Kill Them! By Karen Wingate

Mincaye lived his life by simple rules. If someone does something you don't like—something that you can't ignore—kill him. 

While you’re at it, kill as many of his family as you can before they retaliate and kill you. His was a culture of death. His society, the Wodani Indians of Ecuador, were slowly killing themselves into extinction.

When five missionaries landed their Piper airplane on a sandbar near the Amazon river, Mincaye was filled with hate. He and his fellow tribesmen speared the five missionaries to death.

When Rachel Saint, sister of one martyred missionary and Elisabeth Elliot, the wife of another returned to tell Mincaye’s tribe about the Love of God, he threatened to kill them. Then one night, Mincaye sat beside Rachel Saint's hammock and asked her if her God was strong enough to clean anyone's heart.

He walked away, a changed man!

God is in the business of transformation.

Whether you are looking for a complete life overhaul or some fine-tuning of an entrenched behavior, the Bible gives us four prayers we can pray:

1. Search me. We cannot change unless we know what needs to be changed. The first step in praying for spiritual growth is to ask God to show us how our life needs to change. (Psalm 139:23,24)

2. Change my heart. We're all guilty of "stinkin thinkin,” skewed perceptions and misguided worldviews. As we face who we are in light of who God is, we realize just how far from God we are. We cling to what we've been taught, the way we were raised. God can soften our hearts and change our attitudes - if we just ask (Psalm 51:10).

3. Teach me Your ways. This prayer admits we don’t know all the answers and we are willing to learn to live life God’s way instead of our own way. God is able to show us not just what we need to change but how to go about doing it (Psalm 25:5,143:8).

4. Use me. Guilt over sin is often accompanied by discouragement and feelings of unworthiness. In his prayer of repentance in Psalm 51, David asked God to restore to him the joy of his salvation . . . "Then I will teach transgressors Your ways (Psalm 51:12)." God's kingdom is made up of broken people. He shines through the cracks of our lives so others will see His glorious transformational power.

Surrender - that’s the common thread behind each of these tough prayers. Change will happen when I allow God to take control and reshape me as He sees fit, then to use me in His Kingdom according to His perfect plan. Only then will I experience the thrill of God's brand of transformation.

"Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the Living God; fall fresh on me."

Karen Wingate is a frelance writer and minister's wife from western Illinois. She writes a weekly Children's Ministry blog called Inside the Classroom, Reflections as a parent, teacher, and curriculum writer; and what the children, in turn, have taught me.

Click any of the Scripture verses in parenthesis to read them online. 



TO RECEIVE WOW DEVOTIONS IN YOUR EMAIL BOX EACH SUNDAY, SUBSCRIBE BELOW:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner