Identification

Hebrews 11:24-26
“By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.”

I returned last week from Niger with a team of six. We had a tremendous time visiting a pioneer work about nine hours from Niamey, ministering to the children and teachers at our school, holding a four-day leadership seminar and ministering to our staff. The Lord ministered in a powerful way and spoke clearly to my spirit that this is the hour for his glory in West Africa.

The final day as our team spent some time with the staff, the Lord gave me a word through Nehemiah chapter one. Nehemiah was the cupbearer of the king of Persia, a position of influence, the cupbearer often served as an advisor to the king. Nehemiah hears of the suffering of his people in Jerusalem who have no protection because the walls are broken down and the gates are burned with fire.

Nehemiah is so moved by the need of his people that he “wept, and mourned for many days; fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:4) He identifies himself with the sins of the people and asks God for forgiveness. In chapter three he asks the king for a leave from his work to go and help his people rebuild the wall. Nehemiah not only put up with opposition, deception and threats from without and within, but also invested huge amounts of his own resources to the task.

With both Moses and Nehemiah, we see men who were chosen and mightily used of God because at great personal sacrifice and by faith they were willing to lay it all down to identify with a people group who were bound, hurting and in need of deliverance. They not only faced opposition from without, but the very people that they sacrificed so much to help constantly challenged them. Yet, they refused to become calloused, bitter, or resentful, but continued to identify with the people to whom God had called them.

As I look over West Africa, the 10/40 window and much of the world today, I see the lives of people torn down by the enemy and burned with fire. It is from these burned stones that God desires to build a spiritual house for his glory. Sometimes these stones are hard to deal with and don’t seem very promising, but God is looking for laborers who will lay it all down to identify themselves with the lost to bring them to Christ.

May the grace and love of Jesus Christ strengthen you and empower you today to effectively identify with those around you.

Andy Clark

God is in Control

As I was contemplating the changes that are constantly occurring in our world, and the challenges it brings at times to our ministry, I was reminded by the verse below that we can be at peace because ultimately God is in control.

“Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything. Riches and honor come from you alone, and you are the Ruler of all mankind; your hand controls power and might, and it is at your discretion that men are made great and given strength.” (I Chronicles 29:11-12 TLB)

I am also reading through the prophets now in my personal devotions. I love looking at history through the eyes of the prophets, which is a God-perspective on history. We see how God raises up and pulls down rulers and nations. God has not changed! He has a plan and He has never failed. Failure is not in His nature. The heart of the king, (president, prime minister) is in the hand of the Lord, like rivers of water He turns it wherever He wishes.” (Ps.21:1) In the chaos of the political and economic conditions in the world today, we need to affirm God’s Word that “He is the Ruler of all mankind, and His hand controls power and might.”

On a personal level I never cease to be amazed at how God orchestrates our personal lives and ministry and works things out for our good. You may be facing changes and challenges in your life and ministry. Some may appear to be positive, while others may seem to be negative. Our response in both cases depends on our trust that God is still “Ruler of all mankind.” Instead of becoming negative, discouraged or frustrated over these changes, I encourage you to try to remember where God has brought you from, Declare His sovereignty over your life and ministry and ask: “what are you doing God and how do you want me to participate in what you are doing?”

When Israel was in seven years of famine, God spoke to Elijah to go to the brook Kerith and “I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” (I Kings 17:4) Commanded is past tense. The provision was already put in place by God. Elijah simply had to find out what God was doing and participate in His plan.

Lord, “we adore you as being in control of everything.” May God grant you the vision to see His plan and the wisdom on how to participate in what He is doing.

Your brother in God’s service,

Andy Clark

New Year's Expectation

As we enter the New Year the question the Lord is asking is, “What are you
expecting from Me in the coming year?” In John Maxwell’s book The 21
Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, the first law is “The Law of the Lid,”
which deals with the limits we put on ourselves and others put on us. We all
deal with limitations, whether it is time, finances, environment, culture,
abilities, etc. I visualize these as the box that we live in.

God, however, has no limitations. He lives outside of the box of our
limitations, and His desire is to draw us outside of our limitations into His
limitlessness. In Ephesians 3:20-21, Paul concludes a magnificent prayer that
our understanding of God would be enlarged by saying, “Now to Him who is able to
do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power
that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all
generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

There are several key statements in these verses. First, God
is able to do far more than we can imagine in our box.
Secondly, the power to do these unimaginable things is at work
in us. So, the potential is there! Thirdly, if we allow God’s
unlimited potential to work in us, it will bring glory to His name. But in order
for these amazing things to happen, we need to begin to expect them to happen.
Here are three reasons we need to get up every morning expecting great things
from God.

Expectation causes us to seek God with persistence.

Psalms 123:2 “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their
masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes
wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.”

Jesus exhorted us to "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will
find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

Expectation causes us to believe God fervently.

Matt 17:20 “For assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and
nothing will be impossible for you.”

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who
comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him.”

Expectation causes us to yield to God.

The problem oftentimes is we want to bring God into the limitations of our
box. We expect God to do things in a certain way within the limitations of human
thinking, understanding and ability. We often want to maintain control, do
things our way. The only way to get out of our box into a limitless God is to
yield totally to Him. When you get on a plane, you lose all control. If you are
afraid to give up control, you will never fly.

I would encourage you as you enter the New Year, to expect great things from
God. Let Him stir up your vision of His greatness and what He has prepared for
you. Yield to Him in faith, and allow Him to carry you out of the box of your
limitations into His limitlessness.

Andy Clark