“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;” (Deut. 30:19)

August 2005

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are fine and moving forward in the work God has called us to do. We are preparing to call hundreds of churches in the Brooklyn area to encourage them to participate in the Oct. 2^nd, Prayer For The Peace Of

Jerusalem” where thousands of Pastors from around the world will take that one Sunday in October to lead their congregation to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pastor Owuor, of Christian Hope Network of Kenya is gathering pastors in his area to participate. Dr. Rao of India, is coordinating India in this endeavor. If you can, just close your eyes and imagine churches from all over the world praying for the same thing on that one day! It is too awesome for words! It is above and beyond our imagination what God will do to answer these prayers! Please encourage your pastor to sign your church up for this historic event! Go to www.daytopray.com or call Eagles Wings Ministry at 1 (800) 51-wings for more information!

How are you enjoying your summer? Have you taken time out to slow down a bit and relax? It seems as if the times we are living in are so pressured that the level of stress has increased to horrific proportions. I read somewhere that a doctor said that the daily stress hassles are the most damaging to the body. The release of the stress hormones damage cells, tissues and organs which contribute to illness. There are all different kinds of stresses, some more damaging to the body than others. But all forms take its toll on the body. So, what is the answer? How do we deal with these stresses?

Let us do some examining together. Right now, whatever you are doing as you are reading this, stop, sit down, and relax. If you are like me, multitasking is a way of life, but there are times when we should simply concentrate on one item, and let everything else go. So, give yourself permission right now to stop, relax, put your feet up and spend some time alone reading this letter. I believe that God wants to bless you BIG today. He wants you to know that He loves you, cares about you, and understands your stresses. He is calling you to choose life, choose blessings, choose His way over your way, or our way. I am speaking to myself here too. God gives us options regarding how we perceive things to be...or how we choose to live. Moses had to remind the Israelites of the need to choose carefully what they would do when they entered the Promised Land. The Israelites were quick to complain once they crossed over to the other side, becoming free from the grip of the Egyptians. They were not satisfied with manna from heaven, they wanted meat and other things to eat. They rebelled against God, allowing fear to overtake their judgment. As a result they made a golden calf and worshiped it.  As Christians, we wonder how people who witnessed God’s miracles first hand could behave in such a way. But don’t we do that also? We may not go out and worship a golden calf, but we do allow ourselves to worship other things; money, power, property, clothing, even people, etc. When these things do not satisfy us, which they never will, we become stressed out! We become anxious because our life is not going the way we would like it to! Thereby we allow stress, which in turn makes us ill.

The Good News is that God has a better plan! Jesus says “My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27). 

Think about what is going on in your life right now. What are the things that cause you to feel stressed out? Take this time to write these things down. I’ll wait.... Okay, now read what you wrote and take a few minutes to place these items before the Throne of God. I’ll wait... Have you completely given everything over to Him? You will know by how you feel inside. Do you have a peace that surpasses all understanding? When we honestly give everything to God, then we do not have it anymore. Most factors that relate to stress are our own doing; they are subject to our choice. If we have honestly chosen to release those stresses to God, then we can be free. God says to choose life! Choose to be free of our stresses! Choose to be free of the things that bind us and cause us to live our self-centered lives! Given the options we have, doesn’t it make sense to take time to examine our life and work on getting rid of the things that have bound us, and caused us to lead stress-filled lives? Now, I am not talking about quitting your job and moving to an Island, as nice as that may be! But, to put things into their proper perspective!

Look at your list, and see what items can be taken care of, or eliminated. Ask God how to work this out, and for His wisdom in the elimination process. He will certainly give wisdom when it is asked for! Think about priorities, what is really important in your life. Write these things down, so that you can remind yourself of them when things get out of hand. Take a look outside. It is summer, the weather is warm, and the sun is shining. There are flowers and trees in full bloom. Have you, (we) taken the time to take a deep breath and appreciate our surroundings lately? Is the summer going by so quickly that we are already thinking about Christmas? Where is life leading us to? Where is the appreciation for the moment of the day? Where is the appreciation of the good things that God has given us, such as our health, our family, our church, our home, our job, etc.?

Life is full of choices. God has seen to it that we have everything that is needed to live life abundantly and full of joy. How do we choose to live our life?  Let us today, choose “Life” and enjoy all that God has given and done for us!

God bless you!

Rev. Barbara Anne Yovino, Ph.D.