Sluice Box Adventures
Believing Bible Study in the 21st century
For Women &
Girls
Proverbs 31
King James Bible
Daughters of Faith
An Internet Ministry For Encouragement Of Christian Girls and Ladies Around the World.
Daughters
of Faith
January / February Issue 2004
"O, The Deep Deep Love of Jesus!"
The snow continues to fall here, and it is all very beautiful. I love the snow, don’t you? I could live without the cold, but I enjoy having the snow around.
In January, we had our Preachers’ Conference and it all went very well. Dr. Jack Parchman is an excellent speaker and I feel very honored to have met him. The Sunday after the actual meeting, Bro. Parchman preached just for our church people. Six people came to know Christ that Sunday morning!!! It was such a blessing.
Well, I suppose that’s all for now…I’ll see you later on in the paper.
For Him,
Laura Beth
Prov 16:33 & Mark 11:22
Jonah 2:7, “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.”
Hello! Already almost the middle of February, can you believe it?! This year has gone by so fast already that I can hardly keep up with it! Thank the Lord for giving us another year to serve Him better! Another chance to be a better Christian, another chance to be a blessing to someone else, another chance to be a success, another chance to right past wrongs, another chance to……..
Angry at God’s command for him to go preach repentance to the heathen inhabitants of Nineveh, Jonah boarded a ship headed toward Tarshish. Thinking that he could hide from God, he felt safe enough to go to sleep on the ship. Then a great storm rose up, and the men on board cast lots to see which man had made his god so angry as to send such a storm. Finding that Jonah was the problem, they cast him overboard and he was swallowed by a great fish! Instantly, the seas were calmed, and the winds were abated; but inside the fish’s belly, Jonah had no peace. In fact, God had sent that fish to teach Jonah a lesson he would never forget. Can you just imagine the smell inside the fish’s stomach and how the acid must have burned Jonah’s skin? After three days, he finally cried to the Lord for forgiveness for his disobedience, and he asked God for deliverance from the horrible fish. “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord.”
God heard Jonah’s cry for help and delivered him safely onto dry ground. The Bible says that God once again commanded Jonah to go preach at Nineveh. This time, he heeded God’s words and went to Nineveh where the Lord used him to bring many to salvation. Aren’t you glad that God gave Jonah a second chance? Just look at how God uses a willing spirit! If God had just let Jonah die in the fish’s belly, a whole city might have perished for one man’s disobedience! What a merciful God we have!
Jonah’s sin was one that we can all relate to; we are all guilty of disobeying God. But maybe you struggle with a different sin that keeps you from serving the Lord to your full potential. It may not necessarily even be a sin in your eyes, but did you realize that putting some hobby, family member, a friend, or a car over God is sin? “Thou shalt have no other god before me.” Exodus 20:3 Sometimes I find myself becoming indifferent to spiritual matters, and I use the excuse that I am just too busy to read my Bible and pray. We are never too busy to do these things. I don’t know each of you personally, but I do know that we each have different problems and besetting sins to deal with every day. These sins can ruin your walk with t he Lord and give you an emptiness inside. Remember that God’s grace is sufficient for you (we know this because He reached down and rescued us when we were lost and on our way to Hell), and His mercy is long-suffering. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 God wants to forgive your sin, and He is waiting for you to come to Him. It is amazing that He gives us year after year sometimes to make things right with Him!
This reminds me of my own parents who won victory over smoking fifteen or twenty years ago. They are now great Christians who are both Sunday School teachers and choir members; Dad is a bus captain at church, and Mom is the head of the nursery department. One of my uncles, who for years would hardly step foot inside a church building, is now a deacon, Sunday School teacher, and the sound-man at our church. God saved another one of my uncles from alcohol, and he is now serving the Lord as song-leader and bus driver in our church. These are just a few examples of how God uses people who come to Him in repentance and want to start letting His use their lives. I have seen God’s mercy shown over and over in my own family. Did you realize that when you are feeling like God is far away from you, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO HAS MOVED – NOT GOD! You have wandered from Him. Thank Him for giving you a new year to start over, and ask Him for forgiveness for whatever it is that is keeping you from serving Him. Put everything else aside, and put God first in your life. Like Jonah, you just never know how He may use you if you will let Him.
In Christ,
Heidi Lesmeister
Isaiah48:18
Hey, Girls! I hope you all had a good year. I know I did. I have a story that I’m going to tell you about my family. It all started on January 22, 2004…My mom usually gets up at about 5:00 every morning to read her Bible and have her coffee. Rachel came up to see the news, hoping our school would be closed because of bad weather, but it wasn’t. Later, when Jonathan and I got up, we asked her a couple of times to call our preacher so he could cancel school. She got tired of telling us ‘no’, so she said to me, “Bekah, if you don’t want to go to school, PRAY!”
So, all of us left for school. Jonathan, Ruthanne and I had been reading the whole way while Rachel was driving. After we went down the hill, we turned the corner to get on the ramp for the highway but hit some black ice. We went sliding to the right, so Rachel tried to straighten it out by steering to the left, but we slid that way and hit the median head-on. We were all okay except for Ruthanne who had hit her head on the seat in front of her; she has a big goose-egg on her forehead and one of the lenses from her glasses is gone. That ‘accident’ totaled our van completely!
When we got home, my mom looked at me and asked, “What exactly did you pray?”
You know, God sure does answer prayer…but not always in the way we think He should, or in the time frame we put around the situation. But, remember that His ways are best.
I’ll leave you with this formula:
PRAYER + PRAYER + PRAYER = ANSWER
Don’t give up praying just because you don’t see an immediate result or answer! Daniel’s answer was delayed for three entire weeks, but he kept on praying.
With a Grin,
Bekah Wark
Whatever It Takes
Written by Ruby Wagenschutz, 11/17/1986
Whatever it takes, Lord, that’s what I’ll do.
My life and my all, I give unto you;
For Jesus, your Son, gave His all for me
By paying my sin debt on Calv’ry’s tree.
Yes, whatever it takes, but excuse me today,
An extra few hours in bed I must lay.
For I’m tired and worn-out; I’m staying at home;
I’ll be there in spirit, but I just cannot come.
I’m sorry, too, that I’ll miss church next week;
There’s a family reunion down by the creek.
And next month, deer season starts Sunday, and so-
I’ll attend, I promise, when I’ve no place to go.
What it takes: Soul-Winning you say?
You know I can’t talk, Lord; I’ll stay home and pray.
Yes, I know the lost must of Jesus be told,
But that’s a job for the young and the bold.
Did you say take a bus route and bring children in?
Those sweet little dears put my nerves in a spin.
But if there’s a job that seems suited to me,
Remember, I’m willing to serve faithfully.
Whatever it takes, but I can’t give today;
Some pressing bills I really must pay.
And I simply could not pass up that sale;
When I can afford, I’ll tithe without fail.
You say there are needs of the Church to be met?
And the Pastor’s salary has not been paid yet?
Well, his needs will be met; You are his supply,
But if I give, I just cannot get by!
Whatever it takes, I repeat it once more;
Your claim on my life, I’ll never ignore.
I want to live holy and walk in your light,
Striving each day to do what is right.
What about those nasty habits that cling?
Well, they are a small, insignificant thing.
And since in all else, I’m faithful and true,
I’m sure You’ll forgive those few things that I do.
When there is a need, just give me a call;
I’ve yielded to Jesus my talents, my all.
To see others’ indifference, my heart sadly aches,
But I’m fully surrendered – whatever it takes!
And the Lord asks, “Did you really say, ‘WHATEVER IT TAKES’?”
“Beginning Again”
It is wonderful that life is made to be lived in moments of time and not large blocks of time. When we fall or fail in some area of life we can choose at that moment to stay down or to get up and begin again. We don’t have to wait for a new year, month, week, or even a new day. We can start over right now!
Is there a sin in your life you are struggling with? You can begin today to get that sin out of your life. Have you fallen in an area that my not necessarily be a sin, but you know is not right for you? Have you done the right thing in the wrong way; without God’s blessing and power? Have you tried to rush God’s hand, not waiting for His perfect timing?
Proverb 24:16 tells us, “…a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again…” We are all human and are sure to fall somewhere, somehow, sometime. The test of our character is whether or not we will pick ourselves up and move on with life.
Beginning again is not easy. The pain necessary to purify us is not always an easy thing to endure. It takes determination, courage, and faith to pick yourself up and move on. It also takes dependence upon God. The easy thing to do is to stay down and get discouraged, to wallow in our own self-pity. We can do nothing in and of our own power. We must depend on God for strength. With His help we can do all things (Phil 4:13).
Change is never easy because we are creatures of habit. We get into our comfort zones and don’t want to budge. Change, beginning again, starting over; these things are usually hard and painful. God uses this pain to purify us as the fire is used to purify precious gold and silver. So not curse the pain. Be thankful for it, knowing that something good is waiting for you at the end of it. Romans 8:28, “And we know all things work together for good to them that love God…”
Perhaps you have never made the most important new beginning of all. Maybe you have never become a new creature in Christ. Not until you realize you are a sinner in need of a Savior; not until you believe on Christ alone for your salvation and ask Him into your heart can you ever make a real and lasting change in your life. You will never look back and regret a life lived for our Heavenly Father.
Chaille Jacobson
“…for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20
I don’t know about you, but I’m a dreamer. When I hear that nothing will be impossible to me if I have the faith, my mind starts to whirl. I don’t need a mountain moved, but when the neighbor’s dog is leaving piles in my yard, it would be neat if I could say, “Remove thou hence to the middle of the lake!” and ‘whamo’ the little guy is doing the doggie paddle on the high seas instead of leaving mines under my trees. Yes, I’ve decided I definitely need more faith. I could have some fun with that kind of faith!
After I think about it for a few minutes, and I get past my malicious feelings toward my neighbor’s dog, I can think of a few people who, if I had that kind of faith, I would really pray that they would get saved. I can think of a church that really needs to have a revival, and a few sick people who need healing. And now that I’m thinking about it, I think we could do a better job reaching our community for Christ. You know, if I had the kind of faith that God promises to honor, I’d pray that the preacher could get a raise, a new car, and could afford to go on a nice vacation with his family. And that one soldier in Iraq, I’d really pray that he would be safe. If only I had real powerful faith, the world would be a better place. I could really make a difference with that kind of faith.
Then again, maybe I should stop wishing I had the faith to make a difference, and ask God to help me have the faith that makes a difference. Did you know that faith is the one thing that anyone can have? There is no age limit, no licensing procedures, not even a qualification test to have faith. More than your church needs talented people for ministry; it needs people full of faith.
Hello there, my name is Bro. Ben Jossund. I am Miss Laura’s principal. She has asked me to write a few articles on faith. I believe we serve a GREAT God, Who can do GREAT things, with not the greatest people. In a day when miracles are scoffed, and God is mocked, it is so important that Christians rekindle a deep desire to have real faith. I believe strongly that God has not changed, and though the world seems to be getting increasingly more wicked, it is simply that we as Christians have a form of faith, but not the faith that pleases God. We can change our world, through faith. Let us pray with the disciples, “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” Luke 17:5
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that his is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
“…Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8
Redeemed, Revived, & Rapture Ready,
Ev. Ben Jossund
Hebrews 11:6
Where does one begin to pinpoint the beginning of God’s work of grace in a life? En-route home from our Zimbabwe trip, Jerry (my husband) asked me how the Lord drew me to Himself. It was a joy to recall major times when I knew (more in hindsight than at those present times) that God had been dealing with me.
I’m very grateful for the home I was raised in. Although not a true Christian home, my parents loved each other and loved their three daughters. My first thoughts of God came as a result of occasional attendance at an evangelical church where Bible memorization and music were stressed. In seventh grade, after hearing a group sing and preach at a community gathering I walked the aisle, seeking peace. Unfortunately, a woman “dealt” with me in a group, handing us decision cards, and praying over us. For years this experience was my claim salvation – although I personally never prayed, repenting of my sin and trusting in Jesus Christ alone as my Savior.
The tree is known by its fruit…The next four years led me down a widening path of sin. My life exhibited no change. That is until I was invited to the Baptist church in International Falls, Minnesota, my hometown. Hearing, and better yet, seeing, the Bible read and lived caused a deep stirring in my heart. But I never seriously questioned my salvation: after all, I had a “testimony”. Things then began to change…but they were the result of my own reformation. I accepted a whole new life of friends, goals, standards, and a change of mind about the Bible and many spiritual truths. Yet, in secret, my heart troubled me over such things as the lack of victory over sin and unanswered prayer.
Following graduation I followed a friend to Bible College where it seemed everything went wrong that first week. In actuality, the Lord was stripping me of all that I was un-knowingly trusting in. Finally, that first Sunday service the preacher made a comment that opened my eyes to the truth. He asked, “Is it works that saves a person?” I knew Ephesians 2:8-9 denied the merits of works in salvation. “Is it WORK that saves a man?” Yes, it was the acceptable, atoning WORK of Jesus Christ on the cross that alone can save a soul. At last, the Spirit revealed to me my lost condition as I reviewed in my mind my own “salvation” many years back. He brought great conviction to my heart wherein I at last saw my true condition. After a miserable service and frightening but ride back to campus (I was afraid I’d die!), I sat on a bench, admitting my lost estate, and pleaded for God to save my proud, wretched soul. And HE DID!
Who would have known then that this country girl from the Icebox of the Nation would someday serve the Lord in South Africa with her faithful husband and ten children?! I’m really glad God leads us one step at a time. And eternal life starts with that first wonderful, humbling step of salvation. No matter where God leads, nor what triumphs or troubles He allows to grace our lives, we’re blessed to be His children. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Debbie Wilhite
Isaiah 26:3, 4
"O, The Deep Deep Love of Jesus!"
Greetings & Salutations!
Hello, Ladies! How are you all doing? I pray that this paper finds you all well and serving the Lord. Things have been very busy here in Wisconsin since we last met. I am sure that things have been sort of hectic wherever you are as well.The snow continues to fall here, and it is all very beautiful. I love the snow, don’t you? I could live without the cold, but I enjoy having the snow around.
In January, we had our Preachers’ Conference and it all went very well. Dr. Jack Parchman is an excellent speaker and I feel very honored to have met him. The Sunday after the actual meeting, Bro. Parchman preached just for our church people. Six people came to know Christ that Sunday morning!!! It was such a blessing.
Well, I suppose that’s all for now…I’ll see you later on in the paper.
For Him,
Laura Beth
Prov 16:33 & Mark 11:22
The Treasure Box
By: Miss Heidi LesmeisterJonah 2:7, “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.”
Hello! Already almost the middle of February, can you believe it?! This year has gone by so fast already that I can hardly keep up with it! Thank the Lord for giving us another year to serve Him better! Another chance to be a better Christian, another chance to be a blessing to someone else, another chance to be a success, another chance to right past wrongs, another chance to……..
Angry at God’s command for him to go preach repentance to the heathen inhabitants of Nineveh, Jonah boarded a ship headed toward Tarshish. Thinking that he could hide from God, he felt safe enough to go to sleep on the ship. Then a great storm rose up, and the men on board cast lots to see which man had made his god so angry as to send such a storm. Finding that Jonah was the problem, they cast him overboard and he was swallowed by a great fish! Instantly, the seas were calmed, and the winds were abated; but inside the fish’s belly, Jonah had no peace. In fact, God had sent that fish to teach Jonah a lesson he would never forget. Can you just imagine the smell inside the fish’s stomach and how the acid must have burned Jonah’s skin? After three days, he finally cried to the Lord for forgiveness for his disobedience, and he asked God for deliverance from the horrible fish. “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord.”
God heard Jonah’s cry for help and delivered him safely onto dry ground. The Bible says that God once again commanded Jonah to go preach at Nineveh. This time, he heeded God’s words and went to Nineveh where the Lord used him to bring many to salvation. Aren’t you glad that God gave Jonah a second chance? Just look at how God uses a willing spirit! If God had just let Jonah die in the fish’s belly, a whole city might have perished for one man’s disobedience! What a merciful God we have!
Jonah’s sin was one that we can all relate to; we are all guilty of disobeying God. But maybe you struggle with a different sin that keeps you from serving the Lord to your full potential. It may not necessarily even be a sin in your eyes, but did you realize that putting some hobby, family member, a friend, or a car over God is sin? “Thou shalt have no other god before me.” Exodus 20:3 Sometimes I find myself becoming indifferent to spiritual matters, and I use the excuse that I am just too busy to read my Bible and pray. We are never too busy to do these things. I don’t know each of you personally, but I do know that we each have different problems and besetting sins to deal with every day. These sins can ruin your walk with t he Lord and give you an emptiness inside. Remember that God’s grace is sufficient for you (we know this because He reached down and rescued us when we were lost and on our way to Hell), and His mercy is long-suffering. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 God wants to forgive your sin, and He is waiting for you to come to Him. It is amazing that He gives us year after year sometimes to make things right with Him!
This reminds me of my own parents who won victory over smoking fifteen or twenty years ago. They are now great Christians who are both Sunday School teachers and choir members; Dad is a bus captain at church, and Mom is the head of the nursery department. One of my uncles, who for years would hardly step foot inside a church building, is now a deacon, Sunday School teacher, and the sound-man at our church. God saved another one of my uncles from alcohol, and he is now serving the Lord as song-leader and bus driver in our church. These are just a few examples of how God uses people who come to Him in repentance and want to start letting His use their lives. I have seen God’s mercy shown over and over in my own family. Did you realize that when you are feeling like God is far away from you, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO HAS MOVED – NOT GOD! You have wandered from Him. Thank Him for giving you a new year to start over, and ask Him for forgiveness for whatever it is that is keeping you from serving Him. Put everything else aside, and put God first in your life. Like Jonah, you just never know how He may use you if you will let Him.
In Christ,
Heidi Lesmeister
Isaiah48:18
There Is Reason to be Joyful
By: Miss Rebekah WarkHey, Girls! I hope you all had a good year. I know I did. I have a story that I’m going to tell you about my family. It all started on January 22, 2004…My mom usually gets up at about 5:00 every morning to read her Bible and have her coffee. Rachel came up to see the news, hoping our school would be closed because of bad weather, but it wasn’t. Later, when Jonathan and I got up, we asked her a couple of times to call our preacher so he could cancel school. She got tired of telling us ‘no’, so she said to me, “Bekah, if you don’t want to go to school, PRAY!”
So, all of us left for school. Jonathan, Ruthanne and I had been reading the whole way while Rachel was driving. After we went down the hill, we turned the corner to get on the ramp for the highway but hit some black ice. We went sliding to the right, so Rachel tried to straighten it out by steering to the left, but we slid that way and hit the median head-on. We were all okay except for Ruthanne who had hit her head on the seat in front of her; she has a big goose-egg on her forehead and one of the lenses from her glasses is gone. That ‘accident’ totaled our van completely!
When we got home, my mom looked at me and asked, “What exactly did you pray?”
You know, God sure does answer prayer…but not always in the way we think He should, or in the time frame we put around the situation. But, remember that His ways are best.
I’ll leave you with this formula:
PRAYER + PRAYER + PRAYER = ANSWER
Don’t give up praying just because you don’t see an immediate result or answer! Daniel’s answer was delayed for three entire weeks, but he kept on praying.
With a Grin,
Bekah Wark
Nana’s Notebook
By: Mrs. Ruby WagenschutzWhatever It Takes
Written by Ruby Wagenschutz, 11/17/1986
Whatever it takes, Lord, that’s what I’ll do.
My life and my all, I give unto you;
For Jesus, your Son, gave His all for me
By paying my sin debt on Calv’ry’s tree.
Yes, whatever it takes, but excuse me today,
An extra few hours in bed I must lay.
For I’m tired and worn-out; I’m staying at home;
I’ll be there in spirit, but I just cannot come.
I’m sorry, too, that I’ll miss church next week;
There’s a family reunion down by the creek.
And next month, deer season starts Sunday, and so-
I’ll attend, I promise, when I’ve no place to go.
What it takes: Soul-Winning you say?
You know I can’t talk, Lord; I’ll stay home and pray.
Yes, I know the lost must of Jesus be told,
But that’s a job for the young and the bold.
Did you say take a bus route and bring children in?
Those sweet little dears put my nerves in a spin.
But if there’s a job that seems suited to me,
Remember, I’m willing to serve faithfully.
Whatever it takes, but I can’t give today;
Some pressing bills I really must pay.
And I simply could not pass up that sale;
When I can afford, I’ll tithe without fail.
You say there are needs of the Church to be met?
And the Pastor’s salary has not been paid yet?
Well, his needs will be met; You are his supply,
But if I give, I just cannot get by!
Whatever it takes, I repeat it once more;
Your claim on my life, I’ll never ignore.
I want to live holy and walk in your light,
Striving each day to do what is right.
What about those nasty habits that cling?
Well, they are a small, insignificant thing.
And since in all else, I’m faithful and true,
I’m sure You’ll forgive those few things that I do.
When there is a need, just give me a call;
I’ve yielded to Jesus my talents, my all.
To see others’ indifference, my heart sadly aches,
But I’m fully surrendered – whatever it takes!
And the Lord asks, “Did you really say, ‘WHATEVER IT TAKES’?”
An Encouraging Word
By: Miss Chaille Jacobson“Beginning Again”
It is wonderful that life is made to be lived in moments of time and not large blocks of time. When we fall or fail in some area of life we can choose at that moment to stay down or to get up and begin again. We don’t have to wait for a new year, month, week, or even a new day. We can start over right now!
Is there a sin in your life you are struggling with? You can begin today to get that sin out of your life. Have you fallen in an area that my not necessarily be a sin, but you know is not right for you? Have you done the right thing in the wrong way; without God’s blessing and power? Have you tried to rush God’s hand, not waiting for His perfect timing?
Proverb 24:16 tells us, “…a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again…” We are all human and are sure to fall somewhere, somehow, sometime. The test of our character is whether or not we will pick ourselves up and move on with life.
Beginning again is not easy. The pain necessary to purify us is not always an easy thing to endure. It takes determination, courage, and faith to pick yourself up and move on. It also takes dependence upon God. The easy thing to do is to stay down and get discouraged, to wallow in our own self-pity. We can do nothing in and of our own power. We must depend on God for strength. With His help we can do all things (Phil 4:13).
Change is never easy because we are creatures of habit. We get into our comfort zones and don’t want to budge. Change, beginning again, starting over; these things are usually hard and painful. God uses this pain to purify us as the fire is used to purify precious gold and silver. So not curse the pain. Be thankful for it, knowing that something good is waiting for you at the end of it. Romans 8:28, “And we know all things work together for good to them that love God…”
Perhaps you have never made the most important new beginning of all. Maybe you have never become a new creature in Christ. Not until you realize you are a sinner in need of a Savior; not until you believe on Christ alone for your salvation and ask Him into your heart can you ever make a real and lasting change in your life. You will never look back and regret a life lived for our Heavenly Father.
Chaille Jacobson
Faith
By: Benjamin Jossund“…for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20
I don’t know about you, but I’m a dreamer. When I hear that nothing will be impossible to me if I have the faith, my mind starts to whirl. I don’t need a mountain moved, but when the neighbor’s dog is leaving piles in my yard, it would be neat if I could say, “Remove thou hence to the middle of the lake!” and ‘whamo’ the little guy is doing the doggie paddle on the high seas instead of leaving mines under my trees. Yes, I’ve decided I definitely need more faith. I could have some fun with that kind of faith!
After I think about it for a few minutes, and I get past my malicious feelings toward my neighbor’s dog, I can think of a few people who, if I had that kind of faith, I would really pray that they would get saved. I can think of a church that really needs to have a revival, and a few sick people who need healing. And now that I’m thinking about it, I think we could do a better job reaching our community for Christ. You know, if I had the kind of faith that God promises to honor, I’d pray that the preacher could get a raise, a new car, and could afford to go on a nice vacation with his family. And that one soldier in Iraq, I’d really pray that he would be safe. If only I had real powerful faith, the world would be a better place. I could really make a difference with that kind of faith.
Then again, maybe I should stop wishing I had the faith to make a difference, and ask God to help me have the faith that makes a difference. Did you know that faith is the one thing that anyone can have? There is no age limit, no licensing procedures, not even a qualification test to have faith. More than your church needs talented people for ministry; it needs people full of faith.
Hello there, my name is Bro. Ben Jossund. I am Miss Laura’s principal. She has asked me to write a few articles on faith. I believe we serve a GREAT God, Who can do GREAT things, with not the greatest people. In a day when miracles are scoffed, and God is mocked, it is so important that Christians rekindle a deep desire to have real faith. I believe strongly that God has not changed, and though the world seems to be getting increasingly more wicked, it is simply that we as Christians have a form of faith, but not the faith that pleases God. We can change our world, through faith. Let us pray with the disciples, “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” Luke 17:5
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that his is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
“…Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8
Redeemed, Revived, & Rapture Ready,
Ev. Ben Jossund
Hebrews 11:6
Amazing Grace
The testimony of: Mrs. Debbie Wilhite, missionary’s wife in South AfricaWhere does one begin to pinpoint the beginning of God’s work of grace in a life? En-route home from our Zimbabwe trip, Jerry (my husband) asked me how the Lord drew me to Himself. It was a joy to recall major times when I knew (more in hindsight than at those present times) that God had been dealing with me.
I’m very grateful for the home I was raised in. Although not a true Christian home, my parents loved each other and loved their three daughters. My first thoughts of God came as a result of occasional attendance at an evangelical church where Bible memorization and music were stressed. In seventh grade, after hearing a group sing and preach at a community gathering I walked the aisle, seeking peace. Unfortunately, a woman “dealt” with me in a group, handing us decision cards, and praying over us. For years this experience was my claim salvation – although I personally never prayed, repenting of my sin and trusting in Jesus Christ alone as my Savior.
The tree is known by its fruit…The next four years led me down a widening path of sin. My life exhibited no change. That is until I was invited to the Baptist church in International Falls, Minnesota, my hometown. Hearing, and better yet, seeing, the Bible read and lived caused a deep stirring in my heart. But I never seriously questioned my salvation: after all, I had a “testimony”. Things then began to change…but they were the result of my own reformation. I accepted a whole new life of friends, goals, standards, and a change of mind about the Bible and many spiritual truths. Yet, in secret, my heart troubled me over such things as the lack of victory over sin and unanswered prayer.
Following graduation I followed a friend to Bible College where it seemed everything went wrong that first week. In actuality, the Lord was stripping me of all that I was un-knowingly trusting in. Finally, that first Sunday service the preacher made a comment that opened my eyes to the truth. He asked, “Is it works that saves a person?” I knew Ephesians 2:8-9 denied the merits of works in salvation. “Is it WORK that saves a man?” Yes, it was the acceptable, atoning WORK of Jesus Christ on the cross that alone can save a soul. At last, the Spirit revealed to me my lost condition as I reviewed in my mind my own “salvation” many years back. He brought great conviction to my heart wherein I at last saw my true condition. After a miserable service and frightening but ride back to campus (I was afraid I’d die!), I sat on a bench, admitting my lost estate, and pleaded for God to save my proud, wretched soul. And HE DID!
Who would have known then that this country girl from the Icebox of the Nation would someday serve the Lord in South Africa with her faithful husband and ten children?! I’m really glad God leads us one step at a time. And eternal life starts with that first wonderful, humbling step of salvation. No matter where God leads, nor what triumphs or troubles He allows to grace our lives, we’re blessed to be His children. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Debbie Wilhite
Isaiah 26:3, 4
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