CMA INTERNATIONAL
CMA INTERNATIONAL
By HOLLY Ogden
04⎪MAY 2024⎪www . cmausa . org
WELCOME to the CMA International edition of the HeartBeat , where our leaders have the opportunity to share what God is doing in their nations . This is a great reminder to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world as they face the same challenges , excitement , discouragement , and victories that we experience in our chapters in the United States . We are one family , united in Christ , seeking to share the love of Jesus with the mission field He has given us : the bikers of our nations .
Isaiah 41:9-10 ( NLT ) states , “ I have called you back from the ends of the earth , saying , ‘ You are my servant .’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away . Don ’ t be afraid , for I am with you . Don ’ t be discouraged , for I am your God . I will strengthen you and help you . I will hold you up with my victorious right hand .”
How easy it is for us to get caught up in our own struggles and allow them to become the focus of our hearts . We see the mountain ; we share how big the mountain is ; we tell everyone how unclimbable the mountain is . But God has called us to be people of faith . He has called us to live not as the world lives , but according to the leading of His Holy Spirit who is able to do much more than we could ever ask or imagine as we put our focus upon Him and His power , and not our own .
1 . We are servants of Christ , and we serve a good Master . He will equip and train us , but we have to be willing to be equipped and trained . We have to be willing to let go of our will and way and accept His will and way . Sometimes it is easier to talk about the difficulty of the problem instead of stopping to seek the One who has the solution to the problem .
2 . We are chosen . God chose us for this task of sharing His love with the bikers of our nations . He purposely placed us in this day and age , gave us a love for motorcycles and motorcyclists , and brought us to CMA to train us as a family on how to minister to those He wants to share His love with . We have a calling for which we were specifically chosen .
3 . We can overcome fear . Let ’ s face it – there are a lot of things to be afraid of . The Bible wouldn ’ t tell us over and over to not be afraid if we wouldn ’ t have situations arise that cause fear . But God is with us . As we surrender this fear ( whether it be a fear of speaking the name of Jesus publicly , riding a motorcycle with a new group , or approaching a stranger with the love of Jesus ), God says that He is with us . Drawing near to Him on a daily basis helps us to become more tuned in to His voice so that we know when He is asking us to be bold in situations where we don ’ t feel so bold . We can overcome fear .
4 . We are going to face discouragement . Each nation has its specific challenges , just like each and every one of us face “ tailor-made ” challenges that hit us at our weakest points to try to make us feel ineffective and put us into neutral . Whether the nation has financial struggles , religious persecution , comfort that leads us into inactivity , or limited numbers of Christians willing to go out in ministry ( and the list goes on ), that does not excuse any Christian from the calling of God to have love and compassion for the lost world as He had love and compassion for us . He is our God , and as we lean into Him through our discouragements , we will see Him work on our behalf . We cannot quit , and we cannot give up – He never gave up on us and many of us seemed like a lost cause before Christ entered our lives .
5 . He will strengthen us and help us . He is our source and our salvation . He is the truth that speaks louder than the attacks against us . He is good . It is time to reprogram our minds to speak out about the goodness of God , what He is doing , and how He is