FROM THE TRENCH:  October 2013

 Dear Friends,

            As we transition into yet another season, I am thankful and blessed by all that Almighty God has done and is doing!  With baby’s arrival fast approaching, the Lord has been so kind to bring me into a place of abiding peace and rest, reminding me, along with the rest of His Body, of Isaiah 30:15; “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

            Intercessors, as we continue to do the work of building like I spoke about last month, this “rest” the scripture is referring to does not necessarily mean a physical rest of putting our feet up and doing nothing.  What it is really talking about is a spiritual rest – that our minds and our spirits will come to a place of quietness and stillness before God.  Isaiah 26:3 encourages us, “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”  As we put our trust in the Lord, fix our eyes on Him and determine not to allow fear and the lies of the enemy to penetrate our minds, He will bring that perfect peace that nestles deep into our spirits and cannot be shaken by our circumstances, however they may look!

            In this season of rest, fellow soldiers in the trench, our work doesn’t cease; it just looks a little different.  The Holy Spirit showed me the analogy of a boxer coming out of the ring and going into the kitchen to become a chef!  Where we have “fought” on our knees for the harvest in Canada and in our ministries and communities, now the Lord is calling us to a place of bringing that harvest into His “kitchen” where we can combine all of the “ingredients” according to His “recipe” and be immersed in the warmth and aroma of His presence while He brings forth the finished product!  For those familiar with the kitchen, you know that Thanksgiving dinner does not make and cook itself; the chef prepares what has been gathered and/or provided and then the oven accomplishes the rest.  The food does nothing on its own!  This is really what “soaking prayer” is all about; not “airy fairy” or new age, but it is simply when we bring what God has entrusted to us and then prepare and position it (and ourselves) in the fire of His presence so that He can bring forth His end result, according to His Word, when the time is fulfilled.     There is always a season of “waiting” even while the work is being done.

This may seem like an odd and somewhat awkward transition for some of us who have been in the boxing ring, but this is where we must remember that God has given to us and put within us everything that we need to grow and build His Kingdom in every season that He calls us to, even if it means quieting ourselves and “slowing down” (mentally and spiritually, and sometimes physically) in order to hear Him more clearly and let Him do the work.  You can still keep your gloves on, friends – just switch to “oven mitts” instead! J  You may not have known there was a “chef” inside of you, but God did, because He created you in His image and He is the Master Chef!

            In this next month, intercessors, let’s appropriate by faith the harvest that we’ve been asking for, bring it before the throne, and then rest in Almighty God’s presence as He cooks up a spectacular feast for His Body and Bride across Canada!

Enjoying the Kitchen,

Karen Warankie

News Director, CIP