WEDNESDAY'S WORD - BRAVE - 11/27/19 - Sadell Bradley

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. - Nelson Mandela To be BRAVE means to be ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage - which is the ability to do something that frightens one, or strength in the face of pain or grief. The other day I was feeling anxious about all of the new things that are occurring in my life. I wondered if I had the strength, the ingenuity, the energy to do them. I speculated as to whether I was still useful. As I continued to prayer-journal, the LORD revealed that part of what I was experiencing was a fear of failure. At this stage of life there's something in me that wants to be done with new things and just rest on whatever few laurels I might have. The idea of another new venture has much less shine and appeal than it did when I was younger, but Dolly Parton once said, "You'll never do a lot unless you're brave enough to try," and she's still doing LOTS at age 73!     It's interesting the number of times that God tells Joshua not to be afraid but to 'be strong and courageous' in taking over leadership of Israel from Moses, and then in possessing the promised land. (Deut. 31:6;31:7; 31:23; Joshua 1:6, 1:7: 1:9, 1:18; 10:25) God told him to be brave multiple times in the same chapter TWICE in his lifetime. He said it prophetically in his preparatory phase, and decades later when the work was being actualized.     Aesop said, "It is easy to be brave from a safe distance." To attempt to do things that few are willing to try takes faith, boldness, and courage. To look in the face of what is and have the audacity to dream and act on what could be, requires strength and valor. It's the metal of trailblazers, forerunners and pioneers - the ones who cut through deadly terrain and jungles to make a path for others to follow. Bravery is having the guts to face down and say NO to your internal cowardice and the willingness to 'suck at something new' or even possibly SUCCEED at something new!  Be brave! you have nothing to lose... but that fear.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SERAPHIM - 11/13/19 - Sadell Bradley

   

"In prayer, we stand where angels bow with veiled faces. There, even there, the cherubim and seraphim adore before that selfsame throne to which our prayers ascend. And shall we come there with stunted requests and narrow, contracted faith?" - Charles Spurgeon

SERAPHIM are angelic beings regarded in traditional Christian angelology (the study of angels) as belonging to their highest rank, associated with light, ardor, and purity. Angels are spiritual beings who act as attendants, agents, or messengers of God.AAA

 The word seraph means 'the burning ones" or "serpents." Seraphs as fiery serpents are referenced in Numbers 21:6-9, the plague sent on Israel after they had spoken against Moses and the LORD. Moses had to lift up a bronze serpent for them to look on, be healed, and live. This foreshadowed the salvation  found through Jesus Christ on the cross. "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:14)  Seraphim are described as six-winged creatures. The only use of the actual word is in Isaiah 6, as the prophet receives His calling:

1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  3And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" 4And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 

5So I said,  "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts." 

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.  7And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged."  8Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for US?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." 

Seraphim display for us the posture of worship. They cover their faces with the first set of wings as a sign of reverence. The Holiness of God is so radiant that no one can look on His face and live. They cry out Holy! in homage to the LORD. The seraphim cover their feet with the second set of wings to demonstrate their humility and the awareness of their limitations and unworthiness before Him. The third set of wings represent service, as they fly in joyful obedience to the LORD's bidding as He calls for them to move swiftly into action. Then God uses the seraph as His instrument of atonement in Isaiah 6, to purge the iniquity of Isaiah before he is deployed. These postures of worship, humility, service, and redemption should be ours as well.  

   

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SWISS ARMY KNIFE - 11/6/19 Sadell Bradley

"Sleep is the Swiss army knife of health. When sleep is deficient, there is sickness and disease. And when sleep is abundant, there is vitality and health." - Matthew Walker - English Scientist     When asked the question, "What object most represents you?" My answer was a SWISS ARMY KNIFE - a penknife that incorporates several blades and other tools such as scissors and screwdrivers.  The knife was first produced in 1891 for military officers in Switzerland. It brings to mind versatility and problem-solving. The knife can be used in all kinds of circumstances and the phrase is a metaphor for usefulness and adaptability. I often find myself in odd situations that call for the use of different aspects of my past experiences, personality, and gifts. In some instances, administration or strategic thought is required, in another teaching, and in still other musical gifts are the doorway. Some people engage me because I'm African-American, others because I'm a woman...etc. You get the gist.   It is my hope that God will use all that I am for His purpose. That desire puts me in some strange situations both in the church and out in the 'real world.' I'm often in awe of the rooms in which I find myself and the people whom the LORD has me encounter. Effective Christ-following requires a great deal of pliability - the ability to bend when necessary. Our lives our not our own, Paul says, we've been bought with a price. Therefore we are to glorify God in our body and in our spirit, because they belong to Him. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)   Paul should know because God used every part of who he for His service: his training as a Pharisee, his intellectual prowess, his zeal and boldness, the grace on his life to endure, his writing ability, his apostolic gifts and even his Roman citizenship were all called upon by the LORD for His sundry purposes. It was this Apostle who said:     "19Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), to win those under the law. 21To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings." (1 Cor. 9:19-22)        Sometimes God is looking for Swiss Army Knives.