Mike Fox Ministries

Hello Friends!

How wonderful is our God! There is none to compare with Him! I heard from an old friend this week who is living, working and ministering in northern Panama. He said, “We are so close to the national line (Costa Rica) where you tromped around for Jesus, sowing seed, working the Kingdom of God, giving your lives for Jesus! We are here now, probably harvesting some of the seeds you’ve sown. We’re working with the same tribe you worked with the Bri Bri… where we live right in the middle of their communities....” It blesses me so much to know that in the same are at hat I was privileged to sow seed for The Kingdom, God has sent others to water, and then still others to harvest.

In 1988, I was invited to go minister to the BriBri tribe, while living in Costa Rica. The Bribri are an indigenous group of approximately 3,200 people living in the Bocas del Toro province of Panama and the Talamanca region of Costa Rica, largely in isolated, mountainous areas. They are known for farming cacao and bananas, preserving their language, and maintaining strong traditions. We traveled as far as we could go by jeep, and then mounted our gear on a horse and walked an hour into the jungle.

When we arrived, we met with the “rey” (king) of the tribe and had an impromptu ministry service right in his grass hut. Oh my- Holy Spirit moved among those gathered there. I remember they brought three babies that were burning up with fever; hot to the touch, flushed and listless. When I laid my hands on them- I felt such a powerful presence of the Lord and I knew the anointing went into their bodies to heal them. Almost immediately they visibly changed, color returning to normal, and eyes brightening in a healthy way. There was such a feeling of awe that came over us, and then much rejoicing! That miracle opened the door for many to come to salvation, and for more miracles! Afterward, we got to eat sopa de morcielago – bat soup. Yum! We went back several times over the years to sow God’s Word into the tribe. Some willsow,somewillwaterandotherswillreaptheharvest. It does my heart good to know that ministry is still going strong among the BriBri.

This month we touched base with Machelle Burroughs, our missionary friend in Puerto Penasco, de Sonora, Mexico. She shared with us an exciting new project that she has been praying about for years and God has now turned the green light on. Machelle has been traveling for years, twice a month, ministering in fishing villages up and down the Sea of Cortez. These remote villages have public school that only goes to the sixth grade. After that the kids turn to the main occupation in their area- fishing. If they wanted to go to high school, they would have to travel an hour to an hour and a half, each way, by bus that would cost $27 per child per day.

God has given Machelle the vision of facilitating online high schools. The area can now receive Star Link, a global satellite internet providing high speed broadband. She got permits from the mayor of Caborca, political seat of Sonora, for the use of two public buildings in two of the fishing villages. She has 48 students that want to enroll and volunteers to run the school. She now needs 50 laptops, a cabinet to lock them in, 2 printers, tables and chairs. If God speaks to your heart to help these kids, please mark your giving “Mexico Youth”.

From Debbie’s pen...
In late summer of 1987, my husband, Mike and I moved to Costa Rica to go to language school to learn Spanish. We arrived with our two young children, Dan- ny and Tarah, and all our worldly possessions, crammed into 4 suitcases, two trunks and 2 bicycles. For six months we lived in Tres Rios, a suburb of San Jo- se. Then we joined Grace World Missions International, a team of missionaries based in the beautiful city of Cartago. It is located approximately 17 miles south of the capital. We quit the language school and continued to learn Spanish with the help of a tutor, while we also got involved in ministry to the Ticos.

Cartago sits in the mountains, at the base of Volcan Irazu and the mission center is situated bottom of a windy road leading to the volcano. Mike and I found a lovely little three, bedroom home, to rent, just a mile from the mission center, on the outside of the city. This was fortunate as Mike was expected to be at the mission center everyday and we had no car. We both lost a lot of weight walking everywhere we went- either up to the ministry base, or down to the town center.

Our home was on an acre of land and was enclosed by a six-foot-high, cement block wall. That sturdy gray wall represented security to me. It would be difficult for an intruder to get over that wall. When we lived in Tres Rios, a thief broke in while we were at school, and stole our bikes. What an awful feeling of violation and vulnerability! So, we specifically looked for a place to rent that was fenced in and safe.

We lived in that home for six of the seven years we lived in Costa Rica. We grew to appreciate that wall very much. I could let our two- and eventually three- children (when Titus was born), and our dog, Captain, play outside freely. I didn’t have to worry about them running into the street and getting hurt, nor be concerned that anyone passing by would bother them. They could ride their new bikes, play on the jungle gym that Mike built for them and climb the lemons trees. Our loving, protective wall would keep them closed off from the evils of the world.

The kids loved that wall. There were always creatures, such as little snakes, lizards and iguanas scampering on the wall. There you could find caterpillars and walking sticks insects. It was great fun to bounce your ball off the wall or create lovely chalk mu- rals to show Dad when he came home. As he grew older, Danny, learned to climb the back wall and sit on top. It was his favorite spot to think and to watch the city light up at dusk.

Thinking of the wall around our home reminds me of what it says in Zechariah 2:5. This verse holds a powerful promise from God. “For I,' declares the LORD, 'will be a wall of fire around her, (protecting her from enemies), and I will be the glory in her midst.” Like the wall, this verse makes me feel safe and protected. The “I wills” of God are promises that we can claim for our lives. God is a wall of fire around me– He has been and He will be. Not only that– inside that fiery wall of protection He says, “And I will be the glory in her midst.” God is not content to only give us the protection of His fire; He aims to give us the pleasure of His presence. Oh my goodness! I have to stop now, so you can praise Him for awhile!! Thank you, almighty God!

Hello Partners!
Hebrews 13:13-15 says, “So let’s go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is— not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This “insider world” is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name.”

To be a follower of Jesus means going outside the camp, or outside the church walls. For the first Christians, the “camp” represented their former religion of Judaism. For us it represents the world with all its sinful pleasures, ungodly values and cultural norms. We must be willing to come away from all of that, bearing rejection from the world just as Jesus did to bring us salvation. Identifying with Jesus in this way is essential in following Him, being His friend, living by His standards, fulfilling His purposes for us and boldly bringing His message to the world. In going “outside” we make ourselves strangers and aliens on the earth. Yet we are on the way to a city that is to come, a city with foundations, “whose architect and builder is God”.
“Sacrificial praises”, here, means an offering to God. Our very lives should be “as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God”. That is the only sacrifice God now requires of His people. This sacrifice is not just songs of praise and worship offered up to God during a worship service in church. That is a good thing, but in truth where praise and worship become a sacrifice is outside of the church, where Christians must show their love and commitment to God, and live in a way that truly brings honor and praise to Him in all they say and do.

Examine yourself. Do you find yourself with no inner fire? Are you dull in spirit and living self-centeredly? Ask God for His refreshing rain. Spend time with Him. Get filled with His fire again. Know that you can make a difference for Jesus. Ask God to ignite you to sacrifice for the good of others. He will do it– He is just waiting for you to ask Him. Then- “go outside where Jesus is, where the action is”. Offer Him the sacrifice of showing and demonstrating His love to others. Live out loud!

Whew! May was a quick month! Are we really halfway through 2024? I want to encourage us all, in the busy-ness of life, to remember to keep the Sword of The Spirit– The Word of God- coming out of your mouth, and keep it sharp. Life is full of difficult times. (Jn 16:33) However, Jesus wants us to live in His victory. So He has given us the weapons we need to overthrow the enemy. (Rev.12:11) We must learn to wield our supernatural swords and sharpen the spiritual power of our words. We need to train ourselves to rightly handle the Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and morrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Daily sharpening and maintenance is necessary to keep an efficient and safe blade to deal with the battles of life.

What happens when your blade is dull? I know when I use a dull kitchen knife to cut meat or veggies, it is difficult to slice, and the dull pressure ends up squishing things and making a mess. If our spiritual blade is dull, it cannot do an efficient job and it won’t thoroughly gut out the enemy. You may end up with a partial healing or a temporary fix. Two ways of sharpening a blade are to use a honing stone, sliding the blade across it until the edge of the blade is sharp, or you can take two blades and sharpen them against one another. For our spiritual Sword of the Spirit to be razor sharp, we need to be in The Word, our honing stone, every day, finding His answer to our situation and speaking it out of our mouths. We also need to get with other believers to train, challenge, rebuke and edify one another with Scripture. (Prov.27:17) So read your Bible, study it and do what it says to do. Be consistent, be faithful, spend time in the Word and sharpen your skills with others. Keep sharp!