Category: Missions
Sin Is The Wrong Answer To Your Problem
Here it comes again. That same old temptation is back to try to take you down, to pull you away from God, to fill you with depression, condemnation and especially a guilty conscience. Remember, as I heard a preacher say years ago, ‘Sin is not the problem. Sin is the answer. But it’s the wrong answer.’ You see you may have an itch and you want to scratch it, but you need to see if your answer to that itch is God’s answer. Or else you may be falling into a trap.
Satan doesn’t parade answers to your itch in front of you to help you. He doesn’t tempt you because he likes you. He’s trying to kill you.
In John 14:30 Jesus said about Satan, ‘he has nothing in Me.’ You could say it another way, ‘He’s got no hooks in me.’ He tries but he is not successful in tempting me. There is nothing left in me to tempt me with.
1Peter 4:1 “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin”.
Can you imagine being done with temptation? Being in a place where Satan has no hooks in you? Being literally unresponsive to the temptations paraded before you to get you to fall? Can you imagine that? Most likely your flesh can’t imagine that. Your flesh still wants to have its own way. But this verse in 1Peter 4 says that he who has suffered in the flesh is ceased from sin. Does that mean if you’ve been persecuted with bodily harm for the Gospel that you have an immunity to being tempted? It could mean that. (Stick with me, I’ll unpack that.)
So there are two kinds of suffering in the flesh to discuss then: there’s the persecution where someone has received bodily harm and there’s the kind where we cause our own flesh to suffer through fasting, denying the flesh its appetite. Paul talks about putting the flesh under. He talks about beating it and making it his slave.
We can be ruled by the demands of the flesh, the itch that screams at us, the desire that tries to pull us off. Or we can rule over the flesh, put it under, make it obey us. But fleeing something is not as good as pursuing something. Often times when trying to avoid temptation people try to ‘turn off the darkness’ instead of ‘turning on the light’.
What do you desire? If its godly, pursue it. If its not godly, not only should you not pursue it but you should change your desires. Set your heart on something good instead of something negative. Most often you will pursue what you desire. If you pursue godly desires, temptation is nowhere in sight. Instead of turning off the darkness, turn on the light of good, godly desires. Set your affections on things that God wants. Desire them, and desire them strongly. Now pursue them. That’s turning on the light.
Updated Travel Map
Hey Friends,
I’m excited in this new year to have some wonderful missions opportunities ahead of me.
In April I’m headed to a pastor’s conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In June I may visit several countries and churches in Europe.
But here’s the places I’ve been to so far.
Blessings on you
Joe
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Videos from my Liberia Trip
Hey Friends,
Here’s some videos of my trip to Liberia last month.
I had an amazingly blessed time.
Thanks to all who helped by contributing finances and prayer.
This is Timothy Fahyiah, he received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He is so excited.
Pastor Elwood and his wife and two children returned to Liberia from America three years ago. He had gone back to Africa for a funeral when the Lord got ahold of his heart. They now live in a home with no running water and no electricity. Can you imagine leaving America to live in that situation? This man has a heart of gold and is being highly effective in the Kingdom of God. In just three years he has started this church, with over 100 members, a gradeschool, and a medical clinic, fully staffed. He needs continued funds to keep all these going, so if you want to help send some money in! It’s amazing what this man and his wife Yata have accomplished in three years.
Pastor Steven Lewis was a delight to be with. He manages the youth at his father’s church. What a sweet spirit. He and his father are believing God for the funds to build a building for their gradeschool($25,000). If they are able to do this, many more children will come to their school because, if they have a building then the government will provide lunches. They’re also needing money for a video player, tv and generator to run a bible school($1,200).
If you are interested in contributing to any of these projects you can do it through our church and get a tax write-off.
God bless,
Joe
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One Of My Heroes
Hey Friends,
I want to introduce you to a person whom God has used in my life in a powerful way:
Bishop Tudor Bismark of Zimbabwe.
He is a powerful preacher of the Gospel. God also used him at my ordination service back in 2005 to call Nancy & I out of the audience to prophecy over us.
Here’s the video of that:
That was amazing because he did not know that out of all the people that were being ordained that night, I was the only one being ordained for the first time as a pastor. He also did not know that I worked there and was in charge of that particular conference, but the prophecy said, “You have to go back…” when he said that I knew he was talking about going back to my former church to pastor there.
Anyway, Bishop Bismark has a blog and I wanted you to see it. He is doing a powerful work in Zimbabwe, take a quick moment and read the description of what he just did recently. It’s a powerful testimony.
Love y’all
Blessings
Joe
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Missions Are So Cool
Hey Friends,
Here’s some cool videos about a certain method of missions.
Check this out. There’s two videos, total of about 16 minutes.
I cried.
Joe
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Costa Rica – Days 5, 6, 7
Sorry we have to lump all these days together. We traveled to an area where there was no internet available. So we’ve put together some slideshows so you could see what happened each day.
On day 5 we:
On day 6 we:
We want to thank everyone who contributed to this trip and prayed for us.
There was much fruit. Don Korach & Elmer Flores were very encouraged by our visit. We want to go again. There is a lot of work to be done down there. Don is over almost 200 Bible Schools throughout Central & South America. They even have one in Spain. Several thousand students are being touched by these schools and Don & Elmer’s work.
If you’d like to contribute to their ministry go to the Family Life donations page and click on the Missions Trip button. Mention in there that this is for Don Korach, we’ll forward it to him with our monthly gift. You could also go to Mutual Faith’s website and contribute there.I believe in the work that Don & Elmer are doing down there and I commend them for there work.
Day 8
Monday morning we were up at 3:30am, caught the taxi at 4:30am, to the airport by 5am. We had a smooth trip all the way home. Glad to be home with family.
Love y’all
Joe
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Costa Rica – Day 4
Hey Friends,
We got to rest a bit this morning then around noon we headed for Turrialba, that was about 3 hours drive through the mountains.
Here’s the view from the place we stopped at for lunch.
Double click on the picture for a cool panoramic view.
We ministered at two different places. Mike O’Connor taught at a Bible school and I spoke at a church service in a little town called Sauce. That’s pronounced sah-ooh-say. Several people were healed and very encouraged. One fellow had an ulcer in his leg and was scheduled for amputation. We know he is healed and are looking forward to the testimony. On the way home I got a little car-sick but Mike & Mark prayed for me. I’m feeling much better now but I gotta go to bed so good night.
We ministered at two different places. Mike O’Connor taught at a Bible school and I spoke at a church service in a little town called Sauce. That’s pronounced sah-ooh-say. Several people were healed and very encouraged. One fellow had an ulcer in his leg and was scheduled for amputation. We know he is healed and are looking forward to the testimony. On the way home I got a little car-sick but Mike & Mark prayed for me. I’m feeling much better now but I gotta go to bed so good night.
Mark took some cool pictures, click on the slideshow below. There’s some really neat pictures at the end of the ministry time Mike had with Elmer Flores our interpreter; also check out the view of San Jose’s city lights from the mountainside. It’s beautiful.
Joe
http://familylife.cc/slideshows/costaricaday4/showit.swf
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Costa Rica – Day 3
Wow!
What a day.
This morning we had a great breakfast that Don’s wife Marjorie made for us. Scrambled eggs with black beans & rice. Seriously delicious.
Then we went to downtown San Jose to the bank to get our exit visas & cash some traveler’s checks. Lunch at Rosti Pollo(Poyo means chicken), it was one of the best tasting meals I’ve ever had. (That’s saying something)
At 2pm we went to a prison to speak to the inmates. Usually I don’t know what I’m going to speak on before I minister. This case was no different. But when I started to speak the Holy Spirit began to really minister to these men about what He was trying to do to them while they were in prison. Afterwards we got to pray for each one of them. God spoke many prophetic words to them. At the end one man testified that he had been really considering killing someone in the prison because he was so angry but he said that as I spoke and when we laid hands on him everything changed. Another man said that when we laid hands on him the power of God was flowing into him. Another man, when we laid hands on him I heard the word “Leadership” and God had me prophecy over him that God wanted to use him in leadership. After the Lord spoke manyh things to him he said in English, “I have waited many years for this day.” Another fellow testified that the Lord had spoken to him this morning saying that he was sending three angels to him today.
Tonight we ministered at a Bible school. After I taught for an hour and a half the Lord had me pray for them. About 10 of them got filled with the Holy Spirit and got their prayer language. It was a blessing.
After the meeting several students said they were amazed that I spoke on the same things the pastor had been speaking on for the last several weeks.
God is working through us down here. Please continue to pray for us that the ministry would affect many.
I found out tonight that my friend Don is overseeing about 160 Bible schools all over central America and South America.
If you want to support him go to our church’s web site and give through the missions trip button. Don & Elmer could use the money. They are doing a really great work and these men are faithful.
Love y’all
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Costa Rica Day 2
We finally made it to Costa Rica. My friend Don picked us up at the airport, it was great to see him. We went straight to his house and his wife made a delicious lunch for us. After that we got some rest and headed out to minister at a Bible School. Don interpreted for me. Mike helped in the prayer line and Mark shot some pix. Enjoy.
http://familylife.cc/slideshows/costaricaday2/showit.swf
A lot of powerful words came forth during the prayer time. Thank God these people really got helped and encouraged.
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Joseph Barlow 