This is a post from our student friend Julia who is taking on her first semester at a Christian College…
During my first week at Word of Life Bible Institute for Leadership Training, I heard just about all of the WOLBI staff’s testimonies. Some were quite intense and inspiring as the speaker takes you down the long path of their being lost and then explains how Christ wins their heart. Having been born and raised in a Christian home was a blessing to me, but when it comes to giving my testimony, sometimes I can feel like it’s not worth sharing because there are no life-or-death experiences or an extreme conversion. Is this something our world has done to us? We no longer believe things to be significant unless they’re dramatic, eye-catching, or extreme?

Reading Psalm 113 a few days later put a whole new perspective on things. The Psalmist begins by blessing the Lord and declaring how great our God is in all His power and sovereignty. “The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.” (v.4) The Psalm then completely changes gears to speak of Christ’s attention to the poor, and His elevating them to set them before princes. “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even the princes of his people.” (vs. 7,8) Wow. It was then that I realized what a poor perspective I had. My testimony isn’t mine at all. It’s God’s! My life is just what the Lord has given me and chosen to do through me and whether or not I responded to Him and let Him be in control of it. “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for they truth’s sake.” Ps. 115:1

An Amazing contrast of man continually plays out each day as one man can read God’s infallible Word, his eyes spiritually opened, and mind being renewed as he is stirred to respond to God’s Word. To him and me, it is so visibly inspired and filled with intricate treasures, while the other denies the validity of miracles, the reality of prophecy, and the reality of revelation. Once again I am stirred with joy, peace, contentment, and purpose all because of the rational validity of the Bible. Some have made it duty to declare God’s truth, while others also go on record as promoting criticism.

“Unbelief was the antecedent, not the consequent, of their criticism” -Torrey

A recent headline explains of an Ohio school that is being sued after a pattern of four Teen suicides. This article reports of excessive student bulling, for which the school is being charged for not taking appropriate action. The article sadly indicates that as one of teen girls that took her life, as she was laid out in the funeral home in an open casket, was laughed at by the girls that tormented her, because of the pink prom dress that she was buried in. Reminded of how they mocked and tormented our Lord during His crucifixion.

Mar 15:29-32 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest [it] in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

Even the two thieves that were also being crucified next to our Lord reviled him.
Remarkable! The Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus spoke, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” As these thieves looked upon our Lord, beaten beyond recognition, ripped our hair and skin, crowned with thorns, one of them then questions. “Why do we mock?” “We get we deserve.” “He did nothing wrong.” The thief that gripped by his awareness of his sin, said, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Then our Lord said something that is so profound, yet is the simple picture of God’s grace and the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. “Today you’ll be with me in paradise.” Two men, the same distance from Jesus, went to different places for eternity. One went to hell, and the other went to heaven. The only thing that changed was the attitude of the heart. This display was put up before the world so every one can see.

Rom 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation

Always blessed when the Lord speaks through his people…Here is a note from one of our student friends, Julia…
Suffering for one’s faith seems to be such a noble privilege when spoken of in the Sanctuary, but when the rubber hits the road, the energy and excitement tend to wax and wane with moods, atmospheres, and the level of commitment it requires. Yes, there is still the blood rushing through the veins as the heart searches for what to say, and the brain contends with the human will to put the thought into spoken words, but there is still always that nag in the back of the head, “That’s not the verse you want. If you say that, they’ll never look at you the same. They might think you’re a goody-two-shoes if you say that.”

In Philippians 1, we find Paul encouraging the church to stand fast, to grow in love toward knowledge, being able to discern truth, and walk sincerely, “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” (vs. 11) Paul then goes on to explain that the situation he is in, is really for the furtherance of the gospel. “Ok, cool, what happened to Paul?” I start to wonder. He then goes on to say something like: actually, it’s such a great witness- everyone in the palace knows of “my bonds in Christ” and other believers are stirred to boldness by my situation. “Wait a second, isn’t Paul in prison? Isn’t that a direct result of everyone in the castle knowing he’s a CHRISTIAN?! This can’t be what he’s speaking of…or can it?” gasp. He’s praising God and declaring the greatness of the situation he’s in because of its furtherance of the gospel! “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so not also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.” (vs. 20) There ya have it, not only will Paul suffer, but he’ll die altogether; so while I struggle over my words, Paul’s singing praises for the very thing that is causing his suffering.

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” Philippians 1:27

God, give us the burning desire to see thing with evangelistic eyes “toward the furtherance of the gospel.”

After our second day at the castle seeking the Lord with our teen group we engaged in another full day of Worship, Bible Study, and games. Through out the day we were reminded via study that “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.” Psalm 119:1 Reminded of how the way of blessing and the way of cleansing go hand in hand. In between studies, we had launched our annual Olympic-style games consisting of much gut wrenching laughter as the students give a tremendous effort and make themselves vulnerable in accomplishing great feats consisting of team relays, food sports, and human bobsledding. Amazing what fun a roll of plastic, dish soap, a garden hose, and willing bodies can have as the hurl themselves down the grassy slope. There have already been some many wonderful spiritual highlights. It is truly incredible to see our teens standing with outstretched arms worshipping our Lord. This year, like years in the past, we have a time of student led devotions, where we split into girl/guy groups. I was moved to tears to hear about the devotion that was shared by one of our young ladies as she handled the Word with intimacy and had explained that four years ago, she had such hard, rebellious heart, desiring nothing to do with the Lord, knowing that she needed to get right with Him, but wanted the things of this world, but now, her testimony is so sweet and her exhortations to follow our Lord are impacting us in a great way.
What a faithful God!

On arrival of our first night at our Summer Teen Castle Retreat, we so blessed by the students and their eagerness to get away for fellowship and we trust and pray to develop intimacy with our Lord Jesus. After giving to Jesus a fantastic hour of Worship, we began to look at Psalm 119. This will be the text that we will be looking at thought the course of the week. It is the longest chapter of the Bible and deservedly so, since it speaks of the awesomeness and beauty of God’s Word. We began our study by looking at the first eight versus which speak of the blessing of seeking our Lord through His Word with an undefiled whole heart. After a bit more worship at the close of our study, students on their feet, standing and singing their heart out to our Lord, we then unveiled our retreat tee shirt. It has our CORE logo, Christ Owned Ready Ensamples on the front, but on the back, reads the phrase, “Give Me Heart Burn.” This is our theme for this week with the verse from Luke 24:32 “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” Please pray that as our teens seek the Lord this week on the mountain, that our hearts would burn for Jesus and His Word as we open the scriptures.

“And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.”  Exodus 17:1

As the Lord led Moses and potentially two million or so Hebrews through the desert, they came to a place called Rephidim. During a time of unmistakable navigation via a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, Our perfect Lord brought them to a place of need. There was no water. Like always, in time, the Lord had provided. F.B. Meyer writes in his book on Moses:

“If you essay to lead men, you will sooner or later come to a Rephidim. We are distinctly told that it was according to the commandment of the Lord that the children of Israel journey “by stages” from the wilderness of Sin, and pitched in Rephidim. The character of the worker is as dear to God as the work he is doing; and no pains must be spared by the Divine Artificer to complete the design to which He has set his hand. Do not be surprised then, Christian worker, if you find yourself landed in Rephidim. There are lessons to be learned there of incalculable worth.”

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and deservedly so. It speaks of the beauty of God’s Word. The unknown vessel that penned the psalm had written it in an acrostic form. This gives us twenty-two sections with eight verses each. Each section begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. I believe the purpose for the Lord to use this format is for memorization.  I have always struggled with memorizing things for school and certainly have displayed a weakness in my own walk in regards to memorizing scripture. Back in the day, after this psalm was penned, the school children would memorize this psalm. This challenges me! After just completing our Vacation Bible School week, reminded of the power and potential victory over sin in regards to being able to recite scripture. We took one verse and recited it over and over through the week. Placing hand and body signs to it. I now have it in my head and I now own it in my heart. This verse has already been used much for the fight we have against our spiritual oppressor. So many benefits by God’s Word in my mind, in my heart, and on my lips.  I see the benefits via the very structure of the psalm and how it is written, The Lord’s heart toward us memorizing scripture. God has a  plan.

Psalm 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

Always blessed when the Lord speaks through his people…Here is a note from one of our student friends, Julia…

Blind and Dry

Those moments when God feels distant and silent are often the most thought provoking. They leave me considering all the various thoughts and teachings I’ve heard…some say, you’re just in the valley, be still; others say that your only responsibility is to worship, and God will fill you; some say that you need a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit; and common thought and actions all point towards just “acting” the life out, and the feelings will come later. While all of these may be true, there is ultimately only one thing that separates us from God and His presence.

In Ezekiel 9, the children of Israel had fallen into sin, and God instructed “the man clothed in linen” to go through out the city, and mark the forehead of all those that groaned over the sin done “in the mist thereof.” All others who did not receive the mark were to be killed- men, women, and children alike. This reminds me of the seriousness of sin. Am I aware of my sin, and it’s consequences of death and destruction? Am I moved enough to groan when I see it?

Ultimately, God will never leave nor forsake His own. (Hebrews 13:5,6) ”But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8  His silence is not His absence, but merely the separation that I inflict due to my sin.  When leading a large group of children in games, etc, and I know I do not have their attention, I often stop talking till they notice my silence. It’s not that I’ve left them, nor changed my mind about instructing them, I am just simply waiting for their attention.

Silence isn’t absence, it’s patience.

Every man must have a battle plan. Either by negligence or rebellious to knowing God’s standard on purity, when we mix it with our own standard, it can lead us into slavery. Mixtures can destroy people. The Israelites left Egypt for the Promised Land. They were instructed to destroy everything in their new homeland across the Jordan River. The Lord warned them that if they did not, they would adopt the unbeliever’s sinful practices. The Israelites did not take heed. God’s children found it easier to stop short and the very things they left undone became their trap. The Israelites became adulterous in their relationship with God.

Eph 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
KJV

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people
NIV

Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.
NLT

Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart

God’s standard is clear. We need to avoid every hint of sexual immorality in our lives. Every man must have a battle plan!