Forgive.. Forget.. Never Lose Faith!

Don't "Just" Pray

I read the following passage (see attached image) as my morning devotion and was very challenged by it! I often pray 'just' prayers because I dont want to seem needy/greedy or I don't want to put myself 'out there' too much. I challenge Yup (and myself!) to really stand firm on your faith in your BIG God and to pray all out!- whether it is for your own needs or the needs of others, fully commit to the prayers you pray today for the changes you want to see in the world.

Blessings!

Ronell x

Help The A21 Campaign: fast & pray on the 21st

One of the organizations whose work I feel extremely passionate about is The A21 Campaign, founded by Christine Caine, which fights for the rights and freedom of those entrapped by modern day slavery and human trafficking.

This evening I want to revisit a previous post of mine on 21 ways that we can help the A21 Campaign do the amazing work that they do. Suggestion number 12 is to fast and pray for the abolition of modern day slavery on the 21^st of every month. Guess what, you’re in luck! Tomorrow is the 21^st!

So I challenge you to sacrifice some food tomorrow. Whether it is giving up snacks, or one or two meals, or maybe only having liquids, I challenge you to make a sacrifice and spend some extra time praying specifically for the freedom of those trapped in human trafficking and modern day slavery!

Blessings!

Ronell x

First, Do What Is Right

So today I’ve been faced with something that has really (once again) tested my patience and caused me some serious anger and resentment. I tried to react patiently and gently, but I’m not convinced I was fully successful unfortunately. As I sat down to write this post this evening, I first stopped to pray. As I opened my browser, I read Joyce Meyer’s post for today entitled ‘First, Do What Is Right’. It really spoke into my situation and encouraged me to pray for the people who are hurting and angering me, rather than staying angry and resentful and becoming bitter.

I will definitely be following the advice in the passage below and hope that you will be inspired to do the same!

Blessings!

Ronell x

Invoke blessings upon and pray for the happiness of those who curse you, implore God’s blessing (favor) upon those who abuse you [who revile, reproach, disparage, and high-handedly misuse you]. —Luke 6:28

When we make a decision to forgive, we probably won’t feel like forgiving. After all, we have been treated unjustly, and it hurts. But doing the right thing while we feel wronged is extremely important to our overall spiritual growth. It also glorifies God.

For many years I tried to forgive people when they hurt or offended me, but since I still had negative feelings toward them, I assumed I wasn’t successful in the forgiveness journey. Now I realize that no matter how I feel, if I keep praying for the person who injured me and bless rather than curse him or her, I am on my way to freedom from destructive emotion. To curse means to speak evil of, and to bless means to speak well of. When someone has hurt us, we can refuse to speak evil of them, even if we’re tempted to do so. We can also bless them by talking about their good qualities and the good things they have done. If we look only at the mistakes people make, we won’t be able to like them. But looking at their whole lives gives us a more balanced picture of them.

You cannot wait to forgive someone who hurt you until you feel warm and loving toward that person. You’ll probably have to do it while you are still hurting—when forgiving is the last thing you feel like doing—but doing it puts you in the “God league.” It puts you squarely on the road that is “narrow (contracted by pressure),” but leads to the way of life (see Matt. 7:14). It puts you on the road that Jesus Himself traveled on. Don’t forget that one of the last things He did was forgive someone who didn’t deserve forgiveness, and He did it while hanging on a cross being crucified (see Luke 23:43). I think some of the last things that Jesus did were specially designed to help us remember how important those things are.

Trust in Him: You may want to feel better first, but God wants you to do what is right first, which is to forgive. When you do, you are putting your trust in God.

{From the book Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer}

International Justice Mission Prayer Update

I received the following prayer update from the http://www.ijm.org/ (US branch / UK branch), so my post today is a prayer request of IJM’s behalf. Please take the time to pray for/into the situations mentioned below:

Africa: Praise God that several cases of sexual violence against children ended last month, with several perpetrators convicted of sexual assault in Rwanda. Pray for these girls and boys and their families as they heal from the abuse and pray for the IJM social workers who are walking beside them. Though their road to recovery will be long, we thank God that this act of justice is now an important milestone in the lives of our clients.

Latin America: In Bolivia, Brianna’s* mother is suffering from serious health problems. (Brianna was previously raped by her landlord’s brother and gave birth to a daughter as a result. IJM has walked with her family for the past several years). Pray for wisdom and healing for Brianna’s mother, as the appropriate surgery may be quite risky. Please also pray for Brianna, who already carries a heavy load caring for her daughter, working and going to school.

Praise God for the fourteen churches in La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia, who are ‘doing justice’. Pray that God would continue to work within these churches to build the movement for justice against child sexual violence in Bolivia and that in this coming year new churches would grow a passion for justice.

South Asia: Pray as IJM searches for Chaitra*, a young girl who was trafficked for sex. Last year, the police called IJM for help with a rescue operation, but the place where she was believed to be trapped was empty upon arrival. IJM has been searching for Chaitra ever since. Please ask God to show us where Chaitra is hidden, so we can help bring her out of darkness and into light.

Praise God for a massive rescue operation last week in South Asia: 149 were rescued from a life of slavery in an abusive brick factory! Ask God to grant each person peace and renewal of spirit and body as they begin new lives in freedom. (Read more about this rescue operation).

Southeast Asia: Pray for a breakthrough in Thailand, where IJM is advocating for hundreds of people who qualify for legal status as Thai citizens. Without citizenship, stateless people are extremely vulnerable to violence and exploitation like trafficking. In a single district in Northern Thailand, IJM is advocating for 800 citizenship applications that were filed last year. Ask God to give IJM favour with the government officials who are in charge of processing these applications. And ask God to protect the 800 people who are waiting for their citizenship rights.

HQ and Partner Offices: Pray for IJM Canada as they launch a campaign aimed to petition the Canadian government to include a focus on apprehending and prosecuting Canadian traffickers and child sex tourists living abroad in the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking.

Pray for the IJM staff speaking at the Freedom Summit on 25^th – 26^th January 2013, as they teach how to take practical action on behalf of those in modern-day slavery. Pray that the participants would be encouraged and equipped to promote justice for the oppressed.

Blessings!

Ronell x

“ ‘Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.” {Jeremiah 1:8}

21 Ways to get involved with the A21 Campaign (9/21): pray!

Human trafficking is nothing short of evil, but don’t underestimate the power of prayer.  Whether you opt to pray on the 21^st of every month, or the 21^st hour of every day, prayer is important!

As a Christian, I believe that prayer is not only important, but essential. Prayer is not only a way of petitioning God, but also is key to developing a relationship with Him. I am glad that the A21 Campaign suggested prayer as one of the 21 ways to help the campaign. To me it seems like an obvious response, but often it is the most obvious things that we fail to say/note. I realised that in most of my posts, I have not suggested or even mentioned prayer! I just want to emphasise that I believe wholeheartedly in the power of prayer and that my recommendation is daily prayer. When you read this blog, pray for the causes mentioned, and if you are able to give of yourself financially, please do so.

Below is a small selection of scriptures that give us a biblical perspective on the power of prayer:

Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it

Matthew 21:21-22 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

If you would like to obtain a prayer guide, please click here to download or contact the A21 Campaign to request a hard copy. For other resources from the A21 campaign, please click here.

Blessings!

Ronell x