“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18)

July 2010

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are fine, and enjoying the long summer days, giving us more time to visit with neighbors and encourage them in the Lord. This is a great time of evangelism! Even the world knows that something is happening in the atmosphere; change is coming, something is different. The Lord is giving us this time to be a witness to people around us of His love and soon Coming. 

Long, lazy, summer days seem to be the perfect time to stretch ourselves in our Christian walk. God has called us for such a time as this, to get out to the streets and let others see His love through us. When I was a child, I used to love to dance in the rain, and jump into the puddles. Even though it was dark and the rain came down in buckets, I used to laugh and sing, and to my mothers’ dismay, jump in the puddles and get soaked! I think I was just so happy to be able to walk, to run, to jump, after having polio, that nothing could dampen my spirits. I can still recall Gene Kelly singing that song, “Singing in the Rain.” Even when stormy clouds come, it’s okay, because through it all, we are singing! When we can rejoice and sing in spite of what is going on around us, others will either think we are strange, or...they will want what we have! Today, the world is nervous, the earth is trembling, the seas are raging, talks of war and nuclear bombs are the topic of the day. Yes, these times are serious. But...this is the time to place all of our trust in God and dance in the rain! It is a time to rejoice because God is still on the Throne! Let us be a light to our neighbors, and let them see that hope that we have in this time and place. Let them see us dancing in the rain!

Are you going through a “storm” right now? Or is someone you know going through a tough time? Seasons change; weather changes; and life changes. We seem to go from one to another in a matter of seconds! One minute, we are doing well, our loved ones are all fine, and the next minute it is like the world just caved in! What happened? What happened to the peace we just had? Wow! Life can throw its punches, can’t it?

Let’s look at what the Bible tells us to do when the storms come.  Paul says: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18) Then he goes on to say: “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies.” (Vs. 19-20) So when we rejoice in everything, not letting things get us down, we build ourselves up in Him. This does not mean that we thank Him for our problems, it simply means that through them, we still rejoice in all that God is doing in our life. He is in control. He takes us through circumstances where we have no control over. He guides us through to victory! There are times when we are going through testing, and that builds us up and makes us stronger. There are times when problems arise that we have nothing to do with, but they fall on us. He still takes us through them. No matter what the circumstances, we have a Faithful God who loves us so much that when we call on Him, He will answer. 

Paul goes on to talk about not quenching the Spirit. Do you know the Holy Spirit? Do you have a relationship with Him? Jesus was Baptized in the Holy Spirit at the River Jordan, and Holy Spirit empowered Him for His ministry. (Mark 1:9-11) After Jesus died, and Rose again from the dead, He told His Apostles “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) This message is also for us! When Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to His Apostles, this anointing was spread to ALL who believe. The Holy Spirit fills us with power from on high when we accept Jesus into our life, and He equips us to live the Christian life. He is also known as the “Comforter” and when things get rough, we can call upon Him to comfort us. Jesus did not leave us as orphans. We have the Holy Spirit living within us now and He will guide us to all truth. Praise God! So we can ask for Holy Spirit wisdom when we need help in a situation. We can ask for His guidance and direction, and if we keep our ears tuned we will hear Him. It can simply be a still small voice that says “this is the way, go here” or He may speak through others. The way to tell if it is from Him, is to ask if what is being said will bring glory to God. Paul encourages us to not quench the Spirit. Let us open our hearts today to hear from Him! There is a Baptism of the Holy Spirit which will empower you in ways that you never knew before! Read Acts chapter 2!  Holy Spirit is a Person, the third Person of the Holy Trinity. Speak to Him today, ask Him for His Baptism! The first Gift that most receive is the Gift of Tongues. He will give you a heavenly language so that when you pray, your prayers will be guided by Him, and you will pray the perfect prayer. Ask for this Gift!  Read on in 1^st Thess. 5 to verses 19 and 20. Let us not quench the Spirit, or despise prophecies. Sometimes God will give you a Word through a trusted Christian. Take that Word and pray into it. Let it encourage you. To know if it is a true Word, test it. It should bring you encouragement, and build you up. It should be Biblically based, test it by the Word of God. I have had Words spoken over me from over 20 years ago, and I have seen some powerful ones come to pass. Be expectant, be joyful, be thankful, and pray without ceasing! We can pray wherever we are, doing whatever we doing, and God will hear us. Let’s pray...

Father, in Jesus Name, I life up this reader to You, and I ask You to fill his or her heart with your love, Your joy, Your peace, Your wisdom, and all that is of You. Father give this reader Your encouragement today! Lift him or her up, and speak Words of comfort! Equip this person for ministry Lord! Let this be the summer where souls are won for You, where hearts are turned to You, where healing takes place, and joy takes over! Thank You Lord, we receive it and consider it done, for Your Glory. Amen & Amen! God bless you!

 Rev. Barbara Anne Yovino, Ph.D.