EAGLES NEST MINISTRIES MEI 08

Shalom,

Puji Tuhan, memasuki bulan yang baru Tuhan memberikan kekuatan dan penghiburan bagi kami setelah bulan Mei menjadi bulan yang penuh ujian.
Dimana ayah saya, Bpk Jimmy Gunawan, selama 2 bulan terkahir ini mengalami serangan jantung/sakit jantung koroner. Kurang lebih tujuh kali beliau hampir meninggal, dirawat di tiga ruang ICU rumah sakit (RS Immanuel, RS St Borromeus dan RSHS Bandung). Pada akhirnya pada tanggal 13 Mei lalu, dioperasi pemasangan ring pada jantung beliau yang berlangsung sukses. Puji Tuhan, atas setiap orang maupun keluarga yang digerakkan Tuhan untuk menolong kami dengan menutupi biaya yang sangat banyak itu. Saat ini beliau telah mengalami pemulihan yang pesat.
Baru sebuah badai reda, pada tanggal 15 Mei 2008, ayah mertua saya, Bpk Benny Durant, meninggal dunia di Belawan-Medan. Saat itu saya tengah berada di Jember melayani bersama Pr Christopher & Vijaya K dari pelayanan Zoe Ministries Malaysia. Dengan diantar oleh Bpk Pdt Daud Ruku, gembala sidang GBI Probolinggo, kami meninggalkan kota Jember menuju Probolinggo. Dari Probolinggo siang itu saya meluncur menuju Surabaya menggunakan bis namun tidak terkejar transportasi menuju Bandung. Akhirnya saya menginap di rumah salah satu anak rohani kami, Bpk Ever Sopamena, di Surabaya.
Akhirnya pada tanggal 16 Mei 2008, istri dan anak saya berangkat duluan ke Medan terlebih dulu sebab akan diadakan upacara penguburan sore itu. Puji Tuhan, mereka tiba di sana dengan selamat dan dapat mengikuti upacara tutup peti dan penguburan.
Sementara pada tanggal yang sama saya meluncur ke kota Bandung menggunakan kereta api pagi. Sesampai di Bandung saya jatuh sakit, dan kehabisan uang. Puji Tuhan, pada hari Minggu ada berkat yang memungkinkan saya berangkat pada sore hari menuju Bandara Polonia Medan. Selama seminggu pula kami berada disana dan pada tanggal 25 Mei 2008, sudah tiba kembali di kota Bandung.
Mengawali bulan ini, istri saya, Novie Durant, diangkat menjadi ketua persekutuan Haleluya (Persekutuan orangtua TKK-SDK-SMPK Baptis Bandung). Mohon dukungan doanya untuk tanggungjawab baru yang akan ia emban. Ada pun visi missi yang telah kami susun untuk membenahi persekutuan ini adalah sebagai berikut:
P.A. HALELUYA

VISI: “DIPANGGIL, TERTANAM, BERTUMBUH, BERBUAH & BERDAMPAK”

MISI:
1.Mengenali tujuan dan panggilan hidup dalam Kristus (Yoh 15:16)
2.Bersama-sama menjadi murid Kristus & keluarga di dalam Allah (Kis 2:41-47)
3.Menjadi pelaku Firman Tuhan (Mat 7:24-27, Yak 1:22-27)
4.Memuridkan &m emobilisasi setiap orang percaya memenuhi Amanat Agung (Mat 28:18-20)
5.Menjadi terang dan garam dunia (Mat 3:13-16, Mat 25:35-40)

STRATEGI:
1.Pengajaran, diskusi dan khotbah yang sistematis & memiliki sasaran.
2.Caring group, kelompok aktivis yang perduli pada sesama dan memiliki panggilan pastoral untuk mempersatukan dan mengakrabkan para orangtua murid TKK-SDK-SMPK Baptis Bandung sebagai keluarga di dalam Tuhan.
3.Melakukan pelayanan kasih dan missi ke panti asuhan, panti werda, tuna wisma dan lain-lain tempat.
4.Berdoa syafaat bagi mereka yang memiliki masalah maupun bagi mereka yang masih terhilang/kota/bangsa-bangsa.


HALELUYA (PUJILAH TUHAN)

“Hallelu-yah” dalam bahasa Ibrani berarti “Pujilah Yah(Yahweh)”. Kata ini muncul dalam kitab Mazmur sebanyak 24 kali. Kata ini menjadi sebutan baku untuk memuji Tuhan dalam kebaktian di Bait Allah sesudah masa pembuangan dari Babel.
Mengapa kita perlu memuji Yahweh atau Tuhan kita? :
Karena kebesaranNya dalam segala ciptaanNya (Mzm 104:1-35)
Karena segala perbuatanNya di masa lalu (Mzm 105:1-45)
Karena kasih setia Allah (Mzm 106:1-48, 117:1-2)
Karena kebajikan Allah (Mzm 111:1-10)
Karena kemuliaan hanya bagi Allah (Mzm 115:1-18)
Karena kita diluputkan dari belenggu maut (Mzm 116:1-19)
Karena hanya Tuhan yang patut dipuji (Mzm 135:1-21)
Karena hanya Allah satu-satunya penolong (Mzm 146:1-10)
Karena kekuasaan dan kemurahan datang dari Tuhan (Mzm 147:1-20)
Karena langit & bumi [segala ciptaan], memuji Tuhan (Mzm 148:1-14)
Karena kemenangan bagi orang percaya [Israel rohani] (Mzm 149:1-9)

Orang yang suka memuji Tuhan, ia memiliki kualitas:
1.Mzm 112:1a, takut akan Tuhan (Mzm 1:1-3). Saul takut pada manusia (1 Sam 15:24, 13:1-22)
2.Mzm 112:1b, mentaati segala perintahNYa (Yoh 14:15-16)
3.Mzm 112:4a, menjadi terang dan garam dunia (Mat 5:13-16)
4.Mzm 112:4b dan 9, ia seorang yang pengasih, penyayang dan adil (1 Yoh 4:7-21, Yoh 13:34-35)
5.Mzm 112:5, ia berbelas kasihan dan suka memberi (Mat 25:34-40)
6.Mzm 112:6-8, Tidak mudah goyah, tidak takut pada kabar celaka, hatinya tetap, penuh kepercayaan pada Tuhan (Mat 6:25-34)
7.Mzm 112:10, Dibenci orang fasik/munafik/agamawi (Yesus vs Orang Farisi)
8.Mzm 113:7-9, Rendah hati, bukan rendah diri apalagi tinggi hati.

BIla kita mengejar kualitas atau standar Tuhan maka:
a.Mzm 112:2, anak cucu kita akan perkasa di bumi dan jadi berkat bagi angkatan orang benar atau saudara seiman.
b.Mzm 112:3, harta kekayaan lahiriah batiniah diberikan untuk berbuat kebajikan (ingat bukan untuk dihabiskan sendiri).
c.Mzm 113:1-6, oleh perbuatan orang benar/kita, nama Tuhan ditinggikan. (sekali-kali bukan nama kita)
d.Mzm 113:7-9, promosi datang dari Tuhan, bukan upaya manusia.

Persekutuan ini selama bertahun-tahun mengalami kesuaman dan kemerosotan baik secara kuantitas maupun kualitas hingga banyak sekali diperlukan pembenahan.
Mohon dukungan doa juga bagi kami, sebab kami paling tidak membutuhkan dana untuk memperpanjang kontrak tempat pelayanan dan rumah tinggal sebanyak 10 juta rupiah untuk setahun ke depan. Juga untuk biaya daftar ulang dan pembelian keperluan sekolah anak.
Dukung doa pula untuk perintisan gereja kami, Eagles Nest Community Church, belum signifikan masih baru 4 Kepala Keluarga. Namun kami mau setia dengan jiwa-jiwa ini, kiranya Tuhan memberikan kemampuan pada kami untuk terus bertumbuh dan menjadi dampak bagi kota dimana kami ada.
Saya pun mengucap syukur telah berjejaring dengan rekan-rekan Open Doors di Jakarta pada tanggal 3 Juni lalu, saya percaya hal tersebut akan menjadi sebuah sinergi yang indah untuk melayani gereja yang teraniaya dan mengetuk pintu hati para saudara seiman untuk turut membantu saudara-saudara kita yang tengah menderita.
Kami juga mengucapkan terimakasih kepada jemaat Gereja Oikos Indonesia jemaat Surabaya yang secara berkala telah membantu kami, maupun Pdt Guntur Barus dan Pdt Stevanus Herry dari GKKD di kota Bandung, Pr Silas Singh dan Pr Christoher K dari Malaysia, juga Pdt Daud Ruku & Pdm Matias Ruku dari GBI Probolinggo, Bpk Dudung Hadi & Brother’s Keeper Bandung, Bram & Lily dari Vineyard Bandung, Bpk Onggo Susilo & komunitas dirumahnya, Ever Sopamena & komunitas dirumahnya, Ibu Kris Toelle sekeluarga dan rekan-rekan yang suka memberi namun lebih suka menjadi donator “rahasia”. Kami berdoa agar pelayanan anda sekalian diberkati juga hidup rumahtangga kalian harmonis dan memiliki anak-anak yang takut akan Tuhan. Juga untuk keluarga besar Durant dan Tobing, yang banyak membantu kami pada saat duka di kota Belawan, Medan. Juga terimakasih atas bantuannya dari tante-ku tercinta, Ibu Stefany Tupamahu dan adikku terkasih, Lucille Gunawan.

DAVE AND NOVIE BROOS

INVEST IN YOUR VISION

INVEST IN YOUR VISION

Has the Lord given you a vision? Is there something that he has called you to do for him that burns in your heart to be accomplished? Are you willing to invest in your vision?

Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With A Mission, (YWAM) tells how that, in the early days of the mission, God spoke to him in a prayer meeting and said that he was going to give YWAM a farm. The next day Loren was jogging past a farm where they were selling off old farm equipment. He jogged on past then suddenly stopped, went back and bought a roll of bailing wire and an old farm wagon. He knew that he had no use for them, unless the Lord did give them the farm, but he believed in his heart that God had spoken and that he must put his faith into action and make some kind of investment in the vision.

Within a few weeks, a large farm was given to YWAM which for many years has been used in the training and sending forth of missionaries. The old farm wagon still stands in the front of a YWAM base somewhere in Switzerland as a reminder to invest in your vision.

Several years ago, my wife and I began to feel that God was calling us to take the YWAM Discipleship Training School. When I inquired I found it would cost several thousands dollars for my wife and I and our two young daughters to attend these schools. My faith staggered. I simply did not have it within me to believe for that much money. I said, "Lord, if you want us to go, send in the money and we will go." I thought that was a fair, unselfish, wise, and safe prayer. In one masterful stroke I had conveniently put the entire matter in the hands of God, so I just began waiting for him to put the money in my hands so that we could go. "Lord, the ball's in your court." I thought.

Several months passed and nothing happened. Something was wrong and I had a feeling it wasn't God's problem, it was mine! One day the Lord said, "What are you willing to invest in this project?" Suddenly I realized that although I was willing to go, I was not willing to make any financial sacrifice of my own to get there.

I was reminded of another incident in the life of Loren Cunningham. When he was 20 years old, one night he saw an open vision of waves of young people crashing onto the beaches of every continent. For a long time he pondered the vision and prayed about it. Then one day, he knew what he had to do. He sold his prize possession, his custom made car, and bought a plane ticket to go around the world to find out what it was the Lord was calling him to do to bring to pass the vision of the waves of young people being sent out as missionaries to every continent.

The result is history. YWAM is now one of the largest missionary forces in the world, with thousands of workers on every continent. One young man was willing to invest everything he had into his vision and the Lord has brought forth out of that sacrifice a harvest of blessing that has touched every country in the world for Christ.

I said, "Lord, I will go and take my family to a YWAM base and take this training, even if I have to borrow the money." I took out all the money we had in savings and borrowed the rest and off we went to YWAM. It has been one of the best things we have ever done together as a family.

Do you have a vision of God's call on your life? Are you investing in that vision? Peter wanted to walk on the water with Jesus, but he had to make an investment. He had to get down out of the boat and be willing to get wet if necessary to see his vision fulfilled. Am I willing to get wet, to suffer inconvenience, to be misunderstood, to leave my job, to change locations, to be re-trained, to suffer the loneliness of being away from my family for long periods of time, to go to a strange land, to spend all the money I have on the vision God has given me, to even lay down my life and consent that my wife and children lay down their lives in order to do God's will?
Unless you can say "yes" to these questions, you may never see my vision fulfilled.

The will of God and my vision must be the same. I cannot construct my own vision. It must be God-given. God and the will of God are so much the same that it is impossible to seek God without finding the will of God, and it is impossible to run from the will of God without running from God.

You may say, "But I don't know what God's will for me is." You are responsible to know. Not only does God require us to do his will, he also requires us to know what his will is. I can know what the will of God is for me, not only in the everyday decisions of daily life, I can also know what his will is for my life. "Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." (Eph. 5:17) NIV

Read Romans 12:1-2 below, and do what it says. You will discover what he wants you to do and be. That discovery is your vision. That is where God will have you invest your time, your talent, your money, your prayers, your strength, your resources, your all.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Rom. 12:1-2) NIV

FINANCED BY FAITH

FINANCED BY FAITH

The call of God to go and proclaim the good news carries with it the promise of provision. God supplied Elijah through the ravens and through a poor widow. He will supply your needs also. God’s work, done in God’s way, will not lack God’s support. Joy Ridderhoff, founder of Gospel Recordings said, "We do not raise funds, we lower them." They did it though prayer, faith, and patience, looking only to God without making their needs known to anyone but Him.

Jesus was a faith missionary and so were all of his apostles. They looked to their Heavenly Father for their supply as they went about doing the work He called them to do.

Think of the apostles in this matter of financial provision, as well as the men and women of God throughout the history of the church such as George Mueller, J. Hudson Taylor, William Carey, Loren Cunningham, Brother Andrew, C.T. Studd, and a host of young people in Youth With A Mission and other such organizations who look to the Lord for their daily provision.

If God is calling you to look only to Him to provide for you without telling anyone but Him of your needs, you will need to consider Acts 6:4 as your calling and your labor on a daily basis. You will have to "give yourself to prayer and the ministry of the word" as the apostles did on a full time basis. As you pray and minister the word, God's supernatural provision will come to you. As you follow His leading, He may dry up one stream and send you to another as He did with Elijah, but you will know that, too. He may have you working with your hands "making tents" like Paul did from time to time when circumstances warrant.

God will surround you with friends and family who will stand with you in this ministry of the word. He will touch the hearts of people to give to your support. You will see miracles of provision over and over so that all your needs will be met. Trust God and tell the people about your work, but not about your needs.

Paul went out trusting only in God to meet all his needs. Consider his thoughts on faith financing from Philippians 4:10-19: "I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength . . . When I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

In the above passage we see,
Paul was looking to God to meet his needs.
There were times when he had plenty and times when he was in need. He was instructed to live at peace in either circumstance.
There was only one assembly of believers who stood with him in the matter of financial support.
He knew that whoever was led to help him in financial support would be storing up in God an account with Him that would ultimately overflow to meet their financial needs.

Peter could not get out of the boat to walk on water with Jesus until he heard Jesus say. “Come!” If Jesus is saying to you, “Come, I will supply all your needs as you leave all to proclaim my word,” it is safe to get out of your comfort zone and walk on water with Jesus, trusting him to supply all your need according to his riches in glory. Remember, His name is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our provider!


Robert & Joni Fitts

Where it all Starts
All fruitfulness flows out of intimacy. Out of the womb of prayer, praise and worship all things in the kingdom of God are conceived, nurtured, and brought to birth to the glory of God and for the good of mankind.

A Declaration of Unity
I belong to everything that belongs to Jesus and everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to me! It's not us and them. It's just us! There's only one Body of Christ, and the problems of the church, the whole church, are our problems, for we are the church and we can do more united than we can do divided! So let's unify, simplify, and multiply!

Divine Appointment Prayer
Father, give me a divine appointment today with someone who is hungry for God, or sick, or in need, and give me grace to minister the love of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

A Prayer for More Workers and More Miracles
Father, send more laborers into this harvest and grant us boldness to speak your word, by stretching forth your hand to heal and that signs and wonders be done in the name of Jesus.

Winning the War on Terrorism Through Prayer
"Father, give every terrorist in the world an encounter with Jesus like Saul of Tarsus had on the road to Damascus."

LAW, NO! GRACE, YES!
The law demands, demands, demands, but gives me neither feet nor hands.
Now Grace and Truth are better things, they bid me fly and give me wings!

DARK, UGLY, STINKY THINGS

DARK, UGLY, STINKY THINGS

A few months ago I began to hear something in my spirit; something rather startling and yet exciting! This is what I heard:

"God specializes in taking dark, ugly, stinky things and transforming them into beautiful, bright, fragrant things for His glory and for our good."

As I thought about it, I became convinced that it was a word from the Lord to me and that God wanted me to share with others. From that time I have said it often to myself and to others. Then one day I asked the Lord to give me scripture for such a statement and he gave me three:

 "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." (Romans 8:28) NLT

 Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and the Lord used their selfish, stinking, murderous act as a means of their own salvation, for it was Joseph who was used of God to provide food for them years later when they and their families were starving.

 The most heinous, dark, ugly, stinky thing mankind ever did was when we nailed the Son of God to that cross and watched him die. But God turned that foul deed into the gift of salvation for all mankind.

The story is told of a survivor of a shipwreck who was washed up on a small, uninhabited Island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but all in vain.
He eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and a place to store his meager possessions.

But then one day, after being out scavenging the Island for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger.

"God, how could you allow this to happen to me?" he cried. He went to sleep that night in a state of deep grief, disbelief, and discouragement. Early the next day he was awakened by the sounds from a ship approaching the island. As the boat from the ship touched onto the shore he ran into the surf shouting, "How did you know I was here?"

"We saw your smoke signal," they answered.

That which now seems to be nothing but total tragedy may be the instrument in the hands of God to bring you into total victory.

"HE WHO HAS JESUS AND EVERYTHING ELSE HAS NO MORE THAN HE WHO HAS JESUS AND NOTHING ELSE." - C. S. Lewis

Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during World War II, was invited to do the commencement speech at Yale University right after the war. He walked to the podium and stood looking at the vast audience for a long moment, then began his speech. The graduates and their invited guests sat waiting to savor every word of the great orator as he began to speak. Churchill boomed out the words:

"NEVER GIVE UP!"

(long pause)

"NEVER, EVER GIVE UP!"

(another long pause)

"NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP!"
He stood there in silence for a long time looking out over the audience, then turned and walked back to his seat on the platform and sat down. It was the shortest commencement address in the history of the University . . . but it might be the only one that will never be forgotten.

Do not forget to thank God for all the good things he does for you each day! And do not forget to thank your heavenly Father for all the dark, ugly, stinky things that come your way, either. They may be a prelude to some of the greatest blessings you have ever received.

Robert & Joni Fitts

Where it all Starts
All fruitfulness flows out of intimacy. Out of the womb of prayer, praise and worship all things in the kingdom of God are conceived, nurtured, and brought to birth to the glory of God and for the good of mankind.

A Declaration of Unity
I belong to everything that belongs to Jesus and everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to me! It's not us and them. It's just us! There's only one Body of Christ, and the problems of the church, the whole church, are our problems, for we are the church and we can do more united than we can do divided! So let's unify, simplify, and multiply!

Divine Appointment Prayer
Father, give me a divine appointment today with someone who is hungry for God, or sick, or in need, and give me grace to minister the love of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

A Prayer for More Workers and More Miracles
Father, send more laborers into this harvest and grant us boldness to speak your word, by stretching forth your hand to heal and that signs and wonders be done in the name of Jesus.

Winning the War on Terrorism Through Prayer
"Father, give every terrorist in the world an encounter with Jesus like Saul of Tarsus had on the road to Damascus."

LAW, NO! GRACE, YES!
The law demands, demands, demands, but gives me neither feet nor hands.
Now Grace and Truth are better things, they bid me fly and give me wings!

MOSES TURNED ASIDE

MOSES TURNED ASIDE

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not burn up. When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’” (Exodus 3:1-4)

Sometimes God has to get our attention before he gives us a word of direction for our future. And sometimes He has to put us in a quiet place before he sets a bush on fire to draw our attention.

Moses had heard the word of the Lord forty years earlier that he would be used to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage, but he didn't take the time to wait on God for just how that was to be done. He assumed that all he needed was to know what to do and to immediately go about doing it to the best of his ability. It is not enough to know what God is calling me to do. I must wait on God for his timing, his method, his helpers, and his plan. “He who believes shall not make haste.” (Isaiah 28:16)

Sometimes God only gives us a "one step" command, such as he gave Abraham when he told him to leave his home, his country, and his people and move to a place that he would show him later. But even in that mode, we are totally dependent on God for succeeding steps.

Has God put a word in your heart as to what he wants you to do? Then wait on him to clear the way for you. When Moses heard the voice of God speaking to him from the burning bush, he was not even willing to take the first step to do what he heard God telling him to do. He had to go through a time of prayer and conversation with God about how unqualified he was to take on such a gigantic responsibility! When he was forty years old, he felt he was totally prepared and qualified. Now that he was eighty years old, he knew he did not have what it took to do the job of bringing Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land. In his heart he knew he needed something from God he did not yet have. And God met his need. He gave him a rod of authority that brought the dimension of miracles into his life.

Let God give you, not only the general call, but also the specifics as to how, what, when, who, and where. God will surely put the pieces all together and make it abundantly clear as you wait on him in prayer, faith, and patience. The one thing that Moses did not have when he first tried to deliver the Children of Israel out of bondage was the Rod of God. This time he waited till he was given that rod of power and authority. The rod of God for you and me is the same as it was for Jesus himself. He was not to go one step into his ministry until he had received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. When He comes upon you, you shall receive authority and miracle working power!


Robert & Joni Fitts


Where it all Starts
All fruitfulness flows out of intimacy. Out of the womb of prayer, praise and worship all things in the kingdom of God are conceived, nurtured, and brought to birth to the glory of God and for the good of mankind.

A Declaration of Unity
I belong to everything that belongs to Jesus and everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to me! It's not us and them. It's just us! There's only one Body of Christ, and the problems of the church, the whole church, are our problems, for we are the church and we can do more united than we can do divided! So let's unify, simplify, and multiply!

Divine Appointment Prayer
Father, give me a divine appointment today with someone who is hungry for God, or sick, or in need, and give me grace to minister the love of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

A Prayer for More Workers and More Miracles
Father, send more laborers into this harvest and grant us boldness to speak your word, by stretching forth your hand to heal and that signs and wonders be done in the name of Jesus.

Winning the War on Terrorism Through Prayer
"Father, give every terrorist in the world an encounter with Jesus like Saul of Tarsus had on the road to Damascus."

LAW, NO! GRACE, YES!
The law demands, demands, demands, but gives me neither feet nor hands.
Now Grace and Truth are better things, they bid me fly and give me wings!

THE BIRTHING PROCESS

THE  BIRTHING  PROCESS
If it has been hard for you to endure the process of giving birth to the vision the Lord has given you, It is a good sign that you are on the right track!
My wife, Joni and I, have given birth to seven children and we now have 19 grandchildren with a new one on the way. One of our grandbabies Joni and I delivered ourselves, with some help from the midwife on her cell phone as she sped toward our house in the early morning hour. We know more than most about the birthing process.
We all know that there is pain associated with childbirth. There is also some pain connected with giving birth to the vision of the Lord. Joni had "morning sickness" for almost the full nine months with all seven of our children, not to mention the labor pains with the coming forth of that new life.
Do not be discouraged if the will of God for you brings suffering. Hold on to the vision. It is the test of your faith that is more precious than gold. You are being shaped into the instrument God will use in bringing this vision into its fullness. The new born babe will surely come forth and you will say, "It was worth all the waiting, the praying, the changing, and the stretching necessary to give birth to the heavenly vision."
Joni and I both feel like we are at the river Jordan and about to enter the Promised Land. We  have been walking across a very long desert that started when we moved from Riverside, CA to San Diego, CA to be closer to the fellowship with which we were connected. It was our first taste of desert life. We were part of the Discipleship Movement which ran aground in a subtle form of legalism.
After withering in the desolation of that dry desert for about five years, we left and gained a measure of release, but we still had more years of "the dark night of the soul" to walk through. I cannot explain the "Why?" of all this, but I am beginning to rejoice that we are seeing the first glimpses of the birth of the vision.
What is the vision? In 1969 while we were on the staff of the Child Evangelism Fellowship Institute in Muskegon, Michigan, the Lord put a prayer in my heart to hold onto until it happened, even if it took years of prayer, faith, and patience to see it come forth. This was the prayer he gave me based on Psalm 2:8, “Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.” After much meditation on that promise, I began to pray, "Father, give me disciples in every country in the world." I had also read that little prayer that Jabez prayed in I Chronicles 4:9-10, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me , and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” - NIV
I knew that such a vision was humanly impossible to accomplish, but the Lord told me to ask for the nations and I did. I never dreamed it would take more than 35 years of preparation, but as I look around me now and see what the Lord is doing, I am confident that the day is coming soon when I will say, “Thank you, Father, for letting me live to see the birth of the vision! Though the process was long and painful, It was worth it all!"
Jesus said, "When a woman is in travail she has sorrow because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a child is born into the world." Are you feeling birth pangs? Be encouraged! Look to Jesus and let the baby come forth!
 
 
Robert & Joni Fitts


Where it all Starts
Out of the womb of prayer, praise and worship all things in the kingdom of God are conceived, nurtured, and brought to birth to the glory of God and for the good of mankind.

 A Declaration of Unity
I belong to everything that belongs to Jesus and everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to me! It's not us and them. It's just us! There's only one Body of Christ, and the problems of the church, the whole church, are our problems, for we are the church and we can do more united than we can do divided! So let's unify, simplify, and multiply!
 
Divine Appointment Prayer
Father, give me a divine appointment today with someone who is hungry for God, or sick, or in need, and give me grace to minister the love of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
A Prayer for More Workers and More Miracles
Father, send more laborers into this harvest and grant us boldness to speak your word, by stretching forth your hand to heal and that signs and wonders be done in the name of Jesus. 

Winning the War on Terrorism Through Prayer
"Father, give every terrorist in the world an encounter with Jesus like Saul of Tarsus had on the road to Damascus."

LAW, NO! GRACE, YES!
The law demands, demands, demands, but gives me neither feet nor hands.
Now Grace and Truth are better things, they bid me fly and give me wings!

DON'T DOUBT IN THE DARK

DON’T DOUBT IN THE DARK
 
The ancient mariner used to navigate by "dead reckoning." He had none of the sophisticated electronic instruments that we have today. He would take a directional reading by sighting the sun or the stars through a navigational instrument called a "sextant." If a storm obscured the sky, he would continue to sail by that reading, no matter how long the sky was covered, until he came out into clear skies. Often the storm would be on them for many days or even weeks, but they would continue to sail by the most recent sighting of the sun or stars.
 
Perhaps you are sailing now by "dead reckoning." God has given you a certain word of direction for your life, but now the storm is upon you and you are at the point of wavering. I have a word for you!
   
Don't doubt in the dark what God gave you in the light.
 
The Englishman, William Carey, is called "the father of modern missions." He opened the door to India for the Gospel in the face of overwhelming obstacles at a time when there was little sympathy for his vision. He said, " What has helped me most in life is the fact that I am a plodder. If I know that the project is from God, I just keep on plodding day after day until the job is done . . . no matter what!"
 
It was by doggedly plodding on day after day that Carey was able to translate the entire Bible into one of the Indian languages and thereby making it possible for hundreds of future translations in the languages and dialects in India and other lands. The sufferings and setbacks he endured are almost unimaginable, but he KEPT ON PLODDING! The life of Carey will forever ring out the call to persevere in that which the Lord has called us to do in spite of the hardships, inconveniences, sufferings, and difficulties. When you know the will of God beyond any doubt, keep on going in it in spite of all that Satan can throw against you.
 
God is continually revealing His will and His direction to those who really want to do His will and walk in His ways. He has given the Bible, the church, divinely ordered circumstances and His deep inner peace to keep us from going off track. We can always know two things about the will of God; first, it is always good for us; and, second, it is possible for us to do it by His enabling power. It was a great day in my life as a young Christian when I settled it in my mind that God would never lead me into a situation that I could not handle by His grace.
 
For a long time I wrestled inwardly as I struggled against a full surrender of my life to God. I was only seventeen, I had a girlfriend, and I was afraid that if I yielded myself completely to God he would take her away from me and send me to some dark jungle as a missionary where I would never see her or any of my friends or loved ones again.
 
When I ceased struggling and gave myself unreservedly to Him, I discovered that He had planned the most exciting and fulfilling experiences that I could imagine. I praise Him for being so patient with me!
 
Father, be relentless with me. Keep working with me to draw me into the fullness of your will for my life. You know my heart. I truly desire to do your will! I thank you for being patient with me until I see clearly what you desire for me. Don't give up on me, Jesus, until all your purposes for my life are fully accomplished.
 
Robert & Joni Fitts


Where it all Starts
Out of the womb of prayer, praise and worship all things in the kingdom of God are conceived, nurtured, and brought to birth to the glory of God and for the good of mankind.

 A Declaration of Unity
I belong to everything that belongs to Jesus and everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to me! It's not us and them. It's just us! There's only one Body of Christ, and the problems of the church, the whole church, are our problems, for we are the church and we can do more united than we can do divided! So let's unify, simplify, and multiply!
 
Divine Appointment Prayer
Father, give me a divine appointment today with someone who is hungry for God, or sick, or in need, and give me grace to minister the love of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
A Prayer for More Workers and More Miracles
Father, send more laborers into this harvest and grant us boldness to speak your word, by stretching forth your hand to heal and that signs and wonders be done in the name of Jesus. 

Winning the War on Terrorism Through Prayer
"Father, give every terrorist in the world an encounter with Jesus like Saul of Tarsus had on the road to Damascus."

LAW, NO! GRACE, YES!
The law demands, demands, demands, but gives me neither feet nor hands.
Now Grace and Truth are better things, they bid me fly and give me wings!