Ron Sawka Ministries
January 10, 2024; Tevet 29, 5784
Rejoicing in God in the Hospital
As many of you know, on December 21 I had sudden surgery to alleviate spinal cord compression. The surgery was a success. But prior to that, there was a trauma in the spinal cord that caused my left arm and hand and left leg and foot to be unable to respond well. The doctor feels I can recover fully through rehabilitation.
Here are some thoughts on the subject:
1. The Lord has been covering me. The night of the trauma, Wednesday, December 20, the Lord woke up Marina, a Russian intercessor, and she knew she had to pray for me. She didn’t know it, but she was praying all through my surgery. She prayed until she felt peace, and then saw me leading and the words from Judges 5:21, “March on in strength.” She didn’t even hear about my surgery until two days later.
2. The Lord is using this to prepare me. During MPP on Monday, December 18, the Lord emphasized rejoicing even though there may be no fruit (see Habakkuk 3:17). Two mornings later during Wednesday’s MPP, He emphasized He’s preparing us for the next level. Wednesday was when the trauma happened. After the surgery, the Lord immediately spoke to me from Ephesians, which Paul wrote while he was in prison. The Lord reminded me that even in prison He used Paul, and it was from prison that some of his greatest works originated. So I knew God was in this, and that my time here in the hospital was important. Then, I was surprised by a note from my brother exhorting me to think of Paul in prison and that he felt God wanted to use this for something special. Hallelujah!
3. Content and joyful. The second night I was here, the Lord led me to Philippians, which Paul also wrote while he was in prison. In this letter, he says, “Rejoice … Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). He also said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13), and “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Phil. 4:11). I know that it must be the same for me—to not just put up with this situation, but to be genuinely thankful. James 1:2 declares, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” So, I’m rejoicing. I know God is doing something deep. I am yielded to the Holy Spirit in all of this.
4. Give me words to speak. While in prison, Paul wrote asking for prayer that he would have the right words to share the gospel (see Ephesians 6:19). I request the same. I am amazed at the deep respect the average Japanese person has for Christians. I also find so many chances to share about the Lord. I feel a theme for all of us this year is from Isaiah 57:15—God not only dwells in the high place, but also in the low place to help the humble. I am so thankful for being put into a “low place.” This year, I feel God wants us all to touch the people around us.
5. The gospel for Japan. A few days ago, one of my daughters-in-law shared 2 Timothy 4:17, which states, “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear.” One of my main prayers is “Lord, let your gospel rapidly spread throughout Japan. Japan needs You. Now is the time. I am trusting that all of this will somehow result in a great spreading of the gospel.”
6. Revelation. I know the Lord wants to show me things. I know there are things I must learn. Please pray for a spirit of revelation for me.
7. Awesome power of prayer. As soon as people learned about my situation, they began to pray. Things quickly turn better. It’s amazing. And when I pray—lying here in the hospital—great peace comes, as does the presence of the Lord. It amazes me.
Please keep praying, especially about some of the things I’ve written above. I believe God is preparing us all for great harvest and for His purposes.
Be blessed, and thanks for praying.
Ron and Teddy
P.S. Teddy’s mother, who was 96, passed away on December 29. Teddy will be returning to Japan later this month.
P.P.S. My newest book, How to Activate Prophecy and Revelation Gifts, is now available in Japanese!
Keep On Interceding for Ukraine and Israel!
Both of these nations are very close to my heart: Ukraine—Because it’s my bloodline. In fact, both my father’s parents and both of my mother’s parents came to Canada from Ukraine—making me 100% Ukrainian blood. As you know, I have ministered a lot in Russia and other former USSR nations. Those pastors told me that 90% of all churches planted in Russia and other former USSR nations were planted by Ukrainian ministers. Amazing!
The present war against them by Russia has been brutal, but by the grace of God they are holding up, and the faith and prayer of the Christians there is amazing. Lord, let the fire in the Ukraine believers spread to both Western and Eastern Europe.
Israel—Every believer should feel very close to Israel; after all, they were the original “olive tree” into which we Christians have been grafted into. They may have been set aside for a while, but God will graft them in once more (see Romans 11:16–25). And also, those who bless Israel, God will bless (see Genesis 12:1–3).
I also want to continue to announce the daily fifteen-minute prayer session for Israel led by Patricia Bootsma (CTF), which I highly recommend. You can join via Zoom: http://prayer.jhisrael.com/pray; passcode: pray.
Daily 11:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time. (Note: No Zoom meeting on December 25 or January 1.)
Time to Shout Out the Goodness of God
Shevat—The Eleventh Hebrew Month of 5784
January 11–February 9, 2024
God is good—very, very good—especially to those who love Him. We must never allow ourselves to be in a state where we think His goodness doesn’t extend to us. Maybe next year? Maybe when I have more faith? No. Such thinking is deception. Every human owes their existence to Him. People don’t think God is good because they don’t acknowledge Him as God and because they aren’t thankful. This quickly leads to thinking that is negative, worry prone, and anxious. This kind of thinking makes it hard for faith to work.
More information may be found here.
MPP (Mondays–Fridays, 6:00–6:45 a.m.)
MPP will resume in February.
Weekly Broadcast Schedule (Times are listed in Japan Time, UTC+9:00.)
Apostolic for Russia—Fridays, twice monthly. January 5, 12, 7:00–8:00 p.m. Join us on Zoom (Meeting ID: 840 2016 0640, Code: 219951), or watch on YouTube.
Apostolic Center Training—Tuesdays, 8:30–10:00 p.m., English/Chinese, registration required. Please contact chinese@rwsministries.com.
Note, I usually post links to my public Facebook page.
Resources
Ron’s new book, How to Activate Prophecy and Revelation Gifts, the first title in our new “Apostolic Center Training Series,” is intended as a tool for training others in prophetic activation. It is now available for Kindle. Print copies can also be obtained from our office in Sano. Contact info@rwsministries.com for information about ordering copies, or to obtain any of the four books from the “Building Apostolic-Prophetic Foundations” series, which are also available on Kindle:
• Judah Goes First: The Power of Apostolic-Prophetic Praise
• Activated to Prophesy: The Essential Experience for This New Church Era
• Apostles and Apostolic Anointing: Raising Up the End-Times Believers
For English or Japanese books, contact info@rwsministries.com.
For Chinese books, contact Joyce.
For more information or to connect with our ministry team, please write us at info@rwsministries.com or info@mppjapan.com.
Giving
You are welcome to give to Yarn Alive via giving to Ron Sawka Ministries. Please clearly mark your designation. Thank you.
Bank Info and Online Giving (From Any Nation)
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Japan
Japan Apostolic Fund Supporters should give directly to CTF Japan. Also, Yarn Alive donations can be given directly.
Direct Bank Transfers from Overseas
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Singapore
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Taiwan
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Korea
KEB HANA BANK 249-890619-84307 Ronald Wade Sawka
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