Courage vs. Denial

On April 10, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Deuteronomy 31: 6

Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.

So, I’m working today and praying as I do and asked Father to give me a heart of courage that I may stand strong and confident during these trying times. He said to me, “Ivey, you have one of the strongest hearts I know. That does not mean that you don’t feel. There is a big difference between courage and denial.”

That was an eye opener for me, and I had to stop what I was doing and begin to write. He has told me before that I have the heart of a lion, but He has also shown me that I have a big heart. Are these congruous with one another? What’s more, over the last many years He has continually unveiled a tender heart within me. How does tenderness harmonize with courage? All of a sudden, I feel like the lion from the Wizard of Oz. Not so very brave and yet . . ..

A truly courageous person allows her heart to feel. Anesthesia is not synonymous with courage. As a young person I learned to be brave by anesthetizing my heart. To feel was to experience pain. Our Father had quite a job on His hands to get me to allow my heart to feel. I didn’t want to feel the pain, who does? Living without the ability to feel deeply and strongly is not the way. Learning to feel the full range of emotions and still stand confidently with the courage of a lion is the grown-up stuff of life and even (or especially) of Christianity. If your heart does not weep right now when you hear of the thousands of deaths around the world then you need God to perform heart surgery. The tragic circumstances should not cripple you though. Perhaps it brings you to your knees but in prayer rather than defeat.

As I have pondered this today, Father has shown me that the reason I am able to feel deeply and tenderly and yet be strong is because I have learned to turn to His presence within me. I do not meditate on negative thoughts or doomsday scenarios. I keep picturing angels with flame throwers. I seek God within me. I will tell you another truth. I do not inundate myself with press conferences or news. In fact, I try to stay far away from sensationalized broadcasts. Those people peddle fear and discord and I cannot afford to have those deposits made in my spirit.
Another thing I do is pray. I am praying more now than ever before. There have been seasons of prayer in my life previously, but I know that I need the prayer as does all the world. I am praying for you and every other person on this dirt ball that is hurtling through space. I feel the responsibility to pray but I also know that I am taking care of my spirit by praying. My own spirit needs more prayer and nurturing than normal.

Learning to be tough and tender has been one of the hardest lessons of my life. I am sure I am not where I need to be yet, but I thank my God for where He has brought me. I can feel the love and compassion of God and even express it, but I have God’s own strength to stand in a torrent and fight with conviction and vigor. I have finally realized that to be like my Father, I must be tender-hearted, allowing myself to feel things intensely, and yet be strong and courageous. Denial is not bravery. It is buckling to a lie, bowing one’s knee to cowardice. I will not buckle in this time of challenge. I will stand boldly, with you in, the name and faith of our Father. Let us, therefore, stand – shoulder to shoulder in compassionate courage.

If you need someone to talk to, you are welcome to call or email me. We are in this together.

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Wisdom Without Fear

On March 17, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 41:10

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

I have coined a new expression that is my guide for this time of extreme confusion over the corona virus. It is “Wisdom without Fear.” We should exercise reasonable caution throughout the flu and cold season anyway, but especially now with the corona virus spreading. However, we should not be in a panic. We are called to meet calamity with faith rather than fear. We must stand in faith and pray against the virus asking our Father to intervene on our behalf.

Our Father expressly says, “Do not Fear, for I am with you.” Let those words ring through your mind day and night. Look at the rest of the verse. Doesn’t it give you great comfort? These are words that will encourage others as well. You could write this verse on small cards and hand them out to people. You could email it to a bunch of folks. You might need to memorize it for when you speak with people.

Inside me, these words reverberate loudly and give my heart courage. They take my focus off the problems and onto Him. Confidence soars when our hearts and minds rest on the goodness of the Father.

What encouragement do you need today? What encouragement can you give? Is there someone with whom you can share the Word of the Day? Even if you are staying in your home, you can share the good news with folks via email and telephone. People are going to be isolated over the next couple of weeks. I can do some writing and you can do some sharing. Let us reach out to everyone we can to give them comfort and encouragement. The virus can spread very quickly, one person by one person. The good news can too if we will take a moment to spread it.

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Our God Reigns!

On March 16, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 93: 1

The LORD reigns.

That should be enough said. That should be enough for all and yet . . ..

The panic over this corona virus is insane, but here is my question, “Are all the people who are out buying yards and yards of toilet paper and who are closing their businesses, are they all unsaved people?” In other words, are Christians part of the panicking horde?

Clearly, the answer is yes. Churches have cancelled services. Really? Instead of cancelling services we should simply change them to prayer services. Are you afraid of congregating more than 20 people in a church? How many times has our Father told us not to fear? The NASB has 57 verses that say, “Do not fear.” The King James has 64 instances of “Fear not.” What about Jesus? What does he have to say? I think his position is most clearly articulated in Mark 5: 36. Jesus was called to the house of a synagogue official whose daughter was sick. He entered a house of chaos and panic. Jesus confronted this situation with these words, “Don’t yield to fear. All you need to do is to keep on believing,” (TPT).

I could go on, but the point is made. How many times does God need to say “Do not fear” for us to recognize that as an edict from the Most High? Jesus showed us the way. Our God is on the throne! He reigns. He is clothed in majesty and power. Jesus showed us that all we need to is: 1) not yield to fear, and 2) believe. Be a believer. Believe that our God reigns, that he is both a good and a mighty God and that He is well able to care for us over some virus. God reigns. He created the entire universe and IF we will get into agreement with Him, He will stamp out this virus.

He cannot get into agreement with fear though. He is a faith God. He connects with faith. We shall not contract the virus and we will not die from it. You don’t have to cancel your events. You don’t have to shut yourself up in your house. More than anything, as Christians, we shouldn’t be spreading fear. We should be proclaiming, “Our God reigns!”

I am calling on you to be the voice of rationality and faith in this time of chaos. Be the one voice crying out in the desert, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” Use this time to show your faith, to declare the greatness of our God and Father. Please stand up and be bold! And pray. This is your moment in history. This is the moment that God has called you to. This is the moment God appointed for you to stand up and boldly declare faith. Let us be the ones God uses to heal a nation and a world. You are His warriors in this earth and this is the very moment to which you were called. Pick up your sword and declare, “My God reigns.”

If you have any questions or need any help, please contact me at 336-946-6045, or email me at irorie@iveyministries.org. Please share this email with your pastors and offer my support to them and your church. If you need a faith minister to come to your church and pray or anoint your people with oil, reach out to me at the number or email address above or via our website at www.iveyministries.org. Do not feel you have to stand alone. This is a time for all people of faith from all denominations to come together and stand shoulder to shoulder for the Lord. Together, with our God, we shall prevail!

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Advance Team

On March 13, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Deuteronomy 31: 8

“The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

To what can you apply this verse in your life? You know we all have areas of our lives where we don’t stand quite as firmly. When we find them, though, we can throw this verse at them and be renewed in our faith.

Every word of this verse is wonderful, but I love the idea that the Lord, our God, is going before us to prepare the way. By the time we get to the situation, He has already been there and fixed it. Man, we’ve got to get a revelation of this. What do you dread? Is there a situation that challenges you like an upcoming physics test or doctor’s appointment? Or, is there a person who is a source of discomfort? Maybe you’ve got an ugly project at work that you keep putting off.

One recent example of that for me that was getting the tax information pulled together to give to the accountant. The accountant is doing the hard work, what was I dreading? Well, it is a laborious process and it takes time. I would rather work on a project where I can throw physical energy at it and accomplish it. None the less, it had to be done. Well, Father goes ahead of you to work out details, to line-up the proper people for you and to lay at your feet all the resources you need. Yahoo! It works! I did need some resources and they were there, the people I needed were available and all of the information is at the accountant’s office. Yea! I needed to yield myself to the Father’s presence, then all was well.

No matter what the situation or project, Dad promises that He will not abandon you. He is going to be with you all the way. Better yet, He is even going to get there before you do. While you are still worrying about it and procrastinating, He has already gone before you to prepare the way. You’ve gotta love that.

The part we all need to hear the loudest is that He will never leave us nor will He ever forsake us. Even when you feel alone, He is there. Whether or not you can feel His presence, you can know He is with you. He will not fail you, ever!

Most of all, do not fear! Do not be dismayed! The Lord is with you. What have you to fear? Does anything have you in its grip right now? Relinquish it to your God and lean into His presence.

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Fear, Go!

On March 12, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   2 Comments

Judges 6:23

The LORD said to him, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.”

I must write again on the Corona virus, or more to the point, the spread of the virus. I have been amazed at the reaction to this virus. It seems that the reaction has been stronger than with previous contagious diseases. This has moved me to tell you one thing which feeds and spreads the virus at least as much as any other factor. Fear.

Fear is fueling the spread of Covid 19. One of my friends brought up a good point recently. The Corona virus has a name and every name must bow to the name of Jesus. Jesus is the pinnacle. He and his name are the highest things in this or any other universe. Everything, including Covid 19, must bow to Jesus, but fear is powerful.

Do you remember that Job realized that his dread had drawn the very thing he feared to him? He finally learned that faith in the Father overcomes fear and all its contaminates. Faith presides over the faithful and there is no fear in faith.

Whose banner are we flying? Even as Christians we may find ourselves falling in fear rather than standing in faith. You’ve got to say, “This virus shall not touch me or my family. We are immune to its effects.” No disease, no pestilence or plague has any right to touch your body. I don’t expect you to be foolish. Wash your hands, but tell other people and yourself that your God is bigger than any virus this planet has ever bred. Let faith words come out of your mouth. Say, “God’s protection is over my family and Father, I thank you that no disease can come near my family.” You have a promise of health. Use it! Don’t just sit and be a passive victim. Speak! You gotta say something. What will you say? Will they be fear words or faith words?

This is a great evangelical opportunity. Share the love of God. Give people the good news. Dig out some protection verses and some healing verses and make a stand. You know, you can go to our website and run a search and find lots of verses and support.

I am telling you, fear is spreading this virus. Control the fear and you will control the virus. Control the fear and you will eliminate the virus. Let the people of faith stand up and say something. My God is bigger than a virus. He is salvation to all people. Will we be counted in this time of crisis or will we be silent? May the earth tremble with our united voice. Our God, Yahweh, is King. He presides over all and everything that is named must bow to Him. He is health. He is wellness and there is no fear in Him.

I shall not fear! Will you encourage someone today with your bold faith?

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Hope Too

On February 5, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 5: 5

And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given.

Don’t lose hope because, just like love, hope does not fail. Even though the horizon may look troublesome, do not give in to fear and hopelessness. Your hope is in the Lord Jesus, our Father and the Holy Spirit who they sent to us. The love that was poured out to us is the anchor of our hope because that love can never fail. It is pure, secure and determined. That love brought Jesus into the world for the reconciliation and redemption of us all. How can you give up hope when the God of the universe is the one who sent you His own love in order to secure you? Look up. Look upon that horizon with renewed faith and confidence. It may look like storm clouds, but it is really your victory on its way to you. Just don’t give up before it reaches you. Through the love of God, your hope will have its satisfaction.

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Trust

On November 6, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 3: 5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

This scripture was brought to my mind recently and I saw it in a new light. Trusting the Lord is a favorite theme of mine both in my ministry and in my own personal life. I have a personal saying that I wish to walk in “radical trust in the Lord.” And sometimes I have been that deep in my trust, but I find it is a difficult place to stay. The world rushes in; my own thoughts take me captive and the next thing I know, I have let my trust slip.

This proverb points out how complete our trust in the Lord is to be. When we trust the Lord with our whole heart, rather than only part, then there is no room for any other emotion at all. There is no room for even one seed of doubt or one micro-ounce of fear. There is no questioning how He is going to provide the answer we need because we have completely abandoned the problem to Him. When we really trust the Lord with all our heart, then trust is all there is. All of your heart, all of your emotion, all of your thoughts are of easy reliance on our God and Father.

Read this verse again today, for the first time. Read it with emphasis on the word all. Picture a human heart and imagine yours completely full of trust. See that there is no room for doubt or fear. Let yourself feel that immersive trust welling up from inside of you and overcoming you entirely and enjoy a new level of trusting the Lord.

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