cwaa.net

Do you have a problem that seems bigger than you? Life is RARELY easy! We experience family members getting sick, we struggle financially, we experience a serious failure, or battle feelings of depression or anxiety. People make fun of us or say hurtful words to us.
When we experience problems we have the choice to complain & blame or to pray & praise.
Jehoshaphat was one of the kings of Judah who reigned 800 years before Jesus was born. He was 35 years old when he became king and served for 25 years as King of Judah. Jehoshaphat was a godly leader and a mighty warrior. But one day Jehoshaphat received the terrible news from neighboring countries that they were going to come and  destroy the people of Judah and take over their land. The Bible says that Jehoshaphat experienced FEAR. Naturally.   His fear could have paralyzed him and caused him to complain and blame. But instead, he ordered his whole nation to come together at the Temple of God in Jerusalem to pray. His prayer ended with, “God, we do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” God responded with the words,  “Do not be afraid or discouraged. You will not fight this battle, I WILL! This is my war, not yours… You won’t have to lift a hand in this battle; just STAND STILL and watch my saving work for you. Don’t be afraid, don’t waver. March out boldly tomorrow—I am with you.” To read the full story,  check out 2 Chronicles 20:12! It’s an amazing story of deliverance and one in which the Israelites simply praised in the midst of what seemed like imminent loss.
Life will inevitably be filled with hard times. We cannot stop the hard times from coming.  We cannot predict when they will come. But just like Jehoshaphat, when we are faced with difficult situations we can make the choice to PRAY.. Lift up our arms to God & say, “We do not know what to do but our eyes are on You.” And in between the prayer and the victory, we can make the choice to Stand Still & Praise! 
 
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble… Be still and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:1, 10

--Lara Melashenko

Ola Chinook Family,
   In Romans 12:1b we read “…and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”
  The word in Greek for race is agon, from which comes a word we all know well, agony.   I am sure each of you know all too well the reality of being in a race, or a hike, where your legs are burning, your heart is pumping, you have nothing left to give and you still have to push on, all the while wishing you were sitting on a comfy chair relaxing.  
   You know the Christian race can be likened to a rather intense, gruelling and sometimes even an agonizing race.  It takes lots of effort to finish strong.  But I’m sure you’ve noticed that many don’t, some get stuck on the trail, discouraged, exhausted, weariness set in, they got hurt, so they stopped and threw in the towel.  
  Paul knew first hand the struggles that come and so he gave us the secret to finishing the race strong, which is found in Hebrews 12:2, here he says:  “looking unto Jesus, the [a] author and [b] finisher of our faith,”  That’s right, the only way to win this race bound for heaven, is to focus our eyes only on Jesus, the author of our faith, the One who loves us so much that He went all the way to the cross, “despising the shame, and He is sitting down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
   On this race - we are not alone, there are people all around us.  So let us remember to be there for each other, to reach down and pick each other up, to encourage and remind each other that Jesus is the only One who can save us.   
 
Remember: Jesus is the way the truth and the life.  

God bless you all. 
Pr. Paul Antunes