|
NEWSLETTER: JANUARY 2009
SHALOM TO ALL OF YOU, BELOVED FAMILY IN CHRIST,
Our prayer for you for the coming year, our dear friends, is that you
may be as healthy and prosperous in every way as you are in soul. (3
John 2, Phillips Translation)
Yes, and that is what God has for all of us in 2009. As I (Hansi) was
seeking the Lord’s direction for this newsletter, He directed
me to my favorite Psalm 37 and pointed out the verses 16 to 19, which
suddenly have new meaning in these troubled times. I read several versions
and I want to share with you verse 19 in several translations! King
James: “They (the upright) shall not be ashamed in the evil times:
and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.”
Jewish Study Bible: “They shall not come to grief in bad times,
in famine, they shall eat their fill.”
New American Standard: “They will not be ashamed in the time
of evil, and in the days of famine they will have abundance.”
Martin Luther German Bible: (my foster mother’s, which I inherited
and she underlined that text) “They will not end up in disgrace
in the evil time and in times of rising prices (Teuerung) they shall
have enough” (genug haben).
Do you get the idea, beloved reader? As shockwaves of financial and
other disasters up-end our planet, we can feel the vibrations but are
not subject to them!
We belong to God’s family and our first citizenship is in heaven
no matter what our earthly citizenship may be at this moment. God’s
laws but also His promises always overrule the laws of a godless world,
even the results of sin and death.
Does this mean that we all shall get wealthy while many rich people
become poor?
Some of my long-time friends might have heard me say that my turbulent
life has taught me that even when times are horrible and cruel, some
people can get rich on them. There is always a way that greed can profit
while taking advantage of human suffering!
God will deal with such personalities, but it is not the Lord’s
purpose for us to seek such abundance. He wants us to prosper in good
and bad times. The Hebrew word for prosperity has the root-meaning
of progress, to push forward, to break out. The Greek word has a similar
meaning and suggests something “well done”.
I have done a lot of praying about these texts because Betty and I
need to apply and learn as much as you do. The present shakings affect
every person I know of, including us and our work.
This is what the Lord has shown us for our own lives and our daily
walk with God.
God’s dealing with HIS children always begins in our spirit as
the Holy Spirit comforts, teaches, nudges or corrects us in our thinking.
(Remember that secular science has proven that every thought we think
affects every cell in our body either positively or destructively.)
We cannot live in abundance if our spirit is not nourished in daily
communion with God.
A normal brain can think only one thought at a time. As we are caught
in that superhuman conflict between good and evil, we lean by our sinful
human nature normally toward worry, fear, envy and negative thinking!
Because Jesus set us free, we are no longer subject to Satan’s
constant attacks to disturb our thinking.
We have the power to choose
what to think and believe. If worry hits us, we can either give in
or immediately counteract by filling our mind with a beloved Bible
verse, a little prayer or a sentence of praise, remembering that God
takes care of HIS kids. You see, most of God’s children believe
that they are responsible for themselves, their children, and often
their children’s children. We are trying to do God’s part
while expecting HIM to do our part. God has graciously accepted the
responsibility to take care of us and those we love – because
we can’t do it, in spite of insurance, retirement funds, and
working ourselves daily half to death. We try to relax by watching
a news that is not factual but evil propaganda and directed by hell
to spread fear and hopelessness over our beloved nation.
God’s people are not subject to fear because God has not given
us a spirit of fear but a Spirit of Love, Power, and a Sound Mind.
(2 Timothy 1:7)
How do we overcome hell’s fears? By resisting and refusing to
let them stay in our souls. We command any fear to flee by the authority
and power of Christ, the moment we detect such thinking in us. Such
vigilance will not only keep our soul in prosperity but we can now
do our part in this troubled world around us. We may share hope, assurance,
and let our light simply shine, even if it is only a candle! Nobody
can blow it out!
When our soul rests in God’s care, physical prosperity and abundance
will follow because our bodies, first of all, can heal and function
much better.
Folks, it is not money that brings healing and contentment but our
choices in thinking the right thoughts, filling our souls with gratitude
and praise and waiting upon the Lord for our strength to renew us on
every level, even financially and physically.
God wants us to simplify our lives. We might not understand fancy Bible
theories, but even a child can learn to trust Jesus, and most kids
do it better than the adults.
Betty and I have received much mail this Christmas season, some of
it with heartbreaking news. Retirement funds cut, jobs lost, health
is deteriorating all over America because of the stress; people feel
helpless and forsaken. The answer is so simple that most of us can’t
believe that it is true: “All things work together for good for
those who love the Lord…” (Romans 8:28) Our only part
is to love and trust HIM and HE will work everything else out in our
lives toward HIS abundance and prosperity. The Lord longs to make this
year the best year of our lives. Isn’t it time to “let
go and let God” have HIS wonderful way with us?
In Christ’s Love,
Hansi and Betty
P.S. To our friends in Southern California:
Hansi and Betty will be in your area in the New Year. Hansi will speak
at the Bethany Lutheran Church in Long Beach, California, on their
Sanctity of Human Life Sunday on January 25, 2009, from 9:30 to 10:30
a.m. Their address is 4644 Clark Avenue. Their telephone number is
(562) 421-4711. We would love to see some of you! We also ask for your
supportive prayers, that the Lord will use us to HIS Glory!
HANSI MINISTRIES • P.O. BOX 5471 • KAILUA-KONA, HI 96745
e-mail: hansiministries@hawaii.rr.com • web:
www.hansiministries.org
|