Lately, my world has been rocked by the verses in the gospel, found in Mathew 25:34-46. Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in.  I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

The righteous answered, “Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty? When were you a stranger, or sick and needed prayer, when were you in prison?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Mathew 25:40

God is calling for a heart of action.

One day, I was talking to Moses, one of our translators and we were discussing poverty. I felt my heart pounding in my chest and I knew I was ready to explode with passion, then all of the sudden these words came spilling from my mouth, “it is the duty of a righteous man to take an interest in the lives outside of his own. One righteous person can make a dent in poverty but imagine all the Christians in the world being truly Christ followers, then we will have a revolution and poverty will no longer exist.”

This is a powerful statement continues to rumble through my soul.

Six years ago, I received a prophetic word that has rocked my life to the core. God was and is calling me to a life that is marked by holiness, to pursue after the things that are right. When I see poverty, it should affect me. When I see corruption, it should anger me. When I see a lack of education because no one can afford it, I should do something about it!

This is the heart of God, to put His people in the front lines, not only in prayer but to be mouthpieces, spokesmen and women, preachers, teachers, lawyers, politicians who will be the change. Whatever your job may be, speak the truth! Speak what is right!

Where do you fit in? Maybe you are thinking, “ I cannot just get up and move away and be a missionary in a 3^rd world country. I have a family, a job, and responsibilities.”

God is not asking for a physical radical transformation. He is asking for a radical transformation of your heart.

So, will you see them?

             Will you love them? 

                        Will you do something?

She walked into the church late, wearing only a simple worn out dress that barley covered her knees. Her body looked shattered and her eyes were worn and weary. Her young son wore a long men’s shirt that was full of holes. She came to hear the word of God and wanted to meet the “white folk.”

She looked around the church wondering if there would be a seat for her. As she walked towards the front of the room, angry glares stared back at her as she approached the table and sitting there were the “white folk.” She didn’t care that there was someone speaking, she reached out her hand and touched the men and women of white skin. She was met with friendly smiles as she shook their hands. Immediately, some men in the church rebuked her harshly. They told her to sit down and take her son away. There was no empty seat in the church, so the lady in rags sat down on the dirty ground.

No one gave a second glance towards the woman and ignored her. Until one sweet older woman got off her bench and walked towards the woman on the floor. She took her by the hand and led her to her very own seat. She moved her shoes and bible away and moved to a different spot. The woman in rags responded with a grateful smile.

My questions to you;

when was the last time you gave up your best seat in the house for someone by worldly standards “doesn’t deserve it?”

When was the last time you gave your time away on Friday night to volunteer at a local outreach program?

When was the last time you took a second look at the homeless person you see everyday and instead of walking away buy him/her some food to eat?

When was the last time you gave not only your money to a charity but also your time?

What makes you think you are a Christian? Is it good enough for you to go to church on Sunday and sing your hymns of faith but nothing happens and your not changed?

Do you merely listen to the word but not let it affect you? (James1: 22-24) The bible says, the word gives freedom to those who seek it, obey it, and does not forget it! (James 1:25)

Church Lord doesn’t care about the number of seats that are filled in every Sunday.

               The Lord doesn’t care what type of worship style you use.

                       The Lord doesn’t care how much money you give.

                               The Lord doesn’t care about the several programs you have.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

-James 1:27

They will know us by our love.

                 Love=action

“A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”

-Ecclesiastes 3:4

I have been to a great number of funerals. There is something about funerals that is so heartbreaking and touching. To lose a life of one you love is always hard a friend, husband, wife, or child. The reality is that their souls are no longer here on the earth.

Citizen’s Of Hope was invited to go to a funeral in Uganda. At first I was thinking, “this is not right, we don’t know who died, and we will be just a bunch of white people on display.” I felt heavy in my spirit as I approach the funeral. I composed myself, took a deep breath and noticed my surroundings. Women, men and children everywhere, sitting on the ground near the lifeless body.

We were asked to sit down and introduce ourselves. I was the last person to speak and I felt words of comfort spill out of my mouth. I began to speak about Jesus when he went to Lazarus funeral. He wept for Lazarus before He displayed His power of raising Lazarus from the dead. This action shows the Father’s heart. Each life on earth is valuable to Him. He is a Lord of comfort and understanding.

While I was speaking, a woman and child came out of a bush and bitterly wept loudly. She went on her knees before the crowd and hit the ground and two men picked her up and dragged her away. In that moment I wondered where is the compassion for this woman? Doesn’t anyone notice? Does anyone care?

Our team said our condolences and began to walk away from the sea of faces towards our vehicle. Something within me said, “STOP” and I looked to my right and there was the woman and her child crying. Immediately, I went towards the woman and wrapped my arms around her.

At the same time Amanda felt the same motion but towards the child. I held the woman tightly as I began to pray in the Spirit over her. All of the sudden sweet, broken tears came pouring out of my eyes upon her shoulder and the two of us mourned the lost of her love one. Soon the woman’s troubled heart began to settle and she was able to hold her child again. I walked away from this woman, CHANGED.

I never have known the power of understanding and comforting someone. To truly mourn with those who are mourning. In that second I understood why Jesus took the time to indentify with the mourners at Lazarus funeral. He didn’t have to cry. He could have just performed the miracle. No, Jesus made sure the scripture in Isaiah was fulfilled,

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to  preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.”

-Isaiah 61:1-2

Jesus showed His power of understanding. Today He is asking will you, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Romans 12:15

It was just a moment but I felt the Father’s heart overlapping over my very own heart. This is not said for you to  “Look at me and see how holy I am.” It is said to challenge the body of Christ to ask for His heart. If you have the Father’s heart you would do the same. Your life must reflect and look like Christ. So wake up Church and be...

His hands and feet,

                            be the arms of love,

                                                         and comfort His little ones.

“Blessed are those you mourn, for they will be comforted.”

-Matthew 5:4

The sun was shinning bright and it penetrated my skin quickly. I walked past a big mango tree, as I made my way towards a red dirt path that led to a farming village. I came to preach the good news. I came to proclaim who Jesus Christ is.

I stopped at the first house and was drawn to an old woman sitting on the ground. I put my hand on her back as I began to share the gospel. The woman was grateful for the love but refused to hear about Christ. She put her own gospel together of bits and pieces she wanted to accept. She kept saying, us “Jesus is knocking at my door.”

I began to explain, “Jesus is wanting to come inside your heart. Now is the time to accept Him because you don’t know when you will die and it is better to know that you have eternal life and will be in paradise with Him, then to refuse Christ and be sent to hell.”

The woman laughed in my face and said, “no not today!” I left sadden but gained a new purpose because I want the world to know Jesus Christ and I will not be silent and I will not give up.

David, Moses (our translator) and I walked to our second house. We took a small path between two plots of land used for planting potatoes. As we arrived I noticed four mud huts and a man sitting in a chair underneath a tree and his wife and children hard at work. He offered his seat to me and looked at me and said, “Oh I see the devil sent you to me.” According to David my face went pale with complete shock. Immediately, Moses interfered and said, “No we are son’s and daughter of the living God and have come from Him to speak to you.”

The man laughed mockingly and continued to speak to us. He was able to speak English but I knew something was strange with him. The man kept slurring his words and sounded confused.

I began to speak the word of God to him and shared the gospel. I quoted, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.”

The man turned to me and said, “I don’t sin! I do not have sexual relations with any women accept my wife, I don’t lie, I am kind to my neighbor, I don’t cheat, I don’t do any of these things!”

Next, I heard the words come out of my mouth, “Yes, but do you drink and get drunk everyday?” He laughed and said, "but only a little.” This continued to go around circles. The man kept making accuses to why he drinks and would not repent and refused Christ.

I walked away feeling confused and thrown off. The Lord spoke softly to my heart,

“Kerry there are some who will refuse me. They are not rejecting you, they are rejecting me.”

Later, I was talking to Moses about this man. He told me this was a trick from the enemy to confuse and disorganize us so we could lose our focus. The only way to disarm the enemy was to declare who we are in Christ. This incident reminded me of when the Pharisees accused Jesus of being able to cast out demons because he himself had a demon in him, which was not the truth, found in Matthew 12:22-37.

I realized that Satan would do anything to disarm me, because through Christ I am powerful and through Christ I am able to do the impossible. The Holy Spirit is in me therefore I am an enemy to Satan. I am going to stand strong and rebuke the liar and I put him under my feet.  

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” -Romans 16:20

This incident has only fueled my passion for Christ even more.  I will declare then that,

"I will not be shaken!”

“Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage- with great patience and careful instruction. “

-2Timothy 4:2

I have never considered myself as a preacher or a teacher. I personally stay away from drawing a crowd. I would rather be behind the scenes. It is where I feel more comfortable. However, lately God has been pushing me out of my comfort zone and into the focus of all searching and hungry eyes.

For the last three months, the people of Africa have welcomed me into their arms and called me the following: sister, preacher, or prophet Kerry. I never wanted these titles. Even Paul addresses in the word of God in James 3:1, that those who teach are judged much more severely. This is a tough warning because everything you preach/teach must line up with the Word of God.

In Uganda, much of our ministry this month is to be a part of a group within the Anglican Church called FELLOWSHIP. We travel to many churches teaching the Word of God to the people of the community. This Saturday, we went to a church outside of Kumi and fellowship with the people there for most of the day. David and I both had the opportunity to speak.

The Lord led me to instruct the church to strive to have a heart marked by holiness. To be a generation that seeks the Lord with their whole hearts, to seek to live blameless lives before the Lord and before the eyes of men. In Philippians 2:14-15 it says, “Do everything without complaining or arguing. So that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.”

Before the service was finished, I was called up to the front again because one of the women in the assembly had a question on holiness.  Her question came from Leviticus 15:19 which says, “When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.”

I have never been asked a question like this before. Honestly, I did not know how to respond. I said a prayer to the Lord asking Him to impart some of His wisdom to me and I opened my mouth. I began to instruct the woman that they are now under the new covenant and that Christ has once and for all have made you clean.

The women began to cheer as I began to quote Galatians 3:26-28, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  “YOU ARE FREE,” I claimed over each of the women.  I went back to my seat shocked that I was able to speak with such conviction and clarity.  God was able to use my weakness for His glory. Praise be to the LORD!

Following the service was lunch. We, as a team, were waiting a while for our ride to come pick us up. All the women were still at the church eating their food under a tree. I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to go teach another lesson. I went over began to teach about who they are in Christ Jesus. Then many of the women shared testimonies and asked questions.

I am realizing more and more how deeply I appreciate ministering to women.  Therefore, as much as I dislike center stage, I will take the lead part in order to win souls for the Lord and to encourage the body of Christ.

Prayer begets faith, faith begets love, and love begets service of the poor.

-Mother Teresa

This month I have found my prayer closet. It involves an iPod with worship music playing in my ears and walking around the house praying to the Lord. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a prayer closet nonetheless. I have learned over the years that prayer is key to bringing heaven to earth. There was an urgency in my spirit to pray because of the things I have seen this month (as you read in previous blog entries) that took me on a journey with the Lord. I began to ask questions that I never had a reason to ask before. My heart was awakened to see the injustice that I have been longing to see but never dared to open my eyes to before. 

I see a nation in turmoil.  I see a nation that doesn’t understand the Father’s heart of love. Tanzania is a nation that has distorted the image of God, a nation where the women are made to feel as if they are worthless creatures. They are a corrupted people, who take justice into their own greedy hands. They are a people who cannot see grace abounding around them, or that God hears their cries and will answer them too. What Tanzania need is prayer, people who will intercede on the behalf of the nation.

What I also see is a lack of teaching about demons and the spirit realm. There is a need for people to truly understand their authority and know how to cast out demons. There is a need for a freedom ministry, to bring deliverance and healing for the nation of Tanzania. There is a desperate need for counseling services, to bring hope to the countless women battered by their husbands so they can know there is a way out.

My question to you is this,

Do you understand that every single person in this world matters to God?          

                         That Christ’s love requires us to do something?

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

-2 Corinthians 5:14-15, emphasis added 

In the words of Mother Teresa, “Love has no meaning if it isn’t shared. Love has to be put into action. You have to love without expectation, do something for love itself, not for what you may receive. Love in action is what gives us grace. We have been created for greater things…to love and to be loved. Love is love-to love a person without conditions, without any expectations. Small things, done in great love, bring joy and peace. To love, it is necessary to give. To give, it is necessary to be free from selfishness.”

Will you be a part of the unstoppable force that will break the silence of the enemy over this nation and over the world? Actions speak louder then words.