“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts God."
Colossians 3:16

Light for the Path
"God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."
2 Timothy 1:7

Power, Love and Discipline, these don't seem to go together. Yet, all three are needed in our lives, and all help the others to bring us along His Path.

As a Christian we want to have a powerful walk with Jesus and live a life of love for others. Love and power are things we want; but discipline, especially self-discipline, is something that our flesh does not desire. But, as I have said before, you need all three, they are a package deal, they come all together from our Lord and God.

It is discipline that keeps us going, even when the world is against us. It is the discipline to do what God has called us to do that shows the world God’s faithfulness. And it is through discipline that God can bring out His power in our lives. The power to accomplish the task He has given us, to finish the race.

So it is also with "Love." It takes discipline in our life to give to others when we want to do our "own thing." And as we put others first, though it may be hard, as we discipline our lives to think first of them, and ourselves last, then the character strength of "Love" is developed, and we are able to live out the alternative lifestyle, Christ's lifestyle.

They all are needed, and all: Power, Love and Discipline, are only acquired as we look to, and trust, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

• Position Announcement - Chief Judge, Mescalero Apache Tribal Court: T QUALIFICATIONS: Pursuant to Article XXVI, Section 4 of the Revised Constitution of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, the successful candidate for the position of Chief Judge must:
  A) Be an individual who possesses at least a one-quarter degree of Indian blood and is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe, nation, band or is an Eskimo, Aleut or other Alaska Native;
  B) Be not less than thirty-five (35) years of age, nor more than seventy (70) years of age;
  C) Never have been convicted of a felony, nor a misdemeanor within the past year; and
  D) Possess a high school education or its equivalent.
  For more details, click here.

• Cowlitz Tribe helps members get back on track: The Cowlitz Tribe of Washington is operating the first tribal vocational rehabilitation program to win accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. The tribe started the program four years ago with a $1.3 million, five-year federal grant. Of 230 clients, 142 have found jobs.

• More Indian students enter college in New Mexico: More and more Indian students are going to public universities and colleges in New Mexico, according to a report from the state Higher Education Department. About 9.5 percent of the 130,388 students at public universities are Indian, the report said. American Indians make up 10.5 percent of the overall population.
  
  

Walking the New Path
(Lesson 4, Part 5)

Below is an excerpt of the Warriors for Christ discipleship course. Each newsletter we add a new section. Visit our first newsletters on the homepage or email us if you want previous lessons.

7. GIVER OF THE WORD: One of the most important roles of the Holy Spirit was to give revelation to men to write God’s Word; in the Old and New Testament. Now the Holy Spirit inspires us - gives us understanding of His Word. The Holy Spirit inspired and gave God’s truth to those who wrote the Bible – His Word.

Examples:

Joshua - Numbers 27:18
David - 1 Chronicles 28:11,12
Elizabeth - Luke 1:41

2 Timonthy 3:16 - "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correting and training in righteousness."

John 14:26 - "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

8. FILLS US: The Holy Spirit can fill us so we walk in His Spirit. Our lives reflect Christ living in us. The Holy Spirit comes into our lives when we are saved. As we choose to be directed by God’s Spirit now living within us, our lives become "filled" with the Holy Spirit. Thus a mature Christian/a Spiritual Elder is filled with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 4:31 - “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
 
Romas 8:9-10 - “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.”

NOTE: Some Indian nations would set ground fires in pine forests, both to prepare the ground and to open pine cones so that the new seed would drop and be planted. This would produce first a small seedling, which would grow into a full-grown mature pine tree. This is what the Holy Spirit does in our lives after we become Christians. He starts by planting God’s Spirit in us and through the living water of His Word He cleansed our heart. The fruits of the Spirit - love, joy; peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control grow as we mature. As these seeds (qualities) start growing in our hearts, we start becoming more like Jesus (a new creation).

Galatians 5:22-25 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

To be filled with the Holy Spirit does not mean you are getting more Holy Spirit, but that you have decided to allow Father-Creator’s Spirit to help you live a powerful, fulfilled righteous life.

Why is the Holy Spirit such a great gift to you from Father-Creator?

• "Please pray for my grandfather. He has a seriously disdended colon and is very ill. The doctor says they will try to relieve the pressure with a colostomy and if that doesn't work they will have to remove part of his colon. He is 78 years old and a tough old guy, but at his age this is a dangerous procedure. Please pray that they can relieve the pressure on his colon so a more invasive procedure will not be necessary." - Bo,Chiricahua Apache
• "Greetings in the name of Jesus, I would like prayer for a young mother of 3 who battled breast cancer for 3 years then balttled lymphoma cancer for 2 years now is battling breast cancer that went into her liver, please pray that God moves and heals and guide us in the right medicine to help her. " - Pat, Cherokee
• I have been praying and begging the lord to set me free of my broken heart,and broken life for a year,nothing has happened.My ex- i left a year ago,i found out he was a male prostitute the five years i was with him,i cant seem to get over the betrayal,and he keeps trying to get back with me,while he is still doing such evil things. Depression and hopelessness is setting in.I also live on a reservation full of evil people,its hard to be here.I have found becoming a Christian,has made my life harder here and i have lost allot of friends and family over it.The last three weeks i have been just sitting at home,depressed, crying, and doing nothing.please help." - Tanya, Flathead