Reach Magazine - August 2020

I N S P I R E YO U R FA I T H | I M PA C T T H E W O R L D

Rest in The Storm

Operating From True Rest

As I Lay My Head To Rest

Do You Need Rest in The Storm?

Beat Anxiety & Find True Rest

Do You Struggle With Sleep?

CBNEUROPE.COM

ISSUE 49

CONTENT

03. Welcome To Issue 49 From The Director

04. Faith in Changing Times Teaching 06. Europe Update From The Office

09. Rest In The Storm Featured

12. Pray With Us? Prayer Needs 14. God At Work Testimonies

16. Humanitarian Global Impact 18. Pat Answers Your Questions Bring It On 20. Children & Families Superbook

22. Operating From True Rest Featured 25. Written In Stone Resource

26. As I Lay My Head To Rest Devotion 29. Put Your Hope Into Action Your Ways To Give

PO Box 700 Hereford, HR1 9EW, UK 0300 561 0700 (UK) 01513 3738 (ROI) +44 207 101 7045 (International) WhatsApp

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@CBNEUROPE

R E A C H is a free magazine produced and distributed by CBN Europe to inspire, inform and strengthen your relationship with God. We partner with individuals, churches and organisations in order to share the message of hope in Jesus Christ, provide humanitarian relief and reduce poverty. It is our vision to share the Gospel in a relevant way to all generations and see people walk in their true potential with God. Would you like to support our ministry? Contact us on the numbers provided or visit cbneurope.com/donate.

FROM THE DIRECTOR | 3 Welcome to our August 2020 issue of Reach Magazine!

We are living in a season of great change. Much of what we thought was ‘normal’ has now shifted beneath our feet and we find ourselves trying to discover what the new pattern may be. We have seen turmoil sweep across our nations through the physical pandemic of COVID-19 and the mental pandemic of fear. There has been social and political tension and growing concern about what the future may look like. With all that in mind, I believe that our theme of ‘Rest’ for this issue of Reach is rather timely.

For some of us, this season has enforced a different pace upon us. You may have been furloughed from work or maybe your normal pattern of life has been disrupted. You may have found yourself with more time on your hands. For some, the intensity of life has increased and the work/family balance has become a real juggling act.

Whatever position you may be in, this season has given us an opportunity to reflect, step back and take stock of our lives. Here at CBN, we have been doing a health check as part of this season. We have spent time listening to what God is whispering to us as a ministry, reviewing and tweaking areas of our work.

Why…, so that we might better serve our communities, our partners and share the Gospel across Europe.

Sometimes life can feel like being on a hamster wheel, ever spinning and hard to get off. This is why rest is so important. Finding time to stop, recharge and reconnect with God. Rest is a pattern that God has set in place right from the beginning of creation. It is not so we can be lazy, but rather that we can more effectively and sustainably operate as His children. It is so we can work from the provision of His power, rather than from the limited wells of our own strength.

Living from a position of real rest means that we can see more clearly, relate to one another more gracefully and love more unreservedly.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites us to come away from the busy, draining way of living and to walk with Him; learning the “unforced rhythm” of life with Christ.

Paul reminds us in Romans 12 that we are not to be conformed to the “patterns of this world”. Let me encourage you to ask yourself the dangerous question; Who is setting the pace?

I pray that as you explore this edition of Reach Magazine, you will find that God has an incredible space for you to live, work and minster from; it’s called ‘Rest’.

Mark Dijkens

CBN Europe Regional Director

TEACHING | 5

WHERE TO FIND FAITH IN CHANGING TIMES FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS Our world has changed dramatically over the past few months—yet God has not changed, and He wants us to stand strong in our faith.

Hebrews 11:1 explains, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We have the eternal covenant made with the blood of Christ. When we have that substance and that evidence, we can go through anything because He is with us.

Where do we get that faith? It’s simple: Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

We don’t drum it up or pray it down.

Faith is given to us by God, and He gives it freely. Let Jesus be your faith.

If we have Jesus, we have all the faith we need—and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

When we hold onto Him, we can overcome any obstacle.

I remember when we started CBN Asia in the Philippines. For seven months, we never had enough money for payroll the day before it was due.

Each time we’d gather to pray, and each time God would do a miracle, providing the funds within 24 hours.

When we looked at ourselves, we realized we couldn’t make it. Yet when we put Him first and focused on winning souls for His kingdom, God did exceedingly above all we could ever ask or think.

When you look at the wind and waves, you start to sink. But when you fix your eyes on Jesus, you start to rise and you can walk on water. For He has promised us, “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

God bless you!

Excerpted from an online CBN Staff Chapel teaching. Scripture is quoted from the NKJV.

Gordon Robertson

Chief Executive Officer

“

Where do we get that faith? It’s simple: Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith

6 | FROM THE OFFICE

Vanja Bule

Director, CBN South East Europe

Andreas “Pitti” Heerwagen Director, CBN Germany

CROATIA & SOUTH EAST EUROPE

GERMANY

CBN’s Operation Blessing Covid Humanitarian Help.

We helped a church in Virovitica, Croatia to provide food packages to the poor in their community. We visited a homeless ministry in Pula, Croatia and helped them with food supplies. We also ministered to one Roma village in Zagreb. The need there was so great unlike anything we have seen before.

We had the opportunity to make a difference with not only food supplies but also Superbook for the children.

Erlebt TV A new set of 18 German Erlebt TV shows have been produced in our studio in Hamburg!

Superbook In Public Schools In Croatia!

The biggest catholic publishing house “Kršćanska sadašnjost“ approached us with an amazing request - to use 8 Superbook episodes 1&2 season in their 7th grade textbooks for religious studies! Although Religious studies is an elective class in public schools, 95% of children take it. The impact of this is immeasurable for all of our future ministry in Croatia and other areas of the Balkan where majority population is catholic. Kršćanska sadašnjost are interested in localising Superbook Academy and all other Superbook products present and future in partnership with CBN. Please continue to pray and partner with us to see this amazing resource used widely in this region and beyond!

Our office has started a new chapter!

We are looking at how to make better use of Erlebt TV to promote partnership and giving to help it reach more people, as well as promoting Superbook resources.

Superbook Our German ‘Superbuch’ shop was launched and we added a special Easter DVD package. What privilege to be able to share the message of the Gospel and show God’s love to all.

CLUB 700 Find out more about our German adaptation of The 700 Club at: cbndeutschland.org/en/tv

FROM THE OFFICE | 7

Chris Karelse

Doina Bejenaru

CBN Representative, Netherlands

Director, CBN Moldova

THE NETHERLANDS

MOLDOVA

Digital Media We continue to create content for our Dutch website and social media. This includes the subtitled summary of Jerusalem Dateline.

A New Office!

We continue to establish CBN’S ministry in both Moldova and Romania.

Superbook We hope to offer Superbook streaming to the website soon!

Superbook season 2 translation is in the process of being finished and should air soon on the “Family 7” Christian TV channel.

We are looking to translate Superbook Academy into Dutch – this would be filling a real void in Dutch children’s ministry in The Netherlands.

Partnership We received the first ministry gifts through our Dutch website (www. cbnnederland.nl). We are praying for a solid partner base covering The Netherlands and Belgium.

We are also in the early stages of partnering with a church in Belgium using Superbook clips in their children’s services! My hope & prayer is to continue to have requests like these!

We have a new office in Chisinau – which is east of Romania and west of Ukraine, right in the middle of Moldova.

As we increase our scope and include Romania, we will need to add staff members to my team to support the ministry.

Digital Media We look to extend our initiatives in the region for media, Superbook and humanitarian programmes. Our website in Romanian and English has been kickstarted. We aim to soon be online sharing about CBN’s ministry in this region and promote our resources such as Superbook Academy in Romanian.

Thank you partners for your support this far.

Will You Pray With Us? •

Pray for the growth of our Ministry in Moldova & Ukraine.

•

Pray for opportunities to arise for us to share the hope of Jesus through CBN.

8 | FROM THE OFFICE

Lavender Otieno

Head of Operations, CBN Europe

UK Hope in Action launched!

In December, the Lord spoke to Mark, our Director about us getting ready to bring hope during hopelessness, and to be light and salt to the world. The Lord obviously knew what was coming. Mark continued to pray and trust God even when the picture wasn’t fully clear. In May we actively launched the ‘Hope in Action’ campaign. The aim is to put our faith in God into action in practical ways. Purposely focusing our messages and stories with a theme of hope on our website and social media. We want to encourage all those in need of a break from all the dire news we have had over the last three months; a different message. The message of a faithful God in and through the crisis. We can still have hope! We would like to inspire anyone and everyone to put their hope into action by joining CBN as a partner.

We started distribution of Boxes of Hope in 4 locations in England & Wales. We made use of our strong partnerships with churches who actively work in the community. Together we are able to bless families in need. Every box contains nutritious food items and supplies tailored to the family’s needs, as well as Superbook resources for the kids, a new testament and a copy of the ‘Who is Jesus’ DVD with 5 great testimonies of faith. My prayer is that we can grow this further and to more locations across the UK. If you feel inspired to join us in this mission, we would love to hear from you. God bless!

Mark Dijkens

Regional Director, CBN Europe

Isaiah 54:2-3; We are enlarging our territory to cover AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND! This is an answer to prayer and something that has been very close to my heart for many years. We are in the early phase of setting up our website and please keep this expansion of our region in your prayers as we believe God to enlarge the place of our tent! We are doing this through our partnership with Vision Christian Media. We will soon be promoting CBN resources through more effective TV adverts and a programmes schedule that covers all four time zones.

All in His time! THANK YOU for your continued support in this mission field!

FEATURED | 9

REST IN THE STORM

S

torms are a part of life. Whether in the physical or the unseen, we all experience times of adverse weather.

There are times when the waters rise, and the waves seem to be so big that it can feel like you’re just holding on; when we are battered by winds that beats against us. It’s not a case of ‘if’, but ‘when’ these storms will come to us. Knowing that they will come, I believe that the ‘how’ we navigate these times is essential, so we don’t crumble and get swept away by the gales.

Jesus reminds us in John 16:33, “And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” (TPT)

We have the Peace of God living within us through the Holy Spirit and access to a rest that defies the circumstances we may find ourselves in. As we give space for God to move within us, we find a different perspective begin to emerge.

This isn’t wishful thinking or living in denial of the issues we face, on the contrary. It is actually acknowledging them for what they are and giving them their proper place. It is seeing them through the lens of our identity in Christ, the power of the finished work of the cross and our position with Jesus as sons and daughters. We do not diminish our trials and tribulations, but we operate from a position and perspective of eternal security, so that in the middle of the storm, we remain in a state of rest.

Don’t just take my word for it, let’s look

10 | FEATURED at the example of Jesus. Together with his disciples, Jesus sets out across the lake. Mark 4:37-41 goes on to say, “Suddenly, as they were crossing the lake, a ferocious tempest arose, with violent winds and waves that were crashing into the boat until it was all but swamped. But Jesus was calmly sleeping in the stern, resting on a cushion. So they shook him awake, saying, “Teacher, don’t you even care that we are all about to die!” Fully awake, he rebuked the storm and shouted to the sea, “Hush! Calm down!” All at once the wind stopped howling and the water became perfectly calm. Then he turned to his disciples and said to them, “Why are you so afraid?

Haven’t you learned to trust yet?”

But they were overwhelmed with fear and awe and said to one another, “Who is this man who has such authority that even the wind and waves obey him?” (TPT) In the middle of a “ferocious tempest”, Jesus slept. I don’t think this was a little sea breeze and light drizzle!

I can picture the boat rolling from side to side, waves crashing onto the deck as the rain fell like an almost horizontal sheet. Yet in the rear of the boat, Jesus was at complete rest, even with his head upon a cushion.

The violent tossing of the boat merely like the rocking of a baby’s cradle.

He was completely unfazed by the circumstances around Him. As a contrast, the disciples begin to panic. Fear overtakes and the worst case scenario becomes the imminent outcome – “we are all about to die!”. I think that we have all found ourselves

at one point in our lives completely overwhelmed by the storms of life.

Our minds go from one extreme to the other, planning out the worst possible endings and spending more time thinking and worrying about what might happen than what is actually in front of us. Maybe that’s just me?

Yet Jesus sleeps. The disciples almost angry at His seeming disregard for the severity of the moment, shaking Him awake. Then with just a few words, “Hush! Calm down!”, the atmosphere shifts. From calamity to calm. From tempest to rest. Turning to His friends and asking the equivalent of “What’s the problem? Why the fuss?”. How could Jesus rest in the storm?

As I thought about this question, three things came to mind - security, trust and authority.

Jesus was able to rest because He knew who He was in His Father. His future and destiny were completely submitted to God. He was in His Father’s hands – that’s a pretty safe place to be. Jesus fully trusted God to work the circumstances for good, no matter how bad they it may look in one momentary snapshot.

Trust is hard when the waves get higher. But when we are secure in who holds us and that His track record is good, we are much more willing to submit to Him even if the conditions don’t look great. Insecurity and immaturity often can manifest as control. In other words, we stop trusting the process and the one leading us in it and take back the reins ourselves. We begin to look around for other options, other methods of

FEATURED | 11 escape and take our eyes off the one who holds us.

Finally, we can find rest in any trial when we understand the authority we contain as sons and daughters of God. The Bible says “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” (Romans 8:11 – NLT). We have the power of God within us, through the Holy Spirit. In that power, through faith, we can tell mountains to move (Matthew 17:20) and seas to part (Exodus 14). We have access to that power all times of the day...or night!

When we are secure in who we are and whose we are, trusting God to hold us in His hands and understanding the authority of the one who commands the wind and waves, then we can find rest in the middle of any storm. Let me encourage you; it doesn’t matter how big the waves get or how strong the wind blows, He is greater. The battle is not ours to fight, but He fights for us. So, lay your head down upon the cushion, rest in Him and let the wind blow.

Do You Need Peace Today?

Pray This Prayer With Me Father God, Thank you for who you are, You are a good Father to me.

Thank you for Your peace.

Thank you that I can access Your peace that goes beyond all understanding, every second of the day and wherever I am.

Today I ask that You would replace the storm in my heart with Your peace.

Bless you.

Adam Howard

Content Coordinator

I pray that you would help me to know and trust that I am yours.

Lord, I give the battle to you today because you have already won.

Amen.

12 | PRAYER NEEDS

As I am sure you are aware, we have an incredible group of people in our Prayer Centre Team. During these past few months, the team have adapted to working from home and have continued to be ready and able to stand with our viewers and partners every day. We honour them and appreciate all they do as part of CBN. We had the privilege of chatting with our Prayer Centre Manager, Sarah Fletcher, to see how we could pray for them specifically in this season. Let’s stand together, united in prayer. Here’s are some of the needs to pray around:

PRAY FOR STRENGTH

Renewed strength for the team as they share Hope every day, particularly in times such as these.

PRAY FOR GROWTH

That the Lord would bless us with volunteers as we consistently endeavour to “Make Jesus known in every household in the UK, Europe & Beyond”.

PRAY FOR FRUIT

That we will continue to see good fruit through the faithfulness of the team & wider ministry in such pressured times.

PRAY FOR SALVATION

That God would continue to use the Prayer Team to reach the lost, the last & the least - releasing salvation to the whosoever, wherever.

PRAY FOR PARTNERSHIP

That many more would come alongside us in financial partnership to expand the vision further & wider.

PRAY FOR NEW GROUND

That the Lord will pave ways to take new ground.

SOW. WEED. WATER. WAIT. Do You Need Prayer?

Call Us!

We have an incredible team waiting to pray with you and encourage you in your walk with Jesus at the other end of the phone!

0300 561 0700 (UK) 01513 3738 (ROI) +44 207 101 7045 (Int) 07833 993 924 (WhatsApp)

14 | TESTIMONIES

God is on the move.

He is not limited by social distancing or self-isolation. Through the tireless efforts of our Prayer centre, we are continuing to see healing and salvation. Here are just a few recent stories of how God has broken through in desperate circumstances.

FINANCES

Simon called for prayer but also with a praise report. He has been paid furlough and his employer topped it to 100%. This has clearly been weighing Simon down over the past few weeks. Praise God for meeting Simon’s and his wife’s financial needs.

HEALING

Last Friday a caller suddenly went very cold and felt that he was suffering with the Coronavirus. At that moment he became very fearful. He then heard Gordon describe his symptoms and fears over the television on the 700 Club. Gordon prayed and his symptoms left him immediately and he feels well. He was amazed!

HEALING

On Wednesday a caller had a terrible tooth and gum infection that created a very dangerous abscess within his mouth, to such an extent that the left side of his face ballooned to 3 times the size of the right side of his face. It was so bad that he could not open his mouth and the constant pain was so extreme that not even the strongest pain killers had any effect. He was in a terrible state and very ill. Because of the Coronavirus pandemic there was little hope of seeing a dentist. After prayer, 2 days later, the infection has completely gone, the pain has completely gone, the abscess has completely gone, the swelling has completely gone, and the illness has completely gone! This is the miraculous power and grace of God in wonderfully amazing action.

REALTIONSHIP

Susan called to give thanks and testimony as she has stopped bickering with her colleague after many years of prayer.

HEALING

Teresa called to give testimony about severe night sweats that she had been experiencing, it had been causing here a lot of discomfort and stress. Gordon gave a specific word on the 700 Club about it and she has not had any issues since!

CONNECT WITH US! @CBNEUROPE

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16 | GLOBAL IMPACT ORPHAN’S PROMISE

The Gypsy Project Bulgaria

The Gypsy project is a school for Roma children ran by Roma young people that have gone on to get a full university education - the first of their community for any generation. They incorporate the Gospel and work with the local church.

During the month of May, our leaders met with the children in small groups when possible. It got more difficult because the government imposed even more restrictions. In Perushtitsa, it got to be impossible for a period of time because the police were actually patrolling the streets to enforce stay at home orders.

The other villages were not quite as bad but still, they were very limited in what they could do.

Our young leaders are very creative and very dedicated to keep the project going. Each one has crafted a slightly different approach. In one village, our leader is bringing the children, in small groups, to her home or she is walking a short distance to the home of one of the children and meeting a group there.

In another village, a husband and wife team are meeting with the children in small groups at the church. Now they have been asked to help all of the children in the whole village, which they are doing. In Plovdiv, our leader is also a public-school teacher so he is using online teaching and coaching. In the original program in Perushtitsa, our leader is using Zoom and the children gather in small groups where one of them has a computer.

Please pray that the kids will be ready and will do well in the end of year exams, despite the obstacles that they have had to overcome.

Want To Read More Stories?

Visit cbneurope.com/impact to read more inspiring stories about how God has used CBN across the globe.

GLOBAL IMPACT | 17 SUPERBOOK

Diana’s Story

Hope Through Superbook He had an addiction. Diana and her younger sister Gaby knew their father was an alcoholic, but they still loved him. One day, while they were at a nearby park, the girls met a group of children who told them that they were from the neighbourhood’s Orphan’s Promise Centre, and invited them to attend.

While there, the sisters watched an episode of Superbook: Revelation: The Final Battle. “The teacher invited us to pray to receive Jesus,” explained Diana.

“From that day on, God came into my heart.”

At home, Diana began praying for her family, especially for her alcoholic father.

“Miracles happened at home,” she said joyfully. “I prayed every day. Dad quit drinking.” Even her mother became a Christian!

“I love Superbook because I can connect to so many of the stories,” she said.

“Thank you for giving us these programmes.”

ORPHAN’S PROMISE

Daniel’s Story

A New Life Of Promise The attack happened so suddenly. Within minutes, villagers of Biu, Nigeria, were running for their lives to escape the terrorists. Homes were looted and schools and clinics were burned to the ground. Fourteen-year-old Daniel was able to escape with his life - but his father did not make it out alive.

With nowhere to go, Daniel was brought to a nearby youth centre sponsored by CBN’s Orphan’s Promise. When he arrived, he couldn’t read or write - but he was determined to learn. At the centre, he received love, support and protection, and as a result, Daniel progressed quickly. This environment enabled him to develop academically as he pursued his education. Today, he can read and write so fluently that he proudly declares that his favourite game is Scrabble.

A future that had once looked bleak for Daniel is now full of promise. This young boy now has a safe and happy home.

18 | BRING IT ON

PAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS Join Pat Robertson, CBN founder, as he answers the tough questions in life with Biblical truth’s.

Q

In Isaiah 40:31, the Bible says “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength.” What does “wait upon the LORD” mean in this verse?

A.

When the Apostle Peter was persecuted and locked up and chained in prison, the early Christian church prayed fervently and without ceasing for him.

As they prayed, they waited on the Lord. They didn’t stop praying the prayer of faith. They believed, focusing completely on the Lord. That’s what waiting on the Lord means.

You’re fully concentrating on nothing but the Lord—and His power to do all things. When you wait upon the Lord like this, He will fulfill the desire of your heart like He did for Peter. The Lord answered those prayers and caused the chains to fall off of Peter by sending an angel to help him escape in the middle of the night without the prison guards noticing.

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR PAT?

Log on to CBN.com/BringItOnline and follow the instructions.

I AM PATRICK peels back centuries of legend and myth to tell the true story of Saint Patrick.

Watch On Netflix Now! www.iampatrick.com

20 |

Hi there SuperKids! How are you all?!

Here at SuperBook, we’ve all been talking about something that is really, super-duper important! We’ve been talking about rest!

Rest is what our bodies need when our energy runs out! Now, as SuperKids, we know that you have bundles of energy, especially when the sun is shining like it has been recently. But, we all need rest! It’s part of Gods special and unique design for us! God created us to have energy to be able to do some amazing things for His glory, which is super special! God also knows that you Humans need time to rest, so that you can keep doing all the good things He has designed you for!

Think of it this way; Mr. Quantum has designed me to be a fantastic robot that helps Joy and Chris on their adventures through SuperBook. Robots have batteries! If I kept going on adventures with Chris and Joy, and never recharged my batteries, I wouldn’t be able to be the best robot I can be!

It’s the same for you humans! You need to make sure you can take time out from all of your SuperKid adventures and rest up, so that you can do all the exciting things that God has called you to do!

We understand that many of you may have just gone back to school, or you’re waiting to go back very soon. Going back to school after such a long time might be really exciting for some of you, and for others, it might make you feel nervous. These big feelings can sometimes take up a lot of our energy. So how do you make sure your batteries are recharged and ready for each day?

Well, just for you, I have complied a list of my Golden tips on how to stay rested and ready!

| 21

1

PRAY

Find 5 minutes in your day, maybe when you first wake up, or when you’re on your way back from school and pray! Praying is a lot like having a conversation. So, talk to God. He loves to listen to you! You can tell Him about your day, tell him about your worries and ask Him questions! God loves to talk back too!

Why not try writing down what you think God might be saying to you!

2

SLEEP

I know, this one sounds so boring! But trust me, even as a robot, I know how important sleep is! Sleep is super important! It allows us to grow big and strong, as well as keeping our brain and thoughts healthy and happy!

Sometimes, we want to stay up late, even past our bedtimes, to play a little longer, or read that last chapter of your favourite book, but our parents have given us bedtimes so we can keep our bodies and minds well rested and ready for each new day!

3

READ

Chris and Joy love to read! They read all sorts of books that keep them entertained! Books are a great way to rest as they make you sit still (You can’t exactly run around whilst reading a book!). Our favourite book to read together is The Bible! We read it together and find such peace in its words! The Bible isn’t like all the other books, The Bible is God’s living word! That means that it is a Book that tell the truth all about God’s people! It tells us how they lived back in History, and how we should live today! Why not try reading the book of Psalms with your Parent/Guardian?

According to my calculations, you’ll be sure to love it!

22 | FEATURED

OPERATING FROM THE PLACE OF TRUE REST

R

ecently I have started to take an interest in photography. I’m still learning the basics, but there is something about being able to go outside and enjoy the beautiful countryside that invigorates me. To be able to take time out from the busyness of life into new surroundings helps bring a new perspective and outlook upon life. It has become a space where I am able to find rest.

As I have journeyed through life, one thing which I have discovered as a necessity is to operate and live from the place of rest. I believe that there is an alignment and rhythm of grace which God would have us walk in.

Even from the beginning of time, God established a day, a Sabbath where He knew the importance of rest.

If you are anything like me, I need to

FEATURED | 23 purposefully plan what rest looks like otherwise I soon begin to recognise that my life can become clattered and consumed by other things. I know that when I fail to stop and listen, I become tired and ineffective.

answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

I am reminded of the story in Mark 6 where Jesus had sent out his disciples two by two and they were ministering to the crowds by preaching, healing the sick and casting out demons. And when they returned to Jesus and told him all that they had been doing Jesus saw that they had been so busy ministering that they didn’t have the chance to rest and eat. And he said to them “Come with me. We will go to a quiet place to be alone. There we will get some rest.” (Mark 6:31 – ERV)

You know, it’s possible to welcome Jesus into your home and still be distracted.

There is something about making the time to be with Jesus and removing ourselves from the normal routines of life is where we find that quiet place of rest. We can become so busy doing our own thing and focusing on deadlines and priorities that we fail to focus on the one thing that matters.

I was recently reading the story of Mary and Martha and as I read this familiar story the word distracted jumped out to me.

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord

Notice the stance of both of these sisters. Mary was sat at the Lord’s feet and listening while Martha was distracted. She was over-occupied, too busy, drawn away, concerned with much serving.

As you are reading this, I would like to ask a question; where are you postured?

You can almost hear Martha voice as she speaks to Jesus. “Don’t you care, are you not interested, are you not at least concerned that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to come and help me.” I think we can all identify with Martha for at times there so much to do, but so little time to accomplish the task in hand.

I love the response of Jesus “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.” The tone of his voice as he repeats her name to get her attention. The word “anxious” here is an interesting word, meaning – Martha you are concerned and worried; your mind is divided into many parts; you are troubled and bothered resulting in turbulence about many things. Do these words sound familiar? Perhaps Jesus is saying the same thing to you right now?

24 | FEATURED Jesus goes on to say, “but one thing is necessary Martha, only one thing is required, and Mary has made the choice to sit at my feet and listen.”

The most important thing that we can do in our busy lives is too realign our hearts and priorities and focus our attention on Jesus. I’m not sure what Martha’s response was as the Bible doesn’t tell us however, we can only assume, “I’m sorry Jesus you’re right I’m wrong, please forgive me.”

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30 ESV Allen Carter

Head of Development and Partner Relations

I think at times Martha can appear to be seen as the sister who gets it wrong, but I think that most of us can identify with her better. For me, I would like to think that I would always be like Mary to simply sit at the feet of Jesus and listen, learn and worship but this is not always true.

It’s no wonder that the Psalmist says in Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.” I love how the Passion Translation puts it; “...surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God.” I am the God above all the nations, and I will be exalted throughout the whole earth.”

What a promise! Freely available to us when we surrender and still our hearts. It’s in these moments that we can enter into a rest which the world knows nothing about. For true peace and tranquillity can only be found when we fully trust.

However, if you aren’t in that place of rest Jesus today invites us by saying: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Surround Yourself In Scripture To Beat Anxiety & Find Rest We have the most powerful weapon there is, the Bible! Speak the truth of God’s word over anxiety.

Grab hold of these powerful verses & declare them over yourself everyday!

• • • •

Mark 6:31 Luke 10:38 Psalm 46:10 Matthew 11:28

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Hosted by CBN’s Gordon Robertson, Written in Stone takes you on a visual journey through the Bible. In Jesus of Nazareth, retrace the life of Jesus, from His birth in Bethlehem to His death and resurrection in Jerusalem.

Where did Jesus live? Where did He teach? Where was He tried by Pontius Pilate? And do we know for sure where He was born… and where He died? Some of the answers may surprise you.

From excavations in Israel to some of the world’s most famous museums, learn how archaeology affirms the truth of the Bible.

26 | DEVOTION

AS I LAY MY HEAD TO REST

I

don’t know about you, but often when I find myself in the middle of a turbulent season one of the first areas of disruption is my sleep. Hearing the tick-tock of the clock as I lay in bed, my mind spinning around all the various outcomes that, truly, may never happen anyway. Things can seem much worse in the dim light of 3am than they do in the morning. I began to realise that there must be a significance and a power in rest as it

often attracts attack from the enemy.

As a parent I have come to appreciate in so many ways that sleep is a weapon. I suppose that’s why sleep deprivation is used as a technique for torture. Lack of rest hinders our ability to understand, respond and interact with things or people around us. Our concentration slips and our coping mechanisms are compromised. In other words, our defences are down

DEVOTION | 27 and we are left more vulnerable.

We become more irritable, clumsier and our tongues can often be a little looser. Sound familiar? Well, for me that is definitely rings true!

Rest is so important. We need it. If after creating the entire universe, God Himself took time to rest, then so do we. There is a healthy and Godly balance to strike within our lives.

There is wisdom found in rest. When we are well rested, we begin to see things more clearly.

Proverbs 3:21-24 says, “...do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” (NIV) Let’s be wise the schemes of the enemy as he tries to disrupt our rhythms. Just like Goliath, those fears, doubts and niggles come at strategic times of the day to get in the way of our connection with the Father. When we recognise these things for what they are and really from where they came, we can re-align ourselves to Him, laying down those things at the feet of the King.

I recently heard someone say, if it’s big enough to worry about, it’s big enough to pray about. As followers of Christ, we no longer bear the weight alone. Instead, we can cast our cares onto Jesus, for we have the security in His affections for us. Just as the old hymn says;

What a friend we have in Jesus All our sins and griefs to bear And what a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer Oh, what peace we often forfeit Oh, what needless pain we bear All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer I want to encourage you that if you are struggling today with your sleep, God has a sweet sleep for you. Cast your cares to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to comfort you and restore your peace.

Bless You. Adam Howard

Content Coordinator

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