Don’t Allow Your Circumstances to Constrain You

By Oswen F. Cameron PhD

The book is primarily based on the story of Ruth and Naomi who encountered overwhelming challenges while they lived in Moab. Ruth inspires and motivates us to be resilient in the face of adversity. The manner in which she comported herself after the sudden death of her husband is a source of encouragement. Mention is also made of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Nehemiah, Jephthah, Daniel, the three Hebrew boys, the Canaanite woman and the widow woman and the unjust judge. All of these individuals demonstrated courage and tenacity in dealing with tragedy. The reader can look forward to being inspired not to give up when confronted by challenging circumstances.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796018394

Oswen F. Cameron PhD

Rev. Dr. Oswen Cameron, PhD is a graduate of the Wesleyan Bible College where he obtained a Bachelors and a Masters degrees in Christian Ministry. He received his Doctoral degree from the Wesleyan Bible College of the America’s in Christian Ministries and Leadership. He served as a District Superintendent of the Guyana District of the Wesleyan Church for fifteen years. He also served as Regional Superintendent over Guyana and Suriname for four years. He was elected as the first secretary of the International Board and Conference of the Wesleyan Church. He was the founding host of the television program Light From the Word, for 12 years in Guyana and Suriname, South America. Rev. Dr. Oswen Cameron, PhD also served as Chairman of the Guyana Evangelical Fellowship for a number of years. In 1999, he served as the chairman of the Benny Hinn evangelistic campaign which had an attendance on the last day of three hundred thousand people. In 2008 Rev. Dr. Oswen Cameron, PhD transitioned from the Wesleyan Church and became the founding Pastor of Lighthouse Ministries International Inc, located in Beltsville Maryland USA. He has been in the ministry for more than forty years, he and his lovely wife Roxanne have been married for thirty eight years. God has blessed their union with four wonderful children Juanita, Adele, Phoebe and Brian, they all are serving in the ministry. Rev. Dr. Oswen Cameron, PhD has ministered in North America, Latin America, South America and the Caribbean extensively, preaching and teaching the word of God with a passion for personal righteousness.

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Copyright © 2019 by Oswen F. Cameron, PhD.

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Rev. date: 09/19/2019

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Rev. Oswen F. Cameron, PhD

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Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright ©

1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Scripture quotations marked GNT are taken from the Good News Translation — Second Edition. Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Website

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament copyright © 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified Bible, New Testament copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter OneYour Decision Will Determine Your Destiny

Chapter TwoDon’t Allow Your Circumstances To Sabotage Your Future

Chapter ThreeDon’t Allow Your Circumstances To Stagnate Your Life

Chapter FourDon’t Allow Your Circumstances To Limit The Power Of God

Chapter FiveDon’t Allow The Color Of Your Skin Or Your Nationality To Block You From Being A Blessing

Chapter SixDon’t Allow Fear To Sabotage God’s Purpose For Your Life

Chapter SevenDon’t Allow Doubt And Unbelief To Bind You To Your Past

Chapter EightDon’t Allow Negative Thoughts To Sabotage God’s Purpose

Chapter NineDon’t Allow The Thoughts Of People To Constrain Your Ability

Chapter TenDon’t Allow Stigmatization To Affect Your Ability To Impact Society

Chapter ElevenDon’t Allow Bitterness To Constrain Your Ability To Receive Your Blessings

Chapter TwelveDon’t Be Constrained By What You See For We Walk By Faith Not By Sight. —2 Corinthians 5:7, Kjv

Chapter ThirteenUnconstrained By Denial

Chapter FourteenUnconstrained By The Storms Of Life

Chapter FifteenUnconstrained By Secondary Activities

Chapter SixteenUnconstrained By The Forces Of Discouragement

Chapter SeventeenUnconstrained By The Spirit Of Rejection

Chapter EighteenUnconstrained By Offenses

Chapter NineteenUnconstrained By The Size Of Your Enemy

Chapter TwentyWhatever Happens To You, Don’t Give Up

DEDICATION

To my beloved wife of thirty-seven years of faithful and loving support, Roxanne. To our four beautiful children—Juanita, Adele, Phoebe, and Brian—who have devoted their lives to the work of the ministry. Without their love and support, it would not have been possible to complete this project. To the wonderful, caring members and friends of Lighthouse Ministries International, I salute you for the support you have given over the past ten years. All the praise and glory belong to Jesus, my loving Lord and Savior, for the strength, grace, revelation, provision, and guidance. In times of frustration and discouragement, He has proven to be my tower of hope and strength; to Him be the glory forever and ever.

FOREWORD

I have reflected on whether I had the capacity or the moral authority to address the subject of this inspirational volume in the same dimension as the distinguished ordained Rev. Oswen F. Cameron, PhD, being a destined clergy, presumed authorized by higher powers and inspiration to produce such fully informed and authoritative scope of work. However, I have had the privilege to become acquainted with the character of the author who in himself provides a model of not being constrained by uncommon circumstances. It is well established that the subject of one’s circumstance can have daunting consequences and opportunities. Yet as biblical and non-spiritual history have revealed, the disposition, social environment, and depending on how an individual embraces the circumstances that confront them, the effects could be unpredictable as is well documented in the courses of human action.

The author, Reverend Dr. Cameron, delivers his lessons rooted in the scriptures in twenty captivating chapters, which outlines faith-based embrace of life in times of adversity. However, knowing Reverend Dr. Cameron and the manner in which he has adjusted himself to challenging circumstances, I was reminded of my late mother’s saying, I am taking the bad and making good. This book has compelling references, which will command the attention of the reader for spontaneous self-assessment.

In this book, the Reverend unfolds meaningful lessons in decision-making in times of perplexing situations. He draws on the scriptures to invite introspection, belief in oneself, and reliance on faith and trust—that there is always an enabling force that helps surmount any obstacle when there is resolve not to be constrained. Having a plan for one’s life emerges as an important factor in not being inhibited by your circumstances.

—HE Denis G. Antoine, PhD

Ambassador of Grenada

When I met Reverend Cameron in the late nineties, his life was pretty good. He was a successful pastor of a city church, serving on multidenominational bodies, and was well respected both within and outside the church. Reverend Cameron was also the head of the Guyana and Suriname district of a global denomination, the youngest ever, and he was serving on international auxiliaries of the denomination. In addition to his work, his family was also growing, and they were also doing well.

Similarly, my life was going pretty well too. My family was growing, my business was growing, and my teaching ministry in the church was growing. I started serving with Reverend Cameron, and many doors opened for me in Guyana and overseas.

Sometime after, Reverend Cameron left Guyana and took flight to a larger theater of the warfare between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of God. The theater of war is an uncompromising place, and even when victory is assured, pain and suffering are still a reality to be experienced. We are assured by Apostle Paul that our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organisations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil. Nevertheless, the consequences of that fight are often manifested in the natural.

Pastor Cameron and his family have experienced both the spiritual warfare and the natural consequences of an enemy that is formidable and relentless. Nevertheless, trusting in God, he has prevailed and will continue to prevail.

This is a critical, though thin, slice of the background to this work you are about to read. While it is rooted in the Old Testament account of Ruth, it is seen and told by a man who has had his own experience with negative circumstances that he did not allow to constrain him. Regardless of what I’ve said, it is neither a commentary on Ruth nor a biography of Cameron’s life.

Nevertheless, his life has brought the story of Ruth’s life to life in a way that could help all of us confront the challenges of our life. We are being taught here by one who was himself schooled by some of the toughest circumstances in life. But don’t look for any boasting or the telling of his own story; rather, look for him sharing the compelling truths of the Word of God.

I encourage you to come to this volume with an open and expectant mind. My life also hit an unexpected turbulence, and as I was losing altitude,