Did you know that Jesus comes from the tribe of Judah depicted as a lion? Here is a short read and links for further study – https://www.gotquestions.org/lion-tribe-Judah.html

Recently I heard about another Christian friend who is getting a divorce. When I learned about this it really broke my heart because I’ve known her through my church for about 10 years now. She used to come to the Bible study meetings and later to my prayer meetings. We prayed for her to meet someone who is a good Christian man. We were there when she gushed about him. We were there when they married. We were there for her two miscarriages and then a successful pregnancy and birth of a daughter. We were there when she had a near fatal complication from delivery and we intervened to Heaven for her life. Therefore I was blindsided to find out that now they are splitting up in less than 8 years. Not only that both of them are posting on Facebook and implying nasty behaviors against each other and even cheating. I’m so saddened. As I was thinking about their broken marriage and the path of destruction it’s leaving for everyone, I wrote this message to my prayer group ladies the importance of accountability, church community and not being a Lone Ranger Christians. I always felt that this friend always had so much drama and turmoil in her life. As I got to know her better I saw that it was because she didn’t live by the rules in the Bible. She was a hearer but not a good follower of the word of God. Therefore as James said she is deceiving herself. I don’t know her husband well enough but always felt that he was a good solid person – gentle, quiet and loyal. A good combination for my friend who is much more emotional and outgoing. It will be a very difficult long road ahead for their young daughter and the two families as it appears that they are going into a nasty divorce proceedings. I’ll be praying that they will keep their negative comments against one another private on Facebook. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201%3A19-26&version=NIV

Here is another message about the dangers of being a Lone Ranger Christians that I shared with my prayer group ladies. I think even before the Covid lockdown, they became isolated from the church community. She stopped coming to my small group meetings at church and she always blamed work and family busyness. In my opinion, you must make time to gather together with other believers. It’s a house rule that is non-negotiable.

Hello ladies! FYI – if you are a lone ranger Christian then you and your children are in great danger. There are no perfect churches as there are no perfect marriages. Ask the Lord where you should be rooted in and then stay in this church community until you receive several confirmations that you are to move elsewhere. It’s a big deal to change your “lion tribe” so be very careful and cautious about moving church. Your lives are in jeopardy if you choose without accountability and haphazardly. I had about two moments of seriously praying about moving my home church. Both times, I surrounded myself with accountability by asking mature believers to pray for me, and the last time, even asking Pastors Boyd and Dawie at PAC to pray for me since it appeared that I was being led by God to really switch church. That semester I took off from serving at PAC to visit other area churches. In this period, God blessed my visits to other churches and meeting local believers that I would never have met otherwise. Once I knew that it was a semester sabbatical and not a permanent switch, I told Pastors Boyd and Dawie about it, and that I am back to serve again at the church. I’ve been at PAC for 12 years now, serving as community group leader since the Lord commissioned me in my third year at PAC.

The other day I was thinking about my name “Sasha”. I had the fun privilege of naming myself in high school like many immigrant teens did in Queens, NY. I first heard the name in a grocery store. It was their very cute kitten’s name. I turned around to my friend and said to her, “Wow I love this name, call me “Sasha!” Since we all were trying on different American names like fashion clothes, it wasn’t odd for us to try a variety of names. Some other names I have tried are: Linda, June and Jackie. Yes, it was fun to try out different names. Once I became a USA citizen in 1991, I made it official by having Sasha as my middle name. According to the baby naming books, I discovered later when researching names for my children that “Sasha” means “defender/helper of mankind or humanity.” I have been thinking about the meaning of my name because I do feel that my gifting is in being a defender/helper of others, mainly Christian leaders. As I was supporting a new Christian leadership in my area, I asked in prayer what is my role to this person? The Holy Spirit told me, “Be their Jonathan.” If you are not sure who Jonathan was, he was a good friend to David and supported David as best as possible from inside a very hostile palace. Without the “Jonathans” in the churches and workplaces; I don’t think the “Davids” can rise up to take over as leaders for the benefit of the community and its people. Please don’t ever underestimate your role as a Jonathan if you feel like a helper/assistant to a leader. https://www.gotquestions.org/Jonathan-in-the-Bible.html

Besides from supporting Christian leaders through my actions and words, I believe my prayers are the most impactful in shielding the leaders.  Since I have experienced spiritual attacks when leading at PAC, and have witnessed godly leaders fall into temptations at my college church; I am well aware of what prayers these leaders need, and how fiercely the enemy wants to bring them down with scandals or to give up with despair and discouragement.  The enemy wants the entire people in these leaders’ area of influence.  And the younger the age groups these leaders influence, the harder the enemy attacks them.  We must pray continually for youth group pastors and leaders.  This is why I like Moms-In-Prayer weekly prayer sheets.  It always keeps them in the forefront of our prayers.    

One of the things that I have learned in my marriage as a hardcore follower of Jesus Christ while my husband is not, is the art of being “wise as serpents, and innocent as doves.” I think these learned skills are very practical for living life in a country that is becoming more hostile to Christianity.

What does it mean to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16)?gotquestions.org

Please don’t neglect to meet other Christians for fellowship, worship, bible study and prayers. We are warned that in the last days that many people’s loves will get cold. I believe this will start with the lone ranger Christians first. Please do take these warnings to heart right now when your heart is still warm towards Christ. I pray regularly for myself that I will be strong if I ever get seriously challenged for my faith in Jesus Christ. I think it is wise to start praying this for ourselves in the USA. I continue to hear more stories of Christian leadership being jailed and harassed for their faith in countries that didn’t have persecutions before to hardcore Christ-followers. If I live in these countries, I would probably be taken to jail in the first round-up of Christians since I am a community group leader at my church.

I think preparation is the key to not abandoning your faith in challenging circumstances. I read a Christian mom telling her young children to not denounce Jesus Christ when they are rounded up and that if they decide to shoot them that the gun shot will only hurt for one second. She reassured her children that they will meet up in Heaven immediately. She and her children did get killed by their persecutors. This mom prepared herself and her children in advance and because of this mom’s preparation, they took the same bus to heaven! Praise the Lord Jesus!

Fortunately, we are not in a hostile country where we are rounded up by authorities for our faith. I hope and pray that it’ll stay this way in the USA. Please use your religious freedom wisely, and if you have believing children and grandchildren, please pay more attention to their spiritual conditions more than their physical needs and career goals. Afterall, what is the benefit of acquiring the whole world for 70-90 years, if you lose your soul for all eternity?

I was in year 6 of following Jesus Christ and I was trying all kinds of different ways to get my prayers answered for my family members’ salvation – anointing oil on their beds and rooms, praying with fasting, declaring God’s word in the house, praise music in their rooms, speaking with my gift of tongues in their rooms, and many more “doings” that I heard to do. I really thought that since the walls of Jericho fell in their seventh circling, that my family members would be saved in year 7 too. I thought that I needed to make as much noise as possible just like the Israelites did. But they were commanded to do this by God. I did it because I heard stories from many well-meaning friends who cared for me and probably frustrated as I was on why it was taking so long. Year 7 came and went. The reason why I didn’t get discouraged and lose faith is because I heard a private word from the Lord. I believe the Charismatics call this a “word of knowledge.” I was driving on a local road and I suddenly heard a very gentle and kind voice of the Holy Spirit. He said that just like I have a to-do lists on my phone planner which is always before me until I check it off once done, the salvation of my family members is always before God too. He also said that salvation of others is not the same prayer request as asking for a baby, a new job or healing because it involves the free will of another person.

Ever since I heard this word of knowledge about my situation, I developed a peace in not working with my own efforts for someone’s salvation. Instead, I pray and add their names into God’s to-do list on His planner. He has a very long list of people that I have added over the years!

By the way, if I clearly hear from God that I should start making lots of noise and circling my house to make a Jericho wall fall, trust me I will. That’s easy and more exciting to do. Waiting patiently for God to answer my petitions is much harder to do and very humbling too.

Billy Graham has very good articles and advice on biblical truths on this link. Please read through them all when you can. The more biblical truths you know, the less you will be tossed about by wrong doctrines and influencers in the world and also in your church and family. I discovered that there are many wrong doctrines. How do I know? Because I study my bible so much in the last 12 years. I also discovered that you really can’t go wrong with Billy Graham’s writings. Please read his articles on this link and on his website. https://decisionmagazine.com/billy-graham-the-answer-for-our-problems/

Happy studying! May God bless your studies abundantly! With love and prayers from your librarian.