The Anchor: Holding On Through Trial to True Victory

Anchor

FOREWORD

BY CHÉ AHN

Integrating a worship lifestyle is a vital key to our daily walk with Christ. Our personal worship shifts the atmosphere, allowing our hearts access to the Presence of the Almighty. In the midst of our worship as our hearts are poured out on Him, the trustworthy Holy Spirit flows in joy and peace as we enter His throne room.

Akin to King David in the Bible, Ricardo White carries sounds and psalms of worship that share the genuine heart of God. In this remarkable book, he takes us on his personal journey through his heritage and life experiences in discovery of the living God and his passion to worship Him. Ricardo writes with an authenticity clearly grounded in a pure love and gratitude for how God has propelled him into his destiny.

As you read of personal accounts of adversities and divine directions, be encouraged to press ahead in perseverance with God always beside you. For in the breakthrough of difficult experiences, a fresh perspective will unlock inspired praise for those who endure.

Arising with clarity from every challenging encounter, every story Ricardo relays reveals unique aspects of the love of God that you can adopt in your life. Furthermore, I believe that every discovery of God in this book will inspire generations of worshipers to grow in intimacy with God while walking through the various trials He will use to strengthen our faith.

Let your faith be fortified as each testimony here speaks to your heart. I pray that you grow in intimacy with God as you are equipped and empowered to be a reinforced vessel for the Holy Spirit. Through these life testaments, I believe you will receive revelation to persevere and experience God’s supernatural touch on your life.

In His love,

CHÉ AHN

President & Founder | Harvest International Ministry International Chancellor | Wagner University Founder | HRock Church, Pasadena, CA

FOREWORD

DR. MARK J. CHIRONNA

David, the Sweet Psalmist of Israel, who eventually became king of the nation, wrote 76 of the 150 psalms in the Psalter, the very worship book of the ancient Israelites and all the faithful descendants of Abraham ever since, including the Church. Seventy-six out of 150 is one more than half of the psalms. In those 76 psalms, you get David’s raw, naked, earthy spirituality, uncut, untamed, unedited. That is why his works speak to our depths. David is real, transparent, genuine, authentic, and relatable. He is human! Some folks want to escape being human in order to be spiritual. How is that possible? That is the antithesis of spirituality God’s way. Spirituality is about becoming more and more human, becoming more and more the persons God has called us to be.

David learns to pray and praise from the very immediate context of his everyday experiences in life. He is affectionately called the Sweet Psalmist of Israel at the end of his life, as his very life is poured out in the psalms and becomes our liturgy to this day! There is a reason that Yahweh refers to him as a man after My own heart. David lives a life in passionate pursuit of intimacy with God, even with all of his flaws.

Prayer and praise for David are more than simply rote exercises. It is sacred rite and ritual that lead to renewal. His heart, imperfect and flawed, continues to run to and rush to the One who can handle his imperfections and perfect him in the process of worship that includes praise and prayer. Where does your worship and prayer begin for David (and for you and for me)? Right where you are he is at any given season in life. In fact, 13 of the 76 psalms of David come out of some of his darkest nights of the soul and his most stressful situations that were the result of that natural and spiritual turbulence that seemed to surround his journey.

Ironically, this man after God’s own heart actually lives out prophetically some of the very sufferings of Christ as a foreshadowing of Him who, from eternity to eternity, is in the very bosom, the very heart of the Father. Does David know he, the man after Yahweh’s own heart, is foreshadowing in his life experiences the sufferings of Messiah? There is no simple answer, yet we know through his wrestling with his own soul, his prophetic perception is sharpened so that his spiritual senses are attuned to conversations between the Father and the Son by the Spirit. The words of his prayer and praise make that evident. David’s own suffering and pain, freely brought unashamedly to speech, trusting Yahweh to sort it all out, give us radical hope. David’s cries and tears become ours, because he left us his story through his prayers, his worship, to aid us in bringing to speech the things that help us process where we are so that we can get to where God has promised we could be. David’s journey, revealed in his own words in the psalms, is brought to speech by Jesus Himself to His own Father, all the way to the cross and beyond! What David confidently brings to speech from the context of his experience is turned into radical hope by the blessed Holy Spirit not only for him but also for God’s people through the ages, and for Jesus, who tasted the full weight of the human condition in all of its alienation and sin.

Pain is the focus of much of David’s praise. Just read his psalms. Yet also realize that David’s soul is anchored in the Lord, and though the billows roll and the breakers dash on the seas of David’s life, his anchor still holds him fast.

Ricardo White is a current-day sweet psalmist in the body of Christ. He, like David, is well-trained and well-versed in all the dynamics of what we as musicians who studied in academia know as music theory, melodic and harmonic dictation, musicology, and music history, down through the ages. Raised in a godly family where 19 people learned what it is to walk together in love, Ricardo’s call to the ministry was shaped in the very context of his formation that began with his family.

One thing you will find out about Ricardo, he is transparent. What you see is what you get. It’s what makes him such a great psalmist and worship leader. His very essence is welcoming, inviting, and pastoral. He has a big heart. That heart, though, make no mistake, has been processed by life, through the changes and tests, stresses and turbulence that come from simply being a living and breathing human being in a world where good and evil are interlocked in a cosmic battle, that touches us all at the core of our being. Ricardo is real, touchable, approachable, and teachable. It’s the reason the Lord uses him in such an amazing way. The Anchor: Holding on through Trial to True Victory offers radical hope that will lead you into greater intimacy with the Father and the Son by the blessed Holy Spirit. The message you are about to read has been prepared not merely in his mind or his heart. This message has been prepared, like David’s message, in his life! God designed it that way so that it would reach your life. What you read will cause you to want to press in and pray and worship. Ricardo, like David, through his story, is bringing you to the foot of the cross, where in fact you find the throne of God’s grace!

DR. MARK J. CHIRONNA

Church On The Living Edge |

Mark Chironna Ministries Longwood, Florida

INTRODUCTION

Proverbs 13:12 (NIV) says, Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. The Bible in Basic English says, Hope deferred (delayed or prolonged) is a weariness (a vexation to the mind, an affliction to the soul, a sickness of heart); but when what is desired (that which is prayed for) comes to pass (the answer to prayer that comes—a longing fulfilled), it is a tree of life (a realized source of power, our Savior). No one wants their hope delayed. We want quick results and quick answers. When there is a delay in hope, we easily wander off into weaker emotions that shake our confidence. We wonder where God is. We wonder if He cares, or if anybody cares. This is a struggle many wrestle with, but God gives us grace each day to endure. He never forsakes His children. We are the apple of God’s eye (see Zechariah 2:8). He watches over us and examines our paths (see Proverbs 5:21). The Lord sees everything we do. Wherever we go, He is watching.

Isn’t it comforting to know that wherever we go, the Lord is always watching to protect us?

It’s always good to know the power source of any entity because we can always refer to the source if something goes wrong. Once we realize the source of power in our lives, it becomes much easier to live as a winner; and when we know we’ve already won, we don’t enter a battle fighting. We enter having already won the war! Jesus, our power source, does all the fighting for us but we get the trophy. How awesome is that? No one has to be a loser in this race. Everyone can be a winner! If God is a winner, then we are winners. When the Father wins, His children win also. It’s a package deal. We come out of the war without a scratch. We are more than conquerors.

When the power goes out in my home, I go to the breaker box. However, in the process of getting the power turned on, I am doing things in the dark. Doing things in the dark is not easy, but the challenge can bring great success. I’ve had dark days and dark seasons in my life. There were times when I thought I would not make it through the day or night. Those were the moments I believe God was closest to me, holding me and giving me the strength, hope and confidence to stand. I couldn’t feel Him or see Him but He was there to help me make it through.

Let’s make it personal: If you are born again, then you are born to win. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV), Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the Savior of His knowledge by us in every place. If you are living in defeat, then you are living beneath your privilege as a child of God. When you feel overwhelmed, it’s important to go to God in prayer and confess your inability and inadequacy.

It may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes you need weakness when you think you need strength. God gives us what we need. He accepts our weakness and gives us His strength. In the times you feel weakest, He may be working in a mighty way in you. In everything God does, He is preparing you for eternity in His Presence. Don’t let the times of weakness get you down.

In 2 Chronicles 20:12, Jehoshaphat says to God in prayer, We are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help (GNT).

I don’t have to have power in my own abilities. All I have to do is trust in God, who has all the power that I will ever need.

Philippians 4:13 (ESV) says, I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

How can we strengthen our faith in troubled times when we sometimes have a difficult time under normal conditions? Sometimes we feel a sense of being overwhelmed when things start coming at us from all directions. When pressures increase, we often find that our faith starts to waver. Is it possible to strengthen our faith in troubled times? Is it possible to have strong, unwavering faith? Yes, if we strengthen our faith by focusing on Jesus who has all power and authority. We can strengthen our faith in troubled times to the point where we have unwavering faith. We can also strengthen our faith by realizing that everything doesn’t have to be perfect in our life for Jesus to work with us. He can work around our faults, failures and weaknesses.

An old legend that tells of how on one occasion the devil put his tools up for sale. Each item was marked with a price. There was hatred, envy, jealousy, lying, pride and several other items. There was one item that was well worn yet marked at an extremely high price. A buyer pointed at the item and asked, What is the name of that tool? The devil answered, That is discouragement. The buyer asked, Why have you priced it so high? The devil replied, Because it is more useful to me than other tools. It is badly worn because I have used it so much.

I think we would all agree that discouragement is a well-used tool. If you have been a Christian for any period of time, then most likely there has been a time when you found yourself discouraged, despondent, weary, frustrated, wounded and broken. You were on the verge of giving up.

The story is told of Martin Luther, who was so depressed over a prolonged period that one day his wife came downstairs wearing all black. Martin Luther said, Who died? She said, God has. He said, God hasn’t died. She quickly responded, Well, live like it and act like it.

This is very simple and profound. We simply have to live like God has given us the victory in every situation.

In 2 Corinthians 4:16 (KJV) Paul says, For which cause we faint not… When Paul made that statement, he was not sitting on a beach in the Bahamas working on his tan. He was neck deep in persecution. There are things that will happen in our lives, but my prayer for you is to not lose heart when life seems unbearable. Don’t ever give up; keep believing God and stay in faith. I’m not saying this is easy; I’m saying this is the only way to victory. Many battles are won before we are even aware. Don’t live defeated when you are a winner.

The Bible is a book about many things, but one of the great themes running from cover to cover is that of men and women rising to challenges in life through faith in God, people who never gave up, people who stayed in faith, people who stood trusting when there was no way.

I believe that as you read this book, you will be strengthened in your faith and rise in every challenge as a victor. When the test comes, when the difficulty arises, when the obstacle looms in front of you, don’t shy away from the challenge. With God’s help, step into it. With God, you are the majority. With God, you win. With God, you overcome every test and every challenge. Second Chronicles 16:9 (KJV) tells us, For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

God is looking for people of faith and faithfulness so He can strengthen and use them for great things.

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FAMILY LOVE

Iam number 14 of 17 siblings: 11 sisters and 5 brothers. We grew up in the small steel town of Steelton, Pennsylvania. We lived in various areas in this town as our family was growing. Our first home was destroyed by a fire. God protected us through that time. One of the next two homes we lived in was infested with rats. In that home one of my sisters was bitten by a rat. God miraculously healed her. We moved out of that home immediately.

It was 1949 when my parents decided to move to the West Side of Steelton: 470 Main Street, next to the steel plant industry. The steel plant was where most of the Steeltonians worked after they graduated high school, college or returned from the military. It was located right alongside the great Susquehanna River. This river eventually wiped out the entire neighborhood of the West Side of Steelton in 1972. We had other floods but this one forced 2,000 residents, including my family and my church family, to move.

My father intentionally moved to Steelton from Virginia to work at the Steelton Steel Mill so he could provide for his family. I don’t remember many things that happened around me as a child. Some things I will never forget, some things I want to forget, but everything was a learning, molding and growing experience.

We did not have many material possessions, but our home was filled with God, love,