Hello friends, i just shared this message with my prayer group ladies. I hope these resources and stories help you in your ministry work, personal struggles, and family care. God bless you abundantly.
1. I just watched an amazing documentary movie about a Kenyan businessman Mully and his family. Couple of ministry friends told me about this movie and I am so thankful that I finally had an opportunity to watch it yesterday. Please watch and see for yourself the miracles God did for them. Wow!!! Let’s also keep their family ministry in our prayers. If you also watch their follow-up video, you will see what the Covid lockdown did to third-world countries like Kenya. All the news reports that I have read is true but to see this in video made it more difficult and sadder. It propels me to cry out to God even more and to stop focusing on only my circumstances and my first-world problems. As Mully and his family rescued the abandoned street children in Kenya, you will see for yourself that God faithfully took good care of him, his wife and children too. There are so many miracles documented in this movie as their ministry kept growing. Simply Amazing!!
2. I’ve shared with you before that every summer I pray about what my word-of-the-year will be. Since I follow the academic calendar year, my new year starts in September. I’ve been seeking the Lord again about my word-of-the-year. After watching this movie, I am now certain my word is “Joy”. Now I’ll be asking for a Bible verse to attach with my word.
I used to love the Care Bears Saturday cartoon series growing up in 1980s. I’ve always related most with Grumpy Bear. I’m very good at lamenting, being sorrowful, and gauging from disappointments by having low expectations. I even used to have a T-shirt with Grumpy Bear with a phrase on bottom that said “Just Grin and Bear It.” I think that’s how I’ve been living my Christian life for the past 12 years – clearly not a very good witness for Jesus Christ as Grumpy Bear.
Well after reviewing the classic Care Bears characters again, my new bear that I will try to be this year is “Cheer” bear. And by God’s grace and power, I will go from Grumpy bear to Cheer bear. Please pray for me. This will be a supernatural transformation for sure if you see this happening in me. Now I will pray for this supernatural Joy to bloom within me more in the new year. Also, it is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and so, it is in God’s will to pray for this too.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23(ESV)
If you have never prayed about having a word-of -the-year, please try it this year. It’s a fun exercise to do with the Holy Spirit and sometimes it even gives you a heads-up about your new year too. There are times after receiving my word I knew that it’ll be a very challenging year and then, I’ll actively work on surrounding myself with many mature believers around me and my family. Wouldn’t you want to get a heads-up to plan and pray ahead? Jesus gave warnings to his disciples before he got arrested and left them. Apostle Peter may not have denied Jesus three times if he had heeded the heads-up warnings and prayed ahead for himself as Jesus told him to do.
For your reference, here is my list of word-of-the-year with a Bible verse:
Word of the Year (Academic calendar)
2016-2017 – Courageous
Joshua 1:9 (NIV) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
2017-2018 – Believe
Luke 1:45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.
2018-2019 – Faith
Hebrews 11:6. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
2019-2020 – Seek
Matthew 6:33. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
2020-2021 – Trust
Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP). Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart. And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].
2021-2022 – Victory
Zechariah 4:6 (TLB). Then he said, “This is God’s message to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty—you will succeed because of my Spirit, though you are few and weak.’
2022-2023 – Joy Bible verse?
Also, here is the list of ten classic Care Bears from 1980s. 🙂
3. I used to have a terrible anger problem. Well, I still do but I have learned to manage it well by God’s grace and power, and also by following many safety systems that I adhere to everyday. One is spending a good chunk of time before I start my day in prayer, Bible and devotional readings. It is so important for me to do this that I choose to sleep less than to miss out in my morning quiet time. It’s a must for me, not an option. It feels like putting a daily coolant to surround an active nuclear power plant. It is that important.
When I read the autobiography of Dr Ben Carson’s book “Gifted Hands”, I saw that God supernaturally delivered him from his anger problem in a day. For God’s good reasons, he has not done this deliverance for me even if I ask frequently. Rather, he has given me the time-consuming safety checks to do daily.
Whenever I go away on vacation with my family for more than a week, I get anxious and nervous since it is a harder for me to do these time-consuming, daily safety checks. And so, I ask many good friends to pray for me and my family beforehand. In our recent trip to southern Italy, around day 11 or 12, my anger was very, very close to a full eruption. The only thing that saved me from eruption 🌋 was having knowledge on what I must do when I reach a very dangerous red zone, mainly remember #1 and 2 – 1.Keep my mouth shut and do not talk/text/email. 2. If possible, walk away from the situation or person. 3. Pray about it alone first. 4. Ask others to pray for me if I am still confused and angry. 5. No ministry work until anger has subsided. I’ve repented if I have sinned, ask for forgiveness, say my sorrys, resolve the conflict if possible, etc.
Sicily has an active volcano called Mount Etna. We visited Mt Etna safely with a tour group. There are very few people living around this volcano since she daily spews big, hot steams out of her top. However, because of the rich soil surrounding her, there are farmers who take their chances and grow their vineyards around Mt Etna. Wines from Mt Etna are becoming more popular and recognized in the world today. Fruits and vegetables grown around Mt Etna are amazingly good too. These businesses are taking a big risk since no insurance companies will cover them.
Near the Amalfi coast of the mainland in southern Italy there is also another active volcano called Mt. Vesuvius. We didn’t visit this volcano since she is super quiet and I guess more boring to see since she hasn’t erupted since 1940s. But Mt Vesuvius’ great destruction and power is well documented in their Pompeii museum. People who lived around her were frozen in time by her ashes around 70 AD. Apparently 9 feet of hot big ashes fell upon the city in 24 hours. It wasn’t possible to escape. Our tour guide told us that today there are too many people live nearby Mt Vesuvius due to her rich soil and ideal location; and one day when she erupts it’ll be very, very devastating.
As I was reflecting on these two active volcanos, I thought which volcano am I more of? Definitely, Mt Vesuvius. Perhaps formerly I was more like Mt Etna, daily spewing hot steam so people stayed away or I kept myself away from others. Realizing that I am more like Mt Vesuvius today and also seeing that because I have not erupted there are too many people nearby me now; I am warned even more that I must be very careful about my anger from erupting.
I’m not sure if this anger problem would ever disappear inside of me until I get to heaven. But I have been given everything that I need to keep this anger from erupting. Perhaps you have a different temptation to sin within you. Whatever it is, please bring it out to the light of God’s word, admit that it is a grave sin, and daily ask for God’s grace and power to help you contain the sin from overtaking you.
I remember in my first year in training, I cried so much to learn self-control of my anger eruption. One night, I exploded at Howard in the car with both of my young kids in the back. I went to bed in great anger justifying myself too. The next morning when I was reluctantly discussing it with God in my quiet time and trying to convince God that it was not possible to contain my angry eruption, the Holy Spirit said this to me in His gentle but firm way “What if President Barack Obama was in the car with you; would you have still erupted?” My humbling answer was “I would not have erupted if President Barack Obama was in the car with us.” Holy Spirit showed me that I have no more excuse.
Anyway, I have lots of stories, testimonies and books for you if you also have an anger problem. If you need more resources or prayers, please reach out to me. I totally understand how hard it is to keep the anger from eruption. But I will also be firm with you too. And it gets easier over time, I promise. I don’t remember the last time I had an eruption. Praise God! I mean, I still get angry about situations and people but I don’t erupt like Mt Vesuvius or Mt Etna. Thank God! And thank God that I didn’t erupt in our recent trip to Italy. I came very, very close though. Next time I travel with my family for more than a week, I will ask all of you to pray ahead for us. Since I came so dangerously close from an eruption, now I will have to double down with my daily safety checks no matter what. Perhaps adding a coolant ingredient “Joy” will help me. It’ll be a supernatural miracle if I become more of a joyful person at the end of this new academic year! Please keep me in your prayers. Thank you.
I hope I can be more like father Mully one day. He has a great big smile and always seem joyful while working for God. I hope and pray that this will be possible for all of us. I remember reading that first world countries like the USA have greater depression and suicides than third world countries. God’s people in America need much more supernatural Joy, don’t you think? Let’s pray 🙏 please. With love and prayers from your “librarian”.
What scriptures say about anger- https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/anger-bible-verses/
Journal of Faith 