November 2017 - Susan Panzica

Encouragement for the Discouraged

Posted on November 29, 2017 by Susan Panzica

A simple tag on Facebook caught my attention. A friend from many years ago posted a picture. It wasn’t a photo of me, but of her Bible that she had rebound after falling apart from years of use. She tagged me because my name was written in the margin.

Years ago, I co-led a Bible study for young single women like myself at the time. They were sweet times as we were all growing together in the Lord. Though the emotions remain strong, many of the details of those days are dim or lost memories.

I tend to forget that God is eternal and sovereign. He’s omniscient and infinite. And He can use us in ways that may have an impact long after we’ve forgotten.

In dry times, I find myself in despair over my value and usefulness to God. I feel uninspired and unable to encourage others. And I think I’m the only one who feels that way.

But I’m not, am I?

We all feel that way sometimes. Sometimes for long times. Many of God’s most faithful servants in the Bible felt that way too.

After his great victory over the prophets of Baal, Elijah ran away in despair following a threat from Queen Jezebel.
Though deeply loved by her husband, Hannah wept over her barrenness so much so that the priest Eli thought she was drunk.
Despite being revered by his people, David cried out to the Lord so often while running for his life from Saul that the book of Psalms is the largest book in Scripture.

The enemy of our souls wants us to keep the dark times in the forefront of our minds rather than the fruitful blessed ones. But like Joseph who stored up during the 7 years of plenty to provide for the 7 years of drought, we need to cherish those fruitful times to sustain us for the dry seasons ahead.

Some thoughts for the dry season:

The Serenity Prayer says – God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference. We first must distinguish between those circumstances we can change from those we cannot, take action where we can, but begin to learn that the non-changeables in our lives are allowed by God for a reason and for our benefit.
Is your God bigger than your circumstances? Ruminate on His promises, both those fulfilled and yet-to-be fulfilled.
Forget AND remember. The prophet Isaiah tells us to do both:
- “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Is. 43:18-19
- “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” Isaiah 46:9

I find myself remembering things that have little value, hurtful things, foolish things, things that should be long forgotten. These are the things that Isaiah says to forget – “do not dwell in the past.” In Paul’s description of the race of life, these things are weights that drag us down and keep us from pressing on toward the goal. What we are to dwell on, to remember, is the One who redeemed us when we were unworthy, the One who sustained us when we couldn’t go on, the One who grants us peace beyond understanding, the One who loves us unconditionally – whether we feel it or not.

Beloved, I pray that these words encourage you today. How can I pray for you?

Rumble Strips – Yay or Nay?

Posted on November 15, 2017November 29, 2017 by Susan Panzica

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRM……

The rubber of my tire grazed the center yellow line, and the sound and vibration rocked me in my seat. Instantly we were back in the proper lane. Rumble strips have been appearing on roadways all over my county. These deep indentations in the yellow divider lines effectually warn drivers that they are veering into oncoming traffic.

“That’s a good warning for drivers who are texting or drowsy!” My husband and I agreed.

When we mentioned rumble strips to my sister-in-law, she said, “I HATE those things!!” To turn onto her street, it’s necessary for the car to run over the strip. Every time.

But when we explained how useful they can be for driving safety, she softened. She still would like the one by her street to be shortened, but she could see how helpful they could be in preventing accidents.

God has rumble strips too!

It’s called the Word of God. In it, He is clear on attitudes and activities that would lead us into harm’s way. When we stray over the line of His protection, we are vulnerable to injury or destruction.

God’s rumble strips include:

Discipline – When we have attitudes or behaviors that displease the Lord, it is because of His kindness and great love for us that He lets us reap the consequences of what we’ve sown and hopefully we’ll learn from the experience.

“God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Heb. 12: 10-11

Boundaries – We want what we want when we want it, don’t we? But what we want isn’t always good for us. So God places boundaries protecting us from ourselves. We may balk at these boundaries, but try to remember that they are for our protection. Boundaries serve to help us develop self-control and responsibility for our own lives. Adam and Eve had everything with one exception, and it was that one boundary that the enemy used to tempt them.

God’s grace “teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,” Titus 2:12

Christlikeness – Jesus set an example for us to follow when He allowed Himself to be subject to limitations. He was God incarnate, yet He “did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage… he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”(Phil 2:6-8) When we surrender our need to control to His will for our lives, we develop into His image. Our thoughts begin to conform to His and we become transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2).

“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,” 1 John 5:3

We may hate rumble strips, both physical and spiritual, but when we embrace their purpose, we partner with God and set a course for a safe and fruitful journey!

www.susanpanzica.com

The Multiplication Factor

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Susan Panzica

I’m an accidental abolitionist. At this point in my empty-nester life, I thought I’d be winding down from work and from ministry, but I find myself busier than ever. What began as a passing interest has multiplied into a ministry that has had a global reach.

I’m not quite sure how it happened or exactly when it started. More like snippets of awareness than a thunderbolt awakening. Then one day, in response to a friend’s facebook post on the slavery issue, I reached out. It was a small act that would quickly reap big consequences. I discovered that one little step in faith is the beginning of a journey where God provides the increase.

I contacted the friend who wrote the facebook post. The two of us met, and decided on a course of action – to show a movie about human trafficking. We both thought that that would be both the beginning and the end of it. But God had other plans.

In the days that followed, I casually mentioned my new endeavor to selected friends and family. With each discussion, my boldness and excitement grew because each person in one way or another said almost the same thing – “I was looking for a way to get involved in this, but didn’t know what to do.” Just like me!

In less than two months, our group grew from two to twenty-two! Within this diverse group, we had people of different ages and from all walks of life and occupations. I began to fancifully imagine what Noah must have felt like when the animals came to him without his having to seek them out, knock on their doors, persuade them of the importance of coming on board.

We gave our group a name –Justice Network, developed a website, a mission statement, and a plan of action. Not long after the movie, we created a social media campaign for the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking, using the NJ Super Bowl to raise awareness about human trafficking. This campaign, called the #HTChallenge, had a global reach of over 6 million, and it continues to grow. God took our offering and multiplied beyond anything we imagined. (Eph. 3:20)

2000 years ago, when a huge, hungry crowd waited to hear Jesus speak, He fed them all by taking a young boy’s lunch, giving thanks, and multiplying two fish and five loaves. I find it interesting that afterwards, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of broken leftovers, one basket for each disciple to hold in his hands – a physical manifestation of the great miracle of multiplication.

Just like the young boy who offered his fish and loaves, God will multiply that which is freely surrendered for the benefit of others.

To be honest, not all the original members of our group are still involved. Some went on to other pursuits, and we’ve had new people join. I tend to get discouraged when I see numbers dwindling or it seems that people aren’t actively engaged. And God reminds me that long before the animals miraculously came to him, Noah spent many years, tirelessly working, preparing for rain, obeying everything God commanded him. (Gen. 6:22)

I believe that God allowed our ministry to multiply as it did as a testimony of what He can do with what is surrendered to Him. And remembering what He has done encourages me to keep stepping forward in faith.

October marked our 4 year anniversary. We continue to meet monthly and have witnessed God repeatedly multiply what we offer Him. This month, we are hosting our annual Justice Rocks. For more information about human trafficking and what you can do in the fight against it, please visit our website www.justice-network.org.

PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR EVENT – JUSTICE ROCKS! THERE WILL BE A GREAT BAND UPSTAIRS AND 14 FAIR TRADE VENDORS DOWNSTAIRS, ALL WITH WONDERFUL ETHICALLY PRODUCED ITEMS. AND FREE BEN&JERRY’S ICE CREAM!!! WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?

FOR MORE INFO, CLICK HERE.