"He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways...." -- Psalm 91:11

During the past year, I have been aware of God's protection in so many personal ways.  He has guarded me from...

...Physical harm as I have traveled extensively...Emotional meltdowns as I have faced stress without relief...Mental lapses as I have stood on unique platforms...Spiritual weakness as circumstances contradict my prayers.

One of the women who works to put Daily Light for Daily Living (our daily radio broadcast) on the air used our new Bible study resource, Into the Word, in her church's small group.  All of us at AnGeL Ministries were blessed by the testimonies of these women who shared its powerful impact on their lives.

Beginning with the release of The Magnificent Obsession late last summer, my life has been a whirlwind of media opportunities (within a month's time, I interacted in over 80 different radio programs, not counting TV and print interviews), presided over major shifts in our ministry structure that included God's supernatural intervention in bringing to us an extremely capable Executive Director, led church-wide I Saw The LORD events in three cities, led two Just Give Me Jesus Revivals and one Pursuing MORE of Jesus BreakAway, helped design-develop-produce-film then teach our new seven-session video Bible study curriculum, spoken at seminars and conventions, hosted our tenth anniversary reunion of Revival and BreakAway chairpersons, led our ministry staff and prayer team retreat, written and edited a new children's book...and that's just the tip of the iceberg!  In addition there have been so many other engagements tucked in, family gatherings presided over, and my husband's health issues to contend with.

And daily I face, along with so many of you, the burden of knowing what time it is in human history.  The oppression of seeing our nation officially in rebellion against God, unable to connect the dots of the environmental disasters, terrorist threats, brutal crimes, political scandals, corporate corruption and economic recession, to the removal of His hand of blessing, is a heavy weight on my spirit.

As the stress ratchets up in my life and the world unravels around me, He has led me to saturate myself in His Word.  In particular, I have settled into the Minor Prophets.  Each one has served as a megaphone for His voice to speak into my life loudly and clearly. I have heard Zechariah's words echoing down through the centuries in the chambers of my soul, Rejoice greatly, O daughter...!  See, your King comes to you....  Praise God!  Not only is He coming! He did come to me, through the words of the prophet: As for you, Anne, because of the blood of My covenant with you (Not because of what you have done or have failed to do.  Not because of who your family is, or is not.  Not because of your ability or lack of it.  Not because of your knowledge or ignorance.)  But because of the blood of My covenant with you, I will free your prisoners (those on your prayer list who are bound by sin, habits, poverty, depression, memories, failure)...I will restore twice as much to you (as you have given up for Me)...I will make you like a warrior's sword (to penetrate barriers raised against My written and My living Word)...The Lord will appear over you; He will march in the storms, and the Lord Almighty will shield you...The Lord your God will save you...as the flock of His people.  You will sparkle like jewels in [His] crown.  How attractive and beautiful [you] will be! (words in italics were selected from Zechariah 9)

Can you hear His voice, too?  For those of you, like me, who are going through hard times.  Who are experiencing a rising degree of pressure.  Or to whom life is just unfair.  Who are living out a picture that you never would have dreamed would be yours because of its nightmarish qualities.  Would you also join me in praising God for His embrace?!  Because our hope does not rest in our ability to cling to Him, but in His power to hold onto us.  His everlasting arms are our shield...our hiding place!

 

These 51 ordinary women have done extraordinary things as a result of surrendering their lives to Jesus for service.  Each one has chaired a Just Give Me Jesus Revival or BreakAway.  It was one of the highlights of my ministry to gather with them in July at The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove to praise God for what He has done, be alert to what He is doing and to earnestly seek what He has yet for us to do.  Seated: Brenda Bateman (Revival Director), Ann Furrow (Knoxville), Leigh O'Dell (Revival Director), Jill Briscoe, Anne Graham Lotz, Fernando Ortega, Jean Wilson (England), Carole Inman (Revival Director).  Standing Row 1 (l-r): Pam MacRae (Chicago), Jamell Meeks (Chicago), Margaret McVeigh (England), Ginger Soud (Jacksonville), Nancy Perkins (Fargo), Patty Rhodes (Greenville), Varyn Gross (Waco), Judy Lauterbach (Des Moines), Valerie Vicknair (Seattle), Doris Gillet (Seattle), Marilyn Thomas (Kansas City), Vicki Watson (New Orleans), Lisa Wiley (New Orleans), Olga Mocan (Moldova), Naomi Cox (Fresno), Anita Neufeld (Paraguay), Barbara Widdoes (Cleveland), Sierry Tendero (Philippines), Beth Sanders (Philippines). Row 2 (l-r): Vicki Bentley (San Diego); Anne Christiansen (Norway), Sue Asp (Fargo), Deborah Harris (Charlotte), Marilyn Chambers (Charlotte), Linda Osterhout (Des Moines), Sherry Griggs (Des Moines), Colleen Nordlund (Seattle), Bethsaida Lamar (Puerto Rico), Shirley Barber (Fresno), Laura Caison (Raleigh), Sue McGee (Lexington), Cathie Ostapchuk (Canada), Dana Iverson (Fargo/Colorado Springs), Kirkie Morrissey (Colorado Springs), Lisa Lewis (Colorado Springs). Standing Top Row (l-r): Lucia Bergen (Paraguay), Cheryl Anderson (Tampa), Janet Denison (Dallas), Enny Kim (South Korea), Maria Gloria Duarte (Paraguay), Mary Selzer (Detroit), Alice Fant (Dallas), Donna Cobble (Knoxville), Mary Marchman (Raleigh), Mary Frances Bowley (Atlanta), Charlotte Pierce (Panama), Hilary Price (Canada), Trisha Emerson (Tampa), Tina Chu (Panama)

I can testify with the Psalmist, Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage... knowing this life is not all there is as I keep my focus on the eternal things that are unseen.  As I pass through the Valley of Baca (Valley of Weeping),  [I] make it a place of springs...allowing the Living Water of the Holy Spirit to increase my capacity to be filled with Himself as I yield to His will. [I] go from strength to strength. Just when I think my strength will run out, that I can't go another day, He pours into me all that I need, and I find that as my day is, so my strength is.

This personal word is not a lament, it is a praise!  And a message to those of you who are still wrestling with job loss, bankruptcy, health issues, divorce, death, demons, prodigals, violent weather, crime, and a host of pressures and stress that I would never be able to guess.  The message is this: God is on His throne!  He is in control!  You are in His grip! 

Recently I was reminded of 1 Samuel 2:7 in my devotional reading:  The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.  I thought of you when I read the following statement by Charles Hadley Spurgeon:  All my changes come from Him who never changes.  If I had grown rich, I should have seen His hand in it, and I should have praised Him; let me equally see His hand if I am made poor, and let me heartily praise Him.  When we go down in the world, it is of the Lord, and so we may take it patiently:  when we rise in the world, it is of the Lord, and we may accept it thankfully.  In any case, the Lord has done it, and it is well.  It seems that Jehovah's way is to lower those whom He means to raise, and to strip those whom He intends to clothe.  If it is His way, it is the wisest and best way.  If I am now enduring the bringing low I may well rejoice, because I see in it the preface to the lifting up.  The more we are humbled by grace, the more we shall be exalted in glory.

Isn't this the way of the Cradle...and the Cross...and then the Crown?  So during this holiday season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, would you join this AnGeL in praising the Lord for commanding the invisible hosts of Heaven to keep you and me in all our ways as we press forward into the New Year, and into the glory that lies beyond? 

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Anne's Newest Resources: Ideal for Christmas gifts or planning your study of God's Word for 2011

In this seven-session video-driven Bible study drawn from Genesis 12-22, Anne guides you through Abraham's example of how to embrace the God-filled life.  This study's 30-minute video format is especially designed for Sunday School hours, small group sessions and/or individual study.  The video's interactive, "town hall" format includes young and old, men and women - and is perfect for people at all stages of their spiritual journey.  DVD $20, Participant's Guide $9; Paperback book $10

Into the Word is a 52-week study guide that leads you straight to the heart of God's Word.  In a refreshing departure from other Bible studies, Anne doesn't explain what the passages of Scripture mean to her or offer support on what she feels God is trying to say through it.  Rather, she makes a modern-day reflection that is a relevant springboard into the various passages, and then asks dozens of questions, prompting you to personally dig into Scripture and discover God's specific message for yourself!  Perfect for your daily personal study or as the guide for your small group.  It's a gift for your friends, children's teachers and other would treasure the entire year.  $10

Ellie Claire, the premier publisher of inspirational journals, has created a beautiful volume based on Anne's book, The Magnificent Obsession.  The journal, Embracing God, has a simple, open design so you can record your personal reflections, or what our ministry team refers to as "scribbles" - brief insights that you want to remember.  Each chapter begins with an inspirational thought from Anne, and each page includes a quote from Anne, along with a corresponding Scripture verse to aid in your meditation.  For yourself or as a gift, we pray Embracing God helps you trace the hand of God in your life as you pursue Him in a relationship that one day He would acknowledge as a friendship.  $10