T.J.I.F.A.
Thank Jesus It's Friday...Again!

Pass It On

PASS IT ON...
February 22, 2002
Subject:   BOLDNESS  FOR CHRIST SAKE
1. There are many missed opportunities  to witness for  Christ.   Sometimes a person just needs an encouraging word or a prayer. Ask God to give you another position to help someone along this journey.
2. God speaks vividly in dreams to the listening heart.
3. Noteworthy: R. Bonke has am amazing  testimony.
4. In the Mirror: Are you one who never takes a risk?  (This doesn't mean gambling.)
We are in the midst of the Resurrection Season.  I pray that you are praying even more .  Give God some more time.  Love some one with the love of God.  
I really appreciate my husbands help with this letter.  Thank  you   SLC
See ya next time- I pray.
Looking Forward
BOLDNESS
FOR CHRIST SAKE

17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19We love him, because he first loved us   1John 4 :17-18-19.


It has always been a mystery to me to see a cat stuck in a tree, but as I have thought about it this is my conclusion.  A cat starts by attempting to sharpen his front claws.  We've all seen them do that.  While in the process of getting his front paws groomed he then brings up his back feet.  He then, by reason of his own nature to go forward, begins to go higher and higher, he will not let go.  He has grabbed a hold of a tree trunk that is bigger than he and refuses to turn it loose because he just might FALL, and everyone knows that cats don't like to fall. So the nature of a cat is to grab hold of something bigger than himself and refuse to let go.

In 1985 - I had a day off.  I didn't feel good.   I covered my head and snuggled way down under the covers, nice and warm.  I thought if I can get enough sleep I'll be alright.  I was dozing off and on kind of woozy when I saw a number - four digits.  I thought God what is this?  Back to sleep I went.  Then I saw a three digit number with a dash.  I went back to sleep.  I saw the whole number and it scared me into complete awareness.  It was a telephone number, and I could remember it real good.  

I had a sense of urgency in my spirit; I dialed the number with various area codes...Cleveland; Pennsylvania; New York;  Detroit; Chicago; NONE of the numbers worked.  Now I was frenzied.  I prayed... Lord Why did you show me this number and none of the area codes work?  Am I mad?  Quietness. Just dial the number!  I dialed the number (Then,  we didn't have to have an area code to dial locally.)   

The phone rang.  Now I wondered what  should I say  to this person.  A young woman answered the phone, it was still early in the morning.  I said to her "Don't do it.  God said that He loves you very much."  At first she was offended until I told her that God woke me up and gave me her phone number, and that at this time she was wearing a beautiful long black slip and her hair was up.    She began to cry as did I.    I asked her if I could pray with her and she agreed with me.    

We talked and she told me about her grandmother who was a praying woman.  She also told me that she had just bought the black slip.  It was brand new and that she wondered if God loved her.  She also told me that I had interrupted her and that she was glad that I did.  When we hung up, I was no longer feeling sick.  We had both met The Great Physician.

What if I hadn't called?  What if I had gone back to bed and brushed off the phone number?  What f  I hadn't been off that day?  What if I had coward out?  Right.  No one would have known.  Not even me...until I reach heaven and see that young woman who could have lived long enough to ask forgiveness for sin had I called.  

Our lives are all about bringing souls into the Kingdom.  Our lives are all about being bold in Christ.  Our lives are about using the gifts of the Spirit to the benefit of the Kingdom of God.  
Boldness in Christ, at the time, feels as if you've gone stupid, because you are not playing by the rules of the world.  The world says if it doesn't come through the five physical senses, then it is not real.  Boldness n Christ says, ‘I'll use the physical senses after you are rooted in   the Spirit.'

May I give you another example?  My children and I went to a Mall one Saturday.  We weren't doing anything special, but everyone was hungry for something different, so we went to the Food Court, where all needs would be satisfied.  My appetite wasn't great, but my  children kept up the coaxing and finally they ordered for me a large French Fry and something hot to drink.  The fries were good, and I became pretty engrossed in pleasing my palate when someone kicked my chair.  Boom.  I tried to move out of the way of whoever was behind me, but the chair didn't move.  I went back to savoring the fries.  Boom.  Now I look to see where my son is, because he has a busy spirit and perhaps he bumped me.  I looked behind me...no one.  My son was across the table from me.  My daughter was next to him.  There is only one other person at the table and it was a young girl, and I don't know when she arrived.  

The fries were not longer of interest to me.  All at once I felt sick and so, so sad, I looked at the young girl and she was crying.  I thought that she was doing homework, but in the end I knew that she was writing letters of departure to her friends and family. .  BUT GOD!  Intervened and once again told her, "Don't do it.!  God loves you so much."   She cried so hard at that table, and so did.  We prayed, right there in the Food Court, my children joining in.  She tore up the letters except one.  It was for her father and it was a letter of love.  She wanted her father to know how much she truly loved him.  When she walked away, I noticed that she was in early pregnancy.  Two for the price of one!

What if?

Having Boldness in Christ means that we, like the cat, grab hold to things that are too big for us and don't turn loose until we have reached the top.  Then wait for our change to come. Boldness means that we cross the barriers of race,    color, creed, political choice, nationality and religion.  Boldness will keep others coming into the Kingdom of God.  

We must put away our pride and phoney meekness.  We must reach out to a hurting and dying world.  We must show the love of God in all arenas.  The Food Court.  Your job;  The Bus;  The train.  We must come out of where we've been and go to the outer limits.  We boast of being called to Evangelism, but do you have to have a pulpit to evangelize?  How much boldness does it take to climb into a pulpit to Evangelize where everyone's expecting you?  I'm not being funny here.  I want to encourage you to be BOLD.  There are so many hurting people, who don't ever go to church.  Come on and let's  help reach them.
God Bless you
Looking Forward
TER  
 
NOTEWORTHY:
Rhinehart Bonke  claims to have been instrumental in bring 8.6 million converts to Christ. He minister mostly on the continent of AFRICA and was called to preach at the age of ten.  His testimony is that he never  even kissed another woman except his wife.  He has a very powerful healing and salvation ministry.   



IN THE MIRROR:
These words were taken from The Word for Today pertaining to risk.
To laugh is to risk appearing a fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out to another is to risk involvement.
To expose your feelings is to risk rejection.
To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ridicule.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure.
But Risk must be taken because the greatest risk of all is to RISK NOTHING.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and IS NOTHING.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he can not learn, he can not feel, he can not change, he can not grow, and he can not LOVE.
Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave.   Only the perso who risks is truly FREE.
Submitted  by SLC