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Inspiring Women

JUL/AUG 2012

Every Day

July

James and Jude Christine Platt

August

Psalm 34 – Tasting the goodness of God Helena Wilkinson Plus … Special Article, Ministry Report and CWR Events Page

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Christine Platt Christine’s passion for writing started in Ivory Coast, West Africa where she served in an evangelism and discipleship ministry with The Navigators. She now lives in New Zealand and enjoys all the freedom and opportunities that semi-retirement brings! She has the distinction of being great-aunt to three fabulous nephews and a gorgeous niece. Mission involvement is never far away. She travels regularly to East Timor and takes teams to support the indigenous church in its courageous witness to war-ravaged people, with Bible teaching and practical projects.

Her life goal is to make the Bible accessible, by both writing and speaking, so that people may understand more of God’s outrageous grace.

Helena Wilkinson Helena trained in counselling at CWR and subsequently joined the staff as a tutor, counsellor and editor of The Christian Counsellor. She is the author of nine books including the bestseller Puppet on a String, her personal account of overcoming anorexia, written when she was a teenager.

In 1994 she founded Kainos Trust, a charity for eating disorder sufferers, which later merged with Swansea City Mission. Helena is now based at the mission’s retreat centre, Nicholaston House, where she runs courses.

She is a freelance writer and international speaker. For further information visit her website www.helenawilkinson.co.uk

Copyright © CWR 2012. Published by CWR, Waverley Abbey House, Waverley Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 8EP, UK. Tel: 01252 784700 Email: mail@cwr.org.uk Registered Charity No. 294387. Registered Limited Company No. 1990308.

Front cover image: Getty Images/Eric Audras. Concept development, editing, design and production

by CWR. Printed in England by Linney Print. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of CWR. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from the Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV), copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society.

Other versions used: Amplified: THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE, Old Testament copyright © 1965,1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament copyright © 1958,1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.’ Message: THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. NASB: New American Standard Bible, © 1977, Lockman Corporation. NLT: New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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weekend James and Jude

For reflection: Philippians 3:12–14 ‘But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on …’ (vv.13–14)

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hroughout July we’ll be studying the letters of James and Jude – both generally agreed to be younger half-brothers of Jesus (Mark 6:3).

Neither believed in Jesus as Messiah during His earthly life (John 7:3–5), but both became utterly convinced after His resurrection. What a whirlwind of emotions they must have experienced when they realised how wrong they’d been and what unique and privileged opportunities they’d missed!

Fortunately for their sakes and ours they didn’t waste time lamenting the past but devoted themselves to the service of their very special older brother.

Perhaps Peter had told them of his failure and how Jesus, as resurrected Lord, had forgiven and recommissioned him (John 21:15–19). Or did they remember Jesus’ compassionate attitude to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1–11)?

Let’s follow their example and not allow yesterday’s failures to blight today’s opportunities. Satan is the one who reminds us of past sins; Jesus forgives and urges us to ‘Press on’.

Take time this weekend to make sure that you start the month with a clean slate – all sins forgiven.

Optional further reading Lamentations 3:22–23; 1 John 1:9

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MON JUL 2

‘Old Camel Knees’

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ames became a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church. His nickname was ‘Old Camel Knees’ because of the thick callouses ‘I, James, am a slave of God that had built up on his knees from many hours of and the Master persistent prayer (Introduction to James, The Message).

Jesus …’

Take a look at your knees – how are they doing?

(The Message) As a pastor, James was deeply troubled about the state of the churches. False teachers had infiltrated.

There was favouritism. The lifestyles of some believers did not reflect what they claimed to believe. So James writes this short letter to confront his readers with some unpalatable truths.

What we can be sure of is that ‘Old Camel Knees’ bathed his letter in prayer. This was not a quick emailtype communication but a deeply-felt, agonised-over message. No one likes to write stuff that might upset people, but a wise pastor takes the risk when necessary.

What motivated James was his desire for God’s people to display the holiness, compassion and love of God and the Master Jesus. Any behaviour that reflected badly on the One they served needed to be weeded For prayer and out. It was not James’ own personal preferences or reflection pet doctrines he was pushing. Despite not believing in Jesus’ teaching during His earthly life and ministry, Father God, grant James now embraced it fully and had done his homework. We will see many instances of James me courage with echoing Jesus’ words. humility and As a slave of the Master Jesus, James was willing gentleness to to risk rejection and hostile reactions. Are you? Like confront other most of us I loathe confrontation, but sometimes we believers when need to step up to the mark when we see Jesus being necessary. dishonoured by the behaviour of His people.

(Gal. 6:1) James 1:1

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hat countercultural teaching is this? We want ease and comfort, not trials and tests! I’ve just burned the midnight oil reading Francine Rivers’ book, Her Mother’s Hope*.

Two sisters, one confident, one timid, grow up with an abusive father and doting mother. The mother cosseted the timid child and she became unable to cope with life on her own. When the mother died, her now grownup daughter committed suicide. This traumatised the confident sister who vowed never to overprotect her own children. She had four – one of whom was sickly and fearful. The mother was as tough as old boots with her. This made the girl strong, but created a massive rift in the mother/daughter relationship. The daughter didn’t understand why Mum was so hard on her.

Our Father God loves us to bits and, because He wants us to grow, He allows trials and tests.

Fortunately, unlike in the book, He explains why – so that we develop perseverance and become mature. His wisdom (vv.5–8) enables us to discern His gentle hand at work so that our problems need not drive a wedge between Him and us. Note that the trials are of ‘many kinds’. This is normal. What is abnormal is the believer’s response – JOY! – not just stoic acceptance, but JOY! It’s difficult to welcome trials when we are bombarded by adverts assuring us that life is supposed to be comfortable and cosy. We need to wake up and realise that at least two-thirds of the world’s people live with daily discomfort, injustice and trauma. Let’s decontaminate our minds from the media hype and live in kingdom reality. A bit of hardship, courageously accepted, will grow our souls. A life of ease will enfeeble us.

TUES JUL 3 James 1:2–11 ‘Consider it pure joy … whenever you face trials … the testing of your faith develops perseverance.’ (vv.2–3)

For prayer and reflection Learn by heart James 1:2–3 and look for God at work in your present difficulties.

*Francine Rivers, Her Mother’s Hope (Illinois: Tyndale, 2010)

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WED JUL 4

Say NO to sin

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’ve recently had some correspondence with a paganist who is trying to find her way back to God. One of her sticking points is that paganists ‘… after desire has conceived, it gives don’t believe in the existence of Satan. C.S. Lewis in The birth to sin; and Screwtape Letters* explains that this is one of Satan’s sin, when it is full- sneaky-snaky strategies: ie ‘Don’t let the humans grown, gives birth realise that they have an enemy, so then they will to death.’ (v.15) blame God when things go wrong and will come over to our side – whoopee’.

Temptations surround us on every side. It is our choice and our responsibility how we handle them.

Have you ever noticed when window-shopping that ‘Oh, that’s nice’ quickly becomes ‘I’d like that’ and, eventually, ‘I need it, I must have it’ – whether it’s strappy sandals or strawberry shortcake! If we receive and cosset temptation it will overtake us.

God cannot be tempted by evil. In His earthly life Jesus experienced all the extreme hellishness that Satan could throw at Him, yet did not sin (Heb. 4:15). In the wilderness described in Matthew 4 Jesus didn’t allow Satan’s filthy words to infiltrate His mind. He used His mightiest For prayer and weapon straightaway – God’s Word. ‘It is written’ rang reflection out across the barren landscape and Satan had no choice but to slither away. How infuriated he must have been Whatever you are to face his own failure. That picture strengthens my faith when I’m trying to resist temptation. I don’t want Satan or facing, ‘resist the his minions to have self-satisfied smirks on their sickening devil and he will faces. I want them to writhe in acute disappointment. flee from you’ James alerts us to the seriousness of giving (James 4:7). Ask temptation houseroom. Before we know it, sitting others to pray if tenants have moved in and taken over. you need more James 1:12–18

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*C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: Harper Collins, 2001)

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Psalm 34 – Tasting the goodness of God

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ave you ever been fearful of someone or trapped in an unhappy situation? The psalmist, David, knows what it’s like to be oppressed by others. He’s a man hunted by his enemies, hounded by destruction and haunted by death. The circumstances surrounding Psalm 34, our psalm for this month, put David in a very low place, but the outcome of his dark time is that he learns to lean heavily upon the Lord and discover afresh the goodness of God. In these circumstances we need to remind ourselves that ‘… in all things God works for the good of those who love him …’

(Rom. 8:28). This doesn’t mean that life necessarily works out the way we want it to, but rather that God works in our lives to bring about the likeness of Jesus in us.

The prelude to Psalm 34 is Psalm 56, and the background to both psalms is found in 1 Samuel 21:10–15. David flees from Saul and runs to Achish, King of Gath* (the Philistine king), but finds himself in an equally horrible position. Fearful of Achish, he ends up feigning prophetic madness in order to preserve his life.

Perhaps you know what it’s like to leave one difficult situation and walk straight into another. Not pleasant, is it? Through his afflictions, God challenged David: in whom was he putting his trust? God removed David’s external support in order that David would lean upon Him rather than rely upon his own resources. David learnt to find his satisfaction in the Lord’s praise (Psa. 86:10), protection (Isa. 54:17), provision (Psa. 37:25), promises (Psa. 119:89), presence (Josh. 1:9) and preservation (Psa. 61:2). Which of these do you need to develop in your own life? *‘Abimelech’ was probably the title for kings in Gath. The name of the king of Gath that drove David away was ‘Achish’.

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WED AUG 1 Psalm 56 ‘... in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?’ (v.11)

For prayer and reflection ‘The more simply we depend on God, and obey him, the more comfortably and surely we shall walk through this troublesome world.’

(Matthew Henry)

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THURS AUG 2

Praise the Lord

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ecently, whilst at a Christian convention, I realised that when worshipping in a large group I feel like I’ve ‘come home’.

‘No wonder!’ I thought, ‘It’s how I’ll spend much of eternity!’ David talks of ‘praise always being on [his] ‘I will extol the L ord at all times; lips’. How much is praise on your lips? People have his praise will different ways of praising God and it’s important that always be on my we all find our own expression of praise. How we lips.’ (Psa. 34:1) praise God doesn’t really matter; the important fact is that we do praise Him. David sets a great example. He knows to whom praise is due and he resolves to give God praise at all times and in every situation. This means praising God in both the dark times and when life is flourishing. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, reminds us to ‘give thanks in all circumstances …’ (1 Thess. 5:18). This doesn’t mean giving thanks for all circumstances but rather holding on to the truth that God, who is ‘… the same For prayer and yesterday, today and for ever’ (Heb. 13:8) is always reflection worthy of our praise, even during the hard times.

What can you praise God for today? I’d like to praise Him for His Word – the incredible truths in Scripture and Father, please its amazing detail. Psalm 34 is an acrostic psalm – the help me to praise first word of each verse starts with a letter from the You, as David Hebrew alphabet (in alphabetical order). The psalm did, from both has 22 verses and as early as the 1st and 2nd centuries my heart and my BC the Jews noted the significance of the number ‘22’. mouth. May my It is the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, the praise not only silence the enemy number of generations from Adam to Jacob (Israel), the number of works of creation, and the number of books but also my own in the Jewish canon of the Bible.* fears.

Psalm 34:1; 1 Chronicles 16:23–34

*Josephus; the book of Jubilees 2.23; cf. Kabbalah. For further information, visit www.biblicalhebrew.com

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Sufficient in God

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he writer or writers of Psalm 44, of the Korahites, declared, ‘In God we make our boast all day long …’ (Psa. 44:8). Scripture tells us ‘But, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord”’ (2 Cor. 10:17). To boast in the Lord is to vocalise our faith in His ability; to declare God’s greatness. It’s to make known that because of Him we are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ (Psa. 139:14), ‘more than conquerors’ (Rom. 8:37) and can do all things through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:13). In other words, we are sufficient in Him. David knew what it meant to be sufficient in God: he boasted of the Lord’s power and might as he confronted Goliath, a huge, dominant figure, more than nine feet tall, covered from head to foot in bronze armour and so powerful that another man carried his shield (1 Sam. 17:4–7). David, despite only being a teenager was unafraid. With boldness he declared that he would have success in defeating Goliath, even without a sword! His victory showed God for who He really is. ‘All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s …’

(1 Sam. 17:47).

What gave David such boldness was his faith in God to respond. What is your Goliath? As you spend time in God’s presence, praising Him and listening to His still small voice, can you put your confidence in God and hold fast to the fact that the battle is not yours but God’s (2 Chron. 20:15)? What is He saying to you about the situation you currently face? Paul reminds us: ‘Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God’ (2 Cor. 3:5).

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FRI AUG 3 Psalm 34:2; 2 Corinthians 12: 7–10 ‘My soul will boast in the L ord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.’

(Psa. 34:2)

For prayer and reflection Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

David’s eyes were on the Lord, not on his circumstances.

Lord, I pray that mine will be too.

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AUG 4/5

weekend Overflow with hope

For reflection: Romans 15:13

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n reading Psalm 34, David’s life reflects hope, perseverance, faith and gratitude. This weekend we are going to focus on hope. Proverbs tells us, ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life’ (Prov. 13:12). Hope is important for our physical and mental wellbeing. Hope is the belief that a positive outcome lies ahead, and recent studies show that hope may have an effect on the body during illness.

Actor George Chakiris once said: ‘No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible.’

Martin Luther King Jr. stated: ‘We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.’ It is realistic to be disappointed with situations in life because we live in a fallen world, but we must remain hopeful because with God all things are possible (Matt. 19:26). Is there a situation in your life where you have lost hope and need to ask God to rekindle it? Is there anyone you know who needs hope instilled?

Optional further reading 1 Samuel 2:1–10; 17:47; Hebrews 6:13–20

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avid had lost everything: his wife, home, job, closest friend, and now his self-respect. To top it all, as we saw last week, he feigned insanity and once more ended up on the run. This time he escaped to a cave near Adullam (1 Sam. 22:1), ten miles away from Bethlehem. Adullam had a number of caves that were connected to underground caverns, one of which according to Dean Stanley was a ‘subterranean palace’.* David had gone through some pretty rough times and had hit rock bottom – having lost his hope, peace, security and confidant. He had now reached the end of himself. What would you have expected God to have done in those circumstances … to have brought an encourager? David was no doubt feeling let down, mistreated, misunderstood and worthless, but rather than bring him an encourager, God brought not only his family but 400 like-minded melancholic men! ‘All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented …’

(1 Sam 22:2).

I don’t think I’d have relished that sort of company at such a time, would you? Whatever state these men were in they ‘… gathered round him, and he became their leader’ (1 Sam 22:2). I love the way God works, don’t you? David moved from being flat on his face, to down on his knees and finally standing on his feet, magnifying the Lord and encouraging others to do likewise. The cave could have become a pit of destruction but instead it became the place where an army was trained for battle. The outcome for the miserable men was that they became mighty men of valour (2 Sam. 23:8–23) and David became their leader.

MON AUG 6 Psalm 34:3; Luke 1:47–55 ‘Glorify the L ord with me: let us exalt his name together.’

(Psa. 34:3)

For prayer and reflection You are an awesome, powerful, almighty God. I praise Your holy name. I lift up my hands and shout aloud: You are ‘the King of kings and Lord of lords.’

(1 Tim. 6:15)

* http://www.lwbc.co.uk/Life%20of%20David/English/adullam.htm

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TUES AUG 7

Delivered from fear

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oday’s verse brings us to the heart of many people’s problems – fear. Of what do you tend to be fearful: failure, criticism, the future, being unloved? Of course we all need healthy fear ‘I sought the L ord, and he which stops us walking into dangerous situations but answered me; that’s very different from the immobilising fear that he delivered me damages our lives. from all my fears.’

The more ingrained our fears and hurts the more (Psa. 34:4) miraculous it is when we are set free. David’s fears arose as a result of his many traumatic experiences in the court of King Saul, his life on the run and his uncertainties about the future. He says of God, He delivered me from all my fears. He had been in a dark place, bound by fear, and God released him wonderfully. To bring an end to destructive fear means calling upon the Lord and trusting that He is with us; knowing that we do not face anything alone. ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God’ (Phil. 4:6).

David’s deliverance from fear resulted in him For prayer and speaking the truth to others. To the distressed he said, reflection ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good …’ (Psa. 34:8).

To those in debt he said, ‘… those who fear him lack nothing’ (Psa. 34:9). To the discontented he said, ‘The Lord, I pray that, like David, I will be lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek desperate enough the Lord lack no good thing’ (Psa. 34:10). To all the to admit my need, men, and hence to us, in effect he said, although at honest enough times we may be in dark, lonely caves, when we cry out to cry out for to the Lord He delivers us. The question is, when we help and humble experience such deliverance do we simply think ‘Great!’ enough to learn or do we input into the lives of others to help them also from him. find freedom?

Psalm 34:4; Isaiah 41:10–14

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n the cave, David’s thoughts turned from himself to the Lord. He wrote two psalms to commemorate his stay in the cave of Adullam, which tell us something of his renewed faith – Psalms 57 and 142. By praising God in the midst of hardship, David set an example for the other men, demonstrating that if God could turn David’s attitudes around He could do the same for them.

Do you find that when you spend time with someone who focuses on the Lord and who is non-judgmental and kind something of their character rubs off on you?

The result of spending quality time with God, praising Him and reading His Word is that we reflect a little more of His nature. Think of the positive effect Moses encountered on Mount Sinai and how being in God’s presence became evident for all to see. ‘When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord’ (Exod. 34:29). The Amplified Bible puts it this way: ‘… the skin of his face shone and sent forth beams …’

I want to spend time in God’s presence and my face to light up and my eyes to shine because Jesus is so evident in my life. Isaiah 60:1 makes a wonderful declaration: ‘ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you – rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!’ (Amplified). When circumstances get you down, take some time out to be with the Lord. His love will not only change you but reveal itself through you to others.

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WED AUG 8 Psalm 34:5; Exodus 34:29–35 ‘Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.’ (Psa. 34:5)

For prayer and reflection Father, David and his men looked to You in the midst of their distress and found light and comfort in Your presence. Please help me to do the same. Amen.

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