Jackie's Journey "Life Unraveling!"

           “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in Him…Job 13:15”                              

Our village was tucked away near the Colombian border and we lived in the silence of the Darien jungle and its peculiar sounds.   One late morning there was an unfamiliar roar in the distance.  A large helicopter appeared and began circling our village, dropping low, looking for a place to land.  Before we knew what was happening, dust flew and the door slid open.  Men dressed in full military uniforms with machine guns jumped out and stormed into our house. Guns drawn, pointed directly at us, they began shouting commands with accusations!

 My life started unraveling before my eyes!  I quickly grabbed little Kim and Christina came running, clutching my legs. I reached down to reassure her, as Ralph stepped in front of us, whispering to me, “Remember, Jackie, this touched God’s hand first”. 

 We were being accused of being spies for the United States and they demanded we turn over our only means of communication to the outside world…our two-way radio!

I was trembling, imagining every plausible scenario of how we could be easily disposed of in the river and no one would know for months!  The truth that came surging into my consciousness was Job 13:15, “…though he slay me, yet will I hope in HIM”. 

 Still standing between the enemy and us, Ralph appeared calm and was responding in Spanish with an absolute, “We are not spies from America.  We have permission from your government to bring medicine to help this isolated group of people.” 

  How had this happened?  What could we do?

 The next few moments stood still…their shouting gestures and my seeing no way of escape brought the verse in Job home to my heart.  I resolutely accepted His will, whatever that was going to be and instantly, peace prevailed.  What happened next was beyond belief!  To our utter astonishment, as abruptly as those militant soldiers arrived…they hastily, mid-sentence, without another word, turned and left!!  They did not ask for our passports or visas, nor did they take our rifles that were in plain view, hanging on the wall!  God had blinded their eyes and in an instant, redirected their path.

 In the aftermath of my processing through this current event, Ralph gave me a definition for “tribulation” that comes to mind every time I am faced with a trial and I just want it gone…no processing…just gone!  “Tribulation is God’s fastest road to maturity”.  Well… missionary life had definitely put me in the fast lane to grow up!  The more life I live, the more I realize how much growth I need!

 This is that definition in a “mathematical” formula that changed my life and the way I look at trials, inconveniences, suffering and contentment.  It goes like this:

 Trials + Acceptance of the trial with joy and thanksgiving = Growth/Maturity

 I can respond to trials by:

(1 ) Benefitting from them - the pressure of trials produces James 1: 2-4: .

          Faith

         Patience

          Perseverance

         Maturity

          Wisdom

        Lacking Nothing!

                                                  OR

(2) Reacting to them and locking down emotionally with:  Impatience, Fretfulness, Why me?, Depression, Complaining, Rebelliousness or bitterness…

 I choose to yield with gratefulness this morning

and to recognize any form of tribulation, as a means to create

a greater purpose for the benefit of others. 

  What is your response? 

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Living An Illusion?"

‘Take My yoke upon you and learn of me…!” Matt. 11:29

How would you describe your Christian walk?  Up and down, peaks and valleys?  Good days and bad days?   Would you characterize your spiritual life as vibrant and free or continually battling your self-life (your personal rights, depression, unresolved relationships, entitlement…)?   Are you living a “Christian illusion”?

 If you want to learn of me, put your head in the yoke!

What?!  No way!  Who does that?

       WHY, I’D HAVE TO GIVE UP MY FREEDOM AND SUBMIT

TO THE OTHER PERSON IN THE YOKE!    ARE YOU CRAZY???

  “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 light”!    (Matt. 11:28-30)               

 The Church will instruct us

The Bible will inform us

Prayer will empower and direct us.

But only…The Yoke will teach us how to live

and respond “in the Spirit” to life situations on a continual basis.

 Ezekiel 37:1-6 is a lesson on a “valley of dry bones”.  What does that have to do with my spiritual walk, you ask?  Lots!  Spiritual deadness is a permeating and engulfing phenomenon in our culture, churches, homes and hearts.  It sort of swallows us up like a tsunami!  Biblical Christianity is defined by our consistent attitudes in life practice.

 We carry seeds of decay through disobedience and rebellion toward God (i.e. anger, jealousy, self-love…).  We have adopted patterns through wrong influences and teachings (friends, music, ungodly worldviews, Hollywood, social media...).  Maybe we have been a believer since we cannot remember BUT there are places where we really do NOT know our own need.  Our life has become an illusion of biblical Christianity.  There is a measure of self-confidence and pride built on our bones…

 God says, “I will make breath enter you and you will come to life”.  God works out of Death!   Death to self!  His desire is to breathe life into our dead bones, moment by moment.     No illusion here…

 An illusion is a lie; it is not real.  Disillusionment with our daily walk is a gift of God… a challenge to enter into the yoke with Him and His rest... learning from His gentle and humble heart.

 There are two yokes: 

    1) The yoke with Christ and righteous purposes

    2) The yoke with Satan and his kill, steal and destroy (life) purposes  (Jn.10:10)                  

We choose who is in the yoke with us with every choice we make!

My husband asked me if every choice I make is a spiritual one?  For the life of me, I could not think of a single one that is not!  Can you think of one that is not a deliberate choosing of one kingdom or the other? 

 By taking Christ’s yoke upon us, we yield our right to do as we please, and we learn the wishes and commands of Christ our leader.

 God is not nearly concerned with what we are going through as He is with our response to what we go through.  His chief concern is that our attitude becomes consistent with His Son.  The question is:  Who do you choose to be in the yoke with you today?   There are only two choices! 

 Choose wisely, young mothers, little ones are watching and stepping into the same yoke with you.

“ It was for freedom that Christ set us free:

therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again

to a yoke of slavery (law/sin).”   Galatians 5: 1

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Terror to Trust!"

“The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.”

Psa. 142:11

My introduction to our new life in the village Pucuro was a “Shocker”.   My youngest daughter’s   disappearance from my arms in those first moments after arriving on the riverbank caused my entire being to experience sheer terror… my first anxiety attack!

 However…skipping that one-day would have been the loss of a life-lesson that changed my life!

 Missionary Boot Camp training had been deliberate in preparing me for this crisis.  My mind was reminded of the reason why we had come and the promise I had claimed two years prior to the moment I was living now!  “…Whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease without fear of harm.”  The verse worked so well when we lived in the states!  Proverbs 1:33 is written by the “wisest” man that ever lived and it had always given me courage to keep on.

 Have you ever claimed a promise from God and then panicked when put to the test?

 Two men from our mission had contacted these unreached tribal people two years before.  The Kunas had asked for someone to come and bring them the medicine and help they needed to keep their babies from dying at birth.  Some of the mothers were weakened by tuberculosis.  There were multiple infections and parasites of every kind…would someone answer that call?

 Well…we answered…and they had taken my baby!

 My heart sank as I scanned the agitated crowd in the dimness of the dark night.  Certainly, no electricity here!  Pitch black, drenched bodies, dark faces, barking dogs, slushy mud path and no baby.  My heart pounding and unaware of my personal discomfort or how I must sound, I stood dripping wet in a downpour, screeching in a foreign tongue…calling into the wind for my lost child.

 Completely overwhelmed by my loss I saw someone slip out of the darkness and run in my direction.  Stretching over people she placed my tiny girl back into my waiting arms.  I now had both babies against my breast and I breathed a sigh of incomprehensible relief, whispering a prayer of gratefulness to my God who keeps His promises! 

 “He holds victory in store for the upright, He is a shield to those who walk blameless for He guards the course of the just and He protects the way of His faithful ones.” Proverbs 2:7,8

 Paul Little in “How to Give Away Your Faith”, wrote, “The statement that God is in control is either true or it’s not true.  But if it is true and we accept God’s revelation of Himself, our faith enables us to enjoy and rest in the certainty of His providence (will),” regardless of the circumstance!  I stood up and turned to face my new reality and walked through the door of my brand-new jungle life!

 It was good it was too dark to know who had inadvertently brought such distress to my spirit that night…but bless her, that same person had been used to quickly bring me to the throne of Grace for a thorough evaluation of my personal commitment to His “calling”! 

 Gratefully, as a young mother, I was given the opportunity very early to place my heritage in the hands of an all-knowing God.  He had again asked me to “count the cost”.  I stopped wanting to “skip” life-lessons and began embracing them. I claimed those powerful promises in the Word that had always been applied to others and now…were all mine!

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Point of Decision!"

Taken just before leaving for our village…Christina (three years) and Kim (4 months)

 I was reminded recently of a lesson God gave me many years ago that “whoever listens to me(God speaking) will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Proverbs 1:33  What a promise!  And I was listening and banking on it, as we loaded into in a long dug-out canoe bound for a small Indian village 8 hours upriver, buried in the deep Darien jungle.  It would take a day’s journey winding up the Tuira river and the heavens just opened up with a driving rain storm with the river rising by the hour! It was to be our introduction into our new life among the indigenous Kuna’s who lived at the headwaters of the Pucuro River near the Colombian border of Panama. 

The Tuira River

 Hang on to your hats…this was one day in my life I could have skipped! 

Ever had those days???

 Dusk was cascading over the torrential waters, enveloping our dugout into the dark silence of the unknown jungle.  Along the mangrove-lined shoreline we could hear twigs breaking and see shadows of what appeared to be dark, naked bodies racing us to the remote landing in the deep stillness.

 For eight hours we had traveled upriver unceasingly, pressing on against the rapidly rising flow of the Tuira River through lightning bolts, thunder and rain.  The river had risen 8 feet as we fought the current in our long journey up the contiguously inaccessible jungle waters.  Our goal to reach this isolated Indian village on the Colombian border in Panama was now within our reach!

 Underneath the makeshift tarp that protected us from the worst of the violent storm were two little girls.  One, almost three, was exceedingly excited and could not wait to get out of the wet boat and the other, just a few months old, was securely wrapped in my arms.  Our piragua was piled high with everything we would need for the next six months!

 The boat brusquely hit the bank and as I stood, dripping wet, hungry and tired, I came face to face with all the unknowns that had brought us to this sandy beach. Without warning, the warm little bundle in my arms was tersely yanked from me and quickly disappeared into the darkness of the night!!  I, immediately, grabbed my once excited and happy three-year-old by the hand.  She was now very confused.  Her contentment was exchanged for eyes full of fear!  I pulled her close to me and began calling for my baby…

 In that instant, the crowd pushed and shoved us up a short trail that led to our mud-floored, bark-walled house.  My insistent calls for my lost child were ignored and unanswered. 

 As I stepped over the threshold of our unfinished new home, the rats…at least I prayed they were rats!... scurried among the barrels that had been sent a month ahead of us and now stored our rice and dried beans in the very open tin-roofed room.  The sound of rain on that roof was deafening!

 My worst fear had come upon me…Job 3:25,26.  I screamed again into the crowd for my tiny daughter and again received no response.  I lifted my three-year-old into my arms and determinedly turned to walk back through the crowd down to the river’s edge!

Where had my baby gone?   Who had taken her?!

   Immediately, my panic turned to terror…

 The familiar promise in Proverbs 1:33 eluded me.  “…whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

 What was happening?  Why had God allowed this?

  I was instantly reminded that there are three Biblical Principles regarding trials:

 1.   Trials are common to all of us.  No one escapes unscathed. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to men.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”  No excuses and no victims here! The real question is not why, but “Why not, Jackie, don’t you trust me?!  I will never leave you or forsake you…listen to ME, not your circumstances!”

 2. Trials are given with divine purpose and will pass.1 Peter 1:6 “In this you may greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”

 3. Trials are life-lessons NOT to be wasted!  James 1:4 “...perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

 C.S. Lewis wrote in “The Great Divorce”, “There are two kinds of people:  Those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your own way.’”

 I was standing at the point of decision! My options were limited…

What is your attitude toward the trials in life?  Which kind of person are you?

Join me next Monday for my decision…think about yours…

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Crisis of Conscience!"

As a “Christian” nation, we face the unbelievable turmoil and chaos that stems from hearts that are cold and indifferent toward the things of God.  The sacrifice of the permanent on the altar of the immediate is rampant. Wrong choices are everywhere. In our homes, churches, universities, communities…

 “A seared conscience is one whose warning voice has been suppressed and perverted habitually, so that eventually instead of serving as a guide, it only confirms the person in his premeditatedly evil course.”  I Timothy 4: 2 Robert Little 

 The conscience is the ten commandments written on the hearts of man and is our moral law within. Romans 2:14-15 It is the capacity that is filled by the Holy Spirit and desires control at salvation.  “Though every believer has the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit does not have every believer,” A. W. Tozer “God put within each of us something that cries aloud against us, whenever we do what we know to be wrong.  It is the detective that watches the direction of our steps and decries every conscious transgression. 

Conscience is a vigilant eye before which each imagination, thought and act is held up for either censure or approval. There is no greater proof of the existence of a moral law and lawgiver in the universe than this little light of the soul.  It is God’s voice to the inner man.  Conscience is our wisest counselor and teacher, our most faithful and most patient friend.” Billy Graham

 “God commands us to be filled with the Holy Spirit; and if we are not filled, it is because we are living beneath our privileges.  If you have been born of the Holy Spirit, you will not have to serve God…it will become the natural thing to do.” D.L. Moody “It is impossible for one to despair who remembers that his helper is omnipotent!” Jeremy Taylor

“A person’s conscience, like a warning sign on the highway,

tells us what we shouldn’t do…but it does not keep us from doing it.” Frank Clark

The choice is always ours!!

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Courageous...I Am Not!"

Once upon a time there was a family that found themselves in the middle of a huge lake on a 75’ Houseboat with six bedrooms; three bathrooms and a massive open kitchen/dining/living room with a Jacuzzi and water slide on the second story!  Sounds outstanding, doesn’t it? This adventure was going to be “above and beyond” with all the comfort and convenience.  They could have moved in permanently!

We had arrived the evening before and boarded just in time to load our things and find a place to fall asleep.  Some slept on the upstairs deck watching shooting stars, while others found comfy bedrooms.  The next morning, we headed out onto the lake.

 Ralph, my husband, Philip, my son-in-law, and I took the houseboat and everyone else loaded into the Ski boat to find a place to moor both boats for the week.  We got a late start and headed in the direction of a specific cove that had been given to us on a map because we were so large it would give us the best protection from the elements (winds, storms!) that we were warned “popped up unexpectantly”.

We found the cove, but passed the entry and began the long circle to turn round…we missed it again…!  We were, by the way, driving a house against the current!  The sun was beginning to slip behind the mountains.  Darkness was now pressing in on us.  We needed to find our destination and adding apprehension to my new set of unknowns…we, somehow, had gotten separated from the Ski boat!  The wind was kicking up (the unexpected element??) and visibility was now limited. We desperately needed both boats anchored on the only sandbar that would meet the need we had for our floating ARK!

 I would like to think that I am a relatively adventurous person.   After all, I had taken our two-year-old daughter and delivered our second child in a foreign country as a young missionary. I left the familiar and comfortable to live among an unreached tribe in the middle of a remote jungle.  When there was no one to suture a machete wound, deliver a baby, set broken limbs and give T.B. injections…I, with trepidation, stepped up to the plate!  So, I must be a little brave…right?

 Courage is the strength from God that enables us to endure any circumstance, trial, or danger with gratefulness, understanding His Sovereign will.  It is demonstrating the confidence that harmonizing with God’s calling and will brings ultimate blessing and victory, regardless of the present circumstances or opposition.

 “Be strong and of good courage,

fear not, nor be afraid; for the Lord your God goes with you;

 He will not fail, nor forsake you.”

Deut. 31: 6

 Would we find this one small sandbar to secure this massive vessel before the pitch-black night swallows us up…or would we succumb to the howling windstorm in front of us…?

 The darkness was fast approaching.  The lake was choppy and our “Ark “was beginning to roll.  In my distraction, I could hear our Ski boat in the distance approaching us!  God miraculously guided us into the exact place on the map that was the only “secure” spot on the backside of this sandbar!  My grandsons jumped off and took the iron stakes, crossed them and anchored them deep into the sandbar. Hastily, my youngest grandson, Christopher, ignited the BBQ and soon we were settled in and looking forward to a Bible Study with Grandpa Ralph before we headed to bed.

 This is the beginning of this story…

the best is yet to come…

Join me for the conclusion…in next Monday’s Blog…

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Can a Promise Become a Reality?"

Once born, a wildebeest calf has 15 minutes to stand and run with the adult herd, or it will be killed by predators (usually, hyenas).  The wildebeest mother will take on a pack of hyenas and sacrificially, single-handedly fight…until death, to preserve the life of her calf. (Bill Gothard, Character Sketches) There are countless “hyenas” that will be used to devour the life of these God is entrusting into our care.               

What is our commitment!??

Our Alertness to His Will and His Way Is Imperative!

Being intentional is our only option!

“Life is a stewardship; not an ownership; A TRUST; NOT A GIFT. With a gift you may do as you please; but with a trust you must give an account (Ephesians 2:10).  God holds us responsible. We will answer to HIM!

AND…Time is short!!

 The journey of life brings trials, triumphs, tragedy and achievement.  Through all of this, a dedicated mother’s love remains constant.  Would you consider yourself to be a dedicated mom: a mom that is committed to the success of your child first, above yourself? I know we are fraught with the demanding activities and social media that keep us exhausted from one day to the next; but are we, through it all, rejoicing mom’s that keep the ultimate goal in view?  By the way, what is your “ultimate goal”?  Do your children view the goal and actively participate, involved in “giving” of themselves or are they “me first”, “takers”, full of entitlement?

  Let me encourage you with all that you are in Christ and to give you the promise He left with all of us that bear the titleMOTHER: “Faithful is He who calls you, who will also do it.” I Thes. 5: 24 However, it is a conditional promise…we have to let HIM!  On that day of accountability there will be NO excuses!    This is our call to action…

HOW DO WE DO THIS??  Where do we start?

 When I think “steps of action” I think work, HARD WORK!  In that same thought comes the comfort of new direction and hope for a positive change.  In the introduction of our Princess Parable Blog site, we looked back at 2014 only to find 2015 “approaching with stomping feet demanding Action” …Steps of ACTION!

 Are you ready, Mom’s?  Here is a test of our dedication and commitment…

 1) Do we “Walk Our Talk?!”  Or do we make excuses for our wrong responses!  Do we call impatience what it really is…ANGER? And how about overuse of social media…CHILD NEGLECT?  Or MISSED OPPORTUNITY?!  There are no “socially acceptable sins” … Rudeness is self-first; Discouragement (or “I deserve better”) is Entitlement (the very attitude we battle in our children!)  Purpose to pursue holiness; moment-by-moment… Mothers of conviction, not compromise!

 (2) Are we open to Teachable Moments? Please note: Most interruptions are the teachable moments!  Purpose to take advantage of the moments we are least wanting to take advantage of!

 (3) Are we Intentional and Consistent?  All decisions we make carry a consequence…positive or negative.  Purpose to teach your child this truth and in doing so, enable him/her to learn to hear the voice of God.  Dial your life into the kingdom of God…Have HIS purpose wrapped in HIS WILL, not your own!

 (4) Are we Character-focused? Note the attitude in which the words or eyes are speaking to you…read your child’s spirit and you will identify the REAL NEED!

 (5) Are we Grateful…regardless of the circumstance?  Gratefulness wards off discouragement.

 (6) Are we Diligently Prayerful? Lamentations 2:19 “Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.  Lift up your hands to HIM for the life of your child”!

 The definition of the word “purpose” means “resolute,

unwavering, deliberate” …Commitment requires sacrifice.

 Whether a bush nurse, a missionary mom, a city mom, or whatever our title may be…each of us is called to be a godly mother with a profound and sacrificial love for our children.  The calling is to “count the cost” and to love with the purpose of making these entrusted to us more successful than we could ever be for HIS glory!

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Thorns and Thistles!"

“By His wounds we are healed”.  Isa. 53

 This Friday is Good Friday!  The cross is the center of our commemorating the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  His selfless and sinless sacrifice in our place is our reason to celebrate and praise His Name.  We call the holiday Easter and for a moment in time we stop and rehearse His ultimate sacrifice…His life for ours on that thorny and thistled “old rugged cross”.  Not only did he die for us but also on the third day He rose from the dead and gave us the promise of a resurrected life after death! 

 This deliberate and divine act of love was to give our lives promise, plan and purpose.  We are destined and programmed to serve others first, not ourselves.   In our Easter release to the Princess Parable Series, “A Royal Easter Story”, we have introduced our five young knights who present a challenge that draws our young princesses into a chariot race that reveals the truth of what the cross teaches. 

 Do you live a life selflessly and sacrificially serving others?

 We cannot be consumed with a life that seeks its own and find life abundantly.  It is an impossibility.  Local churches open their doors on Good Friday to give us the opportunity to take a personal account of our commitment to our first love and renew our loyalty to live as Jesus challenges us to live…Holy!  We are reminded to live serving others, as He did, with eternal values and purpose in view.

 As women, we are dedicated to living and then, teaching the character of Christ to our little princes and princesses.  We focus on drawing their attention to the importance of serving, helping and caring for others.  That is why we find ourselves saying, “Can you comfort your little brother” or “Will you help mommy?”  Teaching by example, without excuse, is the most powerful tool in our toolbox!  We are “known and read” by these little eyes and ears.  They know if the cross is real in us, or not.  We don’t fool them, but we do confuse them when our life message does not speak the reality of Christ in us!

 Are your little ones confused?

 “Then said Jesus to his disciples, IF any man will come after me,

 let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Matt. 16: 24

 The cross holds the hope of humanity.  Denying self-life (our pride and selfishness in all its ugly forms)…and taking up His cross (His desires and His perfect Will for us)…  authenticates His life in us.  Living life consistently with no unconfessed sin and nothing between us and another person enables us to follow Him.  “His crucifixion is the key; His resurrection the door…it is only by His death that we have the mandate to enter into the gates of eternal life.  His door is open always.  Christ is King.”  Isrealmore Ayivor

  “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live;

yet not I, but Christ lives in me:

and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,

who loved me, and gave himself for me?”

Gal.  2: 20

“There are no crown-bearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here below.”

Charles H. Spurgeon

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Tattered Integrity!"

While living in the Darien jungle of Panama, I clung to a promise in II Peter that encouraged me to keep on regardless of my sense of failure.  It says, “His power has given me everything I need for life and godliness through my knowledge of Him who called me!”   With the medical clinic, delivering babies at night, learning to clean and cook strange fowl, rodents, fish and meat, washing dozens of diapers in the river (with no dryer), learning a new language, meeting the needs of my husband and two little girls and acclimating to 90-degree heat with 99% humidity, etc… I found my level of spirituality severely challenged.  Exhausted daily, I found the verses in II Peter to be a fresh breath of air on my dripping, over-heated soul and with it came a promise I intended to claim!

The provision was there to live “above my circumstances” and lead a godly life.  I needed to tap into “His power” and as I kept reading, I realized His promises were attached to verse 5.  They were given with clear and present instruction, IF I was to participate in His divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires…like giving in to my anger, disappointment, impatience, frustration, and believing the lies regarding my inability to accomplish the life-task He had called me to.

 “For this very reason, I had to make every effort to add to my faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For IF I possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep me from being ineffective and unproductive in the knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ.” II Peter 1; 5-9 (Personalized)

Always looking for a functional definition to put “the rubber on the road”, I found these marks of Virtue.  Virtue is the moral excellence and purity of spirit that radiates from the life that obeys God’s Word. II Peter 1: 5  It is learning to build personal moral standards that will cause others to desire a more godly life!  That meant reproducing Christ’s character in my life first and then sharing with others.

 Virtue is the fruit of grace as we are given light. There is no excuse not to exemplify God’s character in my life.  I am to be an example…not an excuse!  Virtue is the godly influence my life has on others regardless of past failures.

 The opposite of virtue is Hypocrisy.  Hypocrisy is the practice of a person who is willfully living in conflict with their soul (mind, will, emotions).  Virtue is not made in crisis; it is only exhibited.  Crisis reflects our virtue. “We demonstrate what we really are spiritually in times of adversity, not when things are going smoothly!” Proverbs 24: 10

 Years ago, I was teaching a group of college girls in our home and one of the girls asked my daughter, Christina, if she considered me to be a virtuous woman.  She hesitated…way to long…and I became acutely aware of my need to take another look at the qualities that compromise the virtuous woman in Scripture!

 Do I consider myself a woman of virtue…of Godly character?

 There is a thief that focus’ on robbing us of the best.  Time in the Word can be lost to the immediate demands of responsibility, a whirlwind of activity, social media and finding a “War Room” where we can read and pray uninterrupted.  Little things begin to bother us when people “bump” us, we react selfishly.

 Sound familiar?

 What is my response when:

·      I am evil spoken of

·      My loyalty has been betrayed

·      My will has been crossed

·      I am forgotten or neglected

·      My friends forsake me

·      I find compromise more inviting than maintaining claimed convictions

·      I am faced with failure and disappointment in my life

 My response reveals the real me…

 Am I a virtuous woman or a hypocrite?

 Which are you?

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Unconventional Springboard!"

What do you do with temptation?

Do you believe that everything God created is for God’s Glory?

 Does that include Satan?

 Then, how do you think Satan is used to glorify God?

 John 10:10 says that Satan has come to do ONLY three things…steal, kill and destroy. 

Steal our joy, contentment…

Kill our ambitions, goals…

Destroy our life, our destiny our purpose…

 The word ONLY needs to be understood.  It’s inclusive, all-encompassing and means…ONLY…No more and no less! God has limited Satan in his scope and ability to those three paradigms. Therefore, the big secret to this is, “How do we use Satan, instead of him using us!!

 How do you use Satan for the glory of God?

 Satan’s means of communicating to us is through temptation, using ideas (my husband calls them thought bombs!). Our job is to acknowledge the temptation and use that as “a springboard to pray”. For instance, a lustful thought comes…we know if we follow it, it leads us too nowhere good or profitable. 

Our response needs to be:  Take the temptation as a signal (a red flag warning) to pray for the same unsaved person for his/her salvation for each specific temptation.  That prayer is using Satan for God’s glory!  HOW?  By forcing Satan to build our prayer life!

 Once you’ve done that, you have neutralized Satan’s power in your life, because he has only come to steal, kill and destroy.  So, he has no choice but to leave you alone.  Your consistency in resisting him in this way sets you free to serve others.   

 Most believers spend their time playing Satan’s game… (I tempt you; I make you feel guilty and weak and convince you that God cannot give you victory or the joy of your salvation).

 What do you do with Satan’s scheme to destroy you?

 The “gates” of hell will not prevail against the church (believers). Matt. 16: 18 The idea is “the door” (that separates the church from hell) does not chase anyone; but now, with Satan in his place; we can open that door and rescue some of the lost. 

 We are, now, actively using Satan to develop our prayer life and glorify God!

 How long did your New Year’s resolutions last?

 Do you have a nagging pattern in your life that needs breaking

or a hidden area in your life

 that you just can’t seems to get victory?

I challenge you, this week, to use “the springboard for prayer” …

(Study Given by Pastor Ralph Johnson)

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.