Joy F. Strang
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Rest in the Storm
My husband, Steve, and I once owned property that had an eagle’s nest on it. One day after a spring storm we went out to check on the property and found that a third of the nest had been blown down.
As I looked at the fallen pieces, it occurred to me that often when we think of eagles we picture the majestic bird that is our national symbol—a bird that is able to soar high above any tempest that might come along. We rarely think of eagles as having to go through storms.
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Rely on God
During the holidays one year my family traveled to London, England, for a vacation. After we returned, I realized that the trip was an analogy of a much more important journey each of us is on — fulfilling God’s plan for his or her life.
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Eternal Significance
Have you ever felt that everyone other than you was doing something significant? That feeling can come even after reading something meant to be uplifting—such as an article in SpiritLed Woman! But who sets the standard for what is significant?
Often we assess significance using the world's standards—public visibility, wealth, power, influence. However, in God's kingdom values are reversed. Outward manifestations of importance are not the true measure of success. What is eternal—what we don't see—matters most.
God has an awesome plan for women today. This plan includes us all, not just those in public ministry. God is building an army, and He looks past natural attributes such as gender or circumstances to fill up the ranks.
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Be Strong and Courageous
At one of our Charisma Women’s Conferences, God spoke a powerful word to the nearly 8,000 women who attended. He said that it was time for us as women to step forward and accept the authority He has given us. He reminded us that we are empowered and authorized by His Word to do whatever …
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Has Your Heart Wandered?
The prodigal son didn’t end up among the pigs the day he left his father’s house; he went through a gradual process of decline (see Luke 15:11-15). So it is with us. If the enemy presented the end with the first temptation, it would be easy to resist! But usually the departure from grace is …
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Contend for Your Promise
Do you ever feel as if you are in a season of perpetual winter, when everything in your life seems cold and dreary and there is no sign of spring in view? Perhaps you are experiencing health, relational or financial problems, and the promises of God appear to be lying dormant rather than coming to fruition as you had thought they would.If you are going through difficult circumstances that appear to threaten the fulfillment of your destiny, you can relate to the biblical character Tamar, who was the wife of Judah's oldest son, Er (see Gen. 38:6-30). Tamar was truly a victim of negative circumstances. Not long after she was married, God judged her husband to be wicked and put him to death.
According to Jewish custom, Tamar was then given as a wife to Onan, her husband's brother, so that he could produce offspring for Er. But because Onan refused to fulfill his duty, God put him to death also.
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Calling All Intercessors
The local weathermen warned us regularly in spring 2006 about the dreadful hurricane season Florida residents were facing. The two previous years had been record-breaking in our state and across the Gulf region for damage due to hurricanes. In Orlando, where I live, three storms hit within six weeks.At a conference I attended in May 2006, several leaders discussed the dismal forecasts. As we talked, it became clear that the Holy Spirit was prodding us to do something. After all, Jesus has authority over the winds and the waves (see Mark 4:39), and He gave His authority to us. By the end of the discussion, three of us who have intercessory prayer networks totaling about 10,000 people committed to take a stand in prayer against the storms and their probable devastation.
During the next month I connected with several other leaders whom God was also directing to stand in prayer regarding the storm season. We began to ask the Holy Spirit for His strategy and were amazed at how specifically He directed us to pray. We decreed: "No storm of hurricane strength will hit American soil."
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Answering the Call to Be a Spiritual Parent
I never wanted to be a spiritual mother—except to my two sons. But it shouldn’t have been a surprise that God placed me in this role. I regularly asked Him to use me for His purposes, and He desires to grow the body of Christ to maturity. Simply following His lead brought me to a …
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Leave a Lasting Legacy
The phone call jarred me. A friend in her mid-40s, who had survived a bout with breast cancer and been cancer-free for three years, had just passed away. Suddenly, only a few weeks after learning that the cancer had returned, she was in eternity.What if you knew you had only a short time to live? What legacy would you want to leave your family and friends? How would you want them to remember you? Would you have regrets?
Hebrews 9:27 reminds us that "it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (NKJV). We will be held accountable for what we do with our lives.
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Take a Stand for Righteousness
When Katherine Harris became secretary of state in Florida in 1998, she had no idea she would play a significant role in the history of our country. But when her position required her to certify the outcome of the 2000 presidential election in her state, she took a stand based on what she believed was right—legally and in the eyes of God. Because her decision resulted in Florida's choosing George W. Bush over Al Gore by only 537 votes—and swinging the national election in Bush's favor—she was vigorously opposed, but she remained firm in her conviction.Most of us will never be thrust into a situation in which the eyes of the entire nation are upon us, as Harris was. But each of us must be ready to take a stand for what is right. Beth Moore says we must follow the example of biblical characters such as Daniel and his fellow exiles, who lived a life without compromise.
In the last 40 years American courts have ruled Christianity out of public life and undermined the Christian foundation on which our country was built. As a result, righteousness has ceased to be valued and ungodly living has become the norm—much of it protected by law. Unless the trend is stopped, we risk losing our Christian heritage altogether.
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Take Your Authority Over the Enemy
Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the difficulties that confront you in your life? Our enemy, Satan, wants us to feel powerless in the face of the problems we encounter, but we don’t have to be defeated by them. God has given us the authority we need to overcome the things that rise up to …
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Living Supernaturally
A few months ago I spent time with Heidi Baker, a missionary who has a large ministry based in Mozambique, Africa. She and her husband have founded many orphanages and planted thousands of churches.She described the miracles she has witnessed of provision of food for the orphanages and of God's intervention on her behalf with the Muslim government of Mozambique. She also told me about the visitations and personal encounters with God she has experienced as a vital part of her spiritual walk. Though often the miraculous interventions she witnessed came in response to serious challenges or persecution, it was clear from her description that she lives a supernatural life.
According to the American Dictionary of the English Language, the word "supernatural" refers to things that are "beyond or exceeding the powers or laws of nature; miraculous." The supernatural realm is beyond what we see, and it is where we are all called to walk. But many of us have the idea that only a chosen few are called to live supernaturally.
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Hold On To Your Faith
Last fall, in spite of our prayers, Central Florida residents faced the possibility of going through a second hurricane. Every weather report we saw indicated that one was heading our way. My husband and I had already been through a first round and experienced some damage to our home. Surely, it couldn't happen again!When Frances, the second storm, arrived, my family was out of town. I kept praying and declaring to myself that no matter what I found after I got back, God said it was all going to work out for my good (see Rom. 8:28).
It was easy to have faith--until I walked into the house and found the ceilings collapsed, water standing everywhere and the smell of mold permeating the air. How could this disaster turn out for our good?
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Salt of the Earth
During the time preceding the recent election many Christians realized just how far away from its Christian foundations our culture has strayed. Though we can't single-handedly reverse the ungodly trends, believers can have an impact by living according to God's principles and carrying Christ to a lost world, one person at a time.Jesus said that we are "'the salt of the earth'" (Matt. 5:13, NIV). In New Testament days, salt was used primarily as a preservative rather than simply a flavor enhancer. Preserving our nation's Christian heritage won't be easy, but we will succeed if we all do our part.
How can you make a difference? Start with the circle of family and friends right around you.
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Pray for America
Have you ever noticed how one divine encounter can steer you unexpectedly onto a new path? Recently in the middle of a casual conversation, a prophetic minister from South Africa began to prophesy to me: “American prayer initiative—I’m hearing this loud. You must call the church back to prayer. It will be happening all over …
