Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. MATTHEW 5:10 Government Officials Are Being Saved in Iran and Other Countries! (His Face Is Blocked for His Protection!) SECRET RELIGIOUS POLICE Many Iranians have lost faith in Islam, and a contact for our persecuted brothers and sisters reports, that even some government officials have given their lives to Christ Jesus! Recently, an official in Iran's secretive religious police unit came to faith in Christ through the witness of a Christian family member. The official had been investigating one of the many house church groups that meet secretly throughout the country of Iran. ANGRY BUT LOVED When he learned that a family member was a part of the group, he angrily confronted the person. But over time, his family member's gentle witness and loving behavior changed his heart and mind, and the official eventually placed his faith in Christ. Today, he maintains his role inside the religious police, but he tries to protect Christians and not hurt or kill them. GOD CHANGE MY HEART! I've had a very hard time with trying to "love Muslims" since 9/11. My youngest brother, but for the Grace of God was supposed to be in the south tower that day. He was in a meeting the day before and was at another meeting that very morning, when he had to go back to his hotel to get some material that his employers asked for. Both of my sons were also in the war! Chris was in "Desert Storm" and Jimmy was in "Enduring Freedom!" We didn'tknow until recently that Jimmy was doing covert missions where he fell from a helicopter and severely injured his neck and back. He called me one day and asked me to pray, as two friends had gone into town on R & R. He was supposed to go with them but he decided to sleep instead. Those two airmen were ambushed, one was killed, one had survived the bombing but broke his back and was being shipped to a hospital in Germany. I had a real hate for Muslims and I had to ask the Lord to soften my heart and forgive me! I now pray for them, especially the radical Muslims and those under Sharia Law. I do not believe they should be in government offices for safety reasons, but I no longer "HATE THEM!" GOD IS AT WORK! God is moving in the hardest hearts to bring souls to Him in these last days! I have found that many of these Christians are willing to die for their beliefs and the love that they have found in Jesus! TIME TO PRAY This blog is shorter than most, so that you might take a few moments with me and Pray for our Christians brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for leaving Islam! And for ALL our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted! God Bless you as you pray!! Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. HEBREWS 13:2 I'm fairly certain we've all seen this awesome photo of an angel protecting two children as they crossed a very dangerous footbridge. ANGELS ALL AROUND US! I absolutely believe there are angels all around us and we've probably have protected by them at times we weren't even aware of! We may doubt and question that protection at times, but as you read the two instances below you'll realize, THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM! TWO TRAVELING ANGELS SPEND THE NIGHT WITH A WEALTHY FAMILY Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was downright rude and refused to let them stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead, the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked, "Why" the older angel replied, things aren't always as they may seem. THE TWO TRAVELING ANGELS SPEND THE NIGHT WITH A LESS FORTUNATE COUPLE The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but friendly and hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good nights rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, "How could you have let this happen?!? The first man had everything yet you helped him. THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM! The second family had little but was willing to share everything with us and you let their cow die. "Things aren't always as they seem," the older angel replied. When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I told him to take the cow instead. GOD'S PROTECTION SEEN OR UNSEEN For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. PSALM 91:11 I truly believe there are times when we are not even aware of certain dangers that we are in. Still, God has His angels right there protecting us. On Thursday, June 20, 2019, we were alerted to "Severe Thunderstorms" in our area. South Carolina is much like Florida in that our weather in the summertime is often very hot and humid, so it is not unusual to have late afternoons or early evening thunderstorms. However, this past Thursday was completely different. The early evening hours grew unusually dark and suddenly as I was sitting in our family room I heard what sounded like breaking glass. I stood up to find hail ranging in size from golf balls to the larger size of a baseball. The hail was hitting our windows and it sounded as if the windows were breaking, thankfully they were not breaking at all. Then what I know as a "white-out" from our snow storms up north happened in our back yard. You couldn't see anything but a white blur and then a very small amount of clouds started to move about in a what appeared to be a circular movement and right away I thought to myself, "We have a small tornado forming in our backyard!" Thankfully it dissipated very quickly and the damage that did occur was to our fencing which was tossed here and there. Our grill was also lifted into the air and thrown onto its side along with some lawn chairs and a table. God protected us from any physical harm and any household damage. We were under "God's Very Real Protection!" And I believe that with all my heart! GOD KNOWS ALL ABOUT THE UNEXPECTED You may have something specific in mind, that you or a family member has gone through! And, it may or may not make sense to you! When my older son called my husband and me to tell us that our younger son was in jail, he seemed uncertain as to how we would accept that news. However, I had been praying for God to get a hold of my son, through any way that He deemed necessary... and that's exactly what God did. My younger son now tells us, "Jail was the worst thing and the best thing that ever happened to me! It opened up my eyes to so many things I didn't realize before!" I didn't relish the fact that my son was in jail, not for a minute! Still, I was happy to know he was safe and not dead in some ditch from an overdose!! My son didn't listen to God or consider that He was working in his life at that time. But, since then he has turned his life around and when his little girl asked, "Daddy, don't you believe in God anymore?" He Answered her, "I've always believed in God, but now I UNDERSTAND!" This mother and father couldn't ask for anything more!! TRULY THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM! There will be times when things will just happen! And yet we will sit there and wonder "What in the world just happened? Or Why did that just happen??" However, if we have faith in God, we ought to trust that He is with us and we need not fear! You might not realize it until much later, that what happens to us is sometimes... "A Gift in Disguise" or "Unseen Protection from Some Very Real Dangers" or simply God working in ways we will never understand until we get to heaven! "O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. For thine, arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presses me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over my head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me." PSALM 38:1-4 THERE ARE TIMES WHEN OUR SINS OVERWHELM US AND WE WONDER, "DOES GOD STILL CARE? DOES HE STILL LOVE ME?"DON'T BE FOOLED BY SATAN! DAVID'S GUILT AND SHAME OVER HIS SIN I can easily imagine David slumped over in his despair and anguish! Perhaps what troubled him the most was that he couldn't understand why he was suddenly cast down and so low. This was a man who had a great hunger for the Lord, pouring out his heart in his daily prayers. He revered God's Word, writing psalms that extolled his glory. But now, in his depressed state all he could do was cry out, "God, I am at the end of my rope. Why will you not hear me? Why will you not respond to my pleas for help?" I HAVE WONDERED AT TIMES IF GOD COULD STILL LOVE ME BECAUSE OF MY SINS... WHAT ABOUT YOU?? Like so many disheartened believers today, David's sin had left him empty, his guilt and shame was greater and weightier than anything he had ever experienced before. He was probably reliving every failure, sin and foolish deeds he had done. At some point, he must have thought, "Oh Lord, have all my reckless acts left me so wounded that I am beyond any hope of knowing your presence in my life ever again?" David reasoned was that God must be chastening him as he cried out, "1. Lord, do not punish me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath. Your arrows have sunk into me, and Your hand has pressed down on me. There is no health in my body because of Your indignation; there is no strength in my bones because of my sin. For my sins have flooded over my head; they are a burden too heavy for me to bear." PSALM 38:1-4 (HCSB) ASK YOURSELF IF DAVID'S HEART-CRY IS YOUR CRY? David isn't just writing about his own condition in this Psalm. No! David is describing something that ALL devoted lovers and believers in Jesus Christ face at some point in their lifetime if they truly want their close relationship with the Lord to continue! We all have disappointed our Savior, our Deliverer, our God if we will be honest with ourselves. I know the sin in my own life and how my heart breaks when I think of how I have grieved the only one who ever loved me as Jesus has loved me!! These attacks that David was personally facing and talking about were strictly "demonic attacks" from a plaguing "Spirit of Discouragement!" It entangles the core of our bellies with despair and hopelessness which comes straight from hell itself! WHENEVER YOU'RE OVERWHELMED BY THE "SPIRIT OF DISCOURAGEMENT" It comes at a time when every dedicated believer is feeling beaten and overwhelmed by an abrupt and hasty struggle. No believer can bring it on by his or herself, nor does our Lord Jesus send it! This kind of attack usually has nothing to do with any specific sin or failing by the believer. No! This is Satan's most potent weapon against God's elect and no wonder! Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. It is no great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their destiny will be according to their works! 2 CORINTHIANS 11:14-15 (HCSB) STOP AND LISTEN FOR OUR GOD WILL ANSWER US! When we cry out to the Lord, there comes a time when we have to stop and just listen! The Lord is always ready, willing and able to lift you out of the ditch of depression and the miry clay of despair that seems to grip our souls! Jesus Christ will not only "lift us and take us out of the ditch of despair." He will set each of us upon a rock to make sure we do not slip and fall! He will teach us the way we should go and He will put "A NEW SONG IN OUR HEARTS!" DISREGARD THIS WORLDS ANSWERS! "Abandon yourselves to God" and see for yourselves how much He cares and loves you!! We are completely blessed when we turn our lives over entirely over to our maker, our Lord, and our Savior!! We must re-teach ourselves to IGNORE and to TURN OUR BACKS ON THE WORLD'S ANSWERS! We find in Chapter's 38 and 39 of Psalms, David's heart-cry to God! It isn't until he stops and waits patiently that God answered his cries for help! I waited patiently for the Lord, and; He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, and out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings. He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. PSALM 40:1 (KJV) And it came to pass in an evening tide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. 2 SAMUEL 11:2 (For the entire account read: 2 SAMUEL 11 &12) A LOOK THAT LEAD TO MURDER David rose to take a simple walk on the roof of the king's castle. It lead to him sleeping with the wife of Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba becoming pregnant and David having Uriah killed. The ease of a evening walk lead to adultery, an unplanned pregnancy and murder. Sounds like a modern day soap opera, doesn't it? As a result, David's close relationship with the Lord was wounded and his guilt was eating him up! How many of us have sinned and felt as if God had abandoned us?? PRAYER OF A SUFFERING SINNER - A DAVIDIC PSALM OF REMEMBRANCE JUST LISTEN TO DAVID'S DISTRAUGHT CRIES: PSALM 38 (HCSB) Lord, do not punish me in your anger. Nor discipline me in your wrath. Your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has pressed down on me. There is no health in my body because of Your indignation; There is no strength in my bones because of my sin. For my sins have flooded over my head; they are a burden too heavy for me to bear. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness. I am bent over and brought low; all day long I go around in mourning. For my loins are full of burning pain, and there is no health in my body. I am faint and severely crushed; I groan because of the anguish of my heart. Lord, my every desire is known to you; my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart races, my strength leaves me, and even the light of my eyes has faded. My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction, and my relatives stand at a distance. Those who seek my life set traps, and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me; they plot treachery all day long. I am like a deaf person; I do not hear. I am like a speechless person who does not open his mouth. I am like a man who does not hear and has no arguments in his mouth. I put my hope in You, Lord; You will answer, Lord my God. For I said, "Don't let them rejoice over me-- those who are arrogant towards me when I stumble. For I am about to fall, and my pain is constantly with me. So I confess my guilt; I am anxious because of my sin. But, my enemies are vigorous and powerful; many hate me for no reason. Those who repay evil for good attack me for pursuing good. Lord, do not abandon me; My God, do not be far from me. Hurry to help me, Lord, My Savior. END OF PART 1 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. JOHN 4:14 Are You Thirsty For The Things of God? A GREAT THIRST If you are one of my regular readers you know I have several autoimmune diseases. I often talk about Lupus but I also have Sjogrens, which is another unmistakable autoimmune disease. Sjogrens leaves your eyes, mouth, and throat very dry. As a result, I try to keep a bottle of water with me at all times! But in the night hours, my sleep is often interrupted by my parched throat and I wake up craving cold refreshing water to quench my thirst! And so, I now keep a bottle of water close to my bedside at all times for just that reason. I find myself similar to the woman at the well who said to Jesus, "Sir give me this water so that I will not get thirsty nor will I have to continually come all the way here to draw water from the well!" (See JOHN 4:15) SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER I'm sure all of us can appreciate at one time or another the great desire for a cool drink of water. However, there is a greater thirst in my soul that cannot be quenched with just water! The Bible expounds upon the salvation God offers, that Jesus provided when He died upon the cross for our sins. As we reach out to the Lord for His mercy and grace, we will receive His forgiveness and Love! A life without Jesus is like a desert very, very dry! Even the wettest deserts get less than ten inches of precipitation a a year and that rain comes once in a blue moon. Yet, Jesus' love is like a deluge of the Niagara Falls pouring over our souls so that we will never thirst again. He is the absolute source that fills us with a peace and a thirst that is bountiful and inexhaustible! At times I am so thirsty because of Sjogren's that I dream of that day that the Lord has promised. Eternal life and the Living Waters that are completely lovely, satisfying, welling up with A continual flow and bubbling within my soul a completely... NEW BODY THAT WILL NEVER THIRST AGAIN! If your life is uninspired and wearisome you may need God's heavenly waters that will positively fill you to overflowing with His Love... just as he did for me and the woman at the well |
Categories
All
|