According to the Oxford dictionary, “trepidation” means a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen.
Romans 1:8 (NKJV) — “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”
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Early this morning, as I was having my quiet time before the sun rose, I got a message from one of my intercessors with that beautiful Bethel Music song No longer a slave to fear. At the same time I was reading 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) where the Lord says to Timothy through His Apostle Paul “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Straightaway my spirit man went back to that momentous day in Bloemfontein where over a million people came together to pray for South Africa. That meeting was organised in six weeks.
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Now, I know how to organise a campaign — it can take sometimes up to a year. Billy Graham used to take sometimes even longer than that to organise a stadium event, but this was a meeting which God told me very clearly on my jog early one morning, two phrases: “It’s Time” and then “One million people”. Well, I nearly fell over in the road, but by the grace of God and only His grace, I pursued that instruction and the rest is history as they say.
I want to remind you today that God has not given you and me a spirit of fear and we need to understand that. We need to encourage each other especially during this lockdown time when many of us are losing heart and many are going into a state of depression and fearfulness.
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It is a good thing, sometimes, to look back and to count your blessings. Remember that day? It was the most amazing day; something like 450 000 motor cars parked at one time, the airports were closed because of the influx of aeroplanes, they couldn’t take any more. The helicopters were flying backwards and forwards in the sky like bumblebees.
It was the most amazing experience I think I have ever had, not to mention there were two more “It’s Time” meetings after that, but we didn’t know that at that time.
I remember standing on that platform when we sang that song No longer a slave to fear and looking out to almost 2km of people in front of banks of speakers and huge screens and then the whirlwind that came up out of nowhere and took people’s blankets and chairs up into the sky.
What a day that was! What happened afterwards? A change in government, the rand currency strengthened, one of the finest crops of maize (in a potential drought season) that the country had ever had, singing hymns and reading Scripture in Parliament and we can go on and on. Many, many healings taking place, both spiritual and physical.
What a wonderful, wonderful experience, but I need to say to you that in the lead up to that meeting, we had no budget, we had no money, we were charging no tickets and we asked for no money. We had to walk a road of much trepidation, not knowing what was going to happen. Just walking by blind faith and definitely not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7, NKJV). We need to remember that He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8, NKJV).
May God continue to bless you as you look forward to what we are going to see when the lockdown is lifted. There is definitely a steam train that will be leaving from Cape Town station, heading for Messina, called The Revival Train. And we are also believing for another national prayer meeting taking place in the Bloemfontein area. But until then, remember, God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind.
God bless you
Angus and Jill Buchan
We serve a great God! May He continue to call our people back to Himself. Thanks, Angus, for your story behind he story.