God Uses Burned Up Stones

Just a quick word from Bill ... When I started the ministry of Freedom Fighters several years ago, my goal was to encourage you to walk in victory, and to share with you from my heart what God was/is teaching me from His Word. My intention for this tool was not to have it be a platform for political or divisive issues. In yesterday's Freedom Fighter I used an illustration concerning a matter that our Board has been wrestling with, particularly, the Executive and Finance Committee. It was inappropriate for me to use this illustration in the context of a Freedom Fighter without first asking for approval to share that situation. I apologize for any confusion that the illustration might have caused. Thank you for your daily partnership in spreading the message of victory to other men around the globe.

GOD USES BURNED UP STONES

“And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish--stones that are burned?”
(Nehemiah 4:2)

A practical lesson that we learn from Nehemiah is that God used burned stones to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. Even though Sanballat tried to discourage him, Nehemiah was faithful and obedient, allowing God to clean up the stones and build with them a beautiful and safe wall. From this example we should learn that when we do God's work, with God's strength and God's
materials, we are bound to succeed.

Something similar happens in our lives when we come to Christ, accept His sacrifice and make Him our personal Savior and Lord. In my case, the first few weeks of my new life in Christ were very difficult. I came to Christ through the wonderful testimony and spiritual concern of two beautiful ladies who attended the Hawthorne Gospel Church (NJ).

Even though I began to grow spiritually very quickly (attending Monday Evening Bible School, Wednesday's prayer service, Friday's young people's group and choir, Saturday's ministries with the Pastor, Sunday services, etc.) I still had some contracts (singing with my guitar) to fulfill at some night clubs in Paterson (NJ), a television presentation in Newark and a theater in New York. It was very clear that I had to decide to seriously welcome the blessings of my new relationship with Christ. I did. And when that happened, every one of my friends in Paterson expressed concern about my sanity, about losing their friendship due to the incompatibility of goals, about the death of my social life, etc. I know now that these were the burned stones that God had to clean and use to reconstruct my new life in Christ.

My pilgrimage in Christ began in May, 1965. I do not know the date when you are reading this testimony but I can assure you that when we do God's work, with God's strength and God's materials, we are bound to succeed. --Jorge and Denise Zambrano serve with HCJB. Jorge is battling cancer and chemo treatments. Please add this special couple to your prayer list.

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 17; Deuteronomy 30-31; Mark 15:1-25

Great Quote: Living in the present means squarely accepting and responding to it as God's moment for you now while it is called "today" rather than wishing it were yesterday or tomorrow. Evelyn Underhill