For I,’ declares the LORD, ‘will be a wall of fire around her [protecting her from enemies], and I will
be the glory in her midst. Zechariah 2:5
My heart and prayers have gone out this week for the precious Americans in Maui, Hawaii this week. Last Tuesday, a fire destroyed over 2100 acres and most of the historic town of Lahaina. The blaze was so hot that it even metal vehicles are just a burned shell of what they were. The loss of over 100 people and another thousand unaccounted for is the most tragic of all.( My family was in the Lubbock Tornado of 1972 and we lost everything except for a few clothes and a station wagon, and still remember the difficult years it took my parents to get back on their feet even though I was still a toddler at the time.) Approximately 12,000 people lost their homes and businesses, and the land is contaminated from the fire and environmental officials believe six inches of the soil will have to be removed before anyone can start to rebuild their homes in Lahaina. It is so very important to uphold these precious people in prayer and if you feel lead, make donations to help them start to rebuild their homes and businesses.
J.D. and I were blessed with a week’s vacation to Maui in the early 2000’s and the week of July 4 th , our daughter and son- in-law vacationed on the island as well. The historic town of Lahaina is one of the major attractions for visitors to the island is the atmosphere and history sets the town apart. It was once the Capital of the Nation of Hawaii before it became the 50 th state of the United States of America in 1959. AS we were talking to our daughter this week about the tragedy of the fire, she was reminiscing about the things they got to see and experience when they were there. They went to visit Maui Kuia Estate Chocolate Factory and they got on the email list for the chocolate factory. The chocolate factory shared the devastation of Lahaina in their blog a week ago on Friday. They lost all their farm equipment, green houses, tools and many of their seedlings. (The actual factory was in a different location and only suffered minimal wind damage.) They said everything around them was completely burned, as they began to survey the extent of the devastation, they came to the actual cacao trees, they were completely unharmed and were standing in spite of the devastating fire that had destroyed everything around them. The cacao trees were planted in a low place, a basin and when the growers planted the cacao trees, they also planted a row of wind break trees to protect the cacao trees and a dirt road circles the entire grove. They made the statement, “It looked like a force field protected the cacao farm.” As she told us this, I felt an excitement in my spirit. God is like the road and the wind break trees around the cacao trees! We are living in unprecedented times that if you listen to the news, you will quickly become overwhelmed and feel hopeless with all the destruction and lack of accountability of the current leadership in our beloved United States of America. God is the forcefield that protects you no matter what happens on in the world around us.
Peter warned the church about the enemy who is after our souls. 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Satan knows his time is short and he is frantically using the World Economic Forum to change the times and seasons to take control of this earth and try to keep Jesus Christ from reigning. Daniel prophesied in Daniel 12:1-2 “Now in that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation.” God has chosen us for such a time as this, to stand in faith and to proclaim the good news of the gospel to the lost and dying people all around us. We should not allow the darkness that is trying to extinguish our light have any affect on us. Darkness is the absence of light, and we have the true light living inside of us. Daniel went on to say despite the devastation, “and at that time, your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.” Malachi 4:1-2 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace and all the arrogant, and every evildoer will be chaff and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of Hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root or branch. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteous will arise with healing in its wings and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” We are in that day and we should not fear or worry about what is going to happen, God is going to be the forcefield that surrounds us. Zechariah 2:5 “For I,’ declares the LORD, ‘will be a wall of fire around her [protecting her from enemies], and I will be the glory in her midst.” God is the fire around His people and He will protect us! For those of us who fear the Lord, there will be healing in His wings and we will live a blessed, secure like stall kept calves.
Psalm 91, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God in Him I will trust. Surely, He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night nor tr by the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right side, but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord who is my refuge, even the Most High, your swelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling place. For He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot on a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. Because he has set his love on Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me and I will answer him, I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.” Make this your way of life, trusting in the Lord and pray this everyday over you, your family and everything you have. As the Israelites applied the blood over the doorposts before they left Egypt and the death angel came, we should also apply the blood of Jesus over our families. (Remember the last plagues did not affect the Israelites and those who honored God, go back and read Exodus, how those in Goshen were protected. Goshen is shadow of the church that is protected when we live in God daily. Live daily in His word and in your prayer closet. Hebrews 10:25 encourages us “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Spending time in worship with God’s people is so very important in this season. God is faithful and if we will obey and dwell in Him daily, He will be everything we need Him to be. Ephesians 6:14 “Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” To thrive in this difficult season, we must dwell in the presence of God daily, apply the blood of Jesus (Satan cannot cross the bloodline), worship with fellow believers, put on the armor of God every day and you will stand firm and be able to witness to those around you of the faithfulness of God.
Back to Maui, I was praying for the people of Hawaii, to have courage and to be strengthened in the Lord, and I heard the Lord say, “they need the Word to stand on.” I cannot imagine going through all the devastation they have faced and not have a Bible to go to for comfort and healing. When my life gets crazy, my time in God’s Word always gets me back to focus and the problems I am facing do not seem to be as big anymore. I felt lead of the Lord to ask for donations to buy Bibles for those who have been affected by this tragedy. We can purchase imitation leather bibles with a good concordance or children’s Bibles for about $15.00 each on line. I will have the Bibles sent directly to King’s Cathedral in Maui. They have welcomed 200 people who have no where else to go. There is an estimated 12,000 people who have lost everything. Will you ask God what He wants you to give? The Newspress and Bibles n Boots Cowboy Church are partnering with me in this effort. The Newspess will take your monetary donations and give you a receipt of your giving or you can send your donation to Bibles n Boots Cowboy Church at PO BOX 789, Levelland, TX 79336. All donations will be used to purchase and send Bibles to Maui. The money will be deposited by Bibles n Boots for accountability and so you can receive a receipt of your charitable giving. Remember to pray for healing and restoration for the people of Maui.
Cathy Nesmith