"WITHOUT FEAR"

1 Corinthians 4:14-21
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. 18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. 21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?    NKJV

1 Corinthians 16:5-12
5 Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). 6 And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 10 Now if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. 11 Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren. 12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.          NKJV

Paul is looking over his itinerary the Lord has given him. As the act of an apostle, his is to remain faithful to that which is before him. Paul was one who did not hold to tightly to one thing the Lord presented, but always looking for that advantage of an "open door" in which he would present the gospel wherever he was sent. He sends a letter to those at Corinth, to say that Timothy is coming. And at his appearing, Paul wants Timothy to be at ease to do the work he is sent to do without being in fear. Paul goes on to say, "Therefore let no one despise him, But send him on his journey, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren."

Paul wanted Timothy to have such a good visit and a good work that he would leave Corinth and in his going to Paul, he would be at peace with the brethren. Apostles certainly have their work cut out for them. Like Paul, he was sending whom God had called and wanted to those of Corinth to receive God's anointed man. Yet, even then, it was evident that the men of Corinth had a problem with Timothy. We see Timothy going to Corinth in 1 Corinthians 4, but are not sure he made it in the writing of 1 Corinthians 16.
Paul had sent letters to the church at Corinth and through the length of 1 Corinthians, we note that he was dealing with them in issues as to: immorality, self-indulgence, another self-indulgence in the spiritual gifts and into a doctrine in denial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They sounded like the party group who love to gorge themselves on food and drink...........eat, drink and be merry kind of folks! For their spiritual gifts, they saw that some of those "spiritual gifts" were more highly esteemed and they desired to abandon those God had given them and to acquire only those which folks would look up to them for. Their church meetings then became the chaotic and not of the peace and power of the Holy Spirit. They chose to indulge in that which brought them attention.
God has His way of doing something and in a service to worship God in word and psalms is that which in the order He desires it to be done. It is in the love of God and brings glory back to God and not to man.
Though Timothy was with Paul when the letter or Epistle to Corinth was sent, yet we do not know if Timothy got there. (1 Corinthians 16) Although there is no mention, yet Paul wanted these people to understand he was sent and was on the authority of what was started in Corinth.

When reading about the Corinthians, I always think of Naaman who had leprosy in the book of  2 Kings and chapter 5. We were told of Naaman to be the commander of the army of the king of Syria. From the reading, we are told that he was indeed great and honorable in the eye of his master. In Naaman's leadership, the Lord had given victory over to Syria. We find he is told by the young servant girl to find Elisha and that he, Naaman, would be healed of the leprosy. In all the communication going on among all the leadership when Naaman asks of Elisha, we find him arriving at the prophet's door. He was expecting, by what scripture states, that the prophet himself to come, greet Naaman, call on the name of the LORD, Elisha's God, wave his hand over the place and the leprosy would be gone. But alas, it was not to be the way the man Naaman wanted it done. Elisha gave instruction to his servant who in turn gave it to Naaman. "Go wash in the Jordan seven times and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean." When Naaman heard this, he became furious. He probably had some choice words he had to speak and protest against, especially regarding the dirty water of the Jordan River. Was Naaman, because of his high rank, and his victory in war, bring him to a prideful state? Did he feel slighted by the young girl or by the prophet himself?

Of course, we know Naaman took the instructions, obeyed them and was healed. But I think of those Timothy was sent to help. Even though he had the same gifts in leadership as Paul, were those of Corinth in a prideful state, that they grew to despise the young man and the wisdom of God he carried to them? Were they wanting to do things differently..........? Well, we know the letter Paul wrote to them dealt with serious issues!

Paul called Timothy a true son in the faith in 1 Timothy 1:2.

Timothy was raised by his mother Eunice, and Grandmother Lois.

2 Timothy 1:3-7

3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 

Paul had a relationship with young Timothy. He knew something of his childhood and where he stood in that day he declared him a true son in the faith.

Paul also recognized the faith that came in Timothy by being disciplined to the Word of God. Timothy was young, but he was the genuine article, he proved faithful in how he had been brought up and how his perseverance to work with others was one being obedient to the call on his life. 

A Proven Character....

Philippians 2:19-24

19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. 20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. 21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. 23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me. 24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.            NKJV

Wow, Paul knows without a doubt that Timothy will continue to be like-minded in the things of God. Of his proven character time and time again, and Paul even compares to others who he sent who did not continue to expand the kingdom but their own and things which had nothing pertaining to the kingdom of God which had come!

The good Fight of Faith......
 Paul assigned Timothy a work that had serious difficulties in it. He felt he needed to write to those of Corinth, probably because of their bold attitude toward Paul and others who had come in with the gospel. Paul was giving the young bishop, the order for which was the church worship, choosing some leaders within the church and how to deal with different kinds of people. Paul was asserting that Timothy worked with him as a father and son work together. They were communicating as a father and son would communicate. They were communicating as a team!  That is one thing that is really lacking today within church leadership.............none as the father to the son or to the daughter!

Although things went wrong in Corinth and much chaos had broken out....we know that another was there as we see in Titus. While it was noted that Titus was sent to hold everything in a peaceful form of leading and teaching how the church would be, insuring that those impoverished Jews would be taken care of...... the answer was there due to those following the instructions which ultimately came from God.
In Timothy....one considered a youth, but called by God, and he kept that Word of God before him. Although it is thought that his nervous system suffered because of infirmity.........and possible out of the fear of those who were there before him, yet, he held his ground!  We read little of him in the New Testament, but it was important words that teach how one behaves in doing the work of the ministry. Timothy, too me, had maintained his high view of the word in regard to those around him. He did not stop!

1 Timothy 6:11-16

11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.                 NKJV

Walking in Wisdom........

John 18:35-38
 36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." 38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all.    NKJV

Paul had told Timothy.............he urged him in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate to keep that commandment without spot, blameless until the Lord's appearing. Above in John 18 we see what Jesus spoke to Pilate: "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants wold fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but My kingdom is not from here." Jesus went on to say, " For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth, hears My voice."

So Timothy had probably been told this many times by Paul. Keep that which is committed to you. And Timothy held onto that truth, knowing his kingdom is with Jesus as Lord. It is not of this world and Timothy was to bear witness to that truth. And anyone who was in truth in Corinth should have heard the Lord speaking through Timothy.
But things happen, right? So men like having the preeminence, even though God sends someone who walks with God, has His wisdom and prays, yet the prideful can have many issues. But Timothy the humble saw Titus come..............and the rest is history!

Waging the Warfare...........

1 Timothy 1:18-20

18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. 

NKJV

Timothy had to see that which Paul had implemented of the truth was in place always. There was to be no contrary teaching to that which Paul had given. Paul makes note of Hymenaeus and Alexander who were named to denote their unfaithful acts toward God. They reject the whole of the gospel and it appeared in the writing as a ship, a vessel fully loaded but it strikes on a rock and sinks. 

You can see history on the maritime vessels and their trips over the ocean in the most rocky of seas. The pictures and videos they show can give detail how a ship can be broken up without the right adjustments on that rudder. In that movie the "Perfect Storm" you can see that no amount of training and reading of weather reports and other important information regarding the trip were helpful. Those waves produced by that storm were those we would rather watch from a distance and not actually be in that "major" storm.   For whatever their own knowledge of sailing was at the time, their fate was in the perfect storm.

In Timothy, we can learn a lot of things. As one who stands and we see it every step he took, he obeyed the Word of God!

Wherever our walk of faith is at, whatever our destiny in serving the Lord, I pray ours would be like that of young Timothy. That we would not back down, but hold our course for that which is truth. Ours will always have to be that good fight of faith.....................that wisdom we require is that which young Timothy sought. He held his course and continued the work of the ministry!

.....Father, we know about those in the Bible, those who have been presented to us in that Hall of Faith, and we see those like Timothy who was told to guard what was committed to his trust. In Jesus' name, we pray to be those who will guard that which has been given us, that we will be the committed with that which has been given in our hand to share with others. We desire to avoid the profane and idle babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge. (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

We understand that we are to have knowledge of the holy One. Your Word teaches us that a wise man when rebuked will love you all the more. Teaching a wise man, and he will be the wiser still. Teach a good man and he will learn more. Our desire Father, is to be the teachable, so that when we move into our positions to lead, we will lead in faith and not in fear. For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing You our Father God results in every other kind of understanding.
For Wisdom will make the hours of our day more profitable and the years of our life more fruitful.

Wisdom is its own reward.

Father, we are the teachable..........move us forward in that direction You have chosen for us. May we be reminded of Your grace and be forever the faithful witness. Today we desire to press in, we take delight in You and expect a breakthrough into Your plan for us. May our speech and preaching, be not with persuasive words of human wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. For we desire our faith to be in the power of God and not in the wisdom of men. (1 Corinthians 2:5) Father, we pray to be the mature, speaking Your wisdom.......that of God in a mystery, which You ordained before the ages for our glory. (verse 7)

Like Timothy, we are holding on, and are remembering  that spoken prophetic Word spoken over us years ago. Help us to see YOUR hand leading us to the place for each of us that is a blessing and a purpose. We will not fear the "unknown" for we know it is the place WHERE YOU DWELL and we want to be found with YOU! Today, we let go of the past and reach forward expecting the adventure of our lives. Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV

What exactly is 'Difficult'?

When thinking about our lives, and where we are with the Lord, I recall those people who lived out their lives of the 18th and 19th century. Now seeing commercials on T.V. about what they are calling a pioneer woman, I am amazed that they would think that women actually wore those nice leather boots up to the knees.........and that those boots had some fancy heals on them! Pioneer meant: someone who is exploring and the first one there at the time. It can mean someone leading.........an establishing as in a settler: a trailblazer!

Really? What pioneer woman are they thinking of.......today........the one who drives two hours a day.........an hour each way to their workplace and then home or where else will she forge through to do? Where else or what would she use those boots for in her life? Are they just her 'style'....and....is it how she is dressing up today?

Now, if you 'love' those boots by all means wear them, but do not think wearing them makes you that pioneer woman. No, an actual pioneer woman experienced a "difficult" life!
Now let's consider living 150 years ago or even 200 years ago.  Let us consider how people prepared food or even how they traveled. Let's consider there were no malls or that convenient grocery mart close by. I remember my mom telling me how her grandparents lived and how they worked, how they prepared food and how most was grown, and  the work which had to be done to prepare the fire within a confined space before hand that included gathering wood for the kitchen stove. Yes, there was no electricity in some areas, especially in the country areas.YIKES!
People had to start early to get food from the barnyard to the table in record time.
When moving to the Northwest, I wondered about the year I-5 went into Seattle. Was not that long ago, seriously. I had questions of travel just in and around that city on Puget Sound. It was interesting in that most areas out from the Emerald City had dirt roads. Many of the trees had not come down till the interstate went in...........and the growth was on. The skies at that time were filled with hundreds upon hundreds of birds and now is just a memory of what the decade of the sixties held for that era of time.


In thinking on travel and those areas of no pavements, no sidewalks but only dirt roads or as of the Northwest, muddy roadways into those areas of tall trees and darkness, what must have been a shoe of convenience. People in and around some 40-50 miles north out of Seattle had to leave before dark fell because of no lighting in those recessed areas of the forest at the time only brought a deep darkness that headlights on a car could not help.
In looking at styles of shoes and even in boots of those centuries, you could find those lace-up styles like in the Jane Austen books. You could find those fancy little numbers to wear to the balls or during that dance 'craze' time! Women who had some access to them certainly wore them. In that day though, most wore the straight line or what manufacturers called the simple flat shoe. In truth, they were not for walking a distance across the mountain ranges that was a barrier to the west coast of America. There are some good books out there about some of those wagon trains from Philadelphia to the West........and some certainly give an accurate record of those wagon train trips across the divide, the amount of supplies they carried, and the number of people who rode inside one. Many had to walk though. When any problem came, and if the wagon or wagons broke up along the way, and was lost and people happened to survive that horrible event, then those folks walked across the GREAT DIVIDE! ( and I wonder what shoe they had on)
It was noted that in the 1840's women who were working in some low key jobs had to wear what we would call a safety shoe or boot.(today, we know them as the steel-toed boot or shoe) It was made in the style for men, but made in the women's size to wear. Of course, that lace-type style continued to grow across the U. S. from east coast and out west. But availability was only where the shoe or boot was manufactured. And again, the availability of that boot was if you could afford it. 

Now thinking of the 18th century, the years of January 1, 1701-December 31, 1800, we saw the French and American Revolutions.  It was about mid 18th century when the waterproof boot came into being. It certainly came into use for the great outdoors. Then, those with that creative ability came out with riding boots. You know, that riding boot, to wear when riding a horse!  (not sure why you needed them, but they looked great, right?)
The choice was to wear a day shoe and then wear a more ankle type for the evening wear. You might remember in etiquette that many dressed for the evening meal!  Yet, still those rugged type hiking boots for women and children would not be seen till after 1970. I know, when by shopping for a pair for our daughter when she turned two.  Found one for her that was the ankle length. For me, I had to get a boy's size to wear at the time! (and it was not ankle length)
Why, because we lived closer to rugged America! We were exploring the Rocky Mountains!
Now you could find a dressy boot, but something really substantial for hiking was hard to find. Not sure if the demand was so high, and the availability was low as this also came during the Oil Shortage Crisis that hit the U. S. in 1973. But the "mall" stores had little variety and you had to search it out, even in the city!


No, people who were considered "pioneers" had a wagon and a team of horses. They had their water in a barrel. They carried their provisions in sacks as to beans and rice. There was no drive-in restaurant to pull into on the way "home". And their home certainly was either the wagon or the wilderness with the starlight sky at night. They were going to carve out a life in a wilderness area where no one had been before. They were going to bring their knowledge of life and lifestyle to a land that knew little of man or his existence other than that which Indians might have added at the time or even the place they might have lived.

I remember going with this couple once on a hiking and hunting adventure. I was with my husband and daughter. We rode in the back of a jeep. We rode over hill and into deep ravines.
We went up over a mountain pass and was welcomed by the snow and remaining ice of the early arrival of winter on the scene of the majestic mountain range. The cool air was reminding us that winter was on its way and would be bringing some surprises of snowflakes on that sunny but cold and windy day. Alas, we got to this point by a river for a short picnic. Food was wonderful, and the warm drink certainly was inviting to warm a chilled body. I had long hair and had it pulled into a pony tail. I struggled with the dirt under my contacts. Well, believe me, that wind was blowing hard enough for dirt to fly readily into the face and under a contact on the eye. Well, at the end of that trip, my face looked like I had taken dirt and rubbed it on all over to camouflage my face. The only place there was no dirt was right along the sunglasses that I wore that day!
I smelled dust for that entire week after this hunting and hiking adventure. I thought that the "dust" from that adventure had surely taken up residence in my lungs.
I reminded myself of those settlers who had gone for months in a wagon over bumpy pathways with no pavement, no bridges, no air conditioning or heating systems in the wagons. They traveled over dusty pathways, over mountain passes and through waterways that cascaded over boulders, over fallen trees and down to a "place" where one might find a trickling spring of water, a barbershop who also did the medical part of the Doc, and a mercantile shop that might have some food supplies.
Yes, if you were the city guy or gal, you should have stayed in the city and forgot about the slogan "go west young man."



Genesis 47:7-10
7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, 8 Pharaoh asked him, "How old are you?"

9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers." 10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.   NIV

Genesis 47:7-10
7 Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How many are the days of the years of your life?" 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my sojourning are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning." 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.       RSV

Jacob tells Pharaoh, that his years were few ( 130 years) and difficult (evil) and he went on to say that his days had not attained to the days of the years of those his fathers had had.
SO what exactly is "DIFFICULT"?
We first consider Jacob's life. He was the 'supplanter' remember? (the liar) He had wanted his brother's birthright and of course, the blessing. His life became such a tangled mess when one's own way is done. His life was one of great toil..........serving many years for the one beloved wife he desired and loved. His wages,  well, they changed about ten times in six years.
His children, well, they were far from God. His only daughter was dishonored, the loss of Joseph his son for a length of time, and Rachel dying in childbirth with Benjamin. Although Benjamin survived, yet it was probably a daily reminder to Jacob of what he lost when the young man was born.  Many things happened to Jacob and his family. His years were the difficult that was just evil.

What makes our lives difficult? One main thing is not heeding God and His commands. Living life according to "me" works no good for anyone but possibly "me" for awhile.
Then.......well, we saw what happened to Jacob. What a tangled web of a mess. (See the blog: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Me)

But today I think of those who came across at the time of Columbus.
Now, when I was in school, I was taught that it was King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, that financed the voyage of Columbus. But that was not accurate!

In truth, it was financed by two Jewish converts. One was Louis de Santangel who was chancellor of the royal household and a Gabriel Sanchez who was the treasurer of Aragon. It was the letter sent from Columbus to these two men that told of his exploration. Historians say that there was no letter ever sent to the King and Queen of Spain.
The other historical account tells of the "difficult" time the Jews were having in Spain. It was this very king and queen who devised the plan to throw all the Jews out of Spain. In an edict signed on March 31st, in the year of 1492........was to keep Jews from making converts. The other was to keep the Jewish money that was needed for the kingdom to be rebuilt after the war against Muslims. So without taxing them, they decided to just throw them out, and keep the money. (now what about brotherly love???)
To keep the Catholic faith safe from outsiders, Jews in the cities and towns had to be moved. If these did not leave the said kingdom, then they were to be put to death. The Jews could leave alive but would not take their gold, silver or anything that was of value. No, these men and women were to leave penniless indeed!

This took some months of establishing the law and moving them out of the kingdom, so they had to move the date.........and that date was set as August 2, 1492. Jews were sent into exile. As this turned out, it was the 9th of Av, or the same date as the destruction of the first and second temple in Jerusalem. (anyone who stayed had to convert to Catholicism)
On August 3, Christopher Columbus left on the famed voyage. He took Jewish people with him, many of those who were exiled from Spain.

Yes, these men and women faced obstacles and challenges that others like the king and queen caused.

DIFFICULT! A PIONEER! Looks like a hard place to be and not a place to conform to that which makes us move from God. What does a real "trailblazer" look like?


Maybe, it is the person born without legs, but not without hope for a good life.
Maybe, it is the person who must leave his country to live longer in a strange land, but still have God.(have we not seen that in those people from Syria?)

Many who came to this new world of America, came because they wanted a place to worship God.
Like most pioneers, their objective was to find some land, live out their lives that looked a lot like hard work, tilling the land, and raising children among the Indians who inhabited those far away places. But one thing is certain, difficult should not define us! Scripture tells us that God can make our foreheads like adamant stone that is harder than flint. You know what you can do with flint, right? You can make it spark into a fire and a blaze!


Ezekiel 3:4-15
4 And He said to me: "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel, 6 not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. 8 Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house." 10 Moreover He said to me: "Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. 11 And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' whether they hear, or whether they refuse." 

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: "Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!" NKLV

Like Ezekiel, we too can be sent out to speak to people, those who speak the same language. Surely they spoke the same language in Spain at the time of the signed edict that would throw the Jews out of Spain, but the saving grace for many was a man, a Jew, name Columbus who would take the voyage into new territory........over the ocean and come to a new land! 
Our foreheads can be set hard, against the pressures of those from the outside. We are to face the tomorrows with a spirit of change, not of one that is distracted or one who has those discontentment's of life. Surely others like to give labels and define us in the heading of a group. They did with the Jews in 1492. But our hearts should be grounded in God's Word. Not living our expectations of a commercial we see on television or read on a Facebook page. Surely God has our lives in His hands and He is not a hard taskmaster. He desires us to hear and obey. He desires a relationship with us............so that we can hear with our ears and get to the captives, to the children of our people, to tell them about God.
As that "trailblazer" we are the equipped with the Word of God. You and yours may surely wear boots and to the knees if you so like, but being a pioneer is doing a new thing before others have done it, and experienced it. Have you set your course for that which is life to you and for others?

Truly may our prayer be a confession of 2 Corinthians 4.....we are this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of power may be of God and not of us. Hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed, we are the perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed............for we are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake that the life of Jesus may be manifested  in our mortal flesh. We speak.........so others may hear and speak with thanksgiving to the glory of God. The light affliction is for a moment..........working in us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. We do not look at things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
(2 Corinthians 4:1) 4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. 

Let's forge our way forward, like a "trailblazer" and light the way for others to find the path to the living God. (Isaiah 43:19).....19 Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?  I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert. (NKJV)

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV