Joan Cook - Women On The Go

2010-01-19T21:16:00.001-08:00

Called to Serve

"Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ." Rom 1:5,6

Let me begin by saying, "You are called to serve Christ." It doesn't matter if you work as an attorney, bus driver, farmer, teacher, convenience store worker, doctor, or professional athlete. When we became bondservants of Jesus Christ, we became called to do His work and live by His will.

Are you like Paul when he said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ"? Do you let your employment define how you serve Christ? Many people do not share their faith or even talk about their faith to others at work, school, or play because they do not think it is their job. After all, isn't that what an evangelist does?

We are all sinners in need of Jesus Christ to save us from those sins. Those of us who have repented of those sins and accepted the life that Christ has for us - the Bible says, let us now walk in that life. You know the truth and the truth has set you free, but there are still many people in this world that do not know the truth. It is in obedience to the Lord's commands that we go and tell them what Christ has done for us.

God may not be calling you to Africa, but He is calling you to walk, live, teach, proclaim, and share what He has done in your life with others. The Christian life is not like cheering for your favorite sports team: some of us might put a jersey and cap on, go to the game and let everyone know who we want to win; or occasionally wear the jersey around town when your team is on a winning streak, or place a flag out your car window to let all who see know who your favorite team is. All these are great ways to let people know who your team loyalty is to, but as a Christian we can not take off our "Christ likeness". We have Christ living in and through our bodies.

Every action we take, every where we go and every word we say are all controlled by the power of Christ dictating His will to us. 24 hours a day - 7 days a week! It is comforting to know that He is leading and guiding our lives. As you go about your day, remember that you are an extension of Christ's body and you are called to serve!

Mighty Men

2010-01-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

Mighty Men

2 Samuel 23:8-12

As I am in the middle of my devotion this morning, the Lord showed me something that I desire to have in my life. 2 Samuel 23: 8-12 describes King David's mighty men. The first was Adino who killed eight hundred men at one time. The second was Eleazar who "arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary and his hand stuck to the sword." Last was Shammah, who "stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines." Each time the Lord brought about a victory for the mighty men.

As I was reading this I began to think about how the Bible described these 3 men. What did they have in their lives that made them mighty? The first thing was, of course, STRENGTH! They were each very strong. Adino was FEARLESS! If you had to fight eight hundred men at one time, you'd have to be pretty fearless or crazy! Maybe he was a little of both! Eleazar had ENDURANCE! He was not going to quit until the battle was won. So he continued to fight until his hand literally stuck to his sword. Shammah was WISDOM! He forged a plan and sat in the middle of a field waiting to attack his enemy. He knew he couldn't take them on since they had gathered together as a troop, so he drew up a plan for victory! He had wisdom to know what to do, when to proceed, and how to accomplish it!

To be a strong mighty warrior for God, we must be fearless. Not looking at our circumstances and how impossible things might be. Not looking at excuses of how it can't be done. But knowing God has our back! We know our enemy quite well and he wants to scare us to death by having us look and see him and retreat. But, that's not what Adino did. He looked and saw his enemy, all 800 of them! Then he looked to God and ran to the battle!

We also must have endurance if we are to accomplish our task. We can never give up! The Bible tells us not to grow weary in doing good because you will get weary! We all do! Sometimes it might seem like there's no end to your situation. You're tired of always fighting the enemy. You can't go on and do it anymore! But, with God's help, you can!!!! Just like Eleazar kept fighting even though his hand was weary and stuck to his sword, he did not quit! He wanted victory so bad that he endured until his enemies were defeated.

It is very important that we do not run ahead of what God is telling us to do. It would have been easy for Shammah to run straight into the troop of soldiers waving his sword and shouting, "Victory"! But, God didn't told him to do something else. We must be wise, as Shammah was wise and listen to what and how God is telling us to accomplish the task He has for us. We must make a plan to ensure victory and stick to it.

We all want to be mighty men and women of God! Adino, Eleazar, and Shammah obtained victory over their enemies and you can too. The Bible tells us that the devil is on the prowl and waiting for someone to devour. As Christians, we must put on our armor and get ready to fight. Not in your own strength, but in the strength of the Lord listening to the orders of our Commander in Chief!

Word of caution: Be sure the battle you are fighting is the Lord's battle, not a battle or enemy of your own! God will prevail when we are fighting His battle, in His strength, but if we are fighting an enemy or battle that God is not directing, you are on your own! In prayer and study you will be able to discern the difference!

Victory is the Lord's!!!

2009-11-18T18:15:00.000-08:00

In 1999, I was in Montego Bay, Jamaica with a team of youth and met a young pastor who was still in Bible School. LeRoy Blackwood was 25 years old at the time and had a vision to reach the young men and women of his country for Christ. He shared with us his dream and frankly, I was a little skeptical. After all, he was 25, in Bible School, didn't have a penny to his name, wasn't even really in ministry yet, but had this enormous plan to reach the island with the Gospel! Thank goodness, he didn't wait for people around him to tell him he could do it, he just started doing it the best way he knew how.

Let me give you a little background on LeRoy. He was raised in a very poor family and didn't even own a pair of shoes. He went barefoot most of his childhood and walked every where he went. You know how some folks talk about walking to school in the snow, up hill both ways? Well, LeRoy walked two miles to school each way, barefoot, in the heat! His family did not have the money to buy his school lunch, so most days he would go without eating only to get home to find they had no food for dinner, either. At 12 years old, LeRoy became the sole provider for his family. He recently told me that he'd thought many times that life was just too hard and he didn't know how he was going to make it, but chose to trust God and lean and rely on His promises and provision.

Well, it's been 10 years since we met Pastor LeRoy Blackwood! He is now married to a wonderful lady named Teresa, and has one son and three daughters. LeRoy is pastoring a congregation that he began in the community of Barrett Hall, plus another congregation in the community of Spot Mountain. He started with a handful of people, an open aired facility that consisted of four poles and a tin roof and now has a beautiful church facility with several hundred people and a school in his church with over 100 children attending . Everything he told us he was going to do, he has done! But Pastor Blackwood is quick to let you know that it is not by his power and might that these things were accomplished, but by His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God has blessed and is continuing to bless his obedience.

Pastor Blackwood was just at our home for a few days and I was reminded of his wonderful testimony. His life has been far from easy, yet he keeps his eyes upward and his focus fixed on what the Lord is calling him to do! What an inspiration to all of us! I pray that his story has uplifted you and caused you to shout as I do, "To God Be The Glory, Great Things He Has Done."

Less of me and more of Him!

2009-11-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

Daily I am reminded that I am not perfect. I say and do things that are not pleasing to God or to man. I don't mind so much not pleasing man, but the thought of not pleasing God really bothers me, and it should. You see, more often than I'd care to admit, my mouth jumps ahead before I think. I react to situations and people in a way that is not characteristic of how a follower of Jesus Christ should act. I intentionally and unintentionally respond in a way I am not proud of.

Why do I do this? Well, I continue to ask myself that question. When you know a better way, why do you choose to do the wrong thing? After a lengthy discussion with my husband tonight, I once again am reminded that life is not all about me! It's so very nice to know that my husband treats me like it is, but I know better. Every time I mess up, I make a conscious decision to go against what I've learned in God's word. I choose to decide on my own what is best! What the best words are, what the best reaction is, what the best decision is. Now, as a Christian I am supposed to have the mind of Christ, so... what I say, do, and how I react should be like Christ. Unfortunately it doesn't always work that way. At least not in my life. Because unfortunately, I don't always listen to that still, small voice of God and obey what He's telling me to do, but think Joan's way is better. And sometimes it does "feel" better to do things my way! Ha, I'm old enough now to know that you certainly can't count on your "feelings" to guide you the right way!

Anyway, I said all that to say that as a follower of Christ who knows there is a much bigger agenda than I can even comprehend, I must be aware of how my words, my looks, my actions and my reactions affect people for eternity! It doesn't matter if I am so right about something, but say it in a way that turns everyone off from listening to the truth I am telling. Just me being right doesn't help anyone if I can't convey that truth in a way that they can relate to and understand.

My prayer tonight is that I will strive to become like the one who convinced others to believe in Him, not by just His words but by His Life! I want to be more like Jesus!