It’s Time to Arise!
When I began my role in the position as president of PWOC International, I sensed the Lord was getting ready to do something huge through this ministry. We were moving from the theme Unity to Let the World Know into Prepare for the Bridegroom. I wondered what the Lord was after, so I asked Him, “Are you preparing to return soon for Your bride?” I was filled with questions. And I sought Him for answers.
I found that my search for answers led to an intense search for Him. I discovered deeper and deeper intimacy with Him. And now I would do nothing to compromise this place of closeness. I’d rather shrivel away than retreat from intimate fellowship with Him. My prayer went from “what are You after, Lord,” to a plea for the PWOC body to experience this type of intimate relationship as they prepared for Him.
Last year, our focus was At the Redeemer’s Feet. This theme year led to an even greater experience of His Spirit in my life. His refining work went deep as I prayed for His presence. And my heart’s desire was that the women of PWOC would go there as well.
Now, in this theme year we are being asked to Arise, for the Lord Extends His Scepter. Within this theme, there is a little nugget reference to the gold of Ophir. This gold was of great value in its day. You too are of great value to the Lord. No matter what path you have gone down, the Lord continues to value you, His beloved.
Precious gold that’s of great value goes through a rigorous refining process. Impurities are removed, so that it may shine brightly. The Lord can refine us as well, so that our impurities are removed. Totally yielding to the Lord’s refiner’s fire isn’t always a fun process, but it is worth submitting to the Holy Spirit’s fire, which will consume anything that is not of Him. Why? So we can walk in the fruit of His Spirit, not the fruit of our flesh. It is the fruit of the Spirit that draws people to Him. The fruit of the flesh repels.
This year’s theme and its related Scripture references are prophetic in nature and speak to what He is after in our ministry and our lives. Corporately and individually, we can arise into the fullness of our destiny purposes, but this only happens as we submit to His further refining process. This is a challenging theme year; however, I believe we will find more and more nuggets of His revealed truth as we seek Him together throughout this year. He will reveal His plan for us as we walk in obedience to Him.
I believe it will be equally important to study the character of God, which is so beautifully portrayed throughout Scripture. When I was beginning my walk with the Lord, I was challenged to take a notebook and write down every characteristic and associated Scripture reference of God that I found in my Bible reading. As I did this, I found my faith in Him arising.
In these challenging days, it will be increasingly important to really know the God you serve and know His Word. The world says one thing about our God, but He says another. He is faithful, just, righteous, loving and all-powerful to name a few of His amazing attributes. By understanding His vast character as best we can, we will be able to stand when storms come our way.
But there is another benefit to understanding His character. We will understand one another and the uniqueness of our backgrounds. The facets of a diamond represent the unique aspects of our backgrounds. It’s when we come together that we can arise and shine brightly with the love of the Lord. It is simply a beautiful and amazing truth!
Lastly, as we walk out this year together, please remember to extend grace and love to one another. We are experiencing some new things within this ministry, for example a new women’s ministry manual, new leadership positions, etc. This season is about adjusting into God’s ordained plan for us as an international ministry. It is important to make these adjustments now, so that we can meet the future needs of those who do not know about the Lord and haven’t heard about PWOC.
As we go forward, I believe we are going to see a huge move of the Lord in the military. We are increasingly weary and in need of God. We need to prepare in ways that may be different than how we’ve done things in the past. We honor the move of God in past years of our ministry but we must continually prepare for the new thing He is doing. He is always doing a new thing. And that requires that we adjust so we will be positioned to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.
It is exciting to watch His plan unfold. Please pray for the PWOC International Board as we continue to listen to God for guidance. And as you pray for us, my prayer for you is that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. That you will love your neighbor as yourself and that you will love His Word. I also pray that you will know (and receive) the depths of love the Lord has for you—a love that knows no bounds. I look forward to seeing you this fall as I attend some of our regional conferences. I want to put your faces with the prayers I pray for you.
Arising for the Cause of Christ,
Brenda Marlin
President, PWOC International
Attention Local Leadership Selection Teams!
