Journal entry by Loretta Beyer — Jan. 6, 2021

In both Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12, it states that God gives gifts to all men liberally, for the edification of the body, and then goes on to list examples of them, such as teaching, mercy, faith, healing, prophecy, and exhortation.

In Him, we are the body of Christ, and not everyone can be an eye, or a single ear, but we need diversity. Romans 11:29 says “those gifts are without revocation,” so we can either choose to bury ours or develop and use them to bless others.

A pastor once told me that, when we are operating in our spiritual gifts, it is an “aha” moment. God supernaturally enables us to flow in that anointing.

If you wonder what your gifts are, ask someone close to you, and they will be able to tell you. Years ago, my mom told me mine were mercy and exhortation. She was right. As I watch people reach out to us, I am delighted to see all the different spiritual gifts at work on our behalf.

We are all called to evangelize, but not all to be an evangelist. One area closely tied to this gift is the passion and calling of intercession.

When Daryl and I had an empty nest, I asked God what he would have me do with my extra time (by the way, I told Daryl that, if there had to be such a stage as empty nest, I was so thankful to share it with him!). God’s answer of attending two different weekly intercession groups absolutely floored and then, eventually, delighted me, becoming highlights of my week.

My parents were faithful prayer-list intercessors and, each day at family devotions, one of them would pray out loud for at least 20 minutes around the world and back again. Being basically shy, I thought I could never live up to that definition of prayer.

When I discovered the freedom of “popcorn” prayers and began to understand such spiritual truths as found in II Corinthians 10:4, where the Apostle Paul says “He has given us weapons that are mighty to tearing down strongholds,” and Psalm 18:24, “He trains our hands for battle,” or Ephesians 6:12, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers and rulers of darkness in this world,” and James 5:16, “the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much,” I began to follow my passion for this ministry.

Jesus himself intercedes constantly before his Father for us.

The church needs one mighty river flowing together to harness His power. That’s why I thrived with both prayer groups, one traditional and the other charismatic, learning so much from both. Over the years, I actively pursued learning how to pray scripture — reminding oneself of the promises of God is of powerful.

I love being able to pray anytime with anyone. What a blessing!

Why is that important? II Corinthians 11:14 states that Satan masquerades as an angel of light. In Zimbabwe, my parents had to deal with demon-possessed people. There was one lady with a “baboon spirit,” running around on all fours and speaking Shona. I remember watching a fire-walkers meeting where they would deliberately become demon-possessed, walk on fire, and come out not burned or even smelling of fire.

The demonic realm is active not only in Africa, but all over the world, even in America. I Peter 5:8 says “Satan walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” While we need to be aware of that, we need not fear because God’s word declares that “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world (I John 4:4).” And, in Matthew 16:17, Jesus promises that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against his church.”

Dear ones, I guess I never know what God puts on my heart to share with you. This is part of my personal journey from legalism to freedom in Christ. I pray God continues to draw each of you deeper and higher in Him, also.

My final thought for today comes from Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” I am being held tightly in the palm of His hand.

This column is published posthumously with permission from the family. Missionary kid Loretta Beyer grew up in Zimbabwe. After graduating college in the U.S. with a degree in music and psychology, she joined her parents in Alpena, because of terrorist warfare in her African home. Over the last 40 years, she has made Alpena her place of ministry.