Keep our focus on God, Eyes set toward Eternity, to be Kingdom minded through
the mind of Christ.
“Behold, like the clay
in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand...
Jeremiah 18:6 |
Hello Everyone,
I love
autumn and all that it brings. The months of October and November are my
favorites because they bring with them vibrant & beautiful colors, a
crispness to the air and a newness to my senses, physical and spiritual.
My very being comes alive with a fresh longing for time spent alone with
God. It is in the fall of the year God supernaturally lengthens my days
and slows my pace just for me. He prepares my heart to spend time with
Him and it is He alone who renews me from the inside out. As He
recharges me I get caught up on my reading. It is during this time of
the year that I feel that I am completely and totally in “The Potter’s
hand”.
I have just finished reading a true story of
someone that I have had the privilege to meet briefly. The name of the
book is Angel in Aisle 3
by Pastor Kevin West. In the book his friend was explaining to him
“anytime we try to prove ourselves to others, we make others our potter,
and we become the clay in their hands.” He went on to say
“When people worry about the
thoughts of others, they’re revering man and not the Lord. This is why
people suffer with fear.” I
have never before seen this man’s perspective on this verse until I read
his words. In an instant my mind began to think in hyper-mode about how
what he said describes exactly where we are in the world we live in
today! Think about this for a minute: Who is our potter?
Is it our boss, family, friends,
illness, or money? Could it be our politicians, rioters and the evil we
are exposed to on a daily basis? At any given time the potter could be
any of these. The point is this: Who
and what we fear is where we place our clay and that is who becomes our
potter.
I have been thinking, for a long while now,
about where we are in this season of the Corona-virus, an election year,
and how they are tied together.
The enemy is operating like he always does. When this first
started it touched no one we knew and after the initial “fear”
and lockdown things began to get back to something we resemble. Then
this thing – this virus, started touching acquaintances and people we
“knew of” but definitely at a distance. Now it is touching friends and
family. You see the Modus Operandi (MO) of the enemy has not changed. It
starts from the outside and when it cannot get our attention it moves in
and applies a little more pressure and when that wears off, then it
moves in closer – to a more personal proximity. When that doesn’t work
it goes for the nucleus. In today’s season of unrest, this can be the
nucleus of families and, in my opinion, the nucleus of the Church. How
does the enemy do this? It
happens covertly through a spirit of fear.
How are this virus and the
election connected? Through a spirit of fear! Now the debate for mail in
ballots has begun because people are “afraid” to stand to close waiting
their turn to vote because they don’t want to get sick. Fear!
There is a reason why scripture mentions “do not
fear” and/or “do not be afraid” 365 times. The spirit of fear tears down
the human immune system through the emotions of worry, anguish, angst,
anxiety, negativity, criticalness and anxiousness. Emotions like these
actually alter the human brain and become an open door for the enemy to
weaken our immune systems and therefore make us vulnerable to sickness
and disease. That is why it is very important for us to be aware of what
we are thinking about. Take every thought captive and making it obedient
to the Word of God: His promises for our lives. In doing so, that in
turn heals our brain and restores our soul.
I say all of this to remind us
not to become distracted by worldly things and allow your eyes to be
taken off The Potter who holds us and is molding us from glory to glory
to be more like Him.
During this election year do not place your clay
in the potter’s hand of fear. Step back for a moment. Take a look from a
heaven to earth perspective: We are still seated in heavenly places. We
are still God’s children. He does not change and our position in Him has
not changed. His promises of protection are still true and He knows the
end from the very beginning. Breathe a minute and remember whose hands
you belong to. Get your eyes off of the world and its distractors and
back on the one who has us in the palm of His hands.
I want to
encourage everyone who reads this letter to stay on
The
Potter’s Wheel and
allow ourselves, during the election and the upcoming holiday season, to
rest in Him. May His Peace and Comfort be upon you all. |
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Love and Blessings,
Pastors
Doug & Lisa Barber
Partners and Prayer Warriors we want to extend our thankfulness to all
of you. Your faithfulness is very humbling and we cannot and would not
want to be on this Spirit-filled journey without you. We pray for you
and yours and would love to hear what God is doing in each of your
lives. Thank you for your continued support of Loving People Enough
Ministries and for believing in us to minister God’s word one person at
a time through counseling and everyday life.
We
love you,
Doug & Lisa
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While you do your normal shopping, sign up for Smile and select
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6203 76TH St.
Lubbock, Texas 79424
Doug 806-790-4757
Lisa 806-790-4756
doug@lpeministries.org
lisaann@lpeministries.org
LPE Ministries is a 501(c) 3 Charitable Organization.
All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law. |