A Walk Down Memory Lane from November 2011
Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude
(This paragraph and the Ray Comfort section are from 2011)
Dear Friends & Prayer Partners,
God said to His people through His prophet Zephaniah, “The Lord your God is with you; He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17). In Christ we are now the people of God, so doesn’t this prime your pump to inspire an attitude of gratitude to spring up and flow from your heart? In Romans 1:18-21 the apostle Paul exposes ingratitude as part of the core rebellion against the knowledge of God. Such ingratitude leads men, who profess themselves to be wise, to actually become fools. On the other hand, the presence of an attitude of gratitude is an anchor to the soul in turbulent times and is one of the primary evidences of a Spirit-filled life. (See Ephesians 5:18-20). Paul’s “triangle of triumph” is “Rejoice evermore! Pray without ceasing! In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 2 Thessalonians 5:16-18. God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him!
IN THE EVIDENCE BIBLE, Ray Comfort has some excellent comments. I want to share the following with you.
“Thanksgiving – Do the Right Thing”
Ray Comfort
THE EVIDENCE BIBLE
“For the Christian, every day should be Thanksgiving Day. We should be thankful even in the midst of problems. The apostle Paul said, ‘I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.’ (2 Corinthians 7:4) He knew that God was working all things together for his good, even his trials. (Romans 8:28) Problems will come your way. God will see to it personally that you grow as a Christian. He will allow storms to send your roots deep into the soil of His Word. We also pray more in the midst of problems. It’s been well said that you will see more from your knees than on your tiptoes.
A man once watched a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. In an effort to help it, he took a razor blade and carefully slit the edge of the cocoon. The butterfly escaped from its problem…but immediately died. It is God’s way to have the butterfly struggle. It is the struggle that causes its tiny heart to beat fast and send the life’s blood into its wings. Trials have their purpose. They make us struggle in the cocoon in which we often find ourselves. It is there that the life’s blood of faith in God helps us spread our wings.
Faith and thanksgiving are close friends. If you have faith in God, you will be thankful because you know His loving hand is upon you, even though you are in a lion’s den. That will give you a deep sense of joy, which is the barometer of the depth of faith you have in God. Let me give you an example. Imagine if I said I’d give one million dollars to everyone who ripped out the last page of this book and mailed it to me. Of course, you don’t believe I would do that. But imagine if you did, and that you knew 1,000 people who had sent in the page and everyone received their million dollars – no strings attached. More than that, you actually called me, and I assured you personally that I would keep my word. If you believed me, wouldn’t you have joy? If you didn’t believe me – no joy. The amount of joy you have would be a barometer of how much you believed my promise.
We have so much for which to be thankful. God has given us ‘exceeding great and precious promises’ that are more to be desired than gold. Do yourself a big favor: believe those promises, thank God continually, and ‘let your joy be full.’”
Which America Do You Choose?
I recognize that what America has become is not the America that I grew up with – and definitely not the America that our founding fathers intended and designed. Why not?
Undermining by decades of secular humanism (atheism), evolutionism, and wokeism (Marxism) has changed America! The LGBTQ agenda has stolen the rainbow – which was God’s covenant sign of His promise never again to destroy the earth with a worldwide flood. He promises that until He closes the curtain at the end of time, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22 (NKJV) (Climate change is nothing to fear when an individual fears God, honors Him, and trusts Him.)
Because of the undermining by ungodly philosophies inspired by Satan himself, the America we now have has become the biggest exporter of pornography in the world, flies rainbow flags in government offices and corporate offices, sponsors Pride Month and sponsors Pride Parades in America’s cities that portray perversity and obscenity to all observers (including children). Under the guise of “sex education,” now America’s public schools are using pornography and perversion to train children to accept homosexuality as normal behavior and to question the gender that God created him or her to be. “Transgender” confusion is becoming an epidemic – and it is planned – not accidental. The American Library Association is sponsoring “drag queen story hours” to indoctrinate innocent children with perversions. Is this the America that I grew up in? That our founding fathers designed? Hardly! Absolutely not!
The America I Knew As a Child
- Had patriotic parades that honored veterans who risked their lives to protect others and to stop Nazi world domination.
- Had the Pledge of Allegiance in school classrooms.
- Honored God, honored our national motto, honored the marriage of one man to one woman for life, and honored family as God’s institution.
This November 10 is Veteran’s Day (observed) – so can we pause to honor and thank those who have risked their lives to protect all of us – and honor God, who gave them the courage to do so?
The America Our Founders Designed
- Was based on the Mayflower Compact – which was the covenant of a church that wanted to dedicate America to God and share His gospel with the native Americans.
- Included in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness–…”
- Became the foundation for our national motto: IN GOD WE TRUST!
Can an Atheist Be a Loyal American?
Doesn’t this question depend on which America we choose to recognize and accept? The America as designed by our founding fathers – or the America distorted by lies and perversion?
Concluding Thoughts
Is it any wonder that our Congress is so divided because of the clash of opposite ideologies? Is it any wonder that Americans are so confused that many don’t know if we should be an ally to Israel in her struggle to exist – and that a candidate for the Supreme Court could not (or would not) answer a clear, simple question – “What is a woman?” The irony of the situation was that the very reason Biden nominated her was because she was a black woman! Also, is it any wonder that our formerly wonderful country, after many decades of undermining by satanic philosophies, is now about 33 trillion dollars in debt – and on the verge of bankruptcy? Far too many gullible Americans are believing the deceptions of major media sources that intend for us to continue floating along in La La Land while believing that “Bidenomics” will solve our debt problems – when the reality is that America is in grave danger! Please earnestly pray for America! For Ukraine! For Israel!
The Power of Prayer and the Prayer of Power
For the past few years we have served on a prayer team. There is a big difference in the quality of the prayers we receive, which is not surprising because of the level of maturity of baby Christians and mature Christians. However, immaturity is rampant!
Powerful perspective recognizes that the power of prayer is in the One we are praying to! Pitiful perspective sees Almighty God as our servant – genie in a bottle!; “gimme” prayers!; “God and I are not seeing eye to eye!”
Who is wrong? James, the Lord’s brother, wrote: “You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James 4:3
Is Atheism an Intellectual Issue?
Adrian Rogers, in one of his broadcasts, clearly pointed out that atheism is not an intellectual problem – it is a moral problem. Why? Because it is a moral problem to deny outwardly what you inwardly know to be true. Yes, lying as a coverup for our unwillingness to surrender to God’s commands is definitely a moral issue!
The Word of God says: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” Psalm 14:1-3 (ESV) Repetition is for emphasis, and God inspired David to repeat this in Psalm 53:1-3.
In His discussion with Nicodemus, Jesus also exposed the evil of rejecting God’s truth: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” John 3:17-21 (ESV)
How has God revealed His truth?
- In His creation all around us!
- In the conscience of every human!
- In His inspired Word!
- In His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ!
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Romans 1:16-21
Have you, dear Reader, admitted your rebellion, decided to turn from loving your sin to loving your Savior, who sacrificed His life to pay your penalty? Are you willing to cast your care on His amazing grace and receive His forgiveness of your sins? Here are our Lord’s promises for you: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:31; “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Acts 2:38-39
What About Philosophy?
Correction-Philosophy observation in our September prayer letter: Zeno taught that it is impossible for anything to move. Why? Because if it moves where it is, it hasn’t moved. If it moves where it isn’t, it can’t be there! Perhaps you have noticed that living creatures ignore Zeno’s philosophy! 😊 Wouldn’t we be wise to ignore all humanistic philosophy from the likes of Darwin, Marx, and Freud? “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” Col. 2:8-10 (NLT)
From Our Mailbox
“…Recently I felt a deep and earnest desire to thank you for all the heart-felt, all earnest prayers and supplications that you, Della and Sandy lifted up on my behalf through the years. My guess is that none of us has a full and clear understanding of the workings of prayer – how the Holy Spirit uses our prayers on behalf of other people, how they protect them, how they pull them through, how they strengthen or revive their faith, how they bring grace, how they please or displease the Lord. I only take the first steps in this direction but when our pastor recently asked me to consider one ministry, it occurred to me that this is something that you always prayed about me – that the Lord may enlarge my influence for the Kingdom. This prayer sounded very flattering but, to be honest, it was not on my priority list. How petty my understanding was! How petty it still is. I have so much to learn and hear from the Lord but I want to thank you and the Holy Spirit for these prayers and workings.
I also want to thank Della for her September devotional about the quilt – a beautiful image and a beautiful lesson to apply. May the light of Christ shine through in every trial and problem that we face. Less of us, more of Him…
How are you and Della? How is Sandy and her family? Is Randy’s family well too? Blessings of peace! Inga”
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“Dear Rick and Della, greetings from Focus on the Family and thank you for sending us a copy of your ’Overseas Outreach’ newsletter. We enjoyed reading the poems, inspiring quotations, Scripture passages, and insights on a variety of interesting topics. We especially appreciate the list of prayer requests included in your newsletter, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to lift both of you, as well as your coworkers, to the Lord’s throne of mercy and grace. It’s also a privilege to join with you in praying for people who lost loved ones and for all who are trying to find a way forward following the devastating fire in Maui. In addition, we’re asking the Lord to strengthen Stephen and Iryna as they help Ukrainian refugees in Minnesota. May the Holy Spirit move mightily and work powerfully to bring about spiritual awakening in Russia, Ukraine, and the United States.
Thanks again for your thoughtfulness, Rick and Della. God bless you with wisdom as you share His love with folks around the world. Sincerely, Michael Krider (Focus on the Family)”
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“….As far as legislation, Idaho has done quite a bit to protect women in sports and women’s restrooms, etc. The laws have been passed and some are on appeals in the courts. Some are in force. I am in the battle, year round to fight the demonic woke agenda. By God’s grace, not counting appropriation bills, I have taken point and passed more bills than any other legislator in a three year time frame. Going into my fourth year in January. Hope to be re-elected. You would like my bills. Prayers always appreciated. I much enjoy your newsletter.
God is good! Maranatha! Blessings, Bruce (Skaug)”
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“Dear Della and Rick, good morning and praying for a blessed week for you and the White Fields-Overseas Outreach ministries. Transitions will always come and sometimes at the most unexpected moments. All we need to do is wait a little and things will change. But change is held in His hands, the same place that we are. I pray for the Darnell family as they have found themselves in such a moment and that they will be blessed and sustained as they grieve for their mom and wife, closest friend and care for the ministry our Lord has entrusted to them.
I returned from Pennsylvania on the 4th. A short update on the Davidenko family of 8…they are scheduled to arrive here in Minnesota on the 31st, the children’s grandmother is also coming with them. I’m presently working on 2 more containers to Ukraine. Your prayers are appreciated and much needed. In His grace, Stephen (Yagilnicky)”
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“Rick and Della….I wanted to let you know that I finally read your book on Cultural Clashes. Even though it was written in 2020 and before, it is more applicable today than ever. Thank you for all the letters and encouragement you send out regularly, it is mostly read and always appreciated. God Bless, Steve Fredriksen”
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Beloved brothers and sisters, we highly appreciate your prayers – we feel their power all the time! Thank you so much for all your fraternal care, sacrificial help, and unceasing prayers! With great joy, I present to you the Christian Center for Science and Apologetics’ first Fall 2023 newsletter.
I would like to start with a testimony. When, in March 2022, the interventionist tanks were already a dozen kilometres from our home, we did not yet know about the horrors of Bucha and Irpin. I was tormented by doubts: wasn’t it time to flee, like Lot, to save my wife and daughter, or were my fears in vain? In those long hours spent at the shelter, I wanted so much that at least one angel suddenly appeared and taking us by the hand, led us in the right direction… Lot was luckier. The angels literally (!) ‘took him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, and led him out and set him outside the city. And when they had led them out, one of them said, Save your soul; do not look back, and do not stay anywhere in this neighbourhood’ (Genesis 19:16,17). As it turned out later, the Lord did not leave us without angels either. It’s just that ours were more advanced – they used the phones. Late at night from 3rd to 4th of March we got an unexpected call from a friend, who was more or less aware of what was going on. ‘You have to leave,’ – he stated categorically without any explanation. ‘Well, we’ve been thinking about it ourselves. So, we’ll pack tomorrow and leave the day after tomorrow.’ ‘You don’t understand,’ was the reply. – ‘You don’t have time to pack. With the end of curfew, you shouldn’t be there anymore!’
A second friend called a little earlier. He told us about the huge traffic jams at the western and southern outskirts of Kyiv, and that he himself intended to use the circuitous, south-eastern route. We decided to take his arguments into consideration. We found out recently that he also was an angel, when a year and a half later journalists published their investigation with evidence of Russian invaders shooting civilian cars travelling west out of the city in those very days. Praise be to God for keeping us safe on the road that day and all through these almost 600 days of war!
God works so powerfully despite the challenges of the days! Hard to believe that the war and ministry belong to the same reality! My heart is full of praise: we managed the very first in-class weekly training course not even since the beginning of the war, but of COVID. The course is an outcome of our new partnership with the Bible Seminary in the city of Vinnitsa (Central Ukraine). Twice before it was postponed for various reasons, but when finally planning became more realistic, do you know which course they requested us to deliver? You will never guess! Cross-cultural Evangelism! Just imagine: these men of God and their wives spent every other night with their kids at shelters to the sound of missiles and strike drone attacks yet every morning they came to the school to learn more about how to spread the Good News of Jesus. They are waiting for the war to end not only for the sake of the peace on their land but also for the opportunity to offer peace with God to those in foreign countries, who do not know Jesus yet. Amazing! Inspiring! Encouraging! May the Lord be praised!
Another exciting news: we have printed the second run of the ‘What the Bible Is!’ booklet. This time we printed four times more copies, and ran out of it already! (We hope to do another print run eventually.) The partner ministries that deliver water, food and clothing to the areas devastated by battles and the flood are asking for more to share as the message of hope for the people they provide the aid for. The message of the booklet destroys the lies of communist atheistic propaganda that was poisoning people through generations. It tells about the reliability of the Bible in all ways – history, science, prophecy, textual accuracy, etc., and a clear and direct gospel call. Volunteers distribute it with copies of the New Testament and the contact information. I cannot hold back tears when watching the video of an elderly lady pointing toward her destroyed home where her husband was killed, and asking not for more bread, but for more books (https://scienceandapologetics.com/atrf)! May the Lord keep safe and save all these people and all who defend them. May He provide guidance and protection to all who serve them. May He lead us in the way we can better equip them with the resources for the effective spread of the only message of real hope! The booklets went also again to the brethren at the army, who in the midst of the fight share the Good News with their comrades-in-arms turning foxholes, bunkers, and barracks into a mission field. Even the tactical medicine training time can be used as the Bible study class for saving both bodies and souls. Please join our prayers for Christian soldiers (in both meanings of the phrase)! May the Lord protect them and give them strength for the battles they face – both military and spiritual!
Another ministry we are involved with is online preaching and weekly online Bible study. Several pastors attend them – from mainland country, from the occupied territories and even from the frontline! We are exploring the book of Acts together as a guidebook for the church, its nature, life, and ministry. At the same time, our websites for the Bible study distant learning resources (in Ukrainian, https://ukr.bibleapol.study/ and Russian https://bibleapol.study/) continue scaling with content: overviews of the Biblical books, lessons on the Christian doctrine, group study materials, etc. They are a great tool for IDPs, refugees, people in the fight areas (both military and civilians) and occupied territories who are deprived of access to actual books and libraries. The most challenging part of the project – the online version of 30 volumes of College Press NIV Commentary in both languages. The first fruits have shown up: the first chapters of Luke, Acts and Romans have been translated, edited and uploaded already and we got really exciting feedback on them. Please pray with us for this massive but strategically important work!
Several times through the year our facilities served as a venue for retreat and refreshing of the church leaders who defend our land from the Russian aggressor. Recently, however, we had an extremely joyful and strategically important event – the retreat of the national family ministries leaders. The war brings a lot of new challenges to the families and many others are yet to come. That is why the development of the vision and drafting strategies are so important. Please pray for new projects discussed during the fellowship time – for the Lord’s guidance and wisdom. Finally, we used the last warm days of the year for the picnic of God’s servants of the church, many of whom helped us in our ministry as volunteers. We praise the Lord for bringing us to this family of His children after our escape from Crimea!
Please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine, for the protection of our fellow workers wherever they are, and for the Lord’s guidance to us in this time of uncertainty. Please continue to pray for our teammates who defend our land. May the Lord protect them! Please pray for Ukraine, the Lord’s intervention in the midst of troubles, and for many people in other countries who care and help. Please pray for the lives of soldiers and civilians and the peace in our country! Most of all, please pray for the Lord’s guidance for us in these difficult times. Yours by the grace of Jesus, Sergei
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Christian Center for Science and Apologetics,
Ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the countries of the former Soviet Union.
INTRODUCING the Truth to skeptics;
STRENGTHENING the saints in their confidence in the Truth;
EQUIPPING God’s people to proclaim God’s Word effectively.
Home
Our financial report is available on request.
Prayer Requests
The prayer needs are abundant – scattered all through this prayer letter. Now please carefully, prayerfully re-read it and pray for everything God lays on your heart.
We want to say “thank you very much” to each one of you who are donors to Overseas Outreach! Without your faithful help, we could not have reached out to many who were destitute during the current war in Ukraine. We also have wonderful co-workers there, who have helped us get the resources to those in need, and for these we are also very grateful! Together, we have been the hands of God reaching out to people in need – both those who are already His children spiritually and those receiving the invitation to become the children of God.
We also want to express great appreciation to veterans, who have given so much to protect us and our country! Many of you have sacrificed time with your families, as well as your own well-being. For that there are hardly words that adequately express our thanks! Please know that we honor you and ask God to bless you for your service.
To Everyone on our Mailing List…
With grateful hearts,
Rick & Della Deighton
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