THE CHANGINGSEASONSREMIND ME OFMY WALK WITHJESUS CHRIST.

There are seasons in our lives, if we are pressing on to know Jesus Christ, when things willnot always be the same. Thepast three and a half years havebeen times of intense breakingin my life. I’ve never felt asbroken as I have during thistime.I’ve witnessed God’s hand of blessing on the ministry and mypersonal life and I've also seenHim at work in my family. Theministry continues to grow andthe Lord Jesus keeps openingmore doors, and increasing ourrealm of influence. But, at thesame time, I’ve never felt somuch opposition. I know that,just as God wants to work through His people to touch thelives of others and bring the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ,the enemy also wants to use people to destroy the work of God. Unfortunately, sometimes those who are most used bythe enemy are those who call themselves the servants of God.During this time of intense opposition and persecution, I’vefound solace in reading about the life of David and thePsalms he wrote. He was a humble young man who loved theLord God with all of his heart and would worship God forhours. He had a testimony of how God delivered him fromthe mouth of the lion and the bear. He was a lowly shepherdboy, overlooked by his family while he obediently tended tothe sheep entrusted to him.He was immediately thrust into the furnace of affliction afterbeing anointed as king by Samuel the Prophet. King Saul wasjealous of David because he had a heart after God, so Saultried numerous times to kill him, although David refused toraise his hand against God’s anointed. I can’t begin to

colors,piles of leaves in yards,and the cooler morning temperatures in autumn are all part of the changing of seasons which I enjoy.I’m thankful for where I live.

DEAR FRIENDS,AUTUMN AND SPRING ARE MYFAVORITE TIMES OF THE YEAR.THELEAVES ON THE TREES CHANGING

imagine what this humble man of God experienced as the highestleader in the country was slanderinghim and seeking to kill him.

I HAVE BEEN ABLETO RELATE TO HISMANY EMOTIONSAND INTENSETIMES OFQUESTIONINGWHILEACCUSATIONSAGAINST HIMCAME FROMEVERY SIDE.

There wasa time when I felt like a miserablefailure as accusations were hurled atme by those I trusted most. Hurtfulthings came out of the mouths of the very people I thought were likefamily. Even words and actions of hate have been directed at me. But the LORD sustained mewith Psalm 109, “Do not keep silent, O God of my praise!For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitfulhave opened against me; they have spoken against me with alying tongue. They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause. In return formy love they are my accusers, but I give myself to prayer.Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for mylove. Psalm 109:1-5 Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecuteyou, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for Mysake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is yourreward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets whowere before you.” Matt 5:11-12I’ve experienced much opposition through the last 28 yearsbecause of my faith in Jesus Christ and 25 years of missionswork. It’s difficult when the people who should be prayingfor you and standing with you are the very ones who want tosee you brought down and the ministry destroyed. Theydidn’t teach me about this in Bible School, but God issustaining me in the midst of all the opposition. He alone ismy refuge, my fortress, my High Tower, and I dwell under theshadow of the Most High. Jesus is my rock.Whether it was standing up for Jesus at the grocery storewhen I was in college, or while working at jobs, I was falselyaccused by those who rejected the Gospel. I experiencedopposition for my stand for Jesus while on the mission fieldin Northwest China. I understand some of what our brothersand sisters face around the world. But most of all, I get ataste of what Jesus Himself faced when He walked this earth.

MY HEART’S CRY,SINCE I WASSAVED 28 YEARS AGO,ECHOESWHAT PAUL WROTE INPHILIPPIANS 3:7-11

“But what thingswere gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yetindeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of theknowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have sufferedthe loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I maygain Christ and be found in Him, not having my ownrighteousness, which is from the law, but that which isthrough faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from Godby faith; that I may know Him and the power of Hisresurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, beingconformed to His death, if by any means, I may attain to theresurrection from the dead.”Fellowship of His sufferings means that I will experiencerejection, false accusations, misunderstandings and evenhatred at the hands of those He created. My responsibility isto cling to Jesus, keep my heart from bitterness andunforgiveness and know that He alone will sustain me. Theencouragement I have during this time is that, in the processof all these trials, God is making me more like Jesus, which iswhat matters most.