2009 - Peace in the Midst of the Storm

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Created on May 01, 2009

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Dear Ones,

What an exciting time to be a believer in the God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Eph 3:20). What an opportune time to bring a radiant testimony of the God we serve! He is teaching us what it means to live heaven-to-earth. He is forming something new in us.

The things that are taking place today are bringing us into significant alignment with heaven. Get excited! Worship more. Celebrate His goodness because every test and trial you experience is designed to show the superior power of Almighty God over an enemy that has been defeated. You are testimony to that!

My Testimony… Peace In The Midst Of the Storm

Just this past November I heard the Lord speak so clearly to me saying, “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe!” At the time I heard Him encouraging me to believe, I was considering the economic crisis the world is facing. I was thinking of the things we read and hear daily on the news so it made sense to me. “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe!” Little did I know the journey awaiting me or how my faith would be tested. Believe indeed!

Shortly after being encouraged by the Lord to believe, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I went to the doctor thinking, “It’s nothing.”  And the doctor said, “It’s nothing.”  But then they did a biopsy, and it came back positive.

From the moment I heard the diagnosis of earth, a peace enveloped me. I was not afraid. I wasn’t trying to not be afraid. I wasn’t trying to be strong. I merely chose what I was going to believe. God’s word to me had been, “Let not your heart be troubled. (Don’t be troubled by what you hear. Don’t be troubled by the biopsy.) Believe.” We’re either going to live by the truth of heaven or by what earth declares over us.

I believe God above everything. I said to my daughter, Lisa, “I’m not in denial, but this disease has no place in me. It’s out of place in my body.” I had a choice.  Where was I going to live? What was I going to believe? My life is in Him. I’m seated with Him in heavenly places. We’re not in denial. We are walking in truth and light. We are believers. It is our nature.

Each of you reading this letter could tell a story of stress or difficulty you have experienced. It’s the way of life. But God is calling out a people for Himself -- a people who will bring a radiant idea of who He is into the earth.

In Graham Cooke’s book, Qualities of a Spiritual Warrior, he states:

Every situation has been designed for us to discover God’s Presence and find appropriate access, using our circumstances. Confidence in His nature is our entry point…. The weapons of a warrior are essentially peaceful, untroubled and calm…. We overthrow by being overwhelmed (with the goodness of God.)
(Used by permission, Graham Cooke, © 2007, www.brilliantbookhouse.com.)

I have been overwhelmed, personally, with the goodness of God. I am here to bring a radiant testimony of the God I serve. He spoke to me through Psalm 33:

The Lord looks after those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His love. He saves them from death and spares their lives in times of hunger. (New Century Version)

At the direction of the Lord, I kept my situation contained to a few intercessors who prayed militant prayers on my behalf. We have worshipped more than we have prayed for health. We have celebrated His goodness throughout the process. We have come through on the side of victory.

After two surgeries, I have come through with a clean bill of health and no further treatment is needed.

Six weeks following the two surgeries I traveled to Europe to speak at two conferences. One in the Netherlands and the other in Norway. I was in France (May 1-3) speaking at another Aglow national conference. I Believe!

When God says that there will be none feeble leaving our conferences…I BELIEVE. We are coming into a time of increased revelation. This is a time to not be troubled. It is a time to BELIEVE in the God we say we trust. He is pressing us into a place of divine discovery. It is an exciting time to be alive.

It is a Time to Live Prepared

Over the years Aglow has ministered through disaster relief in wars, floods, fires, tsunamis, earthquakes, and hurricanes. About a year and a half ago, we began a program of emergency preparedness in the United States in which state coordinators help people prepare their families and neighborhoods for a disaster. Interested individuals have also taken training to become certified to “go behind the yellow line” to provide help and comfort to victims and emergency responders in actual disasters. We at our Worldwide Headquarters have prepared for a possible damaging earthquake and we have “off site” capability to carry on with the ministry should Seattle be hit.

And God has also prepared us in the spirit for the times we are currently living in. He has said that the darkness would grow darker, but the light would become brighter. We are seeing it come to pass. I have been reminded and blessed once again by the story of Joseph, a man who turned adversity into an opportunity for blessing.

For some time, I have had the sense that we like Joseph, need to prepare to be used in a similar way. With the current indicators of the signs of the times, it could well be a time to lay up provision for what might lie ahead for yourself and your family. Let me suggest some possible ways:

• Plant a garden this year.
• Cut every overhead expense that will keep you caught in an old, broken economic system.
• Have some cash on hand, as well as food, water, medical supplies, and firewood.

And above all… BELIEVE.

We are Believing at Worldwide Headquarters

As so many ministries are doing, Aglow has also had to take measures to reduce expenses, including laying off staff and reducing work hours and salaries. It is with a saddened heart we had to let go of some quality people.

Please keep these former staff members in your prayers as they seek new places of employment. They were valuable to Aglow and to God’s kingdom and we know God will direct them in the days ahead.

Since we had to cut working funds to the nations last year, we have seen many nations coming alongside sister nations to help fund the work. We have also seen purposeful ideas to become more self sufficient come from leaders in some of those nations who had been dependent on working funds. God is our source and we look forward to the fulfillment of the word that we received at the 2008 conference in Washington, D.C. that God is moving us from a place of having our needs met to a place of abundance. Will you believe with us for abundance?

In the midst of these challenges, we are doing everything we know to do to keep moving towards our destiny and future. We are filled with faith and expectancy. Every difficult time is part of the process of moving us from one place to another in order to see His kingdom manifest on earth. I would encourage you to continue to sow your seed into the Kingdom ministry of Aglow. It is not a time to pull back, but to thrust forward. Personally, I have increased what I give to Aglow each month.

Graham Cooke Believes in Aglow!

Let me quote Graham Cooke again, from the dedication of his latest book, Coming Into Alignment, from The Way of the Warrior series. He dedicated this book to Aglow and to all of you who have “faithfully served, women, who by their dedication and commitment have interceded for the church and the Kingdom. Without them we would not have gotten this far!”

What a statement about you!  What a treasure you are. What a statement about the work GOD chose to establish in the earth nearly 42 years ago. Thank you for your ongoing faithfulness.

Promise Keepers Believes Aglow International is a Key Partner

In another exciting event, I have been invited to be the first woman keynote speaker at the Promise Keepers’ 20th anniversary stadium event July 31-Aug 1, 2009. I will be speaking on Friday evening, July 31, where PK began at Folsom Field on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, CO. They are expecting 50,000 men and women and Aglow has been invited to partner with Promise Keepers in this effort to honor women, modeling men and women working together as God intended. This is Promise Keepers’ only 2009 event, “A Time to Honor.” This is their first open invitation to women.

“This year we are calling men to bring the women in their lives,” said Bill McCartney, founder and chairman of Promise Keepers. “We are called to do three things: honor our wives, daughters, and sisters, be a tangible blessing to the poor and oppressed, and embrace our Messianic Jewish brothers as our spiritual fathers in the faith.”

You will be hearing more about this event and Aglow’s involvement in it soon on www.aglow.org. For now, mark your calendar with the date and plan to attend with your spouse. I have been working on a new, updated manuscript of the male/female message and plan to have this book completed in time for this conference. We see this opportunity as a major move forward in God’s plan for gender reconciliation.

Aglow and Men: A Mission Statement Update

For the past several years, we have watched and prayed as men’s Aglow groups have sprung up spontaneously in several nations including the U.S. Their common desire was to seek the same spiritual intimacy with the Father, and with each other, that they saw reflected in Aglow women. We believe Aglow for Men is God’s loving response to the heartfelt needs of men and we welcome this recent move.

Therefore, when our International Board of Directors met in March, a decision was made to change the first bullet of the Mission Statement to include men. It will now read:

• To help restore and mobilize women and men around the world.

As you can see from the Promise Keepers’ unprecedented event this summer, God is moving quickly on men and women to come together side by side. It is the only way we will take dominion on the earth as His bride. We ask that you commit to pray not only for this event, but for God’s unfolding purpose to be so resident in our hearts that we are able to move with Him joyfully through any shift He ordains for Aglow. 

A Believing Word About Aglow in Israel

I had the sense for many months that God is wanting to do something different related to Israel. We have so enjoyed our annual trips, yet many of us felt the stirrings of change. As the economic downturn impacted the number of participants, we received this as God’s nudge to cancel the 2009 trip in anticipation of His revealing to us how we are to walk with Israel in this new season.

As I have said before, at the center of God’s plan stand His covenant people and His covenant land. It is essential that we understand and call forth the ancient prophecies and promises related to the critically decisive role Israel plays in God’s end-time purposes.

Believe for Our Worldwide Conference!

Last but certainly not least, I want to invite you to join me and thousands of our Aglow friends and family from around the world in Louisville. Kentucky, Oct 22-25.  We received a revolutionary word at last year’s U.S. conference and our 2009 speakers are coming with the word of the Lord. These are men and women of God who hear timely messages for this pivotal hour. This is not a conference to miss. This is a time we need to prepare our hearts and join them together to receive vision for the days ahead. It is a time to grow closer to Jesus than ever before. It is time to bring forth in the earth a radiant testimony of the God we serve.

What an awesome time to be alive. I Believe! Won’t you believe with me by giving a gift? Use our secure online donation form at:  www.myaglow.org/netcommunity/janemayjune2009

In His love and mine,

Jane Hansen Hoyt
President/CEO
Aglow International
(425) 775-7282
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P.S.  The door has opened to Aglow to achieve exponential growth for the Kingdom of God. Aglow’s Covenant Partners are the foundation for the work to be done; and A Company are those who are moving with intentionality to fulfill the destiny of Aglow. Learn more about covenanting with Aglow through Commit & Connect. Or to learn more about the newly launched A Company, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; or call 425.775.7282.