Miki Hardy

It has been a great day yesterday, firstly at the radio station again, answering questions about church leadership, followed by our two meetings with local church leaders. I was blessed to hear more testimonies how the gospel of the cross has changed these leaders and the way they are prepared to live the gospel. It was good to challenge them again on what they preach in the midst of all the false teachings going around in the body of Christ. There was an unanimous response of faith that the Lord is preparing them for tomorrow. We look forward for tonight’s meetings..

Today, Fabien and I woke up and spent one and a half hours in prayer and it was wonderful to feel the leading of the Spirit. We are so excited for the global vision the Lord is giving us for His church and we look forward to spend time again with these church leaders. I will go to the radio ” Bonne Nouvelle”, for two programs this morning, and trust the Lord to speak to this nation, as there is a great need in the church for the true gospel to take root in the lives of its leaders. The weather is very hot ( 35 degrees) and humid but the Lord gives us the strength. Alleluiah.

One CTMI missionary team is now in Douala, with a group of pastors and leaders of churches, working in relationship with us. Our first meetings yesterday were very well attended with about 150 people eager to receive the gospel. The atmosphere was very good and these different churches are becoming one true family.  One pastor shared a testimony how the Lord changed him from a very legalistic leader to one of grace and truth, since he heard the gospel of the cross. He is now caring for the people with another heart. God’s people feel much more secured now and can share their burdens and problems without fear.

Many christians do not realize that most of their problems can be solved at the feet of Jesus. This is the place where we receive direction for our lives, where we hear from Him, where we are filled with the Spirit, where we are encouraged in time of despair, where He removes our fears etc. So many times we look for solutions for our lives elsewhere but let it be clear that it is in His presence that we will find everything we need. Let us fellowship with Jesus.

We know that the devil is busy trying to defeat christians in many ways. He plans our fall and yet he knows that Jesus defeated him on the cross. He will come with lies and deceits, but we should never forget that Jesus in us is greater than him. Jesus wants to live through us and He does so as we surrender our lives to Him and take up our cross to follow Him. Paul says “Grace be unto to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”. We are bound to succeed and walk in victory as we do not submit to the attacks of the enemy. 1 John 4:4.

We all have to go through tests and trials in our walk with God. No matter how hard they may seem to be, we must understand that the grace of the Lord is sufficient to overcome them. There are so many things that come our way and the Lord allows them to happen, so that we may grow through them. The attitude in which we face them, will determine if we will walk in victory or not. Grace will always be manifested on our behalf when we walk in faith and are ready to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. However, we cannot expect the grace of God in our lives during these tests and trials if we walk in the flesh and are not ready to grow through them.  Spiritual growth is a painful experience, but necessary if we desire to serve the Lord.

The christian is a testimony of the love of God, who diffuses through him, the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ. He is also called to share what the Lord has done for him so as to give the opportunity to others to hear the good news of the gospel. A christian always needs to be ready to witness the love of Jesus in this world full of violence, hatred and sin. We need a new touch of the Spirit in these last days and let us be determined to seek the Lord for a new zeal and desire to share the gospel. Mark 16:15.

Prayer must not be motivated by obligation but it is important to discipline ourselves to pray. The pharisees were motivated by law and principles in their prayer life. But we, children of the new covenant, should be led to accomplish the desires of our hearts. Often our flesh is an obstacle against the desires of our hearts and this is the reason to be violent and to discipline ourselves to find the time to be in His presence. Christians, let us crucify this flesh and spend time in prayer.

When we look at the church history we will find that prayer has always been at the basis of a real move of God. If we want victory in our lives and we want to serve the Lord effectively, our place should be before the throne of God. This is where the battle is won, this is where we recover from our failures, this is where we find strength to continue, this is where we find faith and direction to serve the Lord. There is nothing that can replace this time of fellowship with the Lord. Let us take time in His presence.

This is the description that the Holy Spirit gives to the church of the New Covenant. 1 Peter 2:9. It is a call for a pure and holy life. A christian should not think of anything less for his life.   At the cross and in His resurrection, Jesus has made it possible for every christian to have victory over sin. It is simply a matter of him being willing to surrender his life and take up his cross and follow Jesus. The Holy Spirit is ready to perform that inner work in his heart as he is ready to deny himself and lose his life. This should be every christian’s dream.