Daring to Hope

“Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.” Eph 3:20

I just happened upon this verse in my reading and journaling this morning.  The word ‘dare’ jumped off the page.  The Lord showed me this.

There are {at least} 3 realms that God wants to show up:

1. The things we consistently make request for…this is the bottom level of power we expect to see from God.  These things we consistently ask and hope for because its what we do even as infant Christians.

2. The things we make request for and we know it has to be His power to accomplish them…I believe He was saying this is where I (and maybe most Christians stop their expectation).  This is still the level that we comfortable asking and hoping for, even though it is ‘in the realm of the supernatural.’

3. I believe He was saying this is the realm of expectation that most don’t enter into…It is the realm of Him accomplishing more than we would even  ‘dare’ to ask or hope…this is the level that we don’t even feel comfortable asking or hoping for because it seems like too much…either it is too good and we don’t think we deserve it, so we don’t expect Him to move in this realm…or it is too big for us, so we don’t expect to be put in those situations.  Either way, nothing is impossible with God, and therefore we need to begin to move our expectation into this realm of asking and hoping.

“Hope is the joyful expectation of good.” – Bill Johnson (I believe he got this definition from the actual definition of the word we translate ‘hope.’  But, I’m not sure.  Either way, I agree with it completely…Hope equals joyful expectation!

May we DARE in our hope!

Perception is Reality

Perception: the way you think about or understand someone or something; the ability to understand or notice something easily; the way that you notice or understand something using one of your senses –merriam-webster

I have heard the phrase “perception is reality” many times. It is usually in the context to define the way someone perceives something, that while not true, because the person believes it is true, then to them it is true. I believe the Lord has been bringing it up to me to teach me something…that Perception is Reality. And that is a very important concept for us to understand in the battle we are in today.

What I perceive about myself, my circumstance, even what I perceive about Him, whether it is true or not, will produce fruit of that reality.

“For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” Proverbs 23:7 NASB

You see, if I believe that God is an angry God, then I will produce fruit in my life that is responding to an angry God. If I believe that God is a God that doesn’t care how I act as His child because His grace will cover my sins, then I will produce fruit reacting to that reality. Neither of those two statements are true in and of themselves, but I use these examples as proof that whatever I believe will become my reality.

That’s why God was so thorough to give us instruction on maintaining the reality perceived by our minds.

Do not conform 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. Romans 12:2 NIV

And tag that with this verse:

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 ESV

And this one:

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

The Lord is clear about maintaining proper perception about who we are (a), whose we are (b), where we reside (c), and who resides in us (d).

a. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. -Galatians 3:25-26

b. and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. -1 Corinthians 3:23
c. and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, -Ephesians 2:6

d. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. -John 14:20 ESV

Let me leave you with a few more verses about our reality:

Sin: For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Romans 6:6-7

Healing: But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. (Emphasis added on the present tense verb ‘are’) Isaiah 53:3

Provision: And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. -Psalm 37:25

Perception is reality. We must continuously fill ourselves with the reality of Heaven. We must constantly fill ourselves with who God is. We must constantly behold Him, who He is, and what He says. We must constantly do these things because Perception is Reality.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. -2 Corinthians 3:18

**There are many, many verses in the Bible that speak of each Truth I have presented here. This was in no-way an exhaustive list. I encourage you to do your own search on bible verses pertaining to any reality you are struggling with in your walk and begin to meditate (Biblical mediation in Joshua 1:8…read, speak, pray, sing, shout, think, ponder, fill your mind) on those verses constantly and consistently.

Is It God’s Will to Always Heal?

“Is it God’s will to always heal?”  Below you can find the other scripture references that I mentioned without referencing.  I said at the end that you could google them, but then I realized it would be so much easier for me to provide them hear.  Please leave comments and questions!  There is no reason we can’t have a discussion on this topic.  I know it can be a tough topic, ESPECIALLY if you have lost a loved one when you were believing for healing.  I will say this, we don’t always get understanding in this life, but we do know God is good (Nahum 1:7), and that our hope is first found in the fact that we will all be with Him in Heaven (for all eternity) after this life where there will be no sickness, sin, pain, sadness, etc.  Enjoy!  Please comment!!  And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t just take my word for it!!!

 

 

Isaiah 53:5 – But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Matthew 10:8 – Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,^[a] cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13 – In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

 

Lost Hope? Need Faith?…Fear Not!…He is Faithful!

I’m convinced we all travel on this journey with God going through seasons when hope seems to be lost and faith is dwindling in the air.  I’m convinced of it because of what God tells us in His scripture:

“2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  James 1:2-4

God tells us plainly, not only will we go through times of trial, but that times of trail are absolutely necessary for us to ‘be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.’

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1  

This verse is the biblical definition of faith.  I would like to point out the direct relationship between faith and hope.  Bill Johnson defined hope like this (in accordance with Strong’s concordance): ‘Hope is the joyful expectation of something good.’  Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the foundation for thing’s hoped for (joyful expectation)…James 1:2-4 said to ‘count it all as joy‘ when our faith is tested.  God goes on to say through James (2:14-26), that faith requires works.

**Is it possible that faith is the foundation and hope (the joyful expectation) is a key component for works?

My purpose here is to help you in your journey during a time of trial.  Maybe your faith is weak.  Maybe you can’t seem to work up hope that God will come through in a moment when you really need Him to deliver.  I am writing today because I am in a moment just like that…but God WILL NOT let me fall. And He WILL NOT let you fall either!

I’ve heard it said that your life gets into a ‘mess’.  Then after some time, after you ‘age’, you have a ‘mess-age’ to give to others.  Well, I’m writing today for myself and for you, in DECLARATION that my message is not premature, but for us right now and today!!!

I’ve heard so many times people tell their stories of how God came through for them after He came through for them…and rest-assured, I will do the same.  But, my message today is not to tell you about how God came through for me.  My message today is to SCREAM OUT and DECLARE that GOD IS FAITHFUL, and HE IS COMING THROUGH!!!

He is not a God who wants His children to just ‘hang in there’ and hang on for help…He wants us to stand firmly on faith and in hope, not worried about our needs or desires.  If He is our desire, He gives us our hearts desires (Psalm 37:4)  We are to pursue above all other things His Kingdom (righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit – See Romans 14:17) and everything we need will be given to us (See Matthew 6:33).

I’m declaring to you, God is coming through for me and my family.  We haven’t seen it in the physical realm yet.  But I have seen it in His realm (See 2 Kings 6:16-17).  HE IS COMING THROUGH AND WILL DELIVER!!

HE IS COMING THROUGH FOR YOU AND WILL DELIVER!!!

The Lord recently told me that He is the reason why we haven’t gotten breakthrough in 3 years.  I now know, through His direction, that He has been withholding the big breakthrough so that when it comes, He gets all of the glory…and He expects it to be a life-long lesson.

A few nights ago, I was having a very hard time finding rest and peace (faith and hope seemed VERY distant). I’m laying in bed praying (pretty sure God considered it whining), when I had the revelation to stop whining and see what He had to say about the whole scenario.  I found out that I was believing the lie that God didn’t want me to have the very best for me and my family…that for some reason He was withholding good (the very best) because we didn’t deserve His best…which is a lie because His best for us has nothing to do with us, but everything to do with how good He is. So, I asked Him to give me Truth to stand on…Here’s what He said:

“FEAR NOT…HE IS FAITHFUL!”

Then He took me on this trip through the Bible:

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32 (KJV)

Then…

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”  James 1:5-8

And then…

“11 This is a trustworthy saying:  ‘If we die with him, we will also live with him. 12 If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. 13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.'” 2 Timothy 2:11-13  

Faith…Hope: Restored!!!

Now…You need a word from God for yourself.

Ask God to speak to you now…”Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  We get faith by hearing God, and we hear God by filling ourselves with His Word.  It can be difficult to focus in on what God’s voice sounds like during times of turmoil.  So, we use His perfect Word (the Bible) to re-calibrate our ‘ears’ and our heart to His voice.

He will direct you through the scriptures (just believe He will by opening your Bible and reading).  And, then you will hear or feel His presence on a verse that jumps out at you…meditate on that verse until you hear Him speak to you about that verse. From there, let Him direct your path…before He is done speaking to you, your faith and hope will be restored. Repeat and rinse!…This is a great routine to help renew your mind daily (or multiple times a day, as much as needed…in fact, do it as often as possible!!!) (See Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 4:16).

Now, if you don’t know where to start…but you would like, possibly the BIGGEST ‘promise verse’ in the Bible…here is a great place to get you going:

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”  Ephesians 3:20

I like to meditate on the Amplified version…it gives a little more by defining some of the words along the way…

“Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].”

*All emphasis and underlining of scripture was added by what I heard God speaking to me for this message.

26 miracles…Veil lifted…For Today? We think so…

This is an old video of a testimony from a meeting with A.A. Allen.  This video touched me in a way a testimony has never impacted me (Aaron) before.  As another one of our authors watched it (Russell Tabor), he said that when RW Shambach said that he believed God was lifting the veil for what was to come in the last day(s), a white wing dove flew into the window in front of him, and was trying to get into the window.  His conclusion: This message is for today.  Enjoy, awaken, and prepare!!

 

Love, Obey, and Tell Others…THAT’S ALL WE HAVE TO DO!!

I gave this message at my church on 2/9/14.  It is a simple approach to living with the Lord, but one I feel is vitally important for us all to learn and operate…The Holy Spirit is with us and wants to move through us!!!

What If We Asked Anything IN HIS NAME?

I gave this message at our church, WestGate Community Church.  We are taking ‘If’ scriptures and teaching them in a ‘what if’ we did this context.  This is what I found as a beginning to the phrase ‘In Jesus Name’.  Enjoy!  Also, our camera cut off, as you will see, but the entire message was recorded here.  I basically took a couple minutes to tie everything together, so you aren’t missing anything here.

Rose of Change

It had rained a lot and my beautiful planter in the front yard looked awful. The purple fountain grass looked beat down and was covering the rose bushes. The roses were a really pretty pink but you could not see them. I wanted them to be seen so I asked my husband to move them to another place in the planter. I wanted them right in the middle. He uprooted the two rose bushes and planted them where I asked him too and at first they looked great! A few days went by before I remembered to check on them and when I finally did I was so upset!!! They looked dead! (It was also the beginning of August and very hot! Not a great time to be moving flowers around!)

I was determined not to let these beautiful rose bushes die. As I looked at them closer I realized the roots and some of the stalks were still green. This was good! I have tended to theses flowers every day. We are watering them. We bought some Miracle Gro and poured that around the roots of the bushes. I also cut off all of the dead parts at the top of the rose bushes to allow for new growth. I cannot wait to see the new gorgeous pink roses again. I believe they will come back!

“To be spiritually minded is life and peace to me, but to be carnally (worldly or sensually) minded is death.” Romans 8:6

In life when we are moved from one place to another, whether it is physically, mentally or spiritually, there is change. For most of us change, at first, is fun and exciting and full of adventure. Then reality sets in and we realize there is more to this change thing than we thought!

Change will have a significant impact on your life. It can be good or it can be really bad. I believe it depends on how much you tend to the issues that come up in your life after the change. I feel the pressure of having to check on those rose bushes every day in my busy schedule. If I let even one day go by in this heat…they could potentially die for good. These rose bushes where transplanted from one place to another and are in a fragile state right now.

To gain strength in a time of change what do we do? We need Jesus! We can go to The Lord in worship and prayer and we can read the word. What are the dead places in your life that have been exposed after the move or change? Identify them. Are they generational? Break the chain. Are they reoccurring thoughts or behaviors that happen in certain dynamics or circumstances in your life? Let The Lord deliver you. This is bondage. You are a slave to sin in these areas…release them to him. No matter the shame or the games…he knows you inside and out and he is not ashamed of you. He loves you.

Only Jesus can truly set you FREE! We can share our secrets with our friends or seek wise counsel in certain areas of our life, we can bandage our pain, or go up for prayer for the same thing every week…but if we don’t truly seek him we will never be FREE!

There are many things that might help us cope or feel better initially but it will never be long lasting. The truth is my rose bushes look so ugly right now I just want to pull them out, throw them away, and then plant pretty ones to replace them. Don’t we do this in our own lives? We got a lot of ugly going on but we don’t want anyone to see it! We don’t even want to deal with it! We know it is not pretty and it will be painful and it will cost us to go there.

I went outside this morning to check on my rose bushes. There is new growth…no new roses yet but pretty new leaves. And lots of them! As I looked at the Rose bushes I could not help but notice they still have some dead areas as well. But the good news is that the new life is taking over the dead places!!!

Oh fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, Go to him. Jesus. Go the distance with him. Don’t believe the lies! “Do not be Overcome by evil, but overcome evil with Good.” Romans 12:21

He already defeated death and ROSE to a new life for you and for me. He is victorious. Let him resurrect the dead places in your life. Live FREE!

Once Saved Always Saved vs. Losing Salvation

This debate has been coming up in my mind for many years now.  I thought I knew the answer.  Then, I questioned what I thought to be true. So, I began to study and search the ‘process’ of salvation.  Let me say first, I am not a Calvinist or an Arminian…I’m a follower of Jesus Christ. What I am presenting here is simply from a study of the Holy Scriptures and listening to what the Holy Spirit has been saying to me for a few years.

I can’t say what I am about to present is exhaustive.  But, it is what I have found…It is what I believe the Lord is saying about this topic…It is what settles this in my heart…and ultimately I will write what I believe I have heard the Lord say about this ‘debate.’  So, let’s begin…I’m going to allow you to help me along.  Let’s start with getting saved.

-“Okay, Aaron, how do you ‘get saved’?”

Romans 10:9 (NLT) 

⁹ If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

That’s pretty straight forward.

–“What about the Book of Life? Doesn’t that have something to do with salvation?”  

Revelation 21:27 (NASB) 

²⁷ and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. 

To be with Jesus in Heaven for all eternity, our name must be written in the Book of Life on Judgment Day.  If our name is not written in the Book of Life, then

Revelation 20:15 (NASB) 

¹⁵ And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

–How do we get our name written in the Book of LIfe?

Revelation 13:8 and Revelation 17:8 tell us that the names written in the Book of Life were written there BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.

-“Wait a minute, now you are going into the ‘Free Will vs. Predestination’ argument’?”

Well, we must speak about many topics to make sure we are thorough with our understanding.  This is where it gets a little tricky without the Holy Spirit.  We know we have free will and free choice.  AND, Ephesians says this:

Ephesians 1:4-6 (NASB) 

⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love

⁵ He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

⁶ to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

–“So, is it free will or predestination?”

I believe scripture is pretty clear that it is both.  We have already seen that God chose, or predestined us.  Yet, we also know it is our choice to follow Jesus or not to follow Jesus.

Mark 8:34 (NASB) 

³⁴ And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

We were chosen before the world, AND we must choose to follow Him…Both!

-“So what is the deal with scripture saying we need our name in the Book of Life to be saved, yet our name was written before the foundation of the world. Doesn’t that make it a done deal?”

Matthew 24:10-13 (NASB) 

¹⁰ “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 

¹¹ “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 

¹² “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 

¹³ “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

AND

Revelation 3:5 (NASB) 

⁵ ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (See also Revelation 22:19 and Psalm 69:28)

It is by not ‘falling away’, ‘enduring to the end’, or ‘overcoming’ that our name remains in the Book of Life.

–“I thought we were saved by grace, not by works.”

Again, we must look at everything to understand completely. Stay with me…It is all worth it!!

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB) 

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 

⁹not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

–“Clearly we are saved by grace…So what is this ‘not falling away’ and ‘enduring to the end’ business?”

What does God say that our salvation and faith lead to? The next verse:

Ephesians 2:10 (NASB) 

¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. 

We are ONLY saved by God’s grace.  We obtain this grace THROUGH FAITH in Christ Jesus…and our FAITH leads us to DOING ‘good works’. See also James 2:26. James says we MUST have works to confirm that we have faith.  (Please read all of James 2 for a much clearer picture.)

–“SOOOOO, Aaron! Can I lose my salvation or not?”

Let’s look logically:  SINCE I am not saved by NOT SINNING (Belief in Jesus and God’s grace are only means of salvation Acts 4:12 and Ephesians 2:8), THEN equally I can’t lose my salvation by sinning!!!

The Bible (aka-God’s Word, aka-God; see John 1:1 and 2 Timothy 3:16) says our works are evidence of being saved, not the path to salvation.

John addresses this:

1 John 1:6-7 (NASB) 

⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 

⁷ but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 

-“But, Aaron, I know I was saved at one point earlier in my life.  Then I had a rough time in my life and didn’t ‘chase‘ after God. I know I wasn’t saved during that time in my life.  But, then later I ‘found‘ God again, ‘re-dedicated’  (a common word for getting ‘re-saved’) and have been saved ever since.  And you can’t deny my experience!!”

You are right…I am not denying what you experienced.  John describes it like this:

1 John 3:6 (NLT) 

⁶ Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But those who keep on sinning have NEVER known him or understood who he is. (emphasis added)

John says in this case you were never actually saved in the first place…This is why I believe we have a misunderstanding of the ‘process’ of salvation…that it IS actually a process!!!  By the way, this is not a reason for us to get upset because what we thought was true, but rather understand the greatness of God and His pursuit after the ones He chose!!!!

Okay, let’s begin our decent, tie everything together and land this plane!

Conclusion:

Can we ‘lose’ our salvation, or are we saved once and for all?  Well, I think we make a mistake in using the word ‘lose.‘  We will not have our salvation, or the ability to be saved, taken away by God because of a sin, or sins, we commit.  Can we choose no longer to be saved?  My question to you is, once we have tasted of Life, why would we EVER choose death?  (If you want to venture down the path of being able to choose NOT to be saved, then please see Hebrews 6:4-6. I’m not saying we can’t choose to not  be saved, I’m simply saying I won’t make that choice, and I don’t think we should waste our time with this possibility.)

Salvation is a PROCESS. Hence God using words like ‘overcome’ and ‘fall away’.  I believe that process can be years for some and immediate for others.  As I pointed out earlier in Mark 8:34, Jesus said we must deny ourselves and FOLLOW HIM.  That is the key!!!

1 Peter 1:15-16 (NASB) 

¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;

¹⁶ because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”

The word ‘Holy’ means to be ‘dedicated’ or ‘set apart’.

I truly believe with all of my heart salvation resides in this: Have we dedicated ourselves completely to God’s will, denying ourselves and the world? Or, have we NOT set ourselves apart from the world FOR GOD completely?  I submit to you, once we have set ourselves apart for God, completely dedicated to His will, His works, and His Kingdom, we ARE SAVED!  And there is NO WAY we will give that up.  We will do EVERYTHING possible to remain in fellowship with Him!  (See 1 John 3:3)

The ‘moment’ of salvation occurs when I dedicate myself completely to God’s will in my heart. It is a transformation of the supernatural kind, resulting in my being crucified with Christ and becoming a new creation.  The PROCESS leading us to this point is us finding and seeing Him, realizing in our heart that He IS Life…that He is the ONLY Way…that we only have Life in Him.  Again, sometimes it is a lengthy PROCESS to reach the point where we are ready to deny ourselves and follow Him.  Sometimes the PROCESS is immediate.  But it is a process.

–“So, what does God think about this ‘debate’ inside His Body of ‘once saved always saved vs. losing salvation’?”

I believe He told me that this ‘debate’, or as He called it, an ‘argument among brothers’ (with great distaste in His voice), must end.

He says, “It is time to end the fighting among brothers!  It is by your love and unity to each other that the world will be saved (John 17:21-23).  Hear Me! Believing that sin can cause you to lose your salvation is a lie straight from the enemy of God to keep My children in a state of limbo, spending energy to win My approval.  This keeps the Body of Christ stagnant and wrapped up in a SELFISH pursuit, rather than doing My works, which is completely SELFLESS! Be done with this, and all other arguments! I told you to place your thoughts on heavenly things, not earthly things (Colossians 3:2)…and arguing with your brothers and sisters is of the world.  There are no arguments in Heaven! Heaven is concerned with ALL following Jesus and enduring to the end!!”

Amen!!

Freedom Follows Courage

Recently we celebrated the 50th anniversary of The march on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to a divided nation his famous “I have a dream..” speech. His dream was racial equality. Rosa Parks was a forerunner for this movement.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a 42 year old African American woman who worked as a seamstress, boarded a bus in Montgomery City to go home from work. On that day, Rosa Parks brought change to America.

The bus was filling up and following the practice of segregation the driver asked Rosa to give up her seat for the white man entering the bus. She quietly refused! Her action was spontaneous and not pre-meditated. She was arrested and convicted of violating the laws of segregation, known as “Jim Crow laws.” She appealed her conviction and thus formally challenged the legality of segregation.

At the same time, local civil rights activists initiated a boycott of the Montgomery bus system. In cities across the South, segregated bus companies were daily reminders of the inequities of American society. A group named the Montgomery Improvement Association organized the boycott. As their leader, they chose a young Baptist minister who was new to Montgomery: Martin Luther King, Jr. Sparked by Rosa Parks’ action, the boycott lasted 381 days, into December 1956 when the Supreme Court ruled that the segregation law was unconstitutional and the Montgomery buses were integrated. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was the beginning of a revolutionary era of nonviolent mass protests in support of civil rights in the United States.

Two other women had been arrested on buses in Montgomery before Parks and were considered by black activists and leaders as potential clients for challenging the law. However, both were rejected because black leaders felt they would not gain white support. When she heard that the well-respected Rosa Parks had been arrested, one Montgomery African American women exclaimed, “They’ve messed with the wrong one now.”

It took someone with the courage and character of Rosa Parks to bring about change. It also required the commitment of the entire African American community to come together for the civil rights revolution.

This real life story inspires me. It spurs me on to rise up in my own life. It challenges me to think about who I am and how I can make a difference in other people’s lives. It also makes me think about the other two black women who were arrested on buses in Montgomery before Parks for challenging the law. What was different about these women? Why did Parks and what she did bring such change when these other women were arrested and then rejected by black leaders. We don’t even know their names but we do know that when Parks was arrested one of these women heard about it and proclaimed, “They have messed with the wrong-one now!”

What would make them say that? There was something about Rosa Parks that was different. She stood out, apart…when these women said this…they spoke with such belief in her. I can only imagine how excited they must have been to KNOW something significant was about to take place. Rosa would change things…they knew it! Rosa had Courage.

According to the dictionary, Courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear. It is Bravery and the heart is the source of emotion. It also says: to have the courage of one’s convictions to act in accordance with one’s beliefs, especially in spite of criticism.

I can’t help but to notice that the word RAGE is in Courage. Parks had to feel some rage at the way she was being treated, and the way every African American was being treated at that time. She knew it was wrong. Don’t tell me that she did not feel some Rage at the injustice of it all when she refused to move from her seat on the bus that day.

I believe that it takes passion about what you believe in and Rage to have the Courage to do something about it. Rage brings up that fighting spirit. Rage is done with the old way and will do whatever it takes to make a new way. Rage fights to the finish because it believes in what it is fighting for. You have to have Rage to have Courage. (it’s in the word :))

If you look up RAGE in the dictionary it says: angry fury or violent anger. I know!! I can almost read some of your thoughts. Anger!!??? That cannot be God! Well, Yes it can!! Mark 11 says: “On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “It is written: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations but you have made it a den of robbers.”

Jesus was angry that they had turned the house of The Lord into a place of business. I would imagine that he had to have been feeling RAGE to overturn those tables, don’t you?

Let me say it again….You have to have some RAGE to have Courage. AND you don’t have to feel bad about it!! Thank God Rosa did not hold back out of fear, insecurity, rejection, denial, approval of man, and regret. If you want to make a change in your life than the time is now. Rosa Parks did not plan that bus ride but she was ready for it!!

Are you ready for change? Then be changed and change others. God wants us ready. It is time for a new Revolution. It is time for us to be in our place in him so that others can be in theirs. About the other women arrested prior to Rosa…thank God they were in their place in that time! It allowed Rosa to be in hers! Each one of us serves a greater purpose. Lets be MORE. Fight for freedom! Bring change.