Money on the Move – Part 4 of 4

When it was time for us to leave Japan, we had no idea how we would pay our way back to the airport. Then unexpectedly, one of the Japanese workers who helped us get on a train to the airport gave us some money. Not only did he give us enough for our fare, but there was also enough to buy a few souvenirs at the airport. During our time in Tokyo we had firsthand experience of God working through people and through us.

Life is not all about shopping at the mall, watching TV, or playing computer games. As parents, it’s our responsibility to shape our children’s world-view. Most kids don’t even appreciate what they have. The best way to combat materialism is by giving away money or things. The best way to combat selfishness is by giving away time through acts of service.

Consider taking your kids with you on a short-term outreach during a holiday or summer break. Allow them healthy exposure to the outside world so they can learn how other people live. Teach them to be grateful, compassionate, and generous. God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing. God doesn’t want the resources we possess to stop with us. He wants them to keep flowing.

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Money on the Move – Part 3 of 4

We spent the two final weeks, before flying back home to South Africa, at a Bible printing organization. The workers were mostly singles who lived on the property in dorm rooms. We were offered a single’s room with a small kitchenette; the bathrooms were down the hall. Lunches were provided and we were blessed with a small allowance to cover the other meals.

During the day, the place was alive with the hustle and bustle of many people hard at work. At night, they all disappeared into their rooms. The halls were deserted and the place fell silent. It went from one extreme to the other. The atmosphere lent itself to work productivity, but after working hours there was just nothing happening. Sadly, there didn’t seem to be any life outside of work.

Most of the people there were Japanese. Since we had arrived in Tokyo, I had learned that the Japanese were generally not accustomed to practicing hospitality. The Lord showed me that as often as possible I was to invite one person from the building to our room for dinner. I wasn’t sure if we would have enough food to feed ourselves, let alone provide a meal for someone else. I also knew how particular the Japanese were about their rice. What if I couldn’t cook it right?

Whatever my reservations, we managed to open our door to several of the missionaries there. We could see that they were surprised when we invited them for dinner. It might have been a small thing, but it was an opportunity for us to be a blessing. They needed to know that they were loved for who they were and not only for what they did. We were also blessed by some who did the same for us.

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Money on the Move – Part 2 of 4

Please read Part 1, if you haven't already.

On our first morning there, they invited us to their apartment for breakfast. We could tell by the questions they asked us that they thought we were crazy to make the trip to Japan without concrete arrangements. When we had finished eating, they read their morning Bible devotional with us. The topic happened to be about faith and trusting God for the impossible.

We were about to pray together when the wife mentioned that Japan was experiencing a serious drought (the year was 1996). It had become a national crisis. As we bowed our heads in prayer, I asked the Lord to please bring rain. The wife looked out the window, and the next thing she saw was a pedestrian pulling out an umbrella. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Perhaps God had sent us there for that short time just to refresh them in the area of their faith.

Having heard our heart for Tokyo, they felt moved to connect us with another missionary family, who invited us for dinner. We discovered that the husband was the overseer of all the regional mission organizations. They were just the right people to learn from and they eagerly shared from some of their years of experience with us. We mentioned that we were on a short-term visit and they invited us to come and stay at their house for a week.

The following morning we said our goodbyes to the first missionary couple that had welcomed us to Tokyo. They gave us a little Japanese outfit for the baby on its way and surprisingly told us that we didn’t need to pay for our stay. We went onto our new host family and continued to learn much from them. While we were there, they arranged for us to stay with a Japanese family for a week so that we could have first-hand experience of Japanese culture. This turned out to be our toughest week emotionally and spiritually, but we learned a lot.

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Money on the Move – Part 1 of 4

Before I got married, the Lord gave me the promise in scripture where Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about what they would eat and drink or what they would wear. As long as they sought God’s Kingdom first, the Lord would take care of the rest (Luke 12:22-31). I knew that God was speaking directly to me in regard to my upcoming marriage and the life we would lead. We were to keep our hearts passionate about God’s things, and He would look after us.

My husband and I chose to take God at His word. If getting married without financial security was His idea, then we were going to have to trust Him. We were willing to take the leap of faith.

This decision was tested many times. One particular occasion was when we heard God tell us to go to Tokyo, Japan, for a short-term outreach. We were not joining a team. It was just going to be the two of us, and I was going to be six months pregnant with our first child. When we arrived in Japan, there was no one to meet us and nowhere to go. We thought we might make contact with a Japanese friend, but that idea fell through. We had only about $200 and this was to last us for one month.

We had to rely totally on God. At this point we needed a place to stay for the night at least. We looked in a telephone directory and found a mission organization that we felt inspired to phone. An American missionary couple in charge said they had place for us and the husband would meet us at the train station. They told us that they rarely took in people who weren’t affiliated with their organization. We spent our first two nights in one of their spacious apartments, knowing that all their missionaries were expected to pay for accommodation. We decided not to tell anyone about our financial status as we believed the Lord was going to provide somehow.

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Poem - Crumbs or Steak

Tell me, who knows the mind of the Lord that we should offer Him counsel?

If He has told us a thing, is it not true?

Either we believe God or we place His wisdom on a mantel,

Which is like living our lives in an old, smelly shoe.

What has He promised for His beloved daughters and sons?

Did He not say that He would take care of each and every one?

So why are we so busy eating the crumbs

When God wants us to live a life of joy and even have fun?

We easily get focused on what our needs are

That we forget to seek God’s Kingdom first.

When we get our priorities right and up to par,

Then God will give us a marvelous thirst.

We’ll begin to see the needs of others around

And God will fill us with living water that will always abound.

To seek His Kingdom first is to be eating that steak,

And to discover a life of faith, believe God, it’s no mistake.

Photo and poem by Christina Morley

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Spiritual Warfare – Part 3 of 4

Another strategy Satan uses is fear. Satan relies on fear tactics to paralyze and overpower his victims. Sometimes he does this through criminals who prey on unsuspecting citizens. At other times, he uses fear to keep us from doing great things for God. Jesus has given us His authority to defeat the attacks of the enemy. First of all, God says He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2Tim. 1:7). He also says that perfect love casts out fear (1John 4:18). Once we no longer allow fear to paralyze us, we no longer need to fall prey to fear tactics.

In order to do this we must allow God’s love to rule our lives by filling our hearts and minds with His Word. His Word builds our faith and is an effective weapon against spiritual and physical attacks. We can also pray scriptures that God has given to us for our families. Two excellent passages concerning divine protection are found in Psalm 91 and Isaiah 43:1-21.

We also find safety and refuge when we call on the name of the Lord in our time of need. He has myriads of angels at His disposal and He’ll dispatch them when we cry for help. God and His angels really are just a simple prayer away.

Besides praying to God for help, we can also rebuke whoever or whatever is threatening us. Occasionally, I ask my children to practice saying something like “Stop in Jesus’ name!” and encourage them to use a commanding voice. Demons operating through people tremble at the name of Jesus and are unable to withstand Him.

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Prayer is Powerful – Part 4 of 5

Prayer walking is another great way to pray. Just take a walk around the neighborhood, and pray for your neighbors. They don’t have to know you’re praying, but God knows. He will honor your prayers.

God wants us to commit everything to Him in prayer, but do we? Often we assume that God is right there tagging alongside us, so we don’t see the need to pray. Sure, God is there, and He’s promised never to leave us or forsake us. However, God gave us the earth to have authority over it, and through Adam we gave it to the devil. Now, we must take our authority back in Jesus’ name. As we pray, we bind the work of the enemy and release God to do His work.

Does that mean that God can’t work if we don’t pray? No, God often works despite us, but He has chosen to partner with His children. If He wanted to do everything on His own, then there would be no reason for us to pray. Instead, He commands us to pray.

As we pray, we also need to consider where we focus our prayers. When I was frustrated with fruitless prayers, the Lord showed me that I was focusing on non-believers more than on believers. At the time, I thought that this was what was expected of me.

Actually, the truth is that we should pray for both. We need to cultivate a heart for the lost and pray for them, but not to the detriment of fellow Christians. How much of our prayers are actually spent on praying for those who, because they chose to follow Christ, would doubtless be under attack? The devil tries hard to stand in the way of believers who are trying to make a difference in their world.

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Poem - Walking by Faith

Walking by faith is a hard road to travel
Living under the law is easier to understand
But it’s by grace that we receive from Your hand
Even when others don’t, help me in Your grace to stand.

I want my life to be a life of faith
To trust You in every situation
Even when worrying can be such a temptation
Help me to remember You are my rock and salvation.

When things get hard it’s easy to forget what You’ve promised
Help me remember in the dark what You’ve shown me in the light
Even when my mountain seems to be such a great height
You are stronger yet, so I must just keep You in sight.

You want me to live a life fully dependent on You
As a little child in my Father’s care
Not caught up in my own affair
But given over to Your life, which You so graciously want to share.

That’s when I will see Your mighty hand move
You are a God that likes to put the impossible to shame
Who joys in giving the foolish things of this world the power of Your name
One day the world will acknowledge Your fame.

by Christina Morley

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Thankful in Times of Need - Part 4 of 4

What would be your reaction if, after following the Lord’s voice, things didn’t turn out as you expected? How would you feel if your family didn’t have a place to stay or enough money for the next day’s meals? It can seem frightening when you no longer have control over basic things.

The faith walk that we are called to doesn’t depend on what we see, but on what we don’t see (God and His promises). Thankful hearts provide the positive perspective we need despite seemingly negative circumstances. Being thankful when we don’t see provision can only come by faith. With faith on our side, we will thank Him no matter what the circumstances.

Your faith is tested by your actions, but you mustn’t act until you know what God is asking of you. Faith operates through obedience. However, if God has called one believer to give all his money away, that doesn’t mean that He has told you to do the same. Other people’s testimonies are there to enrich you and to help you grow, but not to dictate to you your faith walk. Your faith walk is unique.

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Thankful in Times of Need - Part 3 of 4

I’ve walked the road of faith with my family and I can testify that when God calls, He also provides. I’ve learned to trust God wholeheartedly and to thank Him for his faithfulness even when life isn’t going my way.

A story that always sticks in my mind is about what occurred in the life of George Mueller (1805 - 1898). He was born in Prussia (now Germany), but felt called to England during the time that child labor was a major problem. To try and protect some of these children, he started a few orphanages where they would be properly cared for. These were not government-funded orphanages, and Mueller didn’t personally own lots of money. He ran his orphanages on faith alone.



One morning, he and his orphans sat down for breakfast, but there was a hitch: they had no food. In faith and obedience they thanked God for their food while looking at any empty table. Right after giving thanks, there was a knock at the door. They were surprised to receive a basket full of bread which a baker had felt prompted to give them and the milkman decided to give them milk, because his cart broke down outside their orphanage.

These were just some of the many miracles that God performed for George Mueller and his orphans. They had big needs, but they had an even bigger God. Just as God was faithful to them, He’ll be faithful to you.

The photo below is of the five orphanages that were built because of George Mueller's great faith in a miracle-working God.

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