Daily Courage

[Judy Harder]

...and do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them. (Numbers 14:9)

Caleb

What was the difference between Joshua and Caleb and the other ten spies? All twelve of them had been in the promised land. All of them had seen the fruit of the land. All knew of the giants who lived there. The latter, the presence of giants separated Joshua and Caleb from the other ten. They had all seen the same, but they differed in their judgment of the situation.

The ten compared their own strength to that of the giants. The two compared the strength of the giants to that of the Lord. The ten viewed themselves as grasshoppers in comparison to the giants. The two viewed the giants as grasshoppers in comparison to God.

Yes, Caleb even added that the giants would serve as food for them, "we will swallow them up." The bigger the giant the greater the meal.

Yet Joshua and Caleb were not super-spiritual. They acknowledged the presence of giants, the enemy for they had seen them for themselves. But ... they saw more; they saw God. When you see God in His greatness, even giants look as small as grasshoppers.

It is good to acknowledge your problems, but it is wrong and dangerous to focus all your attention on them. There is another reality. There is a God, whom Caleb refers to as, "The Lord is with us, do not be afraid of them!"

"Lord, open our eyes so that we can see. Really see!"

[Judy Harder]

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Caleb

This typifies the life of Caleb. When he was young he had the courage to stand alone. In middle-age he had the patience to walk alone with his God. In old-age he had the strength to climb mountains.

The foundation was laid in his youth. He was courageous enough to stand up for his faith. He was not intimidated by the unbelieving masses. Not even when they threatened to stone him. Rather be dead than a coward. Rather be obedient to God than be popular with men.

It did mean that at the age of forty, he had to wander around in the desert for forty years, as a result of the unbelief of the people. Maybe Caleb often said to himself during those years, "Forty lost years in the desert and it was not necessary."

Yet he was patient enough to wait on God's promise and he continued to walk with his God. After that, when his years increased, he did not move downhill but uphill. And that, at the age of eighty-five.

In which phase of your life do you find yourself today? In your youth? Then be steadfast in obedience. In your middle years? Be patient and continue to trust. In old age? Be strong in your faith. You can still be of great value to the Kingdom of God.

Caleb was strong at the age of eighty-five. For those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.

[Judy Harder]

Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.
(Joshua 14:12)

Caleb

In claiming his inheritance Caleb, willingly and voluntarily, asked for the most difficult part of the country, the mountains where the giants lived.

Those were the giants who scared the other spies. They were the very reason for unbelief among God's people resulting in forty years of isolation in the desert.

Caleb could have asked for an easier part of the country. At the retiring age of eighty-five he took upon him the greatest challenge of his life. Caleb never thought in terms of fences or walled cities, the higher the mountain the greater the challenge to conquer it, the stronger the enemies, the greater the opportunity to trust God to defeat them.

All the other tribes received an easier part of the country, but they could not drive out the people from their territory. Only Caleb could do that. He drove out the giants. His faith resulted in conquering power. No challenge too great, no problem too difficult. His secret, faith in God. Not a great faith in God, but simply faith in a great God. Have faith for "your mountain". It can be done.

[Judy Harder]

 February 4, 2011   

from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,


I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. (Joshua 14:

You have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. (Joshua 14:9)

He followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly. (Joshua 14:14)

Caleb

We learned yesterday that the secret to Caleb's success was faith. Today we will learn about the condition of having such faith. It can be summed up in one sentence, Caleb followed the Lord wholeheartedly. No reservations, no compromise, only undivided allegiance to God.

We read this statement three times in Joshua 14. The first mention comes from Caleb himself. This was not proud boasting, but a sober statement of fact. Dare we, can we say this about our walk with God? Some people never dare say this. Others say it too easily.

The second mention comes from Moses, saying the same words. That is even more important than Caleb's own statement. What do other people see of Christ in me? How do they sum up my life? But the most important testimony comes from God himself, the God who discerns the hidden secrets of the heart.

"O Lord, you have searched me
and you know me...
you perceive my thoughts from afar...
you are familiar with all my ways."
(Psalm 139:1-3)

There can only be one response to this statement.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me
And lead me in the way everlasting."
(Psalm 139:23-24)

[Judy Harder]

February 5, 2011   


from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,


In the first part of this psalm, David wrestles with the question of why God forsook him. God does not answer him and does not seem to hear his prayers. He feels lonely and miserable.

After a difficult and profound struggle, David's spirit is lifted again. Even in the deepest pit God was with him, even though he did not notice it. The Lord did hear him when he called out to Him (v.24).

Because of that, David now gives thanks to his God. Lonely, but never alone.

David

I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.
You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.
From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him - may your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.
(Psalm 22:22-28)

[Judy Harder]

February 6, 2011   


from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,


This is my Gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's Word is not chained. (2 Timothy 2:8-9)

Sister Maria

In all the time that I was imprisoned I never felt alone. When loneliness threatened, I started to talk to my Lord. It was within those thick walls, cutting me off from my contact with everyone else that I experienced, more than ever before, that nothing could cut me off from God.

I also realized that God must have allowed my imprisonment for a purpose - to bring other people the message of salvation in Christ Jesus, those who otherwise might never have heard it.

Instead of looking at my difficult circumstances, God lifted me above them. His Spirit filled my whole being, enabling me to testify to the other prisoners. Within one year twenty five of them accepted Christ as their Savior. "God's Word is not chained". It even sets our spirit free in times of bondage and imprisonment.

A criminal in the eyes of men, an ambassador in the eyes of God.

"Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see."

Sister Maria from Mozambique. She had been imprisoned under severe circumstances. Sister Maria uses a pseudonym.

[Judy Harder]

February 7, 2011   

from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. (Psalm 69:1-4)

Sister Maria

These are the words of David, the man after God's heart, but at the same time the fugitive king of Israel, calling out to God while fleeing his enemies. He called to God in times of peace and in times of persecution.

I often thought of these verses when I was imprisoned.

I was also reminded of Jesus' warning:

"You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of Me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them...Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit" (Mark 13:9-11).

I am so glad that I memorized so many scriptures beforehand, for when my turn came to be persecuted for Christ, they really sustained me through all the difficult times.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16).

If that is the case, you will always experience the previous verse "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts ... and be thankful" (Colossians 3:15).

Sister Maria from Mozambique. She had been imprisoned under severe circumstances. Sister Maria uses a pseudonym.

[Judy Harder]

If you make the Most High your dwelling ... then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
(Psalm 91:9-10)

Sister Maria

If we fear persecution and its consequences, it simply means that we do not believe He is strong enough to see us through our times of trial.

This marvelous psalm could have been written especially for me. "Surely, he will save me from the deadly pestilence" (v.3).

Under those terrible conditions in prison I became desperately ill in my pregnant condition. (I was four months pregnant when I was arrested.) Two months before the baby was due to be born I thought I was going to die, as would my baby. But God instilled sympathy into a doctor's heart to have mercy on me. He sent me to a hospital where the baby was born.  Later, when my baby became ill, he was taken away from me. My husband was allowed to take care of him for the next seven months.  Thank God, neither myself, nor my child, suffer from any ill-effects today.

"You will not fear the terror by night, nor the arrow that flies by day" (v.5).

When I was interrogated, they tried to force me to deny my Lord. A loaded gun was pointed at my chest, with my interrogator threatening to shoot me. I was shaking, but I just could not deny my Lord. I was weak, but He was strong.

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge" (v.4).

We never need to fear, whatever the circumstances - for He is with us. The Psalmist speaks from experience - so do I - and so may you.

Sister Maria from Mozambique. She had been imprisoned under severe circumstances. Sister Maria uses a pseudonym.

[Judy Harder]

from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,


Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange was happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ. (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Sister Maria

Many Christians today live with the false hope that peace will come to this world one day, that famine and persecution will end. his utopia is not in accordance with God's Word.

When I was arrested, His words immediately came to me, When these things begin to happen, "...be on your guard" (Mark 13:9).

Instead of peace on earth we see hunger, disease and war. This happened in my country too. We were promised food, health and peace, but we soon discovered that there was no room for God in an atheistic environment. Our churches were closed, our Bibles burnt and our pastors arrested. Because I taught children about the Lord, I, too, was arrested. Only when the heavy cell door shut behind me and I was left naked in the cold darkness, did the words of Jesus make real sense to me, "Be on your guard."

I do not want to be negative and frighten you. I only say: "...be on your guard." Even when things look like improving in the world today, we do not have any guarantee of freedom from persecution.

Together with the warning: "...be on your guard" comes this other truth, "Rejoice". Peter said it, Paul wrote about it from prison, Jesus exhorted us, "Rejoice".

I can only add, you can.

Sister Maria from Mozambique. She had been imprisoned under severe circumstances. Sister Maria uses a pseudonym.

[Judy Harder]

February 10, 2011 

from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,


Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
(Matthew 5:11)

Come you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance ... for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat...(Matthew 25:34-35)

Sister Maria

In these scriptures I see an inseparable bond. Blessed are the persecuted and ... blessed are those who help the persecuted.

Although there were times, when in prison, that I doubted God's love, many opportunities arose when my faith was strengthened again and again through the support of other people. Their good deeds came spontaneously, because they loved the Lord ... and me.

It reminded me of Paul's words, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."

If your leg is injured, you are supplied with a crutch. Without that crutch you cannot walk. In our walk with the Lord, one may be persecuted, but another supports and strengthens.

We need one another, and thus we fulfill the law of Christ. In doing so we all will be blessed, because, "he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."