Operation 17

The Power of Words W r i e n b N i c h o l a s B a r k e r

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. And on the second day God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. God then said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seedbearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” Over the next few days, God said, “Let there be creatures in the waters, birds that fly and animals on the land all according to their kinds.” Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:1-27 The above is a slightly summarised version of Genesis chapter 1. And what I would like to write about today is the way in which the Lord created. You will see that in each instance God spoke the world into being. With each new creation it starts with “…God said, ‘Let there be…”. With the words of His mouth He spoke and there was light; He spoke and there was the sun, moon and stars; He spoke, and the sea’s boundaries were set; and the dry ground formed; He spoke, and the animals, plants, birds, and sea creatures were created. He spoke… and creation came forth. Eventually He creates mankind in His image and likeness, and soon mankind discovers that he too

can speak. And in the same way God’s words carry power, so too do our words, and what we say carries power. We see evidence of this in Genesis 9, after the flood in a rather peculiar story: Noah is shamed by his son Ham, and in his anger, Noah proclaims, “Cursed be Canaan (Ham’s son)! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” He then proclaims of his other sons Shem and Japheth, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend Japheth’s territory; and may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.” From history we have seen that the power of this word spoken by Noah came to pass, and many of the descendants of Canaan still live under this curse today. As for Shem, the scriptures tell us that Abraham was his descendant, and most of us know about God’s promise to Abraham. But what enables us to speak words? Is it none other than our tongue? James speaks, “When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” Finally Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” With our tongues we speak life or death, we create or destroy. It is not bad to speak death, provided we are speaking death to sin and evil, and not to one another. Friends, today, be mindful of your words because they carry weight and power. Power to lift up, or to tear down. When you speak, may you do so, as one who speaks the very words of God – 1 Peter 4:11. Amen.

Choosing to Follow the Good Shepherd

W r i e n b M e a g a n T a l o r

God refers to us as His sheep. His valuable sheep. Out of all the animals that God could have chosen, he chose sheep. That really made me wonder - what could sheep and I possibly have in common? So, here is what I found… Sheep have an innate desire to follow other sheep. This ‘flock mentality’ means that they follow whomever the bold and courageous leader is. They stay in a group and get very anxious when left alone. They are vulnerable to prey when left alone and easily get scared and quickly scatter when something frightens them. They also depend on their acute sense of smell and hearing to warn them of any lurking danger. Do any of these traits sound

Who are you choosing to follow? Our Good Shepherd is beckoning us towards Him!

familiar? We too, just like sheep, have an innate desire to follow. We find comfort in a good leader. Be it a father, mother, or church leader. Unfortunately, some are prone to following bad leaders that may lead us into bad places. If we do not pay attention to who we follow, we could end up far away from safety. Just like sheep, we are vulnerable when isolated and easily led astray from the good Shepherd. We need to be in community with other believers. If we are not we, like sheep, wander away from God, the church, and the Word. This results in our lives unravelling and then we blame God for abandoning us when it’s us that abandoned Him. We need like-minded people around us, to encourage us and keep us accountable. Finally, we need to trust our Shepherd, our leader. We need to trust that He is looking out for us and has our best interests at heart. We need to stay connected to God’s word and that only comes by reading scripture. If we do not know God’s word how can we trust it and how can we follow Him? We need to make an intentional choice to follow Jesus every single day. We need to say - where He goes, I am going, and I will listen to His voice and run after Him when He calls. Listening to His voice is key for the renewal of our thoughts and actions as we follow the true and wonderful Shepherd every single day. CBN partners, I want to thank you for committing yourself to following Jesus by helping people in need. Many people have good intentions but never follow through. It takes obedience to follow Jesus when He says, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward them for what they have done” (Proverbs 19:17). Thank you for being obedient to God’s word and choosing to support the most vulnerable in our community. Your generosity and support mean so much to those that receive it. God bless you as you continue to love and follow Jesus with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind and as you continue to love your neighbour as you love yourself.

Know someone who wants to follow the Good Shepherd in obedience? They can reach out to us on: prayer@cbnsa.org or WhatsApp us on +27 71 763 3810.

This is the story of Moorian

O r ph a n ’s P r o i s e U pda e | Wr i e n b L e o n i e N o r j e Moorian is one of the learners Redcliffe Educare class of 2020. Her that attends Crossroads Redcliffe daughter, Nomcebo, was a pupil in Educare. Moorian lives with his the 2017 Educare class. She was mother, Nelisiwe. His father does so excited to have another child in not live with his family and Nelisiwe our school. She says that because is a single mum who relies totally on of the solid educational foundation child support grants to take care of her daughter Nomcebo received Moorian and his 4 siblings. from us, she performs so well in Life is difficult for the family as Redcliffe Primary School. they live in a small shack built at Now , 4 months into the year, Madoni Tree community. Stepping Moorian is settled into a routine inside their home you are abruptly of having breakfast and lunch, welcomed by the stark reality of their participating in stimulating consuming poverty: it is dirty, dark, educational lessons and enjoying and dank; and everything is covered playtime with his classmates. He in dust. Their 2-roomed home is has warm and comfortable shoes used for everything: eating, sleeping and clothing, and a monthly supply and cooking. The rooms have little of soup from Crossroads. ventilation and when it rains, the house floods. The home has no electricity, poor sanitation and no running water. Nelisiwe tries her best to make a living from odd jobs in the neighborhood. She recently started a spaza shop to sell odd Our educators at Crossroads Redcliffe Educare report that Moorian is a friendly child and despite the difficult living conditions, he is so well adjusted and grateful for everything he receives. commodities for the community. Thanks to Crossroads supported Johannes, their biological father, lives in Nkandla, Ulundi, and shows no interest in his children, leaving by OP, Moorian never goes to bed hungry because there is always food in his cupboards. Nelisiwe to take care of them. Making sure that the 5 children are being taken care of is a huge daily “You have changed my sadness burden, so you can imagine how into a joyful dance; you have grateful Nelisiwe is for the ongoing taken away my sorrow and assistance she receives from surrounded me with joy”. Psalm Crossroads. Nelisiwe was ecstatic 30:11 when Moorian was accepted into the

Moorian with his family’s food pack.

A bit about Madoni Tree: Madoni Tree is a squatter settlement tucked away in the middle of a greenwooded area just down the road from the Osindisweni Hospital, KZN. For many people driving on the road to Oakford Priory, admiring the thick foliage on either side of the road comes naturally. But what is unknown is that deep in the dense foliage is a sprawling informal settlement that we call Madoni Tree Squatter settlement. Young and old call Madoni Tree home and many have been there for years. This small, forgotten community of approximately 50 families, like so many squatter settlements, is made up of mud shacks constructed with corrugated iron, cast off plastics, old tires and discarded timber. These mud shacks do not shelter these people from the harsh realities of life as a squatter. People go hungry for days and when they do eat, it’s a meagre ration of questionable nutritional value. The only value is that, for a time, it quietens the noises of hunger that rumbles through their stomachs. The children of this community have very little clothing or none at all. Many of them don’t attend school due to the lack of school fees, clothing, ect. We also found many of the households are parented by youth or neighbours who are watching over their younger siblings - their parents have either died or abandoned them to fend for themselves. Our OP supported partner, Crossroads, has invested huge amounts of time and resources into this community. The goal was to help create pathways out of their present situation. Initially, due to the deep levels of poverty, Crossroads helped with relief projects (food and clothing) but we knew this would be shortlived. The ultimate goal was to create a community that will be helping themselves make informed decisions and progressive steps to walk out of poverty. We identified areas that required our assistance. Some of the areas of concern were the following: - Lack of education for the children - Lack of proper nutrition - Lack of employment for the adults - Poor social and medical situations for many of the people in the community. - Unclean surroundings and poor housing. We’re constantly working with Crossroads to achieve these goals of aiding the community. Amidst COVID19, we’re working together to ensure basic needs, like hunger, are met.

You are What You Behold W r i e n b Y o l a n d a M a g i d a

I firmly believe that despite everything happening with the Pandemic, God wants us to be deliberate in making Him the centre of our lives. He wants to shape and form our mannerisms, our habits, our very being, so that we can authentically respond by saying in Him we live, move, and have our very being. For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” Acts 17:28 I believe the reason for this is one of the ways in which God’s glory will ultimately fill the earth. “For the earth will be filled with knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 1:14 Through the revealing of His sons and daughters carrying His very nature and personifying His goodness. “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.” Romans 8:19 The fullness of His Glory is in the goodness of His character. The embodiment of God’s character is critical in the revealing of God’s glory. The question is: who are you becoming during this Pandemic? What is shaping and forming your habits and your mannerisms? Is it not worth placing God at the centre? It is definitely easier said than done with all the other things competing for our time, attention, and affections. I always find it interesting in Exodus 33:18 and 19 where it says: “Then Moses said, “I pray You show me Your glory!” And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compasson.” Moses asks for God to show Him His glory - God responds by saying that He will allow His goodness to pass by him. Not gold or riches, but His goodness. The goodness of who He is, is enough for you to behold, it’s worth you taking a moment to just marvel and be in His presence as you allow it to shape and form you.

Jason Brooks’ Testimony

Jason Brooks’ father, Peter, contacted us via our CBN prayerline, telling us about his son who is 14 years old and has Down Syndrome. He told us that Jason loves Superbook and they’d like streaming access to season 4 and 5. Peter says that he has seen such a significant growth in Jason, both spiritually and otherwise. This is why he was asking about obtaining streaming access to season 4 and 5. The problem is that we don’t have the necessary systems set up to allow him to stream these seasons in South Africa. We are currently looking to have our United States office help us in setting this up. In the meantime, we sent him a Superbook goodie pack. His favourite character is Chris, so we sent him the figurine while we sort out streaming access. We were also contacted by their local church pastor who said that once we have the systems in place, they would like to bless the family by paying for their streaming fees. We were so blessed and encouraged by Jason and the community around him! Superbook truly is a wonderful tool for children, families and communities. We’re so grateful that we get to be a part of God’s hand in people’s lives through Superbook. Thank you for partnering with CBN South Africa and Superbook. Your generosity allows us to reach out to people like Jason.

You can download the app and get free access to the first three seasons, games and more! 16

Operation Blessing Update

Who looks after the orphan, the widow and the fatherless? Who takes up the cause of the oppressed? It is none other than the LORD of Lords and King of Kings. Jesus said, “why do you call me good – there is no one good besides the Father”. This is true today, and when we submit to Him, His goodness can flow through us. Apart from Him, there is nothing good. What good thing shall we report? How about a faithful donor who knitted almost 20 beanies for those living on the streets during this harsh winter. Or the family who contributed R4000 towards Winter Packs, which went to the homeless. At the start of lockdown, a young child came to a dear friend’s door asking for food. She immediately sensed the Holy Spirit say, “feed these children”. Since then she feeds about 150 kids every week. Then, there is a faithful lady who works with us and cleans our office. She lives in an informal township and regularly feeds the hungry and takes care of those who need assistance in her community, both young and old. A fire broke out near her home, and 8 neighbours were instantly left homeless. Immediately she spoke up for her neighbours, and reached out to those she could, and soon, food, clothing and supplies were made available to the families who had lost everything. Lastly, we will share about a trustworthy volunteer, who gives her time week in and week out. She has helped in transporting 1 ton of maize meal, packing 100 food buckets, sorting through hundreds of items for Winter Packs and food parcels. She is ever ready and always available to assist, knowing that every rice bag packed, or every blanket folded will reach someone who needs it, and that they will be blessed. I will talk about these good things, as the Father outworks His goodness through us. An update by Nic Barker.

A Psalm 46 Prayer

b G e r r u d e M o o

Take a moment and read the entirety of Psalm 46 and then join us in agreement with the prayer below.

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! [Psalm 46:1-3]

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you that you are our refuge and fortress in this time of trouble and uncertainty. We pray that hope begins to arise in people’s hearts, especially those facing difficulties in many different ways. We pray for those who have lost their jobs, those in financial distress, those who are hungry, lonely, sick and abused. We ask for your intervention, Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ. Protect all from Covid-19 and immediately heal those infected. You are our Father, very present in our troubles, so we will not fear. We declare your protection over our partners, over our families, over our city and our nation. No matter what we hear is going on in the world, we will look to you because you are refuge. We will hide in you, our Lord and Protector. Thanking you for taking care of us in every way in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

We Want to Pray with You!

If you’re struggling with anxiety, fears and doubts right now as a result of the Pandemic, we would love to pray with you and come alongside you during this time. “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:19, NIV)

G e i n c o n a c n o w !

Unfortunately, we’re not available on our landline at the moment due to the safety measures put in place as a result of the lockdown. We’ll let you know as soon as we’re back up and running. For now: Message/call us on WhatsApp on +27 71 763 3810 OR send us an email at prayer@cbnsa.org

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