“I Peter 5:5-8, NKJV: “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders.  Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Greetings Dear Friends in Christ,

As of July 1, we will mark our fifth year anniversary with Hand to the Plow Ministires.  Originally our goal was to have a music ministry to go into any church, regardless of denomination, to present the gospel of Jesus Christ and to encourage Christians to live holy lives, separated unto God for His honor and glory.  As most of you know, that burden and goal has remained, although the means to accomplish this has changed.  Music is still an important part of this work, and always will be, but after our first year, we reevaluated our direction, and saw that the preaching of the Word is God’s principal means for accomplishing His purpose.

Now as we begin our sixth year and reflect back, I am amazed how one thing stands out in my mind as I write to you.  That is that God’s people are hurting — they’re hurting badly.  As I have spoken to pastors in almost every church I’ve been in, they’ve shared how heavy the burden has become, and many have stated that it would be easier just to quit.  Those who are members of various local bodies have pulled me aside and shared their deepest hurts and fears.  I’ve seen the whole gamut of what sin can do in a life.  Teenage girls have shared with me about being abused by their fathers, wives have been ripped apart because their husbands have been unfaithful, husbands have tried to do the best they can for their families and feel that if they dropped dead nobody in this world would even care.  There are many more incidents that come to mind, but for brevity’s sake, I think you get the idea.  In your own case, search your heart, and you’ll probably find an area of hurt that will surface.  The answer to all this comes in I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

Faith is not a feeling, and oftentimes we feel that no one cares for us, and many times in our own minds that includes God.  The devil would have you and I to believe that the Saviour is indifferent to your feelings.  But Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,”  Matt. 11:28.  The Lord wants us to depend upon Him for everything in our lives, and when you’re hurting inside, that is of major concern to the Lord Jesus Christ.  You might not feel that He is concerned for you, but you must never allow yourself to be ruled by your feelings.  (That’s quite a statement for an emotional person such as I to make!)  The fact is that Jesus Christ says He cares for you and He wants you to go to Him.  Faith believes even though it might not feel.  Perhaps you’ve even tried to surrender your hurts to Jesus, and still your life is a mess.  The fault does not lie with God, but rather it lies with us.

Oftentimes we feel we have a right to continue hurting, but it is clear from God’s Word that He doesn’t want us to.  If we do continue harboring the hurt, it becomes a root of bitterness that will begin to destroy us and affect those around us.  Read again verse 8 of our text:  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”  The enemy of our souls has so many means of disrupting Christian’s lives.  Churches have been split apart over some of the dumbest issues, marriages are being broken because of what husband and wife say are irreconcilable differences.

We have a tendency to think we have the right to hold a grudge and that we’re justified in being offended.  Our highest example is Christ, and when the Lord of glory was hung on the cross, He forgave His accusers, those who lied against Him, those who railed against Him, and those who drove the nails into His hands and feet.  Jesus also taught us in what is called the Lord’s prayer in Matt. 6:12, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”  Then in verses 14 and 15:  “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”  Think about that!  It is a fearful warning!  We’ve heard these verses explained away sometimes, but Jesus said them, plainly and simply.

Now look at I Peter 5:5b, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  We who have been forgiven so much — how in the sight of God do we think we have the right to not forgive our offenders?  In vs. 6, God says we are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that He might exalt us in due time.  Our pride says, “Yes, but you don’t understand our situation.”  Our pride says, “Yes, but this is different!”

The Bible teaches that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, and if anyone in God’s green earth has a right to hold a grudge, that one would certainly be Him!  But I Peter 2:21-23 describes His reactions:  “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:  ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was guile found in His mouth’; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.”  (NKJV)

Your situation might not be easy, but the only way you will ever have true peace is by:

1. Having a humble heart
2. Separating Christ as Lord in your life, I Peter 3:15
3. Then, and only then, casting your every care upon Him, thereby experiencing the peace that goes beyond all understanding.

Ask the Lord to show you those areas that you’re holding onto, because they are going to hurt you and those around you, and grieve the Spirit of God.  Please don’t listen to the devil who’ll tell you that you have a right to not forgive.  I have found his lies to be personally destructive.  This message comes not from book knowledge, but from one who has experienced hurt and been tested repeatedly in this area.  May we learn what it means to truly love one another.  Will you begin to examine your own hearts, allowing Christ to cleanse you from anger, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness.  When you willingly harbor sin, even your physical body will suffer.  Our example here is David in Ps. 32:3-6 (NKJV):  “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;  my vitality was turned into the drought of summer.  I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden.  I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.  Selah.  For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found;  surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him.”

Won’t you now go to the Lord, and allow His Holy Spirit to turn His searchlight on your heart?  Please don’t listen to the “Yes, buts…” for listening will only serve the devil and his purposes, and prolong your misery.  Though this may be difficult, keep in mind that doing what is right is often very difficult.  But if you do what the Lord says, then you’re doing what is right and your conscience will be clear.  Go to the Lord, He loves you so much.  God bless you as you press on for His glory.

Concerning the ministry, we do have some specific prayer requests.

1. June 20-25 we will be continuing a work in Pottstown that began in November.  Please pray God would bless these efforts.
2. Please continue to pray for Stonybank Community Church as they are still seeking the Lord for revival.  Dear friends at Stonybank, keep praying, for it will surely come.
3. Pray for The Church of the New Covenant, that the work started would continue.  There are still some problems but God is working them out.  Praise the Lord!
4. Pray for Holliday Missionary Alliance Church.  There are a number who desire to see God work in a deeper way, but others who still don’t see the need.  Again, God is working here.  Pray for those who are complacent and satisfied.
5. Please pray for me personally as the material I just shared with you is not unfamiliar to me, and there are burdens that are difficult to carry sometimes.
6. Pray that God would continue to supply us all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

We praise God there have been opportunities to share the burden for revival in several churches, and we are laying ground work for future ministry.  For three weeks in June and July, we’ll be taking a much needed vacation (after four years) to see Bev’s folks in Texas.  We praise the Lord for this opportunity we are really looking forward to.  Our family is doing well.  Benjamin, our second son, just graduated from kindergarten, and Jesse is going into second grade.  We praise God for each one of our children, and I thank God for my wife, Bev, who is a wonderful helpmeet.

We thank those who have sent words of encouragement, and for your prayers and financial support.  You’ll never know how much they’re appreciated.  God bless you all.

Your Brother in Christ,

Jim Anderton