Friends, this is the first in a series of articles on things the Lord has been teaching me in the last year and a half. My foundation for this article is Am I My Brother's Keeper? Here I am going to share some principles I've been privileged to walk since my children have grown and I've begun searching for God's place and purpose for me in His world.

As I've mentioned before, I started training to be a volunteer counselor at our local Crisis Pregnancy Center in February 1999. Then in November, I started working for a Christian organization whose mission is to care for women and children who are homeless for various reasons. Why did I want this kind of work?
--Because my gifts are in the areas of counseling, teaching and prayer, and I need, when God leads to go in the direction of my gifts.
--Because God made me my brother's keeper.
--Because I want God to use me to share His love and grace, which can heal any wound no matter how deep.

However, I have confirmed what I suspected: to know these things, even to believe and follow them with all my heart is not all it takes to walk effectively as the Lord's hands and heart in this hurting world. I may still not act as His representative unless I learn not only my giftings but His ways which are higher than mine. If I go out to battle with only mans' weapons or man's understanding of when to use God's weapons, I will suffer defeat.

Why? For one thing, God's enemy worked hard to get these women and children into a position where he has almost destroyed them, and he has no intention of giving up easily. For another, many of these women who are hurting from abusive marriages and/or severe drug or alcohol addictions are already familiar with the church and its claims. Many of them can share the concepts of Christianity as easily as I can. Here I've run into the very same situation I described in Stones of Religion or the Bread of Life.

This is a war-to-the-death, friends. Satan is not playing fair. This is also a war we must not take lightly or lose, for as the Body of Christ we have been commanded to bring Christ to the world. See 2Cor 5:18, Matt 28:18-20, and Ezek 34:20-22 for starters. In both Old and New Testaments "sheep" are charged with watching out for other sheep. In the New Testament we are also charged with finding lost sheep. We will not be able to use as an excuse that the battle was too hard, for our God says through those spiritual warriors who have gone ahead of us:

Ps 144:1 Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. - The Lord will be our strength and our Teacher in this battle He is calling us to fight.

Ps 44:1-3 We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what You did 2With Your hand You drove out the nations 3It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You loved them. (NIV) - The Lord will bring the victory as we do the fighting He ordains.

Eph 6:10-14 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done every thing, to stand. (NIV) - As we learn to use His armor when and the way He wants us to, we will do everything He commands and we will be able to stand.

Also Jesus said in Matt 16:18 ...That ...upon this rock [of revelation that He is Christ, the Son of God] [He] will build [His] church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. - This is a promise to us, friends, that if we do what God asks of us, God will bring the fruit, for He told us that when we speak His Word by His Spirit that (Isa 55:11) [as His] word ...goeth forth ...it shall not return unto [Him] void, but it shall accomplish that which [He] please[s], and it shall prosper in the thing whereto [He] sent it.

Despite all of God's assurances, however, I have found myself overwhelmed sometimes. I know, though this is one way God teaches me. This is when I rediscover that man's programs and my ideas don't work. Because I am my brother's keeper, I must admit things aren't working and get on my knees and sometimes my face before God, asking Him what I should do or how I should respond to the problem.

This also is where I'm tempted to quit. I hate feeling weak and helpless. - God's way isn't easy; it holds me accountable to stay and see things through till I get His answer. I remain uncomfortable - but as I stay before Him and obey Him step by step, I begin making headway. At first I discover what I don't know, or what I'm confused about. Yes, the confusion gets worse before it gets better! I begin to understand the questions, the issues, and what I need to ask. I find in my desperation that I am continually brought back to Matt 5:2-16. As I admit my need for God and demonstrate that need by continually giving Him no rest and waiting before Him, my heart grows soft and humble. This, friends makes me receptive ground for revelation.

Now to get back to my title, Living the Revelation. In a nutshell, some of the "general revelations" I have operated under during this season (as well as earlier ones in different ways) are:
--Because of Jesus, I am my brother's keeper, and cannot ignore need around me.
--I am also my Father's daughter, and need to find out what gifts He's placed in me to fulfill His plans and purposes.
--Whenever I approach a situation God puts me in, I must approach it as a learner. I must keep my heart, eyes and ears open to the things around me. If there is a system already in place to do the job God's given me, I must learn it, and after I have learned it, I must also be sensitive to what works and doesn't work about that system. I am never just a robot, and I cannot approach my God-given assignment or job as one. This is where I begin to "make a difference," because I know God didn't give me my position just to fill a seat.
--If I see snags in the system, the first, second and third thing I must not do is ignore it or criticize it. The first, second and third thing I must do is pray, pray, and pray. How do I pray? I go through the process described in the paragraph above.
--If I see no snags, I start asking Him why He put me here, who or what He wants to touch through me.
--As I humble myself before God, He will always begin to speak to me about the situation. Why? This is where He wants to use me as opposed to someone else. I was put here for such a time as this - and as He does the work He desires in me, He prepares me for what He wants to do through me.

I believe these principles hold true for everyone who wants to be used by God in our world today. I have heard it said that "God is going to put obedient Christians into some very difficult circumstances that others haven't been able to do anything about. That's why He's putting you there - because you will prayerfully take on your responsibility before God and listen for His voice, His will, His plan in the matter. That's how He is going to make a difference through you."

Friends, I believe that's so, and I am preparing and training for those very opportunities. Even during my training I learn new lessons along the way if I approach each new situation (whether it involves a job, a volunteer activity, a church committee, ...) with a right attitude. I come and go at God's direction, and my real accountability is to Him. That takes some of the pressure off, knowing my Boss is my very best Friend and my Lord.

In the next part of this series I hope to go into some specific things I have been learning, for I've heard it said that if I can teach it I've truly learned it. As you read these articles, I would very much enjoy learning from your experiences as you "live the revelation." Feel free to e-mail me. God bless you till next time. --Barb

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