Yet I Will Be Joyful

Yet I Will Be Joyful

“Even though the fi g trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT) It is not easy to rejoice when things are not going well. When we see all the bad things that are happening in the world, it grieves us. It seems like things are not going to get better. Well, Habakkuk knew what that was like. He was a prophet of God, and he knew that Judah was going to be invaded by the Babylonians. Habakkuk trusted in God and knew He was sovereign. Yet, he still had some honest questions in mind. When I see and hear about the evil in the world, it is easy to get anxious and worried. Here we see that, even though Habakkuk knew things were going to get bad for Judah, because he followed God, he chose to rejoice in the Lord instead. What faith Habakkuk had in the Lord! Habakkuk made the choice to rejoice in the Lord regardless if the situation changed or not. This challenged me, and still does, to rejoice in the Lord even through these times. The last verse in chapter 3 of Habakkuk says, “The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights” (NLT). The Lord is in control and reigns. This gives me the peace to rest in who He says He is. The Lord is my strength. I choose to rejoice in Him! — Myrna Kopf   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries [https://intertriballife.org/] and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. [https://nefc.ca/] The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org [https://councilfire365.org/]

Count Your Blessings

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NIV) This morning, I got an email from a friend who’s had some real major losses in the past year. He recounted the deaths of some significant family members and talked about his aloneness and depression. I felt bad for him but was able to use this as a teaching opportunity, pointing out to him how to look at the “flip side” of life scenarios that have the potential to bring us down. It’s actually quite easy to come up with a pretty long list of the bad stuff we’ve faced, endured, and come through. The natural way for us to address a negative situation is to make a checklist of all the losses and hurts we’ve had in life, and focus on a few of these, rather than on the positive things that God has put in our lives. A far more constructive and healing approach is to crumple that list up and create a new list that features all the good things that God has brought us — the good things that He is doing, and the good things He’s planning in our futures as we allow His work in our lives! Instead of listing our losses, we end up with a much more balanced and positive perspective when we COUNT OUR BLESSINGS! — Kene Jackson   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries [https://intertriballife.org/] and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. [https://nefc.ca/] The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org [https://councilfire365.org/]

Surrendering Your Pain

“For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.” Isaiah 65:22b-23 (NIV) Into my adult years, my relationship with my mom struggled. She had been to residential school and, right from my youngest years, her mothering skills were very poor . . . almost nonexistent. When I eventually got around to asking her to forgive me for my bitterness towards her, she said, “Okay.” I tried many times to talk to her after that. Whenever it looked like we might be able to talk things out, she would start crying. I so wanted to bring closure to things. My mom always struggled to hug and struggled to say, “I love you.” It wasn’t until her later years that I was finally able to tell her, “I love you, Mom. I forgive you.” My mom accepted the Lord as her Savior and, over the years, she had learned to laugh. She held her grandchildren with delight. I thought I had released the bitterness, and brought closure to our lives. About two or three days after my mom’s passing, however, I was sitting alone when I felt some unresolved forgiveness still festering. I cried out to Jesus to truly help me to forgive her. The peace that overwhelmed me was so meaningful! At Mom’s funeral, I had shared the importance of forgiveness to whoever would listen. Being at peace means surrendering your pain to God. Let Him deal with it. — Richard Knott   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries [https://intertriballife.org/] and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. [https://nefc.ca/] The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org [https://councilfire365.org/]

Experiencing Forgiveness

“We love because He first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates his brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And He has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” 1 John 4:19-21 (NIV) After I asked my mom and dad for forgiveness for hating them, the wall that had separated us from experiencing a good parent/ child relationship began to fall away. I began to stop in and visit, and it turned into many good visits with my dad. The coffee was always on. We laughed, joked, and enjoyed each other’s company. Most of my dad’s life, he was never able to say, “I love you,” or “I’m proud of you.” But in his later years, he was able to say it more freely. With my dad, if you stopped in and visited, he would enjoy your company, although there might not be much said. And Dad was so softspoken that, even when he talked, it was hard to hear what he was saying. But Dad began filling me in on his life, telling me all his experiences, beginning with his childhood. He gave me a timeline. It was as if he was preparing me to do his eulogy someday. After I dealt with my unforgiveness, I had a wonderful relationship with my dad. We were able to talk freely. He accepted the Lord and walked with Jesus. An unforgiving heart is a burden. Set yourself free . . . even if you talk to a headstone or write a letter releasing your unforgiveness. If you write a letter to a deceased person, you can burn it afterwards. No one has to read it. God wants you to be happy. Let the yoke be removed. — Richard Knott   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries [https://intertriballife.org/] and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. [https://nefc.ca/] The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org [https://councilfire365.org/]

Learning to Forgive

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) At 32 years-old, I was doing a study with two other men. The Bible based book we were studying was called Stop Using Your Past as an Excuse for the Way You Are. My mom had been to residential school. Her mothering skills, when I was younger, were almost non-existent. I desired to grow in my relationship with our God, and the Lord began pointing out my need to deal with my unforgiveness towards her. When we begin our walk with God, we are seeking to be at peace. However, my unforgiveness was a burden that I was willing to carry. As I grew in my relationship with Jesus, He called me to preach. He used me to lead others to Jesus, and He was answering my prayers. Over the years, though, each time I cried out to God to draw me closer, He reminded me to go seek forgiveness from my parents for my hatred towards them. The pain was real; the struggle was hard. It seems that the Lord deals with us one thing at a time. I still knew that the Lord had asked me to go to my parents and ask them to forgive me for hating them. My question was, “I was the one hurt, so why do ‘I’ need to ask for forgiveness?” Finally, I was pliable and said, “Okay, Lord.” First, I went to my dad. He cried and said, “It’s my fault.” Next, I went to my mom. She cried and said, “It’s all dad’s fault.” But after those visits, the yoke and my burden were lifted! I felt so much freer. My unforgiveness was no longer a burden. — Richard Knott   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries [https://intertriballife.org/] and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. [https://nefc.ca/] The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org [https://councilfire365.org/]