“All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God.” Revelation 7:11 NASB

Hello Dear Hearts,

As I sat down to write this letter, I was not sure what the Lord wanted me to share with you, so I prayed as I always do before I begin, but I still didn’t have His leading.  I opened a book I had been reading, turned to a page where the author mentioned worship.  I closed the book and opened the Word to a scripture on worship. So I’m going to write about WORSHIP.

It’s the thing we often neglect in our busy lives, but it is of utmost importance to our relationship with our Almighty God.  He alone is worthy to be worshipped.  He said “I AM THE LORD THY GOD, there is none else, I AM GOD.”

True worship begins with awestruck reverence for who God is and what He has done for us.  There are so many ways to worship God. In the Old Testament there was fasting and praying, feasts and sacred days, music and dancing unto the Lord, sacrificing/offerings, prophets proclaiming God’s POWER.  In the New Testament we come into the holy presence of God through our High Priest Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now God wants us to present our bodies as living sacrifices.

King David was a passionate worshiper.  He gave an offering of more than one hundred million dollars of his personal treasury….”because I have set my affection on the house of my God”. Then he worshipped the Lord as he prayed,  “Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel, our Father, for ever and ever.  Thine O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and the earth, is thine; thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.  Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength to all.  Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.” ^t Chron.10b-13

When our focus is on our circumstances and our world seems out of control, we need to worship our Mighty God.  There is power in praise.  There may be a time when you feel such desperation, like the bottom has fallen out, your heart is breaking, you feel that you have nothing left to give; lift up your hands and offer the sacrifice of praise.  We need to truly understand this power!   It’s not just a cliché, it’s the Word of God.  It’s a mighty weapon that drives away the pain and the enemy.  It lifts you into a healing place, into another level of closeness to God.  When Job was told everything he had was suddenly and tragically lost, including the death of all his children, he rent his robe, shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and WORSHIPPED.  “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” As he raised the shield of faith against the onslaught of Satan he saw the victory.  As the righteousness of God in Christ, when we put our trust wholly in Him, HE IS ABLE TO RESTORE our broken lives.

So many people are shattered and lost, which leads me to a new story.   I went to the beach to walk along the water to praise and worship the Lord.  As I was praying, I sat on a large bolder and asked Him if He wanted me to share His love with someone.  A few minutes later, a lady came over.  She said, “You look like a woman who could give me some sound advice.”  I smiled, “I’d like to try, what’s going on in your world?”  She then proceeded to tell me about her husband who left her six years ago and about the man she’s with now.  She poured her heart out to me.  It was obvious she needed love and I knew just the One who would give it to her.  As she prayed to receive Christ, tears streamed down her face, she felt His presence.  Celeste hugged me for the longest time, before we said goodbye. Please pray that she will grow in the Lord.

THANK YOU LOVERS OF GOD FOR MINISTERING WITH ME.  I PRAY FOR YOU AND PRAISE GOD FOR YOU

Hello Dear Hearts,

This is the month we celebrate the birth and freedom of our Nation.   Freedom is not free it always comes with great sacrifice.  Countless men and women have lost their fortunes and their lives for our country.   Also the freedom we celebrate in Christ cost the ultimate price, His death on the cross.   Our God so loved us that He gave His only Son to free us from the penalty of sin; to re-unite us to Himself through His own Blood Covenant.  On this fact, the history of our nation was founded. John Adams said, “We recognize no Sovereign but God and no King but Jesus.”   Our laws were written from God’s Laws.  And as we worshipped Him, He uniquely blessed our nation.

However our nation is again in peril.  Bibles and prayer have been removed from our schools; as well as the Ten Commandments from our courthouses and public places.  George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, all have, at different time, called our nation to a Day of Prayer.  Many years ago the Congress authorized an annual National Day of Prayer.  This year a federal judge took steps to have it declared unconstitutional.   Anti-religious activists persuaded the military to cancel The Rev. Franklin Graham’s personal participation in a Pentagon event on the grounds that it might offend Muslims.  Then an Islamic advocacy group in Washington tried to keep him from participating in a prayer event on Capital Hill with members of the House of Representatives.   Franklin said, “It is shocking to experience, in our own country, such open opposition to Christian prayer for the nation.”

What are we to do?   We have been silent too long.  It is time for us to repent and to pray for God to make us worthy of “THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE.’’

I thank you, my dear partners, for your faithfulness in prayer and support of this ministry!  Much has happened this last month but, I must tell you one story.   My dear missionary friend from Bulgaria Diana, lovingly called “DD”, met an elderly man from Germany on the beach.  She told him of her “call of God” on her life.  He introduced her to his wife.  They were very cordial to her.  “DD” was leaving in a couple of days so she wanted me to follow up with them.  Her friend, Jenna, had met them and knew where they were staying.

The two of us prayed and went to see them.  We sat on their little patio, had cappuccino and talked of many things including Jesus.  I invited them for dinner at my place.  They readily accepted.  As they arrived a CD of Mozart was softly playing.  We had a lovely dinner with lots of stories, talking and laughing.  As they left, I told them I would stop by Saturday to say good-bye before they left Sunday morning.

As I walked up to their cottage they were both sitting on the patio  waiting for me.  They stood up to greet me with hugs.   I told them I not only wanted to say good-bye, but I wanted to share something with them.  We sat down, each of us pulling our chairs in a little closer.  I told them how Jesus came into my life and gave me a peace and joy I had never known before.  I told them of His love for them and how He wanted to come into their lives.  I gave them a few scriptures and asked if they wanted to receive Him.  They said,  “Yes, but how?”

“Just pray out loud after me.”  When we finished praying, I pulled out of my purse a Bible I had brought for them.   As I walked away I praised God, their sins had been forgiven and they had a new purpose in life.  I looked over my shoulder and saw them standing waving and throwing kisses.

Because of YOUR PRECIOUS PROVISON FOR OUR MINISTRY you allow me the freedom to share God’s love and bring in the harvest.  I’M SO GRATEFUL!  GOD BLESS YOU.

Georgia Lee

Hello Dear Hearts,

In the Feast of Passover we see the death of Christ.  In the Feast of Firstfruits, we see the resurrection of Christ as the Firstfruits.  In the Feast of Pentecost we see the descent of the Holy Spirit, the New Covenant entered into with God and the Birth of the Church.

Fifty days from the day the firstfruits offering was waved before the Lord, the children of Israel celebrated the Feast of Pentecost.  Devout Jews from all parts of Israel and the Mediterranean world traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate these feasts.  According to the well-known Jewish historian, Josephus, there were as many as three million Jews gathered together in Jerusalem during the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

After His death and resurrection Christ appeared and showed Himself “through many infallible proofs.”  Forty days, He met with His disciples giving them final instructions concerning the Kingdom of God, before He ascended into heaven.

I had the joy and privilege of celebrating Pentecost in two different churches with a missionary couple that have spent the last twenty years in Israel. The first church was PSM in Kahalui and Grace Church (up Country).  They brought with them a scroll made out of goat’s leather, of the Book of Esther.  I held it in my hands.  It is older than America.  The wife sang the Israeli songs in Hebrew so beautifully then we were given songbooks in Hebrew and English that we might join with her in song.  I fumbled my way through the Hebrew and then I joyfully particapated in the Israeli dancing.

I was reminded of the film we shot in the Holy Land, “The Crescent And The Cross.”  It was a comparative religion film on Islam and Christianity.  We were the guests of the Islamic government and because of that we were escorted to the holy places of Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

When we were staying in a hotel in Jerusalem we made many friends including a young Islamic man and his male relatives and friends who did an absolutely unheard of thing; they invited me, a woman, to their bachelor party the night before the wedding.  I was unbelievably  honored and Ralph and I enthusiastically entered into their celebration and dancing.

It ‘s been a wonderfully diverse month of ministry, which leads me to one of the stories I shared with you in my last letter about a very pretty young woman I had led to the Lord.   I invited her and her husband to come with me to a Monday night ministry called Alpha,at Hope Chapel.  It’s a dinner in the courtyard around circular tables, where,after dinner and a Christian video, we encourage discussion about what they’ve seen. It is designed for unbelievers, newcomers and young Christians.   Her husband has come regularly and at the Memorial Day Baptisms on the beach, I shared God’s personal love for him. And as the musicians played and hula dancers worshipped God and people were being baptized in the ocean, he held my hands and prayed to receive Christ.

Jesus said, “But you shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”  We need His power that came upon the believers on Pentecost.  He enables us to walk in His Spirit, to communicate His love for HE is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the Power that worketh in us.”  Eph 3:20

I’m so grateful you give me the freedom to serve Christ whereever the Holy Spirit leads me.  Thank you so much.  May God bless you!

Georgia Lee

Georgia Lee

Isaac Daye remembers watching the young woman writhe in agony.

“She’s jerking. She’s shaking. She’s moving. … I had to hold her head,” said Daye, an African missionary in Gambia, a tiny nation in West Africa where most people profess Islam as their faith.

The woman’s parents, both Muslim, had taken their daughter to traditional healers, but to no avail. Desperate, they brought her to the Church of Christ minister and asked him to pray for her.

For Daye, the woman’s convulsions weren’t as scary as what happened next. She went limp and collapsed on his office floor.

Silently, the minister pleaded with God.

“Father, would you allow her to die here in my house? That would be a disgrace. … I beg you at least, Father, just let her get up and go home!”

After another round of convulsions, the woman sat up and asked for a glass of water. Daye brought her two — and recommended that she seek medical treatment.

Coping with demon possession is part of the job for Daye and many of his fellow ministers. A recent study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public life shows that many Africans — even those who consider themselves Christian or Muslim — experience their faith in an intense, personal way.

In several countries, 3 in 10 respondents said they have experienced a divine healing, witnessed the devil being driven out of a person or received a direct revelation from God, according to the study. On the average, more than 60 percent of professed Christians believe Jesus will return during their lifetime.

“Most Africans tend to be ‘today’ thinkers,” said Shawn Tyler, an American who has worked for nearly 30 years in East Africa and currently helps equip churches in Uganda. “Additionally, Africans with animistic roots tend to see themselves as capable of solving personal problems through the use of witchcraft or a powerful God.”

In Mozambique, some Muslim imams sell magical services for those seeking luck or blessings, said missionary Alan Howell. “A common practice here is to write down verses from the Quran, put them in water and then drink that water to receive a blessing,” Howell said.

Divine healing and exorcism are characteristic of traditional African religions. They’re also common among Africa’s charismatic Christian groups, including Pentecostal churches.

Churches of Christ have grown substantially in Africa in the past century. The continent now has more than 1 million members and has surpassed the U.S. in number of congregations.

But that growth pales in comparison to Pentecostalism. About a quarter of all Christians in four sub-Saharan countries — Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria — belong to Pentecostal denominations, as do at least 1 in 10 Christians in eight other countries, according to the Pew study.

Several Church of Christ ministers in Africa told The Christian Chronicle that they’ve lost members to charismatic churches. Willie Gley, a missionary in Ghana and Togo, said some Africans attend Churches of Christ on Sunday mornings and go to Pentecostal services for divine healing on Friday nights.

In the Central African Republic, some Christian denominations preach a gospel of prosperity, claiming a life of faith leads to earthly riches, said Worlanyo Bor, a Ghanaian missionary in the nation’s capital, Bangui.

Education, through correspondence courses, radio programs and ministry training schools, is vital to save Africans from exploitation, he said.

Ministers and missionaries also must engage Africa’s traditional beliefs, Howell said.

“Appreciating the animistic understanding of the powers should radically shape how we evangelize as a church,” he said. “When I teach about the cross, I talk about how Jesus has defeated the powers of sin, death and Satan and that we don’t need to live under the fear of witchcraft and demon possession anymore.”

Africa “is a power environment,” Daye said. “Everybody is looking for some power. So how can you take a powerless religion to the African man and expect him to believe in it?”

“In terms of me possessing apostolic miraculous power, I don’t have the ability,” the minister added. “But I believe in a God who has miraculous power … who, at his own will, can decide to do anything.”

For 2,000 years, Christian missionaries have traveled to foreign lands to spread the Gospel.

Today, there are thousands of missionaries preaching around the world without leaving home. Sometimes even while wearing pajamas.

Global Media Outreach, a branch of Campus Crusade for Christ, held a Webinar, or online seminar, this week to raise awareness and to motivate people to participate in online missions.

With tomorrow being designated Internet Evangelism Day (by the Internet Evangelism Coalition), Michelle Diedrich of GMO said she wants “to change the way we think” about the Internet.

“We are the first generation – ever – to hold in our hands the technology to give every person on earth multiple chances to accept Jesus Christ,” Ms. Diedrich, GMO’s communications director, said in the Wednesday seminar.

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One of the most moderate Muslim nations may be shifting hard line and no one is paying attention.  In the last few months (though most happening on the same week in March) around 60 foreigners were expelled from the country.  What is their crime?  They are Christians, and a government once open to other faiths is now kicking out Christians (mostly long time aid workers) for proselytizing.  They offer no proof to the charge, no judges or courts, yet authorities have swept into areas and removed people in the midst of their good works.

“You can imagine spending 15 years in a job and a country, and somebody giving you eight hours to get yourself ready.” – Chuck Lewis

I’m in the skull cap. My wife is in the bottom left with a pickaxe.

Dr. Malcolm Williams was given similar treatment by officials on that same day.  He was a professor of translation at a local University for 21 years.  After five hours of interrogation he was put on a boat bound for Spain without even getting to say goodbye to his wife.

“(These) are not isolated incidents but clearly represent a systematic attempt to remove Christian workers from the country, and then in due course to scatter the emerging national Moroccan church.” -Dr. Malcolm Williams

A sudden change of policy in Morocco appears to be a type of soft Jihad against Christians in the country.  Many fear that the next step will be aggression against national Christians.  In fact, some have seen harsh treatment of nationals has already begun.  One former worker there told me  that her friends still in country have reported “heavy interrogation” of locals.

“The first wave was this deportation of foreign Christians.  Now the heat is on Moroccan Christians—it’s pretty intense.” – Jack Wald, Pastor of Rabat International Church in Morocco.

I’ve actually visited the Rabat International Church in Morocco on a Sunday morning 9 years ago.  In the summer of 2001 I went with my then fiance’ Amy and a small group of college students to Morocco for two weeks.  We were led by a former aid worker there.  We spent one week in Casablanca doing kids’ sports camps with a local organization.  The second week we traveled all over the country doing one day volunteer jobs.  One of those days was in an orphanage called Village of Hope (VOH), an orphanage for Moroccan children in a rural village near Ain Leuh in northern Morocco.  (Pictured below is me at a cafe’ and my now wife Amy working at VOH.)

The VOH orphanage that we spent a day at was hit by a raid on March 8th.  Officials swooped in, within hours all 16 oversees workers were deported.  Many of these were house parents of multiple orphans living in on site housing.  VOH is home to over 33 orphans who suddenly had no one to take care of them.  VOH was an open establishment and the government had previously approved of their work there and had visited the place multiple times before.  Suddenly they were being shut down for proselytizing.

The day we visited the orphanage in 2001 we saw no signs of people trying to convert any one.  It was loving people bringing up kids that were often left there by single Muslim women who feared for their lives if they kept their baby.  We spent our one day at VOH working on the grounds.  We basically took shovels and pickaxes and moved a pile of dirt somewhere else (pictured above).  It was a wonderful and caring place that has been terrorized by the government.

Why the change?  No one is sure.  Morocco has recently shifted from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy.  The latest election gave the more modern and moderate party majority power.  The other two parties (one monarchist and one socialist) may be attempting to garner more power by getting the support of Islamists.  Or some wonder that the government might be simply trying to appease terrorist groups from future attacks on the country (there were violent attacks in 2003 and 2007).

Whatever the reason, our government needs to keep a closer eye on the once modern and moderate Muslim nation.  Our national security does not need a country, that is only a few miles from Spain, becoming a hotbed for Islamic extremism.  So far this turn of events has been largely ignored by the press and has not been addressed by President Obama.

Georgia Lee

Hello Dear Hearts,

There have been a few times in my life when the Lord has brought that scripture into my spirit to assure me of His absolute protection and presence.  Such was the case when I heard about the Tsunami evacuation.

I know you’ve probably prayed for us here on the Islands when the news came that we were expecting a Tsunami from the earthquakes in Chili, Argentina and Okinawa. He also reminded me, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.  When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

My precious friend and co laborer in Christ, Sharon Watson, came to take me to her place, since a tsunami would completely flood my area.   She lives on higher ground.  I am so grateful to God for bringing us together. There were also some dear friends and neighbors who checked in on me to see if I needed a ride out, before they closed the highways.  I praise God, He answered prayer and spared us from a disaster. 

It’s times like these that remind us of how frail and fragile we are.  We are like a flower that blooms a short time and then fades and is gone.  We have little time to make a difference in this world, to reach others before they slip out into eternity.  I thank God for YOU who have partnered with me to COUNT FOR CHRIST.  “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.”  Isa.42:6

And so we here on Maui can’t wait to tell others; we do it in many ways, many places.  On the beach, in a Prayer Tent at the Swap Meet, in the malls, markets, wherever there are people, we reach out to them with the transforming love of Jesus Christ.  We are experiencing an unusual response to our ministry.  People from churches all over the Islands and many walks of life, are coming to our Prayer Center for special prayer; knowing that whatever their NEEDS are, they are CONFIDENTIAL, and go no farther than the throne of God. They are being healed, saved and delivered. We pray, God hears, God answers, God blesses.

I had lunch with a dear friend, Paul Hansen, who has had a wonderful ministry here on the island.  He too, has had partners who send him wherever the Holy Spirit leads. This last year he has traveled across thirty-nine states proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God. It was so wonderful to share all the exciting things God is doing.

We are to do everything whole-heartedly unto the Lord.  We have been called together, as His heirs, His ambassadors, to represent Him to the nations of the world in this strategic time in history.  The apostle Paul said that only the things we do for Christ will count for eternity. Nothing else really matters.  Jesus said if we give a cup of water in His name, any kind deed we do, we do it unto Him.  Because of your partnership we will reap the harvest together.

“And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ.”

MAY GOD BLESS YOU RICHLY HERE, AS WELL AS ETERNALLY.

With great appreciation and love, your co laborer in Christ,

Georgia Lee

Things began to unravel at the beginning of the year. The matriarch of the family died in April and even though she died at a ripe old age, the death was a shock the family. Three months later, her daughter-in-law, who had suffered a stroke and had spent more than a year in a convalescent hospital since, also died. And in a cruel twist of fate, the matriarch’s daughter Sue suffered a mysterious illness about the same time her sister-in-law was buried.

I visited Sue ten days before she passed away. For a long time, she kept the news of her illness from friends. She was uneasy about how she looked but happy that I had come to visit her. She was literally just half the person she used to be. Three months after the last burial in the family, Sue passed away and I was invited to give the benediction at her funeral service the weekend before Thanksgiving. The family told me how happy they were that I saw her before she passed away and that Sue had actually saw me at a restaurant when she still could walk, but felt too embarrassed to see me.

Such is the inner guilt, social stigma, and sad tragedy that sometimes befall godly Christians and their families.

One of the most mesmerizing, puzzling, and unpopular passages in the Bible is, no doubt, the story of Job. Job was a moral, wealthy, and godly man. As the story unfolds, his life was a bad movie script, his children were like extras that died in the first scene, and the plot that followed the first scene were all dialogue and little action – two chapters on tragedy and forty chapters on philosophy. Scholars largely agree that Job was a contemporary of Abraham and lived before the Jewish nation was founded. Therefore, Job’s account is the only biblical account of an individual stripped of cultural and national or even Jewish ties. Job is a universal and personal story, too, a story too close to home. It is easy to cry for Job, sympathize and identify with him, because you may have gone through unspeakable pain or know of someone who has gone through or is going through extreme suffering.

Job is a profile of courage in the face of adversity, because Job did not give up on his character, give in to his pain, and give way to Satan.

Be True in Adversity
20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. 2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still MAINTAINS HIS INTEGRITY, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” (Job 1:20-2:3)

The first thing Job did when life seemed unfair was to stay true to his character. He remained true to himself, true to form, and true to the end. God defended Job’s innocence, praised his integrity, and flaunted Job’s determination, feistiness and toughness to Satan.

The Chinese have a saying: “True gold is not afraid of fire.”

Do you know why gold is so expensive? Olympic athletes compete for the gold for a reason. I did a little research on gold and discovered some interesting facts on gold. Gold is a hedge against inflation, a popular form of savings, and a reliable asset during times of economic uncertainty or political upheaval.

Gold has a fairly high melting point of 1945 degrees Fahrenheit. It is valuable because it is almost indestructible and has been used and then reused for centuries to the extent that all gold that is in existence today is almost equal to all the gold that has ever been mined. Gold is also a great medium metal for jewelry, as it never rusts or tarnishes.

Gold appreciates in value when more of it is present in the material. For example 10K gold is the least expensive, and there is more gold and value in every additional 2K gold, up to 24K gold, which is 100 percent gold. http://www.beejeweled.com/metals.htm

Job was as good as 24K solid gold. He did not bend in his character, deviate from his character or part with his character. The Hebrew word for the verb “maintain” (2:3), in a negative sense, has been used to describe the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart (Ex 7:13), but in the positive sense for “strong” in the famous “Be strong and courageous” assertions in the Bible (Deut 31:6 Josh 1:6, 1 Chron 28:20, 2 Chron 32:7).

In a sense, Job was as headstrong and as thick-skinned as an ox. He was stubborn, uncompromising, and indomitable. He was did not move, budge or retreat from his position, viewpoint, or stand. That was what drove Job’s wife nuts in chapter 2 verse 9. The same word for Job’s determination to “maintain” his integrity is translated as “holding on” (2:9). His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity?” When his three friends accused him of harboring known and deliberate sins in his life, Job had the same fighting words for them: “I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity. I will “MAINTAIN” my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live. (Job 27:5-6)

God used an unusual word “integrity,” or the Hebrew word for “innocence,” to describe Job’s character (2:3). This word is found only in Job and Proverbs – four times in Job and once in Proverbs (11:3). Job upheld, pleaded and maintained his innocence to the intimidating end: “Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.” (Job 31:6) The root word for “integrity” is derived from the Hebrew word “blameless” in the same verse (2:3). No matter what others said, Job claimed innocence – he had a strong grip and a choke-hold on his own innocence.

The three words Job’s friends could not believe that he muttered were: “I was innocent.” Job meant that he was morally innocent, not just ethically and legally innocent, or not guilty. Job’s claim infuriated his friends, caused a debate, and made others lose sympathy for him. His friends did not believe him nor did they think it was possible, so they threw the book at him. Whether Job had a good attitude was beside the point.

Be Tenacious When Afflicted
4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” 6 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. (Job 2:4-8)

It’s been said, “Every winner has scars.”

I read that Romans, at their peak, distrusted most of the foreigners they had conquered and foreigners who wanted to fit in, but they admire battle scars but despise cowardly scars. The manly thing was to have battle scars on the front. To have scars on your back was a mark of shame – it showed that you had turned your back in battle and run away or, worse, that you had been whipped – only slaves were whipped.

http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/a-b/ancientsurgery6.html

Probably the oldest coin in the world is a Greek silver coin depicting the head of Alexander the Great (356—323 B.C.), who was one of history’s most courageous and charismatic leaders. Any man in his army would lay down his life for Alexander in a heartbeat. In those days, soldiers faced their enemies on the battlefield. As his enemies watched, Alexander would stand in front of his thirty-five thousand troops just before battle. Without saying a word, he would drop his toga to complete silence.

Alexander was a strong and handsome man, but the front of his body was covered with battle scars because he always led his troops into combat. After displaying the scars on the front of his body, Alexander would turn around to show that he didn’t have a single scar on his back, proof that he had never retreated in battle. Following this display, his soldiers would let out a deafening cheer while hammering their shields and swords together in a frenzy. The enemy would quake, and the battle was won before it even started. http://www.acgpress.com/tam_coins.html

Next, Job did not give in to his pain. He had painful sores from head to toe, eating into his flesh and bones, waking him morning till night, but he still did not give in to his pain.

Pain was an enemy but never a stranger to Job. Job did not ask for suffering nor did he despise his suffering. He had a high tolerance of pain. He did not hide his pain nor grovel in his pain. With courage, he scraped himself with a piece of broken pottery of the pain, the sore, and the itch in his body without a murmur or a whimper from his mouth, a growl on his face, or a tear in his eye.

The Hebrew word describing Job’s sores (2:7) are similar to plagues from Egypt (Ex 9:10, Deut 28:27) and leprosy in the Law (Lev 13:18-20). Job had become like dust and ashes (Job 30:19). He’d rather use the time, muster the courage, and still the body to save his strength, dull the pain, and quiet the mind, so that when the next sore stirred his body, pinched his nerves or weakened his bones, he could still muster the last ounce of his strength to turn to his side, apply some pressure, and relieve the pain.

Job demonstrated remarkable courage under the circumstances, under the weather, and under the onslaught. He passed the school of hard knocks with flying colors and graduated with the highest honors, making him the valedictorian to speak to all sufferers. Nobody understood him; neither his wife nor his friends. Job cried out in his pain, but he did not give in to the pain. He was alone in his pain, yet he refused to buckle or break. He was discouraged with things but not despondent of life. He was not bitter to the end or devoid of hope. He clung on to life and hope even though he longed for death. He stared at death in the face, but he did not blink. He cringed, but he did not cry. He fought back tears of rage, pity, or shame. That’s the essence of courage –an uprising against fear, pain, and suffering. Courage is a virtue that faces its sternest test against evil, injustice, or grievances.

Be Thankful Under Accusation
9 His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Job 2:9-10)

Lucy the wannabe moneymaking psychologist from the Peanuts gang once put up her advice booth with the slogan “Flawless Advice” written on it. Before too long, Charlie Brown walked in, sat down, and opened up: “My trouble is I never know if I’m doing the right thing. I need to have someone around who can tell me when I’m doing the right thing.” Lucy had a ready response to his problem: “Okay, you’re doing the right thing. That’ll be five cents, please!” Charlie Brown vacated the chair, paid the money and left the place, but returned after a short while.

Lucy was surprised to see him so quickly, and said, “Back already? What happened?” Charlie Brown admitted, with a downtrodden face, “I was wrong, it didn’t help. You need more in life than just having someone around to tell you when you’re doing the right thing.” Lucy jumped up and eagerly concluded, “Now, you’ve really learned something! That’ll be another five cents, please!”

It’s been said, “Life is a test. It is only a test. If it had been an actual life, you would have received instructions on where to go and what to do!” (Bits and Pieces 1/2/97)

Finally, do not give way to Satan when you are tested. God called Job, who passed the sternest test, “my servant” six times (Job 1:8, 2:3, 42:7, 42:8, 42:8, 42:8). God gave Job the highest honor: “There is none like him in all the earth” (1:8), a statement reserved for God alone (Ex 9:14). Job was sorely tested like no other. Satan’s accusations have not changed much since: “Do people fear God for no reason? I don’t think so! What if godly people are not wealthy, if wealth no longer increases, and if natural disasters leave them penniless, their enemies won’t leave them alone, and they lose almost all who are dear to them and the money they have so painstakingly saved up? What if they lose the biggest wealth of all- their health? Will they still love You?”

Job did not serve God because God had put a hedge around him at all times, sheltered him from harm, or kept watch……

MORE Next Week!