My Brother's Keeper

"Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" Genesis 4:9

To answer Cain's question, yes, we are our brother's keeper.  My Brother's Keeper Foundation was started by my sister, Denise Ward, in 2007, and has led her on a journey (several journeys actually) to Rwanda.  Over one million Rwandans were killed over a three month period in 1994.  This genocide is the worst in modern history.  So you can imagine the aftermath of such a horrific tragedy.

My sister's travels to Rwanda led her last year to a year long stint at the Akilah Institue For Women, where she taught hospitality and tourism to Rwandan women at the school.  I wanted to share the success story of one of her students, Vestine Ukwishaka, so you understand what happens when we become our brother's keeper.  Please see the link below for this amazing story.

http://www.akilahinstitute.org/my-winning-business-proposal/

Kendy

Where is Adam?

WHERE IS ADAM?

"God said, 'It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion.' So God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn't find a suitable companion.  God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man. 'Finally! Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh! Name her Woman for she was made from Man.”  Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh.  The two of them, the Man and his Wife, were naked, but they felt no shame." Genesis 2:18-25 (The Message)

Very often I hear my single, Christian sisters posing the question, "Where is my Boaz?"  Boaz is the kingsman redeemer that marries Ruth, who is a widow living in a foreign land with her mother-in-law.  I suppose Boaz was the first "prince charming" type.  He came in, saved the day and got the girl.  He was her provider and her protector.  

I have also asked the same question, and I think that when single, Christian women ask this question about "their Boaz", there may be some blame being placed on Boaz.  Subconsciously, we may attribute Boaz's absence to him not being in church or living the Christian life that he is supposed to be living. The thought may be that we are ladies in waiting while Boaz is getting his act together.

I think the more appropriate question to ask is, "Where is my Adam?"  In the scripture above God recognizes that Adam is lonely before Adam realizes that he is lonely, and God declares that it is not good for him to be alone.  God puts Adam into a deep sleep, and takes a rib from his side.  God uses that rib to create woman.  While Adam is sleeping God is working on the woman. When God is finished creating the woman.  He presents her to Adam, which means that Adam is now awake, cognizant and aware of the woman, and recognizes immediately that she belongs to him. 

Where is your Adam?  God has put him into a deep sleep while He is working on you.  When God has completed the work He is doing in you, He will present you to the man, who will recognized immediately that you belong to him. How long Adam sleeps depends on how long God has to work on you, and how long God works on you depends on how much you allow Him to work on you.

Good is preparing you to be the helper that Adam needs.

Only a Boy Named David

I grew up in a Christian home and attended church services with my family VERY regularly. I also attended a Christian school. In both Sunday school and our daily class devotions at school the students could often be heard singing a song about a boy named David and his prowess against the giant, Goliath.



The lyrics are, "Only a boy named David. Only a little sling. Only a boy named but he could pray and sing. Only a boy named David. Only a rippling brook. Only boy named David but five little stones he took. And one little stone went into the sling and the sling went round and round. And one little stone went up in the air and the giant came tumbling down".



As children singing that song, we probably never thought about what stood between David and the Giant. As I was in Bible study yesterday, I was led to study about David. I Samuel 17:3 says, "The Philistines controlled one hill while the Israelites controlled another. The valley was between them."



Like David, to move from one mountain top to another mountain top, we must go through the valley. In the valley there will be giants like Goliath. Do not be afraid because the valley is inhabited by giants. You must go through the valley because the valley is where you battle and where you win!



The song suggests that David was only equipped with a sling and five stones, but scripture shows us that he was equipped with much more. I Samuel 16:13 says, "...From that day on, the Lord's Spirit worked in David." God's anointing was with David and so he boldly faced Goliath. David selected five stones, but he only used one. Five in the Bible is symbolic of God's grace. As David faced Goliath, he was equipped with God's anointing and God's grace.



As you go through the valley know that as long as you are equipped with God's anointing and God's grace the giant will come tumbling down.



Kendy

Daughters of Zion

This morning I was looking for some Bible study notes I am doing on King Saul, and stumbled across this Word from last year.  Thought I would share it.  

March 10, 2012

Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart. (Song of Solomon 3:11)

I am the Lord.  I change not.  My promises are yea and amen, and I will do what I said that I would do.  Daughters of Zion it is time to come out of hiding and possess the throne room.  It is time to take your rightly places alongside King Adam to be his right hand, his assistant, his help meet.  Adam does not slumber nor does he sleep.  He waits for the rightly appointed time to take his queen and the appointed time is now.  It is the season of manifestation. 

In this season there will arise any army of families who will fight for the restoration of families and the family structure and family morals.  Husbands will return to wives.  Wives will return to husbands.  Fathers will return to sons and sons will return to fathers.  It is a time of restoration and reformation of families.  Families of God will be the example.  Godly marriages will be the example.  Godly wives will be the example.  Godly husbands will be the example.  The world will envy and covet what the people of God have.  Your message to them will be “oh taste and see that the Lord is good”.  You will always give praise, honor and credit to God for blessing and ordaining your marriage and your family.

Holiness and purity will be your platform.  It is from that perspective you will speak to families, to husbands, to wives, to children about being that “perfect”, Godly prototype.  Daughters of Zion arise, go forth and possess your husbands in the throne room. 

In Genesis we see that God said that it was not good for Adam to be alone.  It was the first time in the creation story where He said that something was not good.  Everything else was good.  So He made Eve.  Adam was already made, ready and waiting for Eve.  After God finished making the woman He brought her to the man. So the woman came to the man.  Also in the book of Ruth, the heroine, Ruth, goes to Boaz.  Lastly, in the Book of Esther, again Esther approaches King Xerxes in the throne room. 

These men, all three of them, were ready and acted quickly once the woman came to them.  God brought Eve to Adam, and Adam immediately says this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.  Ruth goes to the threshing floor and lays at Boaz’s feet.  Boaz immediately agrees to be her kinsman redeemer and goes the next day to do what he promised he would do.  When Esther entered the throne room before she could even make her request to the king he told her that he would give her whatever she wanted. 

These men were ready and Daughters of Zion your Adam is also ready, but he is waiting on you to step out.  Not in the physical, but emotionally to step out by letting go of whatever is causing you to refuse to believe that Adam is ready.  If you need to forgive a man, forgive him.  If you need to forgive yourself, forgive yourself. Adam is ready, but it’s not like he is waiting on you.  He’s not even aware that you’re coming.  Adam, Boaz nor King Xerxes were aware that the women were coming to them, but she when arrived they were ready.  Likewise when you “arrive” he will recognize you and be ready.

Kendy Ward