CHN Newsletter June 2003

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

June, 2003

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are all fine, and giving God praise for Who He is, and all He is doing. We serve a Mighty God! We have endured a war, a harsh winter, and many other trials this past season, but praise God for His astounding provision and answers to our prayers. Jesus tells us in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Glory!

During these times of stress and uncertainty, God reminds us that He is there, and in spite of circumstances, if we rejoice in Him, and place our confidence in Him, our strength will return. His grace gives us unconditional courage, hope, and vitality if we would only stop in the midst of the crisis and call upon Him. Strong’s concordance tells us that the word call, qara, describes calling out loudly in an attempt to get someone’s attention. It means to cry out, shout, or proclaim. When we call out to God, we are attempting to get His attention to make our requests known to Him. He tells us to call upon Him. He wants us to make our requests known to Him. It is not that He doesn’t already know what we need; He does, but He wants us to draw our attention to Him. When we focus on God, and not the problem, we become more aware of His Presence, and we can draw from His strength. Praise God!

All of us, I am sure, have had times in our life when we absolutely, without a doubt, had to hear from God regarding a circumstance. During those times, we did not sit quietly and say, “Okay God, if it is Your will, please answer this prayer.” No! We heartily cried out with all of our heart and soul, loudly, from the very depth of our being, to the Living God who promises to show us great and mighty things! We knew the future was in God’s hands, yet we cried out knowing that He would answer in ways that would astound us! God promised Jeremiah that if he called on Him, He would not only answer him, but He would show him great and mighty things that could not otherwise be known. This pleased God, because just as He gave Jeremiah insight as to how to pray, He longs for us to seek after Him with all of our heart so that He can give us insight too.

Sometimes the answer to our prayer is not what we expect. We don’t know all the answers as to why God does things some ways. But what we do know is this. The Bible says “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16). God is faithful to give strength. He is faithful to provide eternal encouragement and hope. As God powerfully intervened in some instances in ways that we could visibly see, we must believe that He is doing the same in regard to what we do not see. We must cry out to Him with all of our heart, believing for Him to astound us with answers that will blow our mind. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1). This Scripture begins with “Now.” Now, being, “this moment.” We must cry out believing right now that God has heard us, and is answering our prayer. Surely, God has us in the palm of His hand, ready to give us strength and a hope that only He can give. Our trials may be tough ones, but they are not too much to bear if all confidence is in Him. During these times, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, knowing that He has everything in control.

Facing the future with God is the answer. As we draw on His strength, and become more aware of His Presence, we gain a calm assurance that everything will be all right. There is no burden He can not lift. There is no sadness that He can not turn into joy. “The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me-A prayer to the God of my life.”(Psalm 42:8). The Bible tells us over and over to rejoice in Him, to keep praising Him, and delight in Him. As we do this, His joy will become our strength. (Neh.8:10).

I firmly believe that we are, at this time in history, on the verge of a fresh impartation of God’s anointing and power. Our God is a Mighty God. “ Honor and Majesty are before Him: Strength and gladness are in His place.” (1Chron. 16:27). 1 Chronicles 16 goes on to tell us to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, tremble before Him, the world is firmly established, and it shall not be moved! We are to give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy endures forever! Forever!!! Think of what “forever” means! There is nothing that can ever take away from Who God is, and what His plans are for us. At this point in time, I believe that God is going to say “Enough is enough!” His Holy Spirit will come upon us like a Flood, pouring His love and mercy and joy into our hearts and minds. He will give us strength, and hope, and wisdom to go on and live for His glory. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, and He will not stand by and watch His children suffer, anymore than we would. No matter what goes on in the world, He is there. He is alive my friend! Just close your eyes, and drink in His love. Allow His Holy Spirit to saturate you from the top of your head, to the tip of your toes. Allow His anointing to move and shake you to the core, to take your fears, your burdens, your finances, your health, and bring you into subjection to the Living God who will take hold of your life and make it brand new. Receive from Him today! Receive His joy! Receive His love! Then pass it on to others!

This is a new day. This is a day of new beginnings, new adventures, new hopes. This is a day of Visitation! The Lord is Good! He is the God of miracles! He is the God of peace. Lift your head, and breathe this in. Breathe in the hope of a new dawn and a new beginning. A summer day of sweet smelling aroma, with the dew of the Bright and Morning Star.