2 Corinthians 9:7 reads, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
It is the cheerful heart that intrigues me.
While this verse speaks about money and our tithes and offerings, I wonder how might the ‘glad heart’ principle apply to the rest of our life?
The reports regarding our Capturing God`s Heart topical Bible studies are coming in –
here is the latest from Pastor Michael & his wife Mary in Kenya,
“Much greetings and much blessings to you in Jesus most precious name. Thank you for your mail and inquiry and what we are doing here, especially with the Capturing God’s Heart studies.
I am so much blessed because of God’s grace and love that enabled me to be connected to you so that I may have access to your teachings. I am a church planter in the rural villages and the slums in Kenya.
I reach many areas of my nation working with different churches in the rural villages. However our major problem had been lack of discipleship material. Having gone through your material I was very much happy since they are addressing all areas of Ministry. This is when I began using them in my church. I then introduced them to the Pastors working in my Ministry.
Since the beginning of this year we adopted Capturing God’s Heart studies as discipleship training material and our teams like them so much. Presently over 4000 people are being taught or benefiting from Capturing God’s Heart every week in the rural villages.
Over 60 churches from different denominations in western Kenya, Nyanza, Rift valley, Central and Nairobi are using Capturing Gods Heart studies. Due to poor internet availability in most places I do print and send the printed copies to the villages. I pray God will give you the opportunity during your African trips to visit us and many others.
God bless. Pastor Michael Agoye“
Pastor Michael is just one of six leaders (and many, many congregations) in Kenya who have invited us to fellowship with them – we are waiting on the Lord`s timing and leading regarding our time to come in Kenya.
Personally, I am eager to go there.
Please keep us in your prayers as we stretch forward into full-on ministry around the world. We thank the Lord for his favor over these God`s Heart studies, and simply commit all our effort and lives to the glory of God and God alone.
To Donate to God`s Heart around the world, as well as our presence on the ground in Kenya and other nations, go HERE.
Note that all donations (within Canada) will receive a charitable receipt for tax purposes.
“Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the one who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! … So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day with pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus.” 2 Peter 1:3-8 Message
This is Pastor Timothy from his most recent crusade on July 3, 2013
Some years ago there was a prophecy spoken over Capturing Courage International that the Holy Spirit was going to go out from CCI all around the world; like colorful ribbons of joy and healing and comfort extending from our home base to many in many other places all over the globe.
We made note of this prophecy, and yet wondered at the vastness of the content, ‘How might this be?’ we asked.
As you may know we have been making available a small Bible study called Capturing God’s Heart on a monthly basis to indigenous pastors around the world. And we thought it was time to take a survey and to see how many people are being impacted so far.
While we do not have all replies yet, the first response from Pastor Timothy in India tells us this,
“I am going to many public crusades and pastors conferences and more churches for preach the word of god to the pastors and Christian leaders and many people as a main speaker in Andhra Pradesh in India.
Already we distributed Capturing God’s Heart studies to a minimum of 1000 church pastors and evangelists Christian leaders and bishops. 100’s of people they are reading and understanding and they are asking me for some more Capturing God’s Heart studies for distribution to many people; it is very needful to every church and everyone.
Many people are benefiting from the Capturing God’s Heart studies I am hearing from them some words they are telling with me, “We are healing and understanding, comforting, filled with holy spirit, Praise the Lord!”
My sister, your Capturing God’s Heart studies are really touching to the hearts of pastors and evangelists and every one in India.”
Pastor Timothy finishes off his email by requesting more God’s Heart Studies so that he can distribute them further.
One of the things we have learned at Capturing Courage is that when we show up and do our part, God shows up and does the rest. It is the pleasure of our Lord to take our simple offerings and make them into something that could have never been on our own.
While we have been regularly communicating with Pastor Timothy we had no idea that he was distributing Capturing God’s Heart to this extent. We know, that for every leader that receives one volume of God’s Heart that they in turn pass it on to anywhere from 10 – 500 other people themselves.
I’m not sure we are really going to be able to add up these numbers once they all start coming in.
We simply claim this work for the glory of God and God alone and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
To find out more about Pastor Timothy’s ministry, go HERE
To Donate a one-time gift or to commit to a monthly support of Capturing Courage and the work we are doing go HERE
NOTE that our next trip is to Mozambique where there are 9 churches and then area pastors, evangelists, prophets and bishops waiting to fellowship with us. We are accepting donations specifically towards this trip. Make your donation HERE
“And then they were on the road. They preached with joyful urgency that life could be radically different; right and left they sent the demons packing; they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits.” Mark 6:12-13 Message
We find intimacy with our Lord through prayer, and yet for many of us we are unsure how to pray. We worry that we are not saying the right words. We may think that the burden of prayer lies with us. We may not understand how conversational prayer works.
While we do not have time for a full study of prayer here, we will look at a primary principle of prayer: – Come before the Lord with a commitment to honesty –
“Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.” Psalm 51:6
There is something to be said for a ministry of presence.
In our North American culture it is all too easy to think we must be always doing something, accomplishing this, managing that. But what if we don’t?
Trained as a coach one of the most powerful paradigm shifts I came to learn was to consider that just maybe, everything right now, exactly as it is, is just the way it is supposed to be. Just consider for a moment that nothing is wrong. What might that change for you today?
Now, the technical answer is that there are many things wrong in our world. Justice demands that we do in fact enter into everything that has gone wrong and in the name of the Lord set it straight.
At the same time, what if we could do this work in the peace that comes of God having everything in hand, and the knowledge that we are in the exact right place this very minute.
What might that change for you today?
Because of my own journey through immense difficulties, and the subsequent profound presence of the Lord in the midst of them, I learned that everything need not rush to be fixed. I learned that God is in our messes just as much in our cleanness.
Once we have learned this in our own lives. Once we’ve stopped frantically trying to assuage our own comfort, once we’ve ceased from controlling our outcomes we are well equipped to come alongside others in a gift of presence.
Instead of speaking into the matter we can just sit alongside.
Rather than finding ourselves distraught we can hunker down and be a companion.
A friend of mine had cancer a few years back, and my favorite thing to do was to just climb up onto her bed beside her and simply be there with her.
We had such rich times of prayer and whispers and silence.
In many ways, this is the ministry of Capturing Courage around the world. We are climbing in alongside hard and difficult circumstance and simply bringing a ministry of presence.
With rich times of prayer and heart whispers heard by God and profound silence found in his glory.
None of us are the same afterwards, and we are simply so much richer.
For nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed, once we’ve been in the presence of the Lord together.
The Bible time and time again speaks about the second or third witness. How when two or more are gathered in the Lords name, that what is asked for is done, (Matthew 18:19). That in matters of law and court, that a second witness is the necessary piece, (2 Corinthians 13:1).
In light of this need for testimony and the importance of a second witness all through scriptures, imagine this:
You are standing. On your right is God and what God says about you. The beautiful, encouraging, affirming, loving words over your life.
On your left side, is Satan and what Satan says about you. The ugly, slanderous, condemning, hateful words about your life.
And in all that God is declaring are the good plans for you, the life he has available, the ministries and influences, the good works, made just for you.
In all that Satan is declaring are the destruction, the losses, the chaos and degradations, and all that Satan seeks to rob from you.
God is declaring about your future, declaring his love for you, declaring hope and a promise of life.
Satan is spewing hatred and shame about your past, spewing condemnation and death.
Two voices. Two intentions. One for life and purpose, the other for death and loss.
And you, standing between the two, hearing both, you provide the second witness.
You, by your words and actions declare if you are agreeing with Satan or with God. You are the second witness.
As we read in Isaiah 43:12
“I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and I am God.”
We read about John, “He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.” 1:7
Is your life, your words, your actions, the decisions you are making, the way you are living, do these things bear witness to God or to Satan?
Do we bear witness to the light, to life, to miracles, to the Spirit, to the goodness of God, or not?
Some years ago I was working through sexual abuse memories and had been delving into the resulting destructive behaviors in my life, looking for the Lord’s healing and freedom.
And in the midst of that particular summer, when I starkly and with raw emotion saw the destruction over my life, the initial attacks, my own crippling dysfunctions and immense hatreds, into that ugly process the Spirit asked me this,
“In light of all that has gone wrong in your life. In light of all that is ugly and oh so wrong,
Will you love me?
Will you trust me?
Will you know me to be good?”
It was an experience of being at the cross once more, of seeing the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and the salvation of Christ, and deciding once more, do I want him and will I accept him?
Will we agree with God’s words over my life, or will we agree with the attacks of Satan over my life?
Looking back, I clearly see that in light of all the evil and ugly in my own life, it was a time of decision – to whom would I give witness?
It lands with us. We either give witness to the enemy in our lives or to God in our lives. Not both. For a divided house will fall, (Luke 11:17). We must choose and live accordingly.
Choosing to be a second witness for the Lord has us doing a few things:
1. We let go of needing God to make account of our life. We let God off the hook, so to speak, about the things that have gone wrong.
2. We move our gaze from what has been to what will be. Our focus shifts from the past to the present and the future. We grow forward.
3. In this we surrender our past to the Lord. We give it over as a gift of sorts, allowing the full working of God through it. We let it go and put it into his hands.
The attitudes of our heart shifts to:
1. Worship – we give God the praise.
2. Gratitude – our hearts are grateful.
3. Trusting – our future rests in the Lord.
As the second witness we choose how our life will go. Our words and actions are incredibly powerful and as a second witness they speak volumes.
Step back from your own life for a moment. Think of just yesterday and the things you chose to do, the manner in which you acted, the words that came from your mouth, as well as the self-talk that was in your head and heart.
To whom were you giving second witness to? Did your thoughts reflect the truth that God speaks over you and others, or did your thoughts reflect the lies that Satan speaks over you. To whom are you in agreement?
With a bit of introspection and prayer we can look at all areas of our lives and the way we go about living and see quite easily where we are agreeing with God or not.
The point of course being, that we want to be the second witness to God in our lives, not the enemy.
The things of the enemy have a spirit of:
1. Condemnation
2. Criticism
3. Doubt
4. Fear
And much more. Agree with these things in either emotion, thought, word, or action and you will get what you are focusing on. Make choices based on fear and you will strengthen the stronghold of fear on your life. Speak words riddled with doubt and you will increase the doubt in your life. Literally.
The things of God are marked by:
1. Acceptance
2. Courage
3. Grace
4. Generosity
And much more. Agree with these things in either emotion, thought, word, or action and you will receive back your investment. Make choices based on generosity and you will live an expansive open life. Speak words laden with grace and you will live life flavored by grace.
The manner by which you do life is completely and 100% yours to decide. No one is living your life but you. To whom will you give witness?
::: ::: :::
This is an excerpt from our Walking in Spiritual Authority Discipleship Course
To support this course around the world Donate Here
Before my first trip to Uganda I inquired of the Lord, “Why me?”
“Why is it so important that I, a simple woman from Surrey, go to Africa?”
While God had been telling me for quite some time about the work to come, I still didn’t completely get it, “Why me?”
Like all queries I held this one open before the Lord and waited on the answer, and within a few weeks time, I had my answer.
I was in conversation with a pastor who had been partnering in Uganda for nine years. And over tea he spoke about his experiences, and in the midst spoke this one sentence, “There is so much pain upon pain.”
Bingo! Then I knew why I was going to Africa and beyond.
Through my own journey I’ve come to learn and carry the authority to speak into pain upon pain, and loose it off of folks. It’s been my own journey and now I give it out to others.
There is a single sentence in Jeremiah 22:3 that says, “Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed.”
This is what we do. You can read more about it HERE>
My first trip to Uganda I met many lovely people. One couple really stood out to me. They were beautiful, alive, and obviously delighted with each other. He helped to get me around on his boda-boda, she gave me her scarf one evening. They were friends I’d simply not yet met.
The next time I was there, some four months later, there was trouble. Violence and disruption had entered the home, and the light was going from her eyes.
Another three months passed and I was there once again. This time, things were really not well. He had taken a second wife. Her world had collapsed. She was the primary caretaker of some 12 children and the second wife was giving no assistance.
Besides that, her heart was broken. She was deeply grieving. And the woman I’d known to be so energetic and delightful was somber and sad. Deeply sad.
The change and the sorrow, and the rage of my own heart, as I watched this play out reminds me of why I am going to these places. It is to ease sorrows.
The Lord gives me pictures you see. And I then simply pray into them.
On my first trip as we went from one elderly home to another, we came to a lovely older woman sitting serenely on her mat in front of her house.
As my companion spoke with her, I saw a picture of many arrows lodged in her body. So I asked my companion to inquire of her, “Was there ever a time when many bad things happened to you all at once?”
She replied a simple, “Yes.”
So right there I prayed away those ‘arrows’. The attacks upon a life can in fact be rendered null and void when the blood and name of Jesus Christ are spoken over that life.
Everywhere I went the most common testimony was, “You’ve just taken us to the next level Cyndy.”
But of course, it wasn’t me, it is the power of Jesus Christ.
You see, it is not the lack of physical things per se that have us in pain. It is not a simple life that bears down upon us. There is something much more going on behind the scenes.
Our hearts that bear too much for too long need healing, releasing, freedom. Quite simply, the touch of Jesus Christ. This is the primary work of Capturing Courage Int’l.
We are praying away that pain upon pain, easing emotions, releasing strongholds.
I’m praying for my friend who no longer has a husband, who has been relegated to the ‘other wife’. I pray for their children. For though their situation is humble, there was order and discipline and amazing peace in their home, before the pain began.
Jesus Christ came to heal pain upon pain, to carry it himself so that we don’t have to. It’s the least we can do, declaring this around the world.
Amen and amen – to God be the glory.
I am pleased to let you know that we’ve formatted all the Capturing God’s Hearts into packages of 10 Volumes each.
Realizing that there have been those going through all the individual links to print off each one, we’ve now streamlined that process for you.
Simply click on the pictures to be taken to the pdf of your choice:
Our Walking in Spiritual Authority course went well in Madudu, Uganda. We are thanking the Lord for his presence amidst it all.
Re-crafting the material for an overseas audience has been most interesting. Most of the metaphors used here for our own culture have been completely off the mark for third world countries.
For instance, one of the pictures we paint (imagine with me) here in Canada is that of a small frog on a lily pad. The frog looks content enough but zoomed in we cannot see much of the frog’s context.
So we zoom our lens out and get and see a bit more about the frog’s surroundings. We see that there is a lot of other lily pads, and much more activity going on around the frog than our first picture.
If we zoom out again we see that frog’s world is in fact very large. So large in fact that frog may not have even explored to the edges of this world. There is much for frog to do, much to see.
And then we zoom out one last time, and lo and behold frog lives in a beautiful garden of luxuriant foliage, beautiful water features and unexplored paths. It is stunning and so much more than frog can most likely even imagine.
I tell this story to bring to life that here in North America we have made our worlds very small, when in fact the world is very big. We stay within our nice little lives when in fact there is a much bigger world waiting for us, that is not scary, but rather beautiful and vibrant – if we will just trust God to take us beyond our safety zone.
Well writing this story for our overseas colleagues doesn’t work. I tried. I have a nice little picture of a lizard on a rock from one of my trips, and so I thought I could write the same progression from focussed in life to big picture living.
But it doesn’t work, and isn’t even culturally relevant. For starters, we zoom out from the African lizard on the rock and we do not get nicer, we get more barren. Consider zooming out and out and out in Kenya’s dry grasslands and the picture does not gain in complexity but actually increases in dry and dusty. The metaphor doesn’t work.
In the rewriting of the material I realized that not only does the picture not work, but that the people themselves need something completely different.
The Pastors and Evangelists that I have met have a very good idea of the world as a big place. And they are forging forward into the very big world quite successfully. There is a resilience to go out of the their comfort zone that seems quite normal in Africa.
So I switched the metaphor. I began with a zoomed out view of many, many people, and then began focusing in. Bit by bit, taking in country, and towns and villages, and then finally family down to one person.
While in North America we need God to prick our consciences about the bigger world, in Africa they need to know that God loves them intimately and personally. The lesson is, God loves you. God forgives you. God knows you and has called you to himself.
This is just one example of the many changes I’ve had to make to the Walking in Spiritual Authority course – but changes we are glad to make in service to our overseas colleagues.
We invite you to support this work with a monthly $30 subscription. Every little bit goes a long way.
All donations will receive a charitable receipt.
The Bible speaks many things about living a life unto God and when we do this the good fruit we experience.
Today I’m outlining just five principles that lead towards a long and prosperous life.
1. Honoring the Elderly
We will begin where the Bible begins, with one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses for the People of Israel. In Exodus we have record of the Ten Commandments with the fifth commandment,
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12
In Ephesians 6:1-3 we find this commandment repeated and noted as the first commandment with a promise.
We used to think that Jesus died on the cross to detour us around our worst case scenarios.
While our years are full of the good and the bad and the ugly, we prefer to bring only our good to the Lord.
Yet this isn’t what Christ died for.
The cross is planted in the darkest pits of our realities, past or present.
After all, life has swallowed up death and the light has invaded the darkness.
If we are detoured around it all, death is not swallowed up and light doesn’t invade.
As believers though, we can often just want to get to the good stuff. We want the high of salvation without the depths of repentance and sorrow.
We want the feel good of forgiveness without ever once really looking our sin in the eye.
But this doesn’t work. Skimming over our darkness means we get a surface coat of Christ.
Wouldn’t you like more of him than that?
How much saving would you like?
How much do you need?
That is exactly how much you will get. I’m pretty sure, there is even more for you, if you’ll just pick up your cross and follow Christ.
p.s. Once you’ve followed Christ into and through your personal darkness, nothing is scary anymore.
Nothing