Council Fire

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider things of old.” Isaiah 43:18 (KJV) “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Philippians 3:13b (KJV) I have a bad memory. I don’t mean that I forget things, I mean that I have almost total recall of events, people and conversations of my entire life. Most of the things I remember are not happy memories and I’d rather forget them. The average person has one quadrillion pieces of information in his or her brain. That would be written with the number 1 followed by 15 zeroes. That’s hard to believe when we go to the store and forget to buy milk, or we misplace our car keys, or we forget a friend’s birthday. We all have thousands of memories, some good, some happy and some bad. We can’t control having memories pop into our brains, uninvited and unwelcome. We do have some control over how long they stay there. We shouldn’t dwell on them and relive unhappy memories. We need to pray and ask the Lord to help us remember happier times instead. “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” Philippians 4:8 (KJV). “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV). Lord, don’t let my mind be cluttered with regrets or fear or sad thoughts. Let my mind be filled with joy and happy memories and peace. – Crying Wind Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14 (NKJV) I love the gritty, last-minute deliverance stories in the Bible. It makes me want to cheer when God wins another seemingly hopeless battle. But how about the time before the rescue, before the miracle? The Israelites faced a hopeless situation. They just got set free from the evil clutches of Egypt and headed towards their Promised Land. No more slavery. God’s presence in a cloud by day and a pillar of fi re by night to guide them. No worries, right? But wait . . . Those Egyptians. Coming fast and furious. Lots of them. Horses and chariots, too! No time to outrun them. The Red Sea straight ahead! The Israelites were trapped and desperate. Now, hold up a minute. You probably know what’s about to happen. But picture for a moment being there in that time before the rescue. The people were so afraid, they thought they’d die there. But Moses stood up and declared, “Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!” (Exodus 14:13). But Moses, we’re trapped! “The Lord will fight for you,” he continued. Moses, the enemy is too strong! “. . . and you shall hold your peace.” Peace? In the middle of this? Then the Lord told Moses to lift his rod out over the sea, and the waters parted. The people walked across on dry land, but the Egyptians who followed didn’t make it. God’s people were miraculously saved! This is an amazing story of deliverance, but the real miracle to me is when Moses spoke those words in faith before anything good came to be. He hadn’t seen it yet, but he trusted God to help and to deliver them. He expected God to fight for them. No question. When we are faced with trying circumstances, remember Moses’ declaration. Keep your faith and expect God to move. Hold on to your peace, friend, the Lord is fighting for you. – Kim (Hill) Elias Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV) I just love old guitars! A bunch of years back we were singing in a really remote fly-in community, and I couldn’t believe what I saw hanging on a friend’s back wall. It was a 1956 Gibson ES125—I was just wowed by this half-century-old guitar. I was even more speechless when my friend gifted it to me! Two weeks later, I was getting the old Gibson ready to go to work— new strings, new strap, new case—getting ready for that first gig! I remember my disappointment when I couldn’t get any good sound out of it. It wouldn’t stay in tune and the semi-ancient wood didn’t have that resonance I was expecting. I never even got it to sound average. Another guitar collector explained the problem to me. For 35 years the ES125 had hung on the wall . . . unplayed. To sound good, a guitar has to be played! The music gets into the wood. This awesome beauty had potential that was never realized. Many folks can identify with that guitar. They may be gifted; they may have tons of potential; they may look like the next Lebron or Gretzky; they may sound like the next John Fogarty, but they never do anything with what they’ve been given. They just sit on it. The potential is there, but they’re finding some excuse to just waste it. In Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, the Bible talks about how God entrusts us with spiritual gifts. These are what we’re given to serve our Creator with, and to become what He designed us to be. We choose what we do with what we’ve been given. We can honor Jesus with our gift or just waste it. That old guitar could have made beautiful music, but it never did. You too have giftedness and potential. What are you doing with it? – Kene Jackson Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” Luke 6:36 (NKJV) What’s the biggest mistake you have ever made? Sometimes we perceive our mistakes as bigger than they really are. That feeling when you think you have completely wrecked something is not a good place to be. Two times come to my mind. The first one happened when I was still learning how to drive. We were out on my dad’s trapline, hunting and trapping beaver. We had this huge Chevy Suburban that needed to be moved, and I volunteered to do it. I had it in reverse, and my dad was directing me back. In my excitement, I stepped too hard on the gas, and crashed right into a tree! I stayed in the driver’s seat, looking at my dad’s reaction in the mirror. He did not look happy, so I stayed there for a while before getting out and telling him I was sorry. My second memory has to do with watching my dad clean his shotgun barrel with a thin willow stick and cloth at the end of it. I decided to copy him and proceeded to clean the barrel of my .410 shotgun . . . until the stick got stuck in the barrel! I was pretty worried that my dad would not be happy with me. I agonized the whole day about how he would react. Later, upon inspecting my mess and hearing my explanation . . . he started laughing! It put me instantly at ease. It affirmed my dad’s love for me and made me think that my mistake was not as huge as I had thought. (By the way, my dad did forgive me for backing into the tree and allowed me to continue driving his vehicles.) As followers of Christ, we make mistakes in our journey here on earth. I am most thankful that our Heavenly Father is merciful and, when we repent, we are renewed in our relationship with Him. – Frank Ward Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.’” Matthew 18:3-4 (NLT) When I was in Grade One, I was so excited to tell my school friends about Jesus. Anyone I was able to talk to, I’d share about who Jesus was, and what He’d done for us on the cross. One day, one of my school friends said she wanted to ask Jesus into her life to forgive her sins. I quickly thought of some private place to go and pray with her. The only place I could think of was the girls’ bathroom! So there we were, kneeling beside a toilet, as I led her in prayer. When I got home that day, I couldn’t wait to tell my mom. As I recounted my story to her with tears in my eyes, I said, “Mommy, can I ask Jesus into my heart, too?” I guess I was a missionary before my time! I think back to how passionate I was about Jesus at such a young age. The simplicity of the Gospel is easy enough for a child to understand. So why do we complicate it as we grow older? The basis of what we believe is activating simple faith in Jesus. And yet, sometimes all the question marks can hold us back from the truth of God. Maintaining childlike awe and wonder—while growing and maturing spiritually in our walk with God—can be a unique task to balance. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:18, NIV). – Corrie Hill Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org