by Suellen | Bishop Coleman, Lifestyle
Do you get inspired by trailblazers as much as I do?
When I encounter someone who has heard from God and pushed through the brush, making a way for others, I always stand in awe. You know that it takes courage – ignoring the nay-sayers and the obstacles which arise. It also takes dedication, determination, and good old fashioned hard work.
A few years ago, I had the privilege of spending a good deal of time with a trailblazer – and his wife, who is one also.. He has shared some advice for the rest of us, so I thought I would share it also.
1. Be ready for the work involved.
As my husband and I sat in the den of Bishop Hardy Coleman and his wife, I asked, “What advice would you give to younger ministers who really want to make a difference?” Mother Ann, as she is lovingly called, was the first to answer. “They see the glory, but they don’t know the story,” she quickly quipped.
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by Suellen | Prayer, Uncategorized
As I talk to people who are going through tough times, one of the primary problems they face is confusion. Why is this happening? And what can I do about it?
When we are under pressure, it’s hard to think clearly. Our thoughts become cloudy as we deal with the emotions of the moment.
But there are a couple of verses nearly hidden in the 5th chapter of I John which start to push back those clouds. As we ponder those verses, we remember that God is on our side – and He answers our prayers.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.I John 5:14
When I see that verse, I want to meditate on it – let its meaning saturate me.
If what we are praying is God’s will, and if we know that it is His will, then we will have that for which we pray. We’ll have faith in what we are praying and we’ll have whatever we ask.
So then next question, how do we know God’s will?
Simply put, God’s will is His Word. His will is wrapped up in the fact that Jesus came to earth and died for our sins. Then He rose again and sent His Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and restore us to the blessings He had ordained for us. Peace in our families, provision, health – all the blessings we see enumerated in scripture.
So we approach our Handbook – the Words ordained by our Creator to tell us who He is and who we are – the Book otherwise known as the Bible. Then we ask for guidance in finding just that part of His Word which applies to our present moment.
Then we pray. And we know that He hears us and answers our prayer.
To illustrate, I want to tell you about a young man who did just what we are talking about.
This young man’s country had been invaded by a brutal army. He had been captured – along with all of his relatives – and taken into a far country. The times were tough, but he knew his God and remained faithful to Him.
He prayed everyday – and he lived a holy life – even though mean spirited, unholy people were all around him.
Have you guessed by now who I’m talking about? I’m talking about Daniel who had been taken to Babylon.
We can read his story in the Book of Daniel.
After he was taken captive, many years passed, and then…
As Daniel was reading the “Books,” the Holy scrolls which eventually became part of the Bible, he saw where God had spoken to Jeremiah. God had said that the Jews would be in Babylon 70 years, and then He would bring them back to their country.
Daniel sat up straight. 70 years were almost passed. God had revealed the timing, and it was almost time for the Jews to be sent back home.
Daniel began to fast and pray. He knew God’s will because he had seen it in the scriptures. (Jeremiah 29:10) So he prayed for God to send them home just as He had promised. Daniel had great faith for this to happen because He had seen clearly that this was God’s plan. God’s will.
When Daniel prayed this prayer, Darius was king of Babylon. Yet shortly after, Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and became its king. Then God began to speak to this unbeliever named Cyrus. And Cyrus started the process of sending Jews back to rebuild the ruins of their beloved country. To restore the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. (See Ezra 1:1)
Daniel prayed for God’s Word to come to pass and it did!
What would you have done? Would you have prayed for the fulfillment of God’s Word, or would you have just sat around moping and wishing God would do what he said?
Many today are doing the latter.
But there are those who are rising up. They are not settling for status quo, but they are digging into God’s Word and they are praying it back to God. And these people are seeing many miracles.
Isaiah gave us an illustration of this.
Isaiah 55:10,11 For as the rain and snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
So shall My Word be which goes forth from My mouth. It shall not return to Me empty Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
His Word shall not return to Him empty – without accomplishing what He sent it for. And how does it return to Him? When you pray God’s Word back to Him – asking for its fulfillment – you are returning it to Him.
Your prayers help to accomplish God’s will in your life.
That’s what Daniel did.
Now what do you do? What do I do?
Let’s find those words our Father has spoken to us, and ask for their fulfillment. When we do that, we are agreeing with God’s will and we will see the results.
When we know that we are praying God’s will, we have faith for it, and we receive what we pray.
Enough for today, we’ll talk more about this next time.
In the meantime,
Keep on Soaring,
by Suellen | God's Guidance
On the outskirts of Seoul, South Korea stands what many say is the world’s largest church. David Yonggi Cho (formerly known as Paul Yonggi Cho), is the founder and pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church. The latest counts have his congregation close to a million!
His story is an awesome one of a poverty-stricken young man who had an encounter with God on what seemed to be his death bed. He was healed as he embraced the new life from God. From this new-found life he has grown into one of the world’s most powerful men of God.
Needless to say, spiritual leaders have swamped him with requests for advice. How did he manage to inspire so many people? What is his formula?
When confronted with these questions, Pastor Cho’s characteristic wisdom and humor converge as he responds with a broad smile… “I pray… And I obey.”
What a formula!
It seems so simple. Pray and then obey. Whatever God says do, do it.
Throughout the Bible we see this concept in action. Someone will be in trouble and they will call upon the Lord. “What should I do?”
One of the most notable examples of this is David at Ziklag. (I Samuel 30).
He and his men had been away from camp, fighting with the Philistines. They returned to Ziklag to discover a horrible scene. Their camp had been raided and burned. All of their wives and children had been captured – and all of their possessions had been stolen.
There was nothing there but a burned-out camp!
Needless to say, David’s men did not take it well. They wanted to stone him!
Distraught, David pulled himself aside and “stirred himself up in the Lord.” He fasted and prayed and asked God for guidance.
“Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”
God’s answer was certain. “Pursue them. You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
So that’s what David did. He and his men pursued and found the camp where the raiders were gathered and retook all that was stolen.
Just as pastor Cho has done, David prayed and he obeyed.
It seems simple. So why don’t all of us do that? Pray and obey.
The key is knowing what God says. And, of course, what He says starts with His Word.
While you are in prayer, God will impress you with His plans. Then if you continue to listen carefully, He will show you how that lines up with His Word. He will give you scripture which will back up what you are hearing.
Today we have many advantages which David didn’t have. Jesus has come and paid the price for our salvation, and He has given us the Holy Spirit within so that we can hear more clearly.
Also, we now have the Word of God. That’s how you know for sure that God is speaking to you.
We can read the Bible and see what brings life and what brings death. We can see what works and what doesn’t. And we can understand God’s plan more completely.
As we read, the Word will speak to us, and we will have confirmation of what we believe God is saying.
Knowing that God’s plans are perfect and that He always has an answer for our problems, we can count on His direction. And we can be sure that His way is the best way forward.
We pray … and we obey.
That’s the way to the Good Life He has for us. That’s the way to success
by Suellen | God's Guidance
My husband loves to photograph Eagles.
We have spent many days packing gear into our car and driving off to unfamiliar territory in order to catch glimpses of these magnificent birds. We join the quiet, respectful group of photographers who have congregated close to the nests. Then patiently we wait to spot the tiny eaglets as their heads pop up.
My favorite part of this excursion is to watch the adult birds. They launch from the nest in pursuit of food. And they soar.
High, higher, higher…
These beautiful, majestic birds spread their wings to their full extent and they soar. The wind currents carry them and they disappear from sight as they head toward the nearest water or higher hills.
Then you watch them dip and swirl as they allow the wind streams to create the lift they desire.
It’s beautiful to watch.
This scenario reminds me of our lives as Christians.
God has plans for us. Our special purpose to further His Kingdom. Our unique part in His big plan.
You may think of yourself as too small or too insignificant to matter very much to God.
If so, you are wrong. You are precious and extremely important to your Father.
Do you consider yourself a “simple person?” Well I have tremendous news for you! That’s who God is looking for.
God isn’t looking for self-sufficient ones. He is looking for those who rely on Him and His Spirit to live their lives and accomplish His will.
To put it another way, the old adage is true: the way up is down. Down on our knees and down in our own eyes.
Then He will lift you up.
When we insist on doing things in our own strength, we mix our own efforts – even our best efforts – with pride, fear, worry, confusion, and every negative emotion.
Our Father wants our lives to be above all of that negativity. He has many things for us to accomplish, but He wants us to accomplish them with joy. And he desires to work with us to fulfill our part.
So when we start with prayer, reading the Word, and listening for our Father’s direction, something beautiful occurs. We get direction as to what to do. We gain confidence that only comes from time with Him.
And He empowers us to accomplish His task.
Even youths shall faint and grow weary.
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings as eagles.
They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:30-31)
by Suellen | Missions
Recently I was reminded of a powerful story. Larry Stockstill, formerly a mega church pastor from Baton Rouge, was praying about God’s harvest of souls around the world. For many years Dr. Stockstill had been mission-minded. In fact, he and his wife, Melanie, had started their married life on the mission field of Africa. Evangelism had been a passion for him since he was young.
This day was different. His prayers reached deeply into the heart of God, and he found himself crying out in desperation for the lost people of the world. He saw faces of all colors and all descriptions going about their lives oblivious to the Savior God had provided.
And then he saw people standing in a line. They were standing in a line waiting for their day to depart the earth and move into eternity. The line started at his desk in Baton Rouge, went east until it met the Atlantic Ocean and crossed the ocean. Then it continued across Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean and the western part of America until it came back to Louisiana…But it didn’t stop there. It wrapped the earth again. And again. And again. Until the line had gone around the earth 37 times. A line 37 times around the earth of people who were living and would someday die.
But this was a special line. It was a line of people who didn’t know God – and whose lives after death were doomed. These were people who had never received Jesus, even though His blood had been shed for them. Some of them had heard about Him and didn’t want Him. Others had never heard the Gospel.
This picture really impacted me when I heard it.
I couldn’t help but think about Jesus and His final charge to us. Just before He left the earth, He said, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15) Or, as Matthew puts it, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19)
He didn’t say, “Go have a great life.” (Though He wants us to). He didn’t say, “Go and be successful.” (Though He wants us to be a success). His charge was for us to take the Gospel into all the world and make disciples.
This mandate can be taken so lightly. There are sometimes overwhelming issues which take up our time and our energy. We have families, jobs or careers, our own desires, our own ambitions.
He does want us to have a good, happy life. That’s for sure. However, most people are the happiest when they are employing the gifts God gave them. Most are the happiest when they forget themselves and extend their hands and their faith in order to help others. Most are the happiest when they see others being won to Jesus and walking in the newfound grace God has for them.
So what does it take?
This happy, purpose-filled life is not one that is idle or self-centered. This happy, purpose-filled life seeks God and discovers His plans. For some, the “Go” is literal. These people feel a call to take the gospel personally into the world. They pray for provision to follow their leading, and they board planes or trains or cars in order to take the Gospel themselves.
For others, the “Go” really means “Send.” They pray for provision to send to the work, and they have giving hearts to see the mission accomplished. The “Senders” are a part of the plan just as the “Go-ers” are.
Everybody has a part to play. There are no exceptions.
Just think about it. Imagine the day coming when we have finished our lives on earth and we are standing in Heaven with Jesus. Imagine people running up to us and thanking us for what we did for them.
Where are they from? Are they African? Russian? Chinese? Lithuanian?
When we heed the call of Jesus to go into all the world and preach the gospel, whether we are goers or senders, we will reap the rewards. It’s exciting to think about. Think about the joy we’ll have in knowing we have contributed to someone being saved for eternity.
There could be no greater joy.
Let’s do this!
P.S. You may read more about Larry Stockstill and his mission by going to http://surgeproject.com.
P.P.S. You may find out more about my latest missions projects here https://glrobalreachproject.com/blog
