give them saving faith in Jesus Christ and set them ablaze for Christ. They were very grateful and left very sobered and serious. I was amazed at the opportunity the Lord gave and for how He enabled me to share truth with them.

Another highlight from that night was singing hymns with our windows rolled down as we traveled down the freeway. There was a wreck so others were able to hear us sing. We even saw a carload of kids who were at the club earlier that evening and brother William preached again to them and told them they needed to pay heed to the preaching they had heard earlier that night. Those kids were totally shocked to see us again. It was great.

The Lord’s day was a most blessed day. Brother Ryan preached a wonderfully encouraging message on the joy of the Lord. I highly recommend it. That afternoon we had a baptism service for sister Emily and it was the most powerful and Spirit anointed baptism I have been to. Many of her old friends and some of her family were there and the LORD mightily enabled brother Sean to preach the Gospel to them while expounding upon the true meaning of baptism. It was glorious.

Monday morning, Jen and I went to Dallas to visit our dear friend Holly and her two cute kids, Josiah and Ellie. We had a sweet time with them and were grateful to the Lord for that time. That afternoon I listened to a sermon by Rolfe Barnard on ‘Watching Men Die‘ and few sermons have impacted me in the area of being burdened for the lost like that sermon. I was so stunned after listening to it that I took a walk and was silent before the Lord for at least fifteen minutes. My heart was greatly overcome at the thought that at the Judgment throne of God there will be no mercy, only justice. Now is the time of mercy, now is the time we must plead with the sinner to seek God while mercy is to be given. During that walk I had the opportunity to meet an old neighbor lady and was invited to come back to see her which sister Lindsay and Jen and I did the next day.

Tuesday afternoon we had a powerful time of prayer interceding for a brother dear to our hearts who has strayed from the path of truth. The Lord enabled us to weep and cry out for him for one and a half hours. I have never been at such a prayer meeting where God came so powerfully. My heart was greatly quieted before the Lord after that prayer meeting (Psalm 131).

On Wednesday sister Kelsey and I went to the mall to shop for some modest shirts for her. Truly that mall was a vexation of spirit to me. But the Lord did give me an incredible opportunity to witness to a young man for 20 minutes or so about the true Gospel. The Lord greatly helped me in that conversation. We went home and spent time with sister Meg and a friend who is seeking the Lord. Then sister Kelsey and I went to Panera to spend time studying but instead ended up spending some key time talking and getting to know one another. That evening brother Trace and sister Gina from Mabank came over for dinner and the Lord greatly blessed that time of fellowship with them and moved mightily. After they left late that night, Stephanie brought three guys over who were hungry for truth and some of the brothers stayed up late sharing truth with them.

Thursday, sister Lindsay, Jen and I went to Mabank to sister Janice’s tearoom and enjoyed a wonderful luncheon with Gina and her two daughters and dear Mrs. Suzette. It was a sweet time blessed of the Lord. The remainder of our afternoon and evening was spent seeking the Lord and fellowshipping with the saints.

Friday morning we took our departure and stopped in Dallas for our last visit with beloved sister Meg. It was with reluctant steps that we turned our travels homeward, reluctant to take leave our much loved brothers and sisters in the LORD, but our time with them had come to an end for the time being. The Lord blessed us with a safe trip home and oh how good it was go be home again and to look upon the dear faces of our parents, sisters and brother.

My heart is exceedingly grateful to the LORD for blessing our trip so richly and using it to encouraging us greatly in the Lord. Praise be His HOLY Name!

Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy update. I hope and pray it was profitable, edifying and of encouragement to you to take the time to read it. This fall I look forward to our family camp which is October 1-3, Roy and Jerusala’s wedding in Pennsylvania on October 9th, and Jake and Hannah’s wedding on October 23.

May the LORD Jesus Christ bless you with a greater hunger and thirst to seek Him and grow in the knowledge of His Holy Person, and may He bless you with a strong faith in Him that will endure unto the end.

Only by His grace,
sister Joy

Please take the time to read this ‘Grace Gem’ below. I’m grateful for the grace God has given me to live this past year for Christ. It’s only been because of Christ that I have been enabled to seek and love Him. He alone is worthy! Oh my friends, you won’t regret seeking Christ with all your heart. You will not regret forsaking this world and clinging to Jesus Christ alone. Eternity lies before you. Seek the Lord Jesus Christ! Read the rest of this entry »

Hello friends,

The last three weeks have been really intense and amazing.  The Lord has been doing great things in my life, my family’s life and many others.  Lord willing, I will be posting a summary of the past few weeks and all that has happened.  At the moment I’m busy working on the audio and video from our family camp, as well as working on some videos from the revival conference.  I also have some preparation work for our upcoming trip to Ireland, Wales and London.  I would be very grateful for your prayers for the Lord to enable me to do all that needs to be done and for it to be done in a manner that is pleasing to Him.

I will mention one area that I hope to touch upon more in another blog post and that is about the ministry of http://youmustbebornagain.org/ Through the sovereignty of God, four of the brothers from this ministry came to Missouri for our meetings with Keith Daniel.  These brothers are on fire for God and the Lord has used them greatly in my life to rekindle my desire to read and study the Scriptures.  There’s one thing that I want to be doing right now…studying the Word, but it is challenging to have the time due to the responsibilities that I have right now.  So I would also appreciate your prayers for the Lord to enable me to have more time in the Word and also in prayer.

Thank you!  And make sure you check out their website!  http://youmustbebornagain.org/

Also, you can download messages from the Revival Conference here I highly recommend listening to these sermons, especially the ones by Keith Daniel, Bill McCleod, Sean Morris, Wesley Duewel, Richard Owen Roberts and Mark Greening.

May the Lord bless you with a heart that hungers and thirsts after Him.  Seek the Lord!  Read the Word!

Seeking Him,

Joy

I found out about this through another friend’s facebook page and have since become friends on facebook with the brother that wrote this (Sean Sanders).  He gave me permission to share this and I think it contains some very, very important truth.  So please read it very carefully and search your heart.  This is too important an issue to be wrong about and with the Gospel being so watered down in our country, we really need to be careful to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith.

And I highly recommend checking out this website:

http://youmustbebornagain.org/

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Preface: This note is not here to place judgment on anyone tagged in any way at all. I just believe the things written in this note are really important! So I tagged people so more would have the chance to read something they may have never heard before.

Luke 6:46, “…why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

Jesus said that many people who call Jesus their ‘Lord’ will be shocked on judgement to discover that they were NOT saved when they thought they were. Many people who have even done MIRACLES in Jesus’s name will be told by Jesus Himself that He never knew them. Instead of going to heaven like they thought they would, they will forever go to the lake of fire.

Matthew 7:21-23: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Simply believing the name of Jesus Christ in your mind is not enough to be saved. The Devil and his devils believe Jesus is the Son of God, but they are not saved. Why? Because they do not OBEY the commandments. It is the same with us– even if we mentally believe with our minds that Jesus is the Son of God, we do not have TRUE FAITH unless we obey God and keep His commandments.

James 2:17, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”

How then can someone who calls Jesus their Lord know for sure whether or not they will be accepted into heaven?

1 John 2:3, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.4He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are
in him.”

If you call yourself a Christian but are breaking the commandments and, Jesus calls you a liar and says you will NOT go to heaven.

1 Corinthians 6:9, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

and…

Revelation 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

You must turn from a life of sin and to the Lord Jesus for salvation. If you said a prayer giving your life to Jesus or went up at an altar call once but continue today to deny Him in works, then scripture does NOT indicate that you are saved. Does this next verse describe you?

Titus 1:16, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

The Bible says you have to REPENT from your sins to be saved.

Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

When did you repent from your sins?

Acts 3:19, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

If you never have repented, but believe the name of Jesus, the Son of God, how do you repent from your sins to be saved?

John 8:30, “As he [Jesus] spake these words, many believed on him. 31Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

You must continue in the Word of God, your Bible [in English, the King James. If you have questions about why, send me a message]. You must read it, which will make you to know the truth, and then you must obey whatever you read in it, which will set you free from sin. If you continue in the Word of God, then you will be one of Jesus’ disciples of a truth.

However, there is a cost to follow Jesus. You must give up every thought, love, hope, thing that you have that is more important to you than God and His Word, because it is an idol. Before you put your hand to the plow to dedicate your life and follow Christ with all your life, you MUST know and prepare in your heart to do whatever the Bible says, even to the point of being alienated, ridiculed, or dying for the Lord.

Luke 14:27, “27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 33So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”

The cost of following Jesus could mean leaving every thing you have and person you know if the Lord calls you to!

Matthew 19:29, “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”

You are not fit for the Kingdom of God if you start by saying you will follow Christ and obey Him will all your heart, but then fall away.

Luke 9:59 “And he [Jesus] said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

However, the Lord’s commandments are not grievous. If it seems hard to leave the world behind to follow Christ, pray for wisdom to see how wicked sin is and ask for the fear of the Lord. Above all, keep reading the Bible, because this the ONLY absolute truth we have in the world, and it will wash you and make you clean (ref John 17:17, John 15:3).

2 Timothy 3:14, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of [the Word of God and the Gospel], knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures [the Bible], which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

and.…

1 Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”

If you need faith, know that faith comes from the Word of God. Continue in His Word for faith.

Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

If you need belief, ask the Lord to help.

Mark 9:23, “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

The Lord knows those who seek Him. His commandments are not grievous [hard to be carried]. Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden is light. If you seek after the Lord with your whole heart, He WILL BE FOUND OF YOU! God cannot lie! He promised it!

Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

God will help you to keep His commandments and He will draw near to you if you draw near to Him.

James 4:7-8, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

John 14:21, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

When you are saved, you will no longer be in bondage to sin. However, you still will sin from time to time.

I John 1:10, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

When you sin, you must confess your sin to the Lord and repent from it. Ask Him to forgive you, and He will.

I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

In summary, here is what you must do to be saved:
1. Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, sent from God to die on the cross, shedding His blood to cover your sins when you confess them, and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
2. Repent from your sins, obey the Gospel, and continue in the Word of God.
-this will mean you will read your Bible! Just as a baby needs milk every day or it will die, so you need the milk of the Word of God every day, or your faith will die.
- this will mean you will get baptized once you have been saved, because the Bible says to: Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.”

These are just a few verses that give an outline of how to be saved. You MUST continue in the Word– read it every day and do it– and in doing so, you will see a multitude of other verses that will speak to you and confirm and back up and support and add to what is written here. This is written that you will know what the REAL Gospel of Christ is, and that believing you may have life through His name.

-Sean Sanders

Hello friends,

I know there are a few of you that drop by my blog every now and then to read my random posts, and for that I thank you.

A little update on my life and what will be happening over the next few months.  This summer has whizzed by at an amazing pace.  I hardly know where the time has gone.  On a spiritual level, my beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, has been doing an intense work of purging, purifying, and revealing Himself to me.  I’m so grateful for His faithful workings in my small life.  And I’m excited to see how He continues to work in me and those around me.

School… I have been working hard toward finishing my Bible school program.  I have been working through a Jewish Studies Program at the pace of the tortoise; but better slow and steady than fast and failing, right?  I hope so!  After studying for several years I only have one exam left and then I’ll be done.  It’s been a wonderful time of studying the Bible and a few extra Biblical resources in relation to Israel and the Jewish people.  My last course has been on the book of Romans and it has been a very rich study.

Traveling…Well, I’ve managed to stay on my home continent so far this year, but, Lord willing, that will change later this year.  There are two revival conferences taking place in Ireland and Wales that I along with three from my family and a brother from my church are planning on attending.  We will be in Ireland and the UK November 10 – November 26.  I am excited about seeing Ireland, Wales and having more time in London!  Over the last month I’ve spent quite a bit of time planning out our trip and buying airline tickets.  Having been in the UK once I feel much more prepared for all of the traveling and touring we will be doing.  But I’m definitely depending on the Lord to continue working out all the details of our trip as He already has been doing.  So, if He leads you to….please pray for us and for the final details to come into place.

Family Camp….It’s that time of year again!  Hooray!  Our family camp is October 1-4 and we are excitedly preparing for this special event.  Once again we have the blessed privilege of having Keith, Jenny, and Roy Daniel as our guest speakers.  The Lord has gifted them with a special anointing in sharing His Word.  Each one has a unique and needed ministry to the Body of Christ.  It will be wonderful to see the Daniels again, as well as many precious friends who are coming (some of you, I hope! )  If this is the first you’ve heard about our camp….there’s still time to register!  As I told someone yesterday, the deadline is after camp   Email me or leave a comment if you’re interested in more info.

Indiana Revival Conference…..yes, another revival conference   This time in Indianapolis at the IBLP Training Center.  There are so well seasoned older saints of the Lord who will be preaching and ministering the Word of God to the hungry hearts who gather together at this conference.  This will be my first time to hear Wesley Duewel (who is in his 80′s or 90′s) preach.  I’ve been blessed by a few video messages by him about the Welsh revival.  Bill McCleod (in his 90′s) has long been a favorite preacher of mine.  I have old cassette tapes that I’ve listened to multiple times by this godly brother who was used of God during the Canadian Revival in the 1970′s.  Richard Owen Roberts is a speaker that I am not that familiar with, but my family has sat under his preaching and been greatly blessed.  Then there is Bill Gothard, Keith Daniel, John MacGregor….yes, it will be a wonderful conference!  For more info go here, http://revival.sermonindex.net/

So, that’s some of what has been keeping my life busy (the preparation) and what I’ll be up to this fall.  Christmas and 2010 will be here before I know it!  But it is so wonderful to be able to rest in the Lord and all of His orchestrations for my life and in the lives of those near and dear to me.

The fragility of life….Life is indeed fragile and eternity is probably closer to all of than any of us realize.  I’ve been reminded of this over the past few months through some different circumstances in the lives of friends and family.  One time it was one of my family members suddenly passing out at the supper table and the brief moments of uncertainty of what was going on.  Thanks be to God that that dear one is okay and it wasn’t anything serious that caused the fainting.  Another time it was a friend having a severe migraine and ending up in the emergency room to ensure that her pain wasn’t caused by something very serious, and once again, thanks be to God for her recovery.  And then there are the two car accidents that I have heard of over the past few weeks.  Once again, thanks be to God that no one was killed, though one did involve an injury that is now healing well.  The most serious wake-up call has been the illness of a dear brother in Christ, and long time friend of my brother.  Just two months ago everyone was ignorant of the very serious condition of his body, and now after he went through life-threatening surgery, nearly died, and suffered brain damage from lack of oxygen, he is finally starting to make some significant progress in his recovery from that surgery.  Please pray for Paul.

And remember to value each moment of life that God gives you, and above all, please, my dear friend, examine yourself, examine the fruits that come from your life, and make sure you are a child of God, make sure you are a plant of the Lord that is producing the fruits of righteousness.  Life is far to brief and fragile to afford the luxury of not being sure of our eternal future.  Please make sure your faith and hope is in Jesus Christ alone.  If you are unsure of this in your life, feel free to email me and we can talk about it.

May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you.

~Joy

AFTER OBEDIENCE – WHAT?

And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side. . . .” Mark 6:45-52

We are apt to imagine that if Jesus Christ constrains us, and we obey Him, He will lead us to great success. We must never put our dreams of success as God’s purpose for us; His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have an idea that God is leading us to a particular end, a desired goal; He is not.

The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident. What we call the process, God calls the end. What is my dream of God’s purpose? His purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay in the middle of the turmoil calm and unperplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God. God is not working towards a particular finish; His end is the process – that I see Him walking on the waves, no shore in sight, no success, no goal, just the absolute certainty that it is all right because I see Him walking on the sea.

It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God. God’s training is for now, not presently. His purpose is for this minute, not for something in the future. We have nothing to do with the afterwards of obedience; we get wrong when we think of the afterwards. What men call training and preparation, God calls the end. God’s end is to enable me to see that He can walk on the chaos of my life just now. If we have a further end in view, we do not pay sufficient attention to the immediate present: if we realize that obedience is the end, then each moment as it comes is precious.

~Oswald Chambers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are some days towards the end of my quiet time with Jesus that I will pick up my copy of My Utmost for His Highst and read the devotional for the day and be absolutely awed and how well timed it was with what the Lord was teaching me at that morning or over the past few days.  This post was one of those posts.

“It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God.”

Somehow over the brief years of my pilgrimage thus far on this earth I have had my eyes more focused on the end and have had the attitude of bracing my teeth and just enduring what was happening at the moment, thinking that soon this would be over.  There would be some change in my life, surely there had to be some grand change that would make everything better.  And so the days have slipped by, one by one, each day forever gone.  It’s sobering to think about.  And yet, there isn’t anything I can do about yesterday.  And my tomorrow isn’t even guaranteed.

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” James 4:14

All I have is today.  Right now.  This moment.  And then it’s gone.  Fleeting minutes.

And here I’ve been spending more time thinking about the future than focusing on this day that the Lord has given me.

He gives me one day, one day at a time.  Not one week, just one day.

And all of these challenges that I face every single day.  They are not something that I just have to somehow survive.  But they are means to glorify God!  An opportunity to prove my love for Jesus by obeying His commands “in the now”.

So now I start my day by first surrending it to Jesus and thanking Him for it.  And I fix my eyes on Him for that day, to do what pleases Him on that day, to love Him on that day.  How true it is, “This is the day that the Lord hath made!  Let us be glad and rejoice in it!”

I’m not discounting the importance of the future, especially of eternity.  But you see, we never live in the future.  We live today.  And it is today that effects eternity.

So my goal is to live for Him day by day.

~Joy

Hello Everyone!

Thank you for all the kind comments that each of you have left here!  It’s been fun setting up a new blog and it’s nice not having to deal with xanga’s ads anymore.

I thought I would give an update on what has been going on in my life.    

Earlier this year Jenny Daniel (wife of South African evangelist, Keith Daniel) published a book of poetry.  Mrs. Daniel is one of my favorite speakers and her messages are always full of her beautiful poetry.   Here are two of my favorites:

Not Peter

“Peter…when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren”–Luke 22:32
“Feed My sheep…”–John 21:17

Not Peter who had failed so sore
Denied his Lord and even swore!
‘Feed My sheep’–it could not be
‘Strengthening others’–no not he

Thrice before the gathered crowd
He had failed so coarse and loud
Surely he should shrink away
He who went so far astray

Sorrow, repentance, deep regrets
Oh the rash words that fear begets
Seeing his Master’s saddened glance
Oh that he had another chance

Peter, I know you failed Me sore
And I recall your boast before
Humbled you are–I still decree
Strengthen and feed My sheep for Me

Many have failed when sore oppressed
Many have failed with fear, hard pressed
Like Peter they sorrowed bitterly
Oh that the Lord would pardon me

Peter fulfilled his given task
Peter did all the Lord did ask
Sweet the forgiveness was to him
Buried the failure–that public sin

Maybe you too have deep remorse
You too have stumbled on the course
Satan would keep you in his power
Seek God’s forgiveness this very hour

And you who have never failed like him
Why should you judge the weaker’s sin
Rather lift up the erring one
Seeking forgiveness through God’s own Son

Humbled but steadfast they’ll walk aright
Never to lean on their own might
Rather to cling to the Lord as stay
Keeping them true to Him all the way. 

~Jennifer René Daniel

The Bearer of Your Burdens
“Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain Thee.” Ps. 55:22

Why has the Lord so burdened me
With loads of pressing care
I seem to struggle daily
in the pit of deep despair

My joy is lost–I’m murmuring
Dear Lord how can it be
That I should be so floundering
So far from victory?

Why do you shoulder burdens, child
Though I am by your side
With longing that you’d understand
And in your Lord confide

You didn’t have to struggle on
Your strength was sure to fail
‘Tis only when you trust Me
You’ll brave the fiercest gale

You must have perfect confidence
That I can always be
The ‘Bearer of your burdens’
Day by day, eternally.

~Jennifer René Daniel

The Daniels sent us books from South Africa to sell for them here in the US and after working through all of aspects of the best way to distribute the books we decided to set up a new family business called, Godly Books.   So I started learning webdesigning so that we could sell the books online.  With the Lord’s help, much work on my brother’s part on the legal aspect of opening a business and with the assistance of a friend on the website, we started selling books!  And that is one thing that is keeping me busy right now.  If you’re interested in ordering Mrs. Daniel’s book or any of the others we have available you can find them at www.godlybooks.com

Another website that I set up is one for my younger sister Jana to use to post pictures of our nephews.  That site is now the Grandkids Blog

Eventually I hope to have something up on our family website also.

My next post will be on an upcoming conference that my family plans to attend…