Our Guest: Lura Mineau

Besides being the wife of an Air Force fighter pilot and mother of four, Lura Mineau has served in various church leadership roles including youth leader, prayer group leader and Women’s Ministry Director. She understands and teaches the importance of discovering God’s character and learning His ways. Through the years it would have been easy to let doubt and fear dominate her life, but God has always shown Himself trustworthy, and that makes all the difference.

Key Thoughts and Scriptures:

Exodus 34:6-7 NIV And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished…”

  • It was important for Moses to know God’s character so he could fully trust and follow God.

Lura’s Story

  • God is with you and faithfully will see you through every situation, no matter where you find yourself. 
  • Lura knows that God is always preparing us, even when we don’t realize it. 

Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.

  • God hears our prayers even if we are not an expert at praying.
  • “Kris had experienced a miracle, but we really didn’t know what to do with it.”
  • When tragedy struck, Lura thought to herself, “If I never open this door, I never have to face the truth.”
  • Never underestimate the importance of baking a pie and bringing it to someone because you never know how God’s going to use it.
  • God is involved in all the details of our lives.

Evidence of the Graciousness of God In Lura’s Life

  • Suddenly prayer groups were praying for them.
  • A wonderful lady cared for their children seven days a week.
  • “God was already providing for me and I didn’t realize at the time that it was Him.”
  • God used the accident to draw Lura and Kris to Himself.
  • “I can remember being so excited that I was going to have friends that I already knew in Tampa.” 
  • Again, the Lord was moving and directing their lives in such a way that He could bring salvation to their household. 
  • Kris had a vision of Jesus on the cross looking down at him saying, “Kris, I did this for you.”
  • Christianity is not a religion because religion means to bind up. Christianity means a relationship.
  • Christianity is the only place of God reaching down to humanity as opposed to man attempting to reach up to God. 
  • God moved in their lives because they were in a desperate situation.
  • In God’s loving kindness, his ḥā·seḏ (as it says in Hebrew), He did a powerful quick work in our lives. 

Lura found there comes a point where you have to surrender.

  • “You don’t have to know the Lord. If He shows up and you’re in His presence, you know Who it is.” 

Acts 9:1-19 NIV Saul on the road to Damascus

  • Lura sensed the Lord speaking to her, “You’ve come to a T-junction in your life and you’re either going to be all for me or you’re going to be against me.”
  • Raising our hands is the international sign of surrender.
  • The peace, the joy, the strength, the courage all comes from knowing Jesus.
  • A lot of people out there might think, well, you’re a good person, of course you’re gonna go to heaven, but that doesn’t cut it with God. He makes a provision for everybody, no matter how good or how bad, to come to him because of Jesus, His death and His resurrection. But we all have to surrender to Him.

When we come to the Lord, we are instantly saved, but God does a work in our life over time to deliver us from things that need to change in our life. 

  • You cannot read the Word of God and not start changing because it discerns the thoughts and the intentions of our heart. 

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV 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 marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

James 4:6 NKJV But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

  • Don’t be afraid to ask God to humble you. 
  • God wants to help us change and grow and reflect more of His love, but He’s not a mean God.

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

  • Every time Lura had a fearful thought, she would say, “Jesus took this fear of mine on the cross for me and He set me free from it.”
  • She intentionally began agreeing with God and began battling the spirit of fear in her life.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

  • We don’t need to walk in fear of circumstances, rather in fear of the Lord.

God taught Lura that when you are set free from something that’s a stronghold in your life, it bursts a dam that now begins to cultivate other qualities or characteristics in your life.

  • When you understand the character of God, God wants to cultivate that same character in you.

Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

  • God already knows our flaws and our battles. So why not agree with Him in prayer and ask Him for help? He’s our very present help.

Psalm 46:1 NKJV God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Romans 8:32 NKJV He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

  • We don’t have to be afraid of how God’s going to work in our lives.
  • Good teaching is important. 
  • Be saturated with the Word of God.
  • Stay in fellowship with Jesus and with other believers.

Luke 24:13- 35 NKJV The Road to Emmaus

Proverbs 27:17 NKJV As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

  • Make growing in God a priority.
  • God uses you as you grow in Him.

Christianity is not for wimps. We’re called to be bold.

Joshua 1:9 NKJV Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

  • God never uses perfect people; He uses people that are under construction.

Isaiah 61 NKJV The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor…

  • Trust the Lord when He gives you opportunities.
  • God asks you to be faithful in the little things.
  • When God opens a door, you’re not going in there alone for He’s with you.
  • God needs us to be His hands and feet, especially in this day and age.
  • When suddenlies appear in your life, you’re prepared spiritually in a greater depth than you realize when you know the character of God. 

Hebrews 12:15 NKJV Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.

  • We have to hold our lives and our plans loosely and be willing for God to move at a moment’s notice. 
  • God always has new assignments for us.

Ruth’s Story

Ruth NKJV

  • The greatest love story is God sending His Son so we can have eternal life. (John 3:16 NKJV)
  • Ruth went from a culture of worshiping many gods to making a decision out of a heart of compassion to remain with her mother-in-law.
  • But she also believed that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was the true living God. 
  • So we see that she is a courageous woman. 
  • She’s hard working. 
  • Ruth went from nothing to being this loved and honored woman in a culture that did not like the Moabites. 
  • God became her source of provision and the blessings were just amazing. 
  • Lura sees the picture of our redeemer, Jesus, in the story of Ruth.

Psalm 63:3 NKJV Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.

Psalm 112 NLT Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands…They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them…

Isaiah 61:3 NKJV To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Isaiah 61:7 NKJV Instead of your shame you shall have double honor…

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