JVI-873 SeptOct'03 PT Mag - Jack Van Impe Ministries

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Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. Have you discovered the reality of this promise? Do you believe it? Then this is the message you are called to share with the fallen soldiers around you! The Lord is very near to us — as the song says,“He’s as close as the mention of His name.” So it is perfectly accurate and true to tell someone in need that help is available … on the way! The Bible tells about a blind man in Jericho who heard that Jesus was passing by and cried out to Him for help. Did Jesus ignore his cry? Did He pass on by and go His way? That’s not what Luke 18:41 says. That verse says that Jesus said to the blind man,“What do you want Me to do for you?” Don’t limit God I love that! “What do you want?” If we don’t ask, we are limiting what God can do to meet our need. We are carrying needless pain, disappointment, setbacks, and trouble. In a day and time when the pressures of the world can cause us to falter, how good to know that we can look to heaven and say,“Help, Lord!” And He is always there. I got such a blessing as I thought of this, because we are beginning a New Year now. While we are anticipating all sorts of good things and not expecting problems or turmoil in our lives, it is good to know that if afflictions come, we can run straight to God. The Answer we need is always there … and His name is Jesus! In Handel’s great masterwork, “The Messiah,” one choral selection paraphrases Isaiah 40:9 and urges — “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion … say unto the cities of Judah, behold your Jack Van Impe Ministries January/February 2004 Rexella Van Impe 20 God!” I believe that is what we all have been commissioned to do — to tell good tidings — to proclaim the good news of the Gospel to those who need to hear it the most. I wish you could see the many letters we get every week from people who watch our weekly telecast and say,“We just couldn’t get through our week without the message you bring to us.” You see, we’re offering hope to them — we say,“The Lord is available, He will help you! It doesn’t matter if you’re on drugs, living on the street, cast out from home, shattered by divorce, brought low by illness and disease — whatever it is, disappointment or heartbreak, the Lord says,‘I am with you. What do you want Me to do for you?’” Other people say they turn to “Jack Van Impe Presents” because they can’t stand to view the TV news anymore, with its incessant reports of calamity, destruction, fear, evil, and disturbing problems with no answers. It may sound simplistic, but our answer to the daily news is to point people to God. Again and again, my husband, Jack, reminds us all that it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man (Psalm 118:8). When the outlook is dark, try the uplook! Instead of relying on earthly things and human wisdom — even other Christians — we can trust in the Lord. The Word says, Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God (Philippians 4:6). That’s where we are to have our confidence. If God is, in fact, omnipotent, infinite, all wise, then we can rely on Him. He’s our rock. He’s our fortress. He’s our deliverer. In Him shall we trust! Oh, I love this. What a foundation to stand firmly upon in the day and age in which we are living, and the New Year into which we are coming. Who can we turn to when the storms of life are raging? We have a powerful God, a powerful Savior, a powerful Holy Spirit — a loving Father, a faithful Friend, and a compassionate Comforter. How powerful is our God? He is the One who flung the universe into orbit, who created all life, who keeps everything in order. Such power is too much for my mind to comprehend, and yet this powerful being is so approachable and near to us that we are allowed to talk with Him, one on one, and address Him as our Father! Wow! Then we have God the Savior, the One who is truly called our best Friend. This merciful One is touched by the things that touch us, and He understands because he was in all points tested as we are, yet without sin. He hears whatever we confess and cleanses us from all sin (see Hebrews 4:15, 1 John 1:7). How could we ever survive without God the Holy Spirit, who is our comforter, teacher, helper. He convicts us of our shortcomings, reads our hearts when we can’t even put into words what we need to say, and goes to the Father on our behalf with groans that cannot even be uttered. When we cry out in fear and pain — like a fallen soldier — the Holy Spirit knows exactly what we are feeling and needing. Because our great and powerful God is one — the Father, the Savior, and the Holy Spirit cannot be separated from each other … or from us! And that’s Who comes to bring help to us
when we have been wounded and are fallen on the battlefield of life. Don’t be afraid of tomorrow So we can walk boldly into the untracked territory of the New Year and put our hand into the hand of God. What better companion and resource could we have? Tomorrow may be new territory for us, but God is already there. Why should we worry? How often we try to fret and worry our way through life instead of walking in the victory, joy, and peace that is ours. My husband, Jack, says that too often the attitude of some people seems to be: why pray when you can worry? But we have been called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light! Let us not go into 2004 with the false illusion that because we are Christians we will never be disappointed or have setbacks, hardships, or trials. We will encounter challenges and trouble, I assure you. But we have a source of ever-present help — that means it’s always available. We don’t even have to make an appointment for it — I like that part. We don’t have to call and set a date. Our God is always there. One of the first American casualties in Iraq was a young woman named Jessica Lynch. She was wounded and captured — imagine her terror, pain, and despair. But in her darkest hour, someone—an Iraqi citizen, I believe — said to her,“I will send help to you.” What a great hope and consolation those words must have been. And before long, this young woman was rescued. Mission Possible As you and I go into the New Year, could it be that the greatest mission we could have is to look for fallen soldiers? We can tell them that we are sending help if they’ll just receive it. For, you see, we don’t have to heal the fallen or solve their problems, but simply point them to the One who can — a powerful God, a powerful Savior, a powerful Holy Spirit. By the way, just when we think that our world — the whole world — is so messed up that it is totally out of control, we need to be reminded that God is still in control. He has the whole world in His hands and nothing has happened or is going to happen that He doesn’t already know about. He’s already prepared for every situation. Because our God is so powerful, He wins every time. And we’re on His team … the winning team. So don’t be afraid of tomorrow — God’s already there. That’s what “Jack Van Impe Presents” is all about. As we encircle the globe every single week, we’re giving hope in the Lord that the world cannot give. The world is in a mess, but we have a message for the “message”! And as our friend and partner, you share in all that is being accomplished. This year, will you join us in saying to all who need a voice of encouragement,“Help is on the way!” What a great way to enter the New Year. Jack Van Impe Ministries January/February 2004 Rexella Van Impe 21
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JVI-873 SeptOct'03 PT Mag - Jack Van Impe Ministries

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