Let's GO!...
Ephesians 6:18 tells us that praying at all times in the Spirit, will infuse the armor and through the Holy Spirit we will be given the strength we need to be the ambassadors (warrior princesses) to fulfill our ministry He has called us to for this time; this season.
Good Morning Princesses! (Happy Thanksgiving!)
Just a brief announcement:
· No In-Person Class on Tuesday, November 20th (to prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday).
This week you should be reading Chapter 5 in the book of Esther. This will mark our halfway point in our conversation of hope, courage, and faith. There’s still time to spread the word and invite others to the conversation or forward them the Monday GO! Report.
1. Barrel of Monkeys?
Before we begin, just a quick side note that I promise will connect to our GO! Report. How many are you familiar with the Hasbro game, Barrel of Monkeys? The concept of the game is to connect all the monkeys together and see how many of these little plastic monkeys you can latch together by their fingers. In Marvel Comics movie Iron Man 3, our superhero, Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) must rescue passengers free falling from a disintegrating Air Force One. As with all superheroes, Iron Man begins to fly down and grab onto people. As he grabs screaming passengers, he tells them to grab onto the next person. And suddenly with this great show of teamwork, you have 13 people all latched onto each other, with Iron Man blowing his repulsors to stop their fall and placing them in the water to be rescued. Of course, as a viewer to this grand rescue, you are excited and cheering for the superhero! Way to go Iron Man! Okay, so how does this relate to our conversation today? Keep reading!
When we last left off there were two themes that were presented last week. The two themes came from two distinct conversations (Dr. Bernice King and Geoffrey Canada) that echoed today and a time of the past, specifically, Esther’s time, who commentaries believe was around 478 B.C., 5th Century of Persian King Xerxes. Esther became queen around the age of 14-year old and despite her age, she was wise and tactful in her thoughts, words, and actions. In Chapter 4 Esther comes to a crossroad. This intersection speaks to the same themes from last week:
“The ethical dilemma.”
"We are all part of a human race and family."
Both themes require an element of courage. Superhero courage, no, one more powerful and one that we can't even think or imagine, God-filled courage.
2. Something about that COR’?
According to Merriam- Webster:
cour·age
/ˈkərij/
Latin cor‘ ~~ heart
mental or moral strength to venture, persevere,
and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty
In Chapter 4 we are given a balcony view of the ethical discussion between Esther and Mordecai, but to also see the mental escapade that takes Esther on a journey of each man for himself to the Barrel of Monkeys game strategy which results in her classic line in Esther 4:16 “...and if I perish, I perish.”
Where did this courage come from? How did Esther arrive at this conclusion? How did she come to realize that we are all part of a human race and family?
Courage-mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.
Looking within our core- our heart; the Lord through His gift of the Holy Spirit has given us the courage to spread the good news. Acts 4:31 states, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly”.
To prepare her core, Esther in 4:16 relayed to Mordecai the following request: “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do.”
3. The Fast?
According to Jewish Voice Ministries International, the purpose of a fast is a sacrifice and “a way to express our earnestness on a matter and is meant to increase our prayer for it. Every hunger pang reminds us of the purpose for the fast and drives us to the Lord with a fresh focus”. Esther and the people of Susa’s full fast and prayer created a focus, a pivotal point to prepare their core (heart) and Esther’s heart to approach King Xerxes without permission in an effort to intercede on behalf of the Jewish people. As we learned earlier in Chapter 4, to approach the king without permission could mean death “unless the king extended the gold scepter to them and spare[d ]their [life]”. It would take courage. It would take mental and moral strength to withstand the threat of death.
What’s your cor’? Our life princesses are not about us, we have a higher calling. Our calling you ask? Our calling is like the game Barrel of Monkeys; our calling is to GO!
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
Oh, princesses of faith...remember
Prayer “empowers and ‘charges up’ every other piece so they can be used effectively against the enemy. Without prayer… your armor, cannot, will not, be infused with the power that only God’s-Spirit can give."
Closing Thoughts-
Know that through the Holy Spirit you can:
· do things you couldn't;
· feel things you didn't; and
· know things you wouldn't.
GO! PLAYLIST...For your praise and worship:
GO! 11/19/18- New feature, contains a playlist of songs for your praise and worship time.
Housekeeping:
· Please tell a friend. There's still time to join in!
· See you at GO! on Tuesday, December 4, 2018, Stark Library - Innovation Center - 6:00 pm- 8:00 pm
· THIS WEEK Fall/Winter GO! Session 8 ~ Esther, It's Hard Being A Women
Remember, each day is an opportunity for us to...
Lead, Serve and GO! Happy Thanksgiving!
Krista