Sterling - Jan. 2011

I Regret That I Have but One Life to Give

“I regret that had but one life to give for my country.” I want to start this blog out with this quote by a man who loved his country, even to the point of death; Nathan Hale. He was an American spy in the revolutionary war. He had been caught stealing British documents. The British dragged him out to execute him without even a trial, and when asked what his last words would be, he replied, “I regret that had but one life to give for my country.”

If he loved his country so much that he’d give his life for it, how much more should we give our lives for our God? I have had the privilege to meet people like that all over the world. Some of those people have been put in jail up to seven times. Even though most of us don’t have to live like that, we still have a responsibility to do what God has given us to do, whether it’s in our town or even around the world. Like in Vietnam, China, or any where else no matter how old you are, you still have a responsibility to do what you are called to. That can be hard sometimes. Christ never said it would be easy, instead, He said, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation (Mark 16:15).” He didn’t say, “go preach the good news where it’s the easiest.” See the difference? “All creation,” that means Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Australia, Russia, everywhere! But sadly, most of the people that I know are nice and comfortable in their nice little house with their nice little car. They never step outside of their comfort zone to tell anybody about God. I'm not saying you can't be comfortable. It’s just that you can't stay in the same place, stagnant, when God has called you somewhere else or to lay your hands to something. You need to go! Wherever it is, no matter how hard it is, we need to “go”. We have to “go”.

Jesus died on cross for you and me and we don’t even take time to listen to Him, or tell anyone about Him in the simplest and easiest of situations. Maybe sometimes we just need to slow down, listen, and come before God willing to do what He has called us to do.

Benjamin - January 2011

I am Called to Pray!

I keep wanting to press more into Jesus, to connect more with who He is and what He thinks about situations that are going on around me and in different areas throughout the earth. Many times at night I lay wanting to be able to really pray. I always start prayers with requests that the Lord help me pray. You know where the scriptures say “teach us how to pray” (Luke 11:1) and “I want to believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24), those kinds of prayers.

In Ephesians 6, Paul talks about the armor of God. He describes how to use the armor. He tells us to put on the armor that we might withstand, and having done all, still be standing when we are wrestling in heavenly places. The wrestling that he is describing is a picture of being in a battle. That is exactly what it is, a battle. Thus we wear the armor. It is for protection as we stand and fight for the truth of God. And that is where Paul starts.

In Ephesians 6:14, Paul tells us to stand with our waist protected with truth, and our heart with the breast plate of righteousness, our feet prepared to take the gospel of peace, and above all to have faith as a shield to guard us from the arrows of the devil. He tells us our helmet is salvation and our offensive weapon is a sword. And that sword is the Word of God. It is a powerful weapon!

So, what I think we can learn from that passage is that we are constantly in a spiritual battle and that battle is prayer! In that battle we have to protect ourselves by speaking the truth in all things, walking in Jesus’ righteousness, and knowing we can only do those things through faith! Salvation protects our mind, and that’s why Paul tells us to put it on like a helmet. But the only way that we can come to salvation and be righteous and truthful and ready to share the gospel is by God’s word, and is through understanding God’s Word. And that is the final thing Paul tells us to “take up”, the sword of the Spirit. It is the only power that we will have to use to fight in our battle of prayer.

I do feel called to pray. Reading this passage really made me stop and think. If I want to be effective and able to pray, I will have to know and live by His word. I don’t have to be fearful and wonder what to pray. I can pray His word and know His will through doing that. I can always pray in Faith!