We enjoyed a good time of fellowship over breakfast on Friday the 7th June 2024 at the Blue Bay Lodge with a beautiful view of the sea.
The theme for discusssion was the importance of the Word of God in our daily lives. The encouragement was to share how the Word is effective in a number of ways:
1. Bread : Do we find that the Word is our daily sustenance; we esteem His Words more than our necessary food.
2. Light : The Word of God gives us direction; it lightens our path, showing the right way to walk each day.
3. Mirror: When we hear the Word it shows us what manner of woman we are and the woman we should be. Thank you Father for the washing of the water by the Word that cleanses us from our secret faults.
4. Sword: The only weapon of attack that we have is the sword of the Spirit/the Word of God. Thank you Lord that you equip us to face the onslaught of the enemy in whatever way it comes, whether discouragement, doubt, etc.
Anna told Mary a sword would pierce her heart. Thank you Lord for your Word which pierces our hard hearts and divides between the thoughts and intents.....
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Testimony: Drew Pivalizza
The Start of the Journey
In 1980 at a Scripture Union meeting at our school I responded to the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. I do not come from a Christian family/background. This was new to me. I did not even have Christian friends. One even asked why I went to these Christian meetings, all I could say was that; I did not know why, but this is what I needed to do. There was no follow-up from SU and I was left to my own devices.
I found a dusty Bible in the bookshelf amongst the cowboy stories. I thought all I needed to do was read the bible, pray and tried to be a good person. All of this was difficult. Reading the bible was difficult; where to start and nothing made sense. Praying was even more difficult; how does one do this. Being good … well that was possibl; just stick to the all the laws. And I became a good white washed tomb…nice and clean on the outside, but dead bones of hate, bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, spite, malice, envy, etc on the inside.
I didn’t attend church and the habit of bible reading and praying became sporadic.
Nine (9) years later at work I was harassed by a young Christian man (Andre’) who had to tell me every morning about what he and his church were studying in the Book of Revelation. There was no specific scripture that convicted me, but I knew that if I died that day I would go to Hell. I realized that I had nothing in me that could save me; nothing I did/ achieve could save me, but go to God ask “What do I do…?” There was this urgency for me to attend the nearest church the very first Sunday. So I walked to the Methodist church that Sunday and sat at the back.
It was, a few months later, at the first Easter Service that it struck me who Jesus was and what He did for me. There was a huge wooden cross in the front with a thorny crown. It struck me that this Jesus gave His life for me….no-one ever did anything for me. It was not a dramatic/ a Damascus Road conversion, but God work in my heart nevertheless.
I was drawn back to this church every Sunday like a magnet…every time the Reverend opened the Bible to preach it was like he had opened a treasure chest and was revealing and sharing precious jewels to us. Every Sunday he presented to us the gospel message of the need to have Jesus in our lives.
Discipleship is important
It was not long when I was put under the wing of an elderly lady; Yvonne Rawlings, who gave me a bible, who took me to bible study and enquired whether I was baptized or not. When I told her I was not as I was not from a Christian home. My Dad was of the opinion that children should choose their own religion. She made arrangements for me to share my testimony in front of the church (Phil 3:12 14) and I was baptized. I don’t think they ever had an adult baptism before. Philippians 3:12-14 “Not that I have already attained or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of for me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Growing in Grace
No one becomes a mature adult overnight and likewise it is with the spirit. It is a long slow process. In the beginning I could only consume small portions of scripture at a time; reading Psalms, Proverbs and the New Testament. I was a timid and shy person; afraid of people and I struggled with public speaking and public prayer. I had a learning disability (dyslexia) at school and struggled to read. They wanted to put me in a remedial class. I was awkward in the company of others. I could only pray quietly to myself….still not sure how and what to pray. The first few years as Christian were easy; quietly keeping up the habit of regularly Church attendance and Bible Study, Bible reading and praying….and being good. I have not yet learned that it is not about being good, but being in Christ Jesus.
Lessons Learnt
*Learning to rid myself of pagan practices ….I was into New Age practices and horoscope. This was one of the first things I got rid of when I got saved.
*Learning to forgive those who had hurt me. I was angry with my father for a long time ….I had a difficult relationship with my own father, but God gave me such a revelation of His Father heart towards me that it was easy to accept Him as My Heavenly Father and seeing Him as loving, kind and merciful. Because of His love towards me I could no longer harbour anger and unforgiveness.
*Learning to submit and obey God’s Word……
A challenge for me as a Christian wife was to learn to submit to my husband as God commanded. For by doing this I was submitting to God and His Word. This was difficult, because he was not saved and had a drinking problem. I grew up in a home where alcohol was abused and I could not see myself staying married to a person with a drinking problem. BUT God wanted me to keep quiet, to pray for my husband and not interfere. It was when I surrendered to this and submitted to God and His Word, that God began working in my husband’s life. I submit to God’s Word because of His great love for me and my desire to please Him.
*Learning to overcome an eating disorder…Bulimia.
Another toughy; I would go to God often in much prayer and tears, as His Word and Spirit would convict me. I could not do this on my own. It was like having an addiction I needed God to remove it and set me free, which He did.
*Learning to overcome fear of people and becoming bold in Christ Jesus…
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.”
Another huge hurdle in my life was the fear of people. This too I could not do without Divine intervention. At a prayer meeting at work I was prayed for and I was filled with the Holy Spirit. It was a life changing experience…I was singing and dancing in the Spirit and filled with a supernatural boldness, all fear and timidity was removed.
John 7:37-39 “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, will have rivers of living water flow from within them.”
There must have been a visible change in me because Craig said to me... “I want what you have...”
It was after this, that I was able to speak publicly and pray publicly and boldly…. filled with zeal and joy for the Lord. I became fervent in prayer.
*Learning to use the Word of God....
I bought a prayer book, which helped with praying the Word of God. I would read and pray these prayers out loud.
I read the Word of God out loud; this helped me to hear it, but also to practise to speak it out.
The same with the prayers and praises and worship songs; my quiet time was not quiet.
This time was not a chore but a joy....great joy to be in the presence of my Holy Father. I could not face the day without being filled with His Word.
The more I read the Word the more I got to know God, know His attributes and know who I am in Christ. I was indeed a new creation. I read His Word, meditate (chew) on His Word, so that His Word is established in me and that this will transform my heart and mind and this will change the way I behave. When doubts and fear beset me, His Word is a Sword cutting to pieces the snares of the enemy.
Jesus said; “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the Mouth of God...” Matthew 4:1-4
Time for Testing and Sanctification
No faith will remain untested. My work place became my winepress and my threshing floor. What flavour was my fruit?
1 Peter 1:7 “…faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed.” 1Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. Don’t be surprised when your faith is tested!
God sends people to bless us and to sanctify us. Those that bless us we welcome, but we are not always delighted with people who rub us up the wrong way. I had many of those, and did not always react/respond towards them in a godly manner.
I had a neighbour who lived in the apartment below us; I must have been a real offence to her. I would get insults from her, rude letters and even a potato in my car’s exhaust. Once a quarter our Church would host a tea / lunch for the elderly. I felt prompted to invite her in spite of her attitude towards me. I did not expect her to accept the invitation. I even offered to drive her to the event. God was working in her life and mine. I was taught not to shut the door on those who offend me.
Proverbs 16:7 “When a man’s way pleases the Lord; He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
The fall
I had been a Christian for a few years when things became very difficult in the work place. I was emboldened by the Spirit of God and this attracted offence and conflict. I was being bullied and put under a tremendous workload. It got to a point where I was booked off with stress and I considered resigning. This was a time of crisis in my faith. I questioned God. I was angry that He had allowed this to happen to me. The heavens became brass and I struggled to pray. All I could do was feed on His Word; reading Psalms, Job, Jeremiah, Lamentations. Christians in the Fellowship we attended were neither understanding nor supportive.
The stress caused me to suffer from short-term memory loss and I thought I would never recover. BUT a promise from the Word of God came to me from Psalm 23 “He restores my soul…”
God was gracious, longsuffering and patient with my immaturity. I saw that I lacked proper biblical teaching, especially about suffering, trials, persecution and testing. I was zealous, but immature…I still had much to learn. Much confessing and repenting followed. The testing of my faith was not over.
The Desert
The early years of my walk with Jesus were easy, He carried me and everything was simple, but once a measure of faith and revealational knowledge has been given it is to be tested. God puts us down and expects us to walk in the faith given and live according to the knowledge received; doing/obeying the Word of God. This is how we grow. It is a challenge, because it will offend others and attract conflict…and testing/trials will follow.
I experienced seasons of growth and fruitfulness, but now it was a season of the desert. And even here God IS. God speaks volumes in His silence. He is always there…waiting. He has spoken. Did I hear? This was a time of learning to trust God and His Word.
This was a time of much Bible reading and studying; slowing getting back to praying, but with humbled reverence.
Streams in the Desert
After many years in the desert of trials and testing I can find a solace there in His Word. He promises are Yea and Amen. I may go through the fire but He is there with me. He has prayed that my faith does not fail. I still trip and fall, but He is beside me lifting me up. His patience, love and faithfulness towards His Beloved never ends.
I have learnt that just because I was in a difficult place/time does not mean I was outside God’s Will. I take examples of David being pursued by King Saul, Paul the Apostle was imprisoned and Mary... Jesus’ mother gave birth to her firstborn in a stable surrounded by livestock and shepherds, probably not what she envisioned.
I love the verse in Habakkuk 3:17 – 19
This prophet was obedient and faithful, yet he had to face the storm which was to come to his nation for their disobedience; and he penned this;
“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labour of the olive may fall, And the fields yield no food.
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold; And there be no herd in the stalls...
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will JOY in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my Strength. He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.”
God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.
To God be the Glory forever, Amen!