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M M the Manna | July 2012 F r e e d o m

The Manna July 2012

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Page 1: The Manna July 2012

MMthe Manna | July 2012

F r e e d o m

Page 2: The Manna July 2012

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Page 3: The Manna July 2012

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Page 4: The Manna July 2012

SAM YODER FARMA 135-ACRE FARM LOCATED NEAR HOUSTON, DE

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Page 5: The Manna July 2012

wolc.org | readthemanna.org | July 2012 5

Stay in Touch

Mthe Manna | July 2012

Columns07 | Signals09 | On the Air

Features14 | The Captive MindTempted to revisit our old cage.

14 | Friend in High PlacesWho we need most in good times and bad.

19 | The Familiar SceneIs there a way out of the dungeon?

21 | Try AgainHave we been conditioned to quit?

22 | A Personal PardonFinding mercy on death row.

25 | You’ve Been ApprovedThe trap of comparison.

26 | Season of SufferingHe shares our struggle.

28 | SlaveryWhy would we choose to be slaves?

31 | Prisoner of ChristWhen being a prisoner is a pleasure.

Page 6: The Manna July 2012

Maranatha Media | Home of Joy! 102.5 and the Manna

Mthe Manna | A Publication of Maranatha, Inc.

Editor-In-Chief: Debbie Byrd

Creative Director: Joe Willey

Contributing Writers: Phil Bohaker, Keyanna Butts, Josh Millwood, Brittney Switala, B.A. Timmons & Karen Tull

Media Client Liaisons: Lonnie Diskin, Lee Oxford & Randall Stapleton

Statement of FaithWe Believe…that the Holy Bible is the inspired, infallible and authoritative source of Christian doctrine and precept;that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;that the only hope for man is to believe in Jesus Christ, the virgin-born Son of God, who died to take upon Himself the punishment for the sin of mankind, and who rose from the dead so that by receiving Him as Savior and Lord, man is redeemed by His blood;that Jesus Christ in person will return to Earth in power and glory;that the Holy Spirit indwells those who have received Christ, for the purpose of enabling them to live righteous and godly lives;and that the Church is the Body of Christ and is comprised of all those who, through belief in Christ, have been spiritually regenerated by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The twin mission of the Church is worldwide evangelization, and nurture and discipline of Christians.

DisclaimerNon-ministry advertisers are not required to

subscribe to the “Statement of Faith” printed at right; nor are their businesses and products

necessarily endorsed by the Manna, Joy! 102.5 WOLC, or Maranatha, Inc., whose viewpoints are not necessarily represented by the opinions

or statements of persons interviewed in this magazine; nor are the viewpoints of its

advertisers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who We AreThe Manna is published by Maranatha, Inc.,

a Christcentered ministry called to proclaim the Good News of faith and life in Jesus

Christ through various forms of media, as God directs, until He returns. “Maranatha”

(mer-a-nath´-a) is an Aramaic word found in I Corinthians 16:22. It is translated, “Our Lord, come!” Joy! 102.5 WOLC is also part

of Maranatha, Inc. Its call letters stand for “Watch, Our Lord Cometh.” Maranatha!

©2012 Maranatha, Inc.May not be reproduced without written consent of Maranatha, Inc.

Photos: iStockphoto and Thinkstock

Manna and Joy! 102.5 WOLCP. O. Box 130, Princess Anne, MD 21853

Voice: 410-543-9652 Fax: 410-651-9652Manna e-mail: [email protected]

Joy! 102.5 e-mail: [email protected]

Page 7: The Manna July 2012

wolc.org | readthemanna.org | July 2012 7

Signals

SlavesDo you know anyone that is locked up?

Imprisoned?Do you truly know freedom? Would

you be surprised to learn that you might, actually, be a captive? Locked away from freedom by a weight like an albatross around your neck?

In this issue, we consider the nature of freedom and the cost of imprisonment.

We each experience imprisonment in varying ways - some are hostage to what other people think, some are hostage to bad habits, some are hostage to a lifestyle. The ways in which we lock ourselves away is endless.

But there is freedom in Christ. It can seem counter-intuitive to one that doesn’t know Him. It can sound almost repulsive to consider dying to self and living solely for the purpose of glorifying Another. It can seem threatening to consider having to give up anything for the purpose of fol-lowing Another. It can simply look like no fun and a whole lot of sacrifice. But once one truly lives in a right relationship with Christ, everything that held us back looks like mere foolishness.

Freedom in Christ doesn’t mean that you don’t pursue a lifelong dream to own a home, succeed in a career, collect toys, or simply have a good time - but it puts a whole new meaning on the whole process. Life is lived joyously in Christ. Prob-lems present themselves as sure as night becomes day - but in Christ there is no con-demnation and there is purpose. In Christ there is fellowship and community. Living is fulfilling. As He promised, He takes our

burdens upon his own back, takes our hand, and leads us. We find abundance in Him and not in the things of this world.

Voluntarily enslaving ourselves to Him, we experience His gifts of abundance and salvation and eternal life - a freedom so pure and true that all former pursuits and passions are paled in comparison.

Debbie Byrd is General Manager of Maranatha, Inc., a ministry that includes Joy! 102.5 and the Manna.

Page 8: The Manna July 2012

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wolc.org | readthemanna.org | July 2012

Listen Now!Check out our Program Guide at wolc.org

9

On the Air

Should’ve Been MeOn the air this month, we’d like to

introduce you to a new group: Citizen Way and their new song “Should’ve Been Me.”

While they’ve been playing as a band since 2004, the members of Citizen Way have, technically speaking, been together since birth. Consisting of two sets of broth-ers—Josh and Ben Calhoun and David and Ben Blascoe—the guys in Citizen Way share a camaraderie that only comes with growing up together in the church that enables them to connect with audiences in a unique and personal way on and off stage.

Hailing from the suburbs of Chicago, Citizen Way is committed to reminding believers about their identity in Christ through their tight sound, incisive lyrics, and vision for ministry. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” The book of Hebrews speaks of a “new and living way” that Jesus opened up through His sac-rifice on the cross. In Acts, early Christians were called “followers of the Way.” Their name reminds believers that following Jesus grants us citizenship into something bigger—God’s kingdom—where true worth is found.

Ben Calhoun says, “The song ‘Should’ve Been Me’ is one of those songs that was already written before I wrote it. I was leading worship at a summer camp and the leader asked the students to sum up what they learned that week. One of the students said, ‘Well, basically I learned that...it should’ve been me.’ A melody and lyrics hit me like a freight train and I sang this song for everyone 20 minutes later. It’s a reminder of what the Lord has done, and what He is doing in all of us whether we recognize it or not. It still humbles me and continues to change my heart.”

Joy! 102.5 is very excited to introduce you to Citizen Way! “Should’ve Been Me” is playing on the air and online at wolc.org.

Rodney Baylous is Program Director of Joy! 102.5. Visit www.wolc.org.

Page 10: The Manna July 2012

Maranatha Media | Home of Joy! 102.5 and the Manna

Go OutIt’s A Big World

Tropical Plant Fair

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your back yard. Orchids, gingers, plumeris, and fruit trees will be on display and for sale.

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Dutch Farmers Market ~ Amish Style. Our Dutch Famers/Amish

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food at an incredible price. Everything from vegetables,

meat to merchandise, and furniture.

Page 11: The Manna July 2012

wolc.org | readthemanna.org | July 2012 11

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestraw/ Byron Stripling

Intergalactic Bead & Jewelry Show7/7 - 7/15 | Cincinnati, Ohiowww.beadshows.com

One of the largest bead shows in Ohio. Exhibitors from around the nation will display a spectacular array of precious and semi- precious gemstone beads, sterling silver, unique findings, fantastic freshwater pearls, beautiful hand blown glass beads, vintage beads, crystals and so much more.

Coast Guard Festival7/27 - 8/5 | Grand Haven, Michiganwww.coastguardfest.org

The Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival is a 501 (c) 3 organization whose mission is to honor the men and women of the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard Festival is a 10 day family focused national military festival held each year at the end of July.

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra—Satchmo, Fats and the Duke—featuring Byron Stripling on the Orkney Springs stage!

7/27 | Orkney Springs, Virginiawww.musicfest.org

Page 12: The Manna July 2012

25th Annual

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Page 13: The Manna July 2012

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Page 14: The Manna July 2012

By Phil Bohaker

The Captive

Mind

Page 15: The Manna July 2012

wolc.org | readthemanna.org | July 2012 15

It did not take the Israelites long to start idealizing the past after God freed them from their chains in Egypt. In a state of panic at the sight of Pharaoh’s pursuit, they asked Moses, “Why did you bring us

out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt?. . . It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!” (Exodus 14:10-11, 14a)

Their selective memory did not end there. Shortly after their deliverance from Pharaoh’s pursuit, the Israelites took up their complaints once again: “[In Egypt] we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death” (Ex 16:3).

That’s not exactly how I remember the story before God delivered His people from bondage. Only a genera-tion earlier, the reigning Pharaoh had inflicted genocide on the people of Israel by ordering all firstborn sons to be murdered. Several decades later, the next ruler of Egypt was tightening his grip on the Israelites with an ever-increasing burden of labor. At the first sign of trouble after their emancipation, the Israelites completely forgot this former misery. They were physically free, but their minds were still held captive.

I have read about Israel’s wilderness wandering many times before at a distance. When we are looking down into the story from above, it is easy to shake our heads at the ingratitude of God’s people. But when I begin to question what the story is saying to me, I can begin to see myself in the place of the Israelites. There are no chains around my wrists or ankles, nor am I locked away in a fortified cell. But I am every bit as prone as the Israelites to forget my past troubles and succumb to an idealized view of the “good ol’ days.”

This is particularly true when it comes to sin. Even though Christ has offered me pardon from the penalty of sin and freedom from a life of sin, it is all too natural, at times, to think I was doing alright on my own. That mes-sage comes straight from the Evil One. Apart from Christ I was a walking dead man; it doesn’t get more hopeless

than that.The best life imaginable that does not include union with Christ is just death with a pretty face.

There is life in Jesus, and in Him alone. But being a believer in Christ does not make all my problems disappear. God never prom-ised that the Christian life would be a freshly paved road with no speed bumps

or potholes. In fact, He promises that it

will be a lot bumpier and more narrow than the smooth, wide highway that leads to eternal separation from Him (Matthew 7:13-14).

The main reason I am susceptible to falling back into sin is that I am an expert at forgetting the consequences of my actions. When sin is crouching at my door, it is all too easy to forget about the people I have wounded with my sinful actions. I forget the pain I have caused myself. Most of all, I lose sight of the enormous price God paid to give me freedom from my sin. Where is the cross when I am entertaining the temptation to sin? I can almost guarantee it is nowhere near my line of sight.

Paul talks about sin as a domain. It is like a city with its own zip code. We are all born and raised in the town of Sin. We obey its laws and live by its customs. But when we meet Jesus, He relocates us to a whole new city called Grace. The old laws of the Land of Sin don’t apply any-more. We are given a new address and a new way of life.

The problem lies in the desire to go back to my old home. I can’t live there anymore, but I’m free to visit whenever I please. Thoughts begin to enter my mind, such as, “I wonder what my old house looks like now,” or, “I wonder if that building on Main Street is still there.”

That kind of thinking is akin to a freed animal climb-ing back in its cage and remaining there with the door wide open. If the animal is in the cage, it is in captivity, whether the door is open or not. It is only free when it is out of the cage.

I tend to think there are many of us sitting in our cages with the doors flung wide open. That is no way to live. Paul writes, “For freedom Christ has set us free” (Gala-tians 5:1a). If someone said that to me in person I would be tempted to make a sarcastic remark about stating the obvious. But in context, Paul is addressing people who have a really hard time understanding grace. That would be me. And it has probably been you, too, at some time or another. If I am honest with myself, I know I need to hear that message every day.

Jesus promised that in Him we could have life “to the full” (John 10:10), but He also promised us tribulation (John 16:33). When the tribulation comes, my natural tendency is to think that my life is not that full. But God never wastes a trial. He uses all the sorrow, all the disap-pointment, all the hard times, to loosen my grip on the things the world tells me are most valuable. This could include wealth, success, power, even my health. He does this to remind me that He has already given me the most precious gift He could give—Himself.

Page 16: The Manna July 2012

By Karen Tull

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Friend in High Places

Page 17: The Manna July 2012

It’s hard being a human.

Life can bring one problem after the next, and we often find ourselves without the answers. With no hope

for any real help, there’s the tendency to want to slump down to the floor (literally or mentally) and just quit trying. Perhaps that’s the sort of place Merle Haggard was coming from when he sang, “I think I’ll just stay here and drink.” We’ve all likely been there, in one way or another.

Sometimes what we really want is a friend who will commiserate with us—without judgment or suggestions as to what we should do. This can be a rare find. Chances are, many of us have at least one person among our acquaintance who has the quick-fix answer to our dilemma. No, they’ve never been in our particular situa-tion, but that’s okay because they have it all figured out.

Even more frustrating is the kind of “friend” who diminishes our problems altogether. They and other people have the corner on the tough times market—not us. We just think we’re stressed, but we know nothing of real suffering (at least not in their estimation). No matter what we say, there will always be someone who has it worse. But such a reminder brings no comfort whatsoever. What we need is a true friend, one who’s “been there.”

Last month, personal trainer Drew Manning made the news when he purpose-fully packed on and then lost 70 pounds, all within one year. The reason? To better understand his clients and their weight loss struggles in order to provide them with the best help. Previously, Manning admits that his inward attitude toward overweight people was very critical, assuming that they weren’t reaching their goals because of sheer laziness. But in having to deal with his own cravings and low self-confidence while shedding the pounds, he gained an

empathy for his clients that he never had.“The biggest thing I learned,” he says,

“is that it’s not just about the physical. It’s not just about the meal plan and the work-outs and those things. The key is the mental and the emotional issues. I realized those issues are real.”

It’s always inspiring to hear of the length and risk someone has gone to in striving to benefit someone else. The most amazing truth is that, in this troublesome life, we each have such a Friend—who went to the greatest length imaginable for us. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to help us when we were utterly helpless.

Scripture says that “...it was necessary for Him to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since He himself has gone through suffer-ing and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested” (Hebrews 2:17-18).

Jesus, who is equal with God the Father, knows everything—including the entire spectrum of all our feelings. And because He came to Earth and took on humanity, He is personally aware of every human struggle, from temptation and humiliation to sorrow and anger. When we think there is no one who “gets” what we’re going through, He does. And He has compassion for us.

Likewise, this is how God calls us to treat one other—with understanding and kindness. We all have issues that are real to us. And while we, unlike Jesus, cannot personally comprehend every problem known to man so as to have complete empathy with all people, we can still adopt a soft, non-condemning attitude. Each of us is, after all, a sinner living in a fallen world. We’re bound to have some junk.

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Page 18: The Manna July 2012

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Page 19: The Manna July 2012

wolc.org | readthemanna.org | July 2012 19

By Josh Millwood

The Familiar Scene

It’s a familiar scene in many horror and suspense movies. A single light bulb lights a dank, grey cell. Stone walls or cement blocks make up the small room. Spiders occupy dark corners. You hear the

echo of a slow drip coming from the darkness. There’s a locked door on one wall and a bucket in the corner. Huddled in the middle of the floor is a disheveled girl. She has dirt on her face, a cut along her eyebrow. Her hair is tangled. Her clothes are ripped and stained. On her face, a mixture of emotions—fear, exhaustion, shame, resigna-tion, and perhaps a little bit of steel. She might not survive this imprisonment.

This scene resonates with our imaginations because at one point or another, we have all felt trapped, beaten, and alone. Most of us haven’t been kidnapped or locked up physically, but some fear, mistake, or sin has left us in a very real prison. The Enemy loves to trick us into thinking we are isolated, that somehow we got cut off from our sal-vation. Maybe it’s a particular sin that you have struggled with your entire life. Perhaps it was a one-time fling that left you reeling.

Sin has the power to turn off the lights. Suddenly we feel lost and dirty. Our perception has shifted. God hasn’t moved away, but we have turned our eyes back to the darkness. And it is scary there. Some fight to escape this dungeon, only to give up when it becomes apparent that they cannot escape on their own. Others sit there, para-lyzed by fear. The shame of whatever they’ve done or has been done to them can make them think that they belong in this darkness, that they deserve this punishment.

Every human being has an innate sense of right

and wrong. Right is to be rewarded and wrong is to be punished. We also know that we have done wrong. We de-serve to be punished. We’ve earned it. “For the wages of sin is death...” That rings true to the human heart. The En-emy understands the psychology of punishment—it’s his past, present, and future. His is a hopeless situation that he is desperately and effectively trying to spread to the rest of creation. The wages of Satan’s sin is death. Period. End of story. But for us—there’s more. There is a gift that was not offered to Satan. For while the consequence of sin is indeed death, the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord!

“...I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NLT).

When God’s Word says something, it is absolutely true. When God says “nothing” can separate us from Him, He literally means NO-thing! (A HALLELUJAH is perfectly acceptable about now!) There is no sin that can keep a daughter or son of God locked away from their lov-ing Father. There is no cell that He cannot obliterate and rush in to hold His precious child. No matter how dark the despair, how dire the sin, how deserving you think you are to suffer, you have been offered a gift. It’s a gift of life and light—a hope that decimates hopelessness. No prison can hold you when you belong to Jesus Christ. You are free.

Page 20: The Manna July 2012

www.ZeraMissions.org

Visit our blog and keep up to date with what’s going on in our community. hermitage-hes.blogspot.com

Visit our blog and keep up to date with what’s going on in our community. hermitage-hes.blogspot.com

Visit our blog and keep up to date with what’s going on in our community. hermitage-hes.blogspot.com

Visit our blog and keep up to date with what’s going on in our community. hermitage-hes.blogspot.com

Page 21: The Manna July 2012

wolc.org | readthemanna.org | July 2012 21

By Keyanna Butts

Try Again

Think of a situation you failed at in your past. A skill you couldn’t learn, a promotion you didn’t get, a relationship that ended, a prob-lem you could not fix, etc. Now consider the last

time you gave that situation you failed, another try.Perhaps, after it didn’t work out the first time you

never tried again. For others, perhaps after the 100th defeat you gave up. Whether it took one or one hundred failed attempts, the end result is the same—eventually you stop trying.

There is a popular story that exemplifies this defeatist mindset. It’s a story about how wild elephants are trained to live in captivity.

When an elephant is a baby, the owner ties a chain around one of its legs and attaches the chain to a wooden stake in the ground. Initially, the baby elephant tries to break free. For hours, days, and maybe even months, it will pull and tug against the chain, struggling to free itself. Exhausted and bruised by its attempts, the baby elephant eventually gives up and concludes it cannot break the chain, and that the limits imposed by the chain are perma-nent.

As the elephant grows into an adult, the owner continues to tie its leg to the very same chain and stake. Although the enormous elephant could now easily break free, it makes no attempt to get away. Conditioned by its experience as a baby, the elephant still believes that it is not strong enough to break the chain, and thus, does not even try.

Like the elephant, failures in our past can create false limitations that keep us bound. We exclaim, “I can’t,” “It won’t happen,” “Things will never change.” We are convinced that we cannot do something simply because we failed at it before. We mentally condition ourselves to accept these restraints as a way of life. So much so, that, we never re-examine the possibility of “breaking free” (i.e. succeeding).

It’s been said that, “Our brain has limitless ability, but it is our mind that imprisons it.” Our true capabilities are trapped by our mind. It is only when we release these mental constraints that we are able to regain the ambition to overcome past failures.

As Christians, we are instructed to have a mind like Christ (Phil 2:5). Jesus isn’t walking around heaven saying “I can’t,” “It won’t happen,” “Things will never change.” Nor did He say those things when He was on Earth. God’s mind has no limitations, no impossibilities, and no failures. And neither should our minds.

The Bible instructs us to be transformed by the renew-ing of our mind (Romans 12: 2). To renew means to give fresh life or strength to something. When your mind is renewed, you have a brand new way of thinking and a dif-ferent outlook on things. It conquers the defeatist mindset and sparks new hope, enabling you to never give up. Despite the amount of times you have faced the situation in the past, when your mind is renewed, each attempt is viewed as the very first try—giving you the strength to try, try, and try again.

Now, think about a situation you failed at in your past. Perhaps, if you were to try again today, you would realize that, like the elephant, you have great strength and capa-bility to loose the shackles that once held you. And more importantly, like God, nothing is impossible. Break free.

Page 22: The Manna July 2012

By Karen Tull

A Personal Pardon

Meet Michelle. Michelle is a duti-ful wife and mother who con-sistently puts the needs of her family and friends before her

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By most accounts, Michelle would indeed be considered an admirable human being and model citizen. But would you believe that Michelle is actually a criminal? It’s true. In fact, she has committed innu-merable offenses. Unbeknownst to her, she is in prison with a maximum sentence—Michelle is on death row.

How could this be? How could some-one so “good” be found guilty of anything? It’s because Michelle is a sinner. She has committed crimes against God by violating His Holy Law written in His Word (Exodus 20). All her life, Michelle has done what is

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Michelle, however, is not alone—we are all on death row with her. If we have violated even one of God’s commandments, we have violated them all. Therefore, we are all equally guilty and trapped in the prison of our own sin. Whether we realize it or not, this is the bleak reality of our situation.

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Page 23: The Manna July 2012

pow-er of the

life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was un-able to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacri-fice for our sins” (Romans 8:1-3).

When we call on Christ to save us, we are pardoned. But this is no ordinary pardon. What makes a pardon from God so singular and monumental is that He knows everything we have done and still grants leniency. A pardon from God is personal.

Pastor Chris Benjamin explains it this way: “Governors and presidents often

pardon people they do not know. The pardon is not personal. The prisoner or

accused has not personally offended or harmed the governor. The pardon isn’t even delivered in person. It is effected through the courts and the prison system. Think about it—when the governor pardons a death row inmate, does he come calling on that prisoner? Does the pardon mean that the prisoner may now come to the gover-nor’s house and they can sit down to a meal together for the first time in years and put all the hurts and grievances behind them? No, none of that happens. The governor isn’t truly forgiving the prisoner.”

Forgiveness through Jesus doesn’t simply mean “we’re cool” with God and that’s where it ends. Forgiveness means reconciliation and an unending invitation to fellowship. The question is whether you will accept this invitation. A personal pardon—and true freedom—is yours for the taking.

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Page 25: The Manna July 2012

wolc.org | readthemanna.org | July 2012 25

You’ve Been Approved

By Brittney Switala

I have begun to tiptoe gently into the unknown territory of adolescent communication. Many brusque con-versations without punctuation or regard for rules of capitalization have made their way onto my daugh-

ter’s iPod. If there is anything that summer has taught me it is that absence from classmates is making the hearts of a couple love-struck boys grow fonder for my 13-year-old. Sweet abbreviated sentiments like, “I luv U” have buoyed my daughter’s moods and at the same time almost handcuffed her to the device. She longs for that regular (touchscreen) approval.

Our search for approval takes on different forms, but it is universal. I refresh my Facebook page to see if anyone is paying attention to my pithy thoughts and “likes” me. My son takes his new toys over to an older friend’s house just to hear him say, “That is cool.” My husband likes to have the latest tech “toys” so he can talk shop with the best of his IT co-workers. There is a longing inside us to be admired by our peers.

Longing for acceptance is a desire that is never fully satisfied. Children who grow up in dysfunctional homes, have a tendency to look for acceptance that was not properly provided by their parents. When appreciation is not verbalized, married couples can feel lonely, taken advantage of, and unloved. In many cases this can lead to divorce.

Sure, there is counseling which can dig into childhood relationships and discover why a person may feel lack-ing, but even the most perfect, healthy human relationship cannot provide a permanent fix. Edward T. Welch wrote a book that provides a paradigm shift in how we think about acceptance and peer relationships called When People Are Big and God is Small. He asserts that it is not the longing for acceptance; it is the fear of disappointing people that cripples us.

Imagine that your 20th high school class reunion is coming up in two months. You’ve prepared by taking a boot camp exercise class and received your first shipment of ready-made diet meals that taste like the cardboard box

they came in. You’ve checked out the latest photos of your classmates on Facebook and are thankful that you look better than most. You enter into some chitchat you hope will take the edge off awkward “you haven’t been in my life for two decades” reunion conversations. The jock has been in the military and is still looking pretty good, a few of the guys have lost their hair and the most popular girl in class is now a sports model who has had some “work” done. There is uneasiness thinking about how you’ll fit in now, compared to back then.

The Class Reunion and the Facebook stalking and photo comparisons were driven by a fear. There is no re-gard for character or focus on Christ. Fear of man replaced fear of the Lord.

Psalm 111:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the begin-ning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise.” Fearing the Lord requires keen focus on nothing but Christ. When we are worried about disappointing others, our thoughts drift aimlessly between what is wrong with me and what is better about another. The person who is the standard of the moment is a fallen, sinful being in need of salvation by a perfect God.

My mind is easily sucked into the trap of compari-son because among sinners I at least have a chance, but comparing myself to God I know I never have a fighting chance. But in not having a chance, there is the beauty. It is a beauty of grace which can only come in humble sur-render and obedience.

When I see myself as Christ does, a hopeless sinner who has been clothed in the robes of righteousness pro-vided by the Heavenly Father, only then can I see myself properly. I am a child of God with a hope and a future. I was planned from eternity past. Christ has a special home planned for me. There is nothing I can do to win God’s love or lose His love. I am forgiven and free. There is no working to gain God’s approval because we could never perform well enough to earn it.

Page 26: The Manna July 2012

Season of Suffering

By Margaret Manning

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Page 27: The Manna July 2012

His final hours were spent in prayer. Yet, the gospel of Luke tells us that there was nothing unusual about him being in prayer. “And he came out and proceeded as was his custom to

the Mount of Olives...and when he arrived at the place...he withdrew from them...and knelt down and began to pray” (22:39-41). As was his custom, he would go to pray. We do not often hear the content of these prayer times, but in this case, in these final hours, we see him gripped with passion. Luke tells us that he was in such agony that his sweat “became like drops of blood.” Medical science tells us that under extreme conditions of duress, capillar-ies in the head burst forth drops of blood literally pouring out of the skin like perspiration. Whatever the case, Jesus had never been in this much distress before—even in his wilderness testing—we have no other portrait of such extreme anguish in prayer.

“And being in agony he was praying very fervently,” writes Luke. I’ve often wondered about the nature of these agonized prayers. Was Jesus in agony over the physical torture and death he was about to endure? Was he in agony over the spiritual condition of his disciples, one who would betray him and the others who would all abandon him in his time of need? Certainly, the latter is a real possibility as he exhorts his disciples at least two times to “watch and pray that you might not enter into temptation” (Luke 22:40; 46).

Whatever the reason for his agony, Jesus’s humanity was on full display in his prayer. He did not want to walk the path that was unfolding before him, and he pleads with God to provide an alternative path, a “plan B” as it were. Matthew’s gospel reveals more of his struggle. He tells his disciples “I am deeply grieved, to the point of death.” Then he prays to his Father, “If it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will, but your will be done” (Matthew 26:38-39). The via dolorosa, theway of suffer-ing, unfolded before him and he would go to his death,

despite his anguished prayers for another way. As I meditate on Jesus’s passionate prayer in the

Garden of Gethsemane, his human agony and suffering on full display, I am reminded how often we long for God to provide another way in the face of our own suffer-ing. Whether of the Christian persuasion or not, there are times we simply cry out for intervention. We do not want to follow Jesus down the via dolorosa. We seek to follow the victorious entry of the Messiah into Jerusalem to be enthroned and crowned the king. We want that kind of victory borne out in our lives as the absence of difficulty. But as author Kim Reisman has noted, “That is not the Jesus way. God doesn’t dispense with death. God resur-rects us from it. The truth is that the Jesus way isn’t about God taking pain away from God’s people; it’s about God providing us with strength, courage, and meaning, with abundant life, often in the midst of pain.”

I am always thankful then, for this very human portrait of Jesus’s own agonizing struggle with his own suffering. For I know he shares my own struggle. And while I often reluctantly say to God, “Not my will but yours be done,” I remember that God transforms the evil of suffering and affliction perpetrated against Jesus. God takes the very death of Jesus, and brings about resurrection. In my own prayers during this season that remembers Jesus’s own cry for intervention, I bow my head and my heart to the king who reigns not from a throne, but from the cross.

Margaret Manning is a member of the writing and speaking team at Ravi Zacharias International Minis-tries in Seattle, Washington.

Season of Suffering by Margaret Manning, A Slice of Infinity, No. 2673, originally printed March 6, 2012 (www.rzim.org). Used by permission of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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Page 29: The Manna July 2012

S lavery is a word that captures at-tention. Slavery enflames pow-erful emotions of hate, fear and guilt. The idea of slavery goes

back much further than the slave trade of the 14th-19th centuries, but that era is fresh in our history books. Western civilization farmed African communities for slaves. They set up one of the largest business en-terprises in human history, only instead of a service or good, they transported, bought and sold millions of human beings. They divided families and tribes, spreading them to every corner of the globe. It is a tragic, disgusting thing that happened; yet God used it to grow His family.

There is no redeeming quality of the slave trade, but Redemption did happen in its midst. Although slave owners thought forcing Christianity upon their slaves was a way of culturing barbarians and manipulat-ing them into submission, the message of Christ did what it always does. The mes-sage of Jesus brought freedom. God put something in the human heart that recog-nizes Truth, even when it is inconvenient or devastating. For millions of African slaves, the message of Christ opened their eyes to love, and gave them the strength to face overwhelming adversity. Historians are still discovering poetry, art, journals and tales of how faith shaped the lives of slaves.

Jesus preached about the value of the downtrodden. His message isn’t one of “just wait, Heaven will be better.” His message is that the Kingdom of God is here and you can be a part of it, no matter what your station in life is. That is what the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) are all about! Sud-denly an entire people group was experi-encing a revival, even while going through physical enslavement.

Now we live in a time when the institu-tion of slavery has been outlawed in most of the world (though it still exists and thrives, especially in the Middle East and Asia) and yet we are enslaved in our hearts. Instead of experiencing revival in our spir-its, we tie ourselves to the ideologies of this world and lose the power of the message of Christ. In many ways we are less free now and it is of our own choosing.

Why would we choose to be enslaved to this world? The human condition is one of belonging. We can either belong to God or to this temporal world. God is great, but we cannot see Him. He isn’t on CNN giv-ing a press conference on His policies. He doesn’t have a Twitter account (that I know of) that we can follow. It is easier for us to give ourselves over to the world, which seems richer and more real to our senses. It is our choice to be yoked to the temporary or the eternal and most of us do not have an eternal mind-set.

Perhaps we should more closely study the faith of slaves. It would have been far easier for slaves to give in to despair and anger. They could have chosen to ignore the Gospel of Jesus Christ (and many did). But millions of people robbed of their freedom found a new way of being free, through Jesus. They were completely aware of their enslavement, yet discovered freedom. Today, many of us are unaware of our enslavement, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t present.

The book of Hebrews says “Let us shrug off the sin that so easily ensnares…” Freedom is not cheap. Jesus paid the cost, yet we still must submit ourselves to His will. The good news is that we are designed to follow Christ. We are ful-filled when we do so. We find freedom by becoming slaves to God.

MReplay | This article first appeared in the November 2010 edition

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Prisoner of ChristBy B.A. Timmons

If one was wondering about the Apostle Paul’s use of the phrase “Prisoner of Christ,” a rock concert is an unlikely place to find clarification. Enter Bruce Springsteen. He used to do a set of old songs in

concert, and at the end would belt out the line, “I’m just a prisoner…of Rock and Roll!”

Clearly, he was using “prisoner” in a good sense. He was saying, “I have found this music so captivating, so thrilling, and so much fun, that I have become a prisoner to it. It has become my life. It has become what I live on and live for.” He sings out this line with no sense of being caged, no sense of loss of freedom. It is an interesting use of the word “prisoner,” to say the least.

Paul referred to himself as a “Prisoner of Christ” in numerous places in Scripture. He had been imprisoned or put under house arrest for his faith in Christ and the work associated with that. Perhaps Paul was not just using the term to describe his physical condition, but to describe a spiritual condition into which the Lord had brought him, a condition to which the Lord desires to bring us all.

Before we come to Christ, we are prisoners to the old nature we inherited from Adam—prisoners of our own flesh. After we come to Christ, we are reborn. We are given a new nature, as we now have a new life within us—the life of Christ. He frees us from those chains of our old nature. We gradually learn to walk in that new life.

Often, we become imprisoned to other things, even af-ter we come to Him. Initially, we may become prisoners to His Law. We know what we are supposed to do, and feel bound by that. We cannot escape its nagging and the guilt that comes with failure to walk in the Law. Yet, we come to understand that there is a place for all this. It makes us aware of our own inadequacy, and forces us to trust in the work of Christ. But the Law, apart from Christ, will only cause us to feel like its prisoner, and not in a good sense.

Some may be prisoners to certain things that are pecu-liar to our own circumstances or personality. We may be prisoners of perfectionism. Some are prisoners to what we imagine others think about us. Some may be prisoners to security. We want to make sure we have a secure job, the proper savings, adequate insurance, etc. Some are prison-ers to rational and intellectual thinking, which does have a place, but can also work against faith. Some are prisoners to old habits that were formed in our earliest years.

These things work against what the Lord wants to do in our lives because they are an effort to make life work according to our criteria, not His. He wants to move us from being prisoners of these things to being His prison-ers. It is not an instantaneous move. In some areas, it may be a painfully slow process. We are a stubborn people.

But here’s the catch. When we become “prisoners of Christ,” we don’t just trade the nagging created by other things for a nagging feeling that we ought to trust Christ, that we ought to walk the way He walked. It is not His intention for us to move from feeling like a prisoner of a lesser thing to feeling the same imprisonment to a greater thing, namely Christ. To the contrary, becoming a prisoner of Christ is a wonderful thing. It is a pleasure. And what “prisoner” means to Springsteen.

Christ wants to free us from our flesh, from our self. In becoming free from those things, we are free to follow Him—His will, His aspirations, and His plans for us, which are infinitely better.

We are being moved to a place where we cannot escape Him. But we are not in this condition involuntarily. We are there because we are driven to Him, because everything else pales in comparison to Him, because we know it is the place to be. This condition becomes our life. It becomes what we live on and live for. We are, by choice, His prisoners.

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Navigational Charts, Ramp, Marine Parts, Ice & Fast Food To Go

Capt. Bob’s Marina

2477 Main Street | 757-336-6654

Chincoteague Island Virginia

Page 32: The Manna July 2012

List Your Church OnlineFind out more about our Area Church Directory by clicking here.

Grace Notes Music Studio

Voice, Piano, Guitar,Woodwind and Brass Lessons410-603-8585

David and April Wilson, Instructors

206 Walston Avenue, Salisbury, Maryland | gracenotesmusicstudio.musicteachershelper.com | [email protected]

Follow the link below to see the Grace Notes website for more information and for free online music education resources!

Page 33: The Manna July 2012

ResidentialCommercialandRoll-OffServices

DAVISD ISPOSAL

P. O. Box 128, Craddockville, VA

757-442-7979 | 757-442-7099 (fax)

Locally Owned & Operated

Robbin Gray Reverse Mortgages877-543-8174

John Charles SeippAttorney And Counselor At Law

410-546-3533www.seipplaw.com | [email protected]

Nelson Insurance410-651-3667

Melody NelsonAgency

Scott Rice Pest Controlscottricetermite.com

Geothermal • Industrial Domestic • Irrigation

Goulds & Grundfos Pumps30170 Ritzel Road, Westover, MD

(410) 651-3721 (office-24 hrs.)[email protected]

www.somersetwell.com

PLUS ONEFITNESSPERSONAL

FITNESSTRAINING

Sports Training

Weight Loss

Kids Programs

Baby Boomer Fitness

Fitness Analysis

Strength Training

Weight Management

Lower Back Rehab

410-219-3092

103 Williamsport Circle

Salisbury, MD

PersonalTrainingFitnessCenters.com

Page 34: The Manna July 2012

Your Favorite Christian Station - Wherever You Listen! wolc.org

Since 1976