Listening to a conversation the other day, made me realise that many of us think that God gets surprised, or goes into panic mode when things go wrong. We may be surprised by the unexpected, because we believe just because we’re good or doing the right thing, then we are exempt from trouble. The scripture says, “the rain falls on the just and the unjust.”
When something unexpected happens, or you find yourself facing a crisis, don’t automatically go into “panic mode,” or just fall apart emotionally. Realise that the crisis is no surprise to God. It may be unexpected to you, but God knows the end from the beginning. He has solutions to problems that you haven’t even had yet. He has equipped you for every battle, and He goes before you to make your crooked places straight!
Today, don’t panic about the situation you’ve found yourself in, instead of focusing on your problem, focus on your God. Focus on the fact that He is with you. Remember that He doesn’t panic or get surprised by life’s difficulties. He walks with you, leading and guiding you to a place of peace and victory. No matter what has happened, He will take what the enemy meant for evil, and turn it around for your good. He always leads us into victory. So keep moving forward, knowing that He has already made a way of escape for you! Hallelujah!
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph”¦”
(2 Corinthians 2:14, AMP)?
Pray With Me Yahweh, I come to You with an open and humble heart. Father, I thank You for the victory that You have in store for me, even when I can’t see it. Please remove panic mode from my life when unexpected trials come. I’m so glad that You don’t panic. Teach me how to stay focused on You, and not get bent out of shape by the unexpected. God, I want to trust You more, knowing that You are always faithful, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.
In agriculture, pruning is a necessary process. To “prune” means something is cut away, something is removed. In life, we all go through a pruning process. Scripture says, “the Lord takes away”¦.” God will prune our lives so that we can bear much fruit. In other words, maybe a good friend that you counted on moved away, maybe you got laid off your job, maybe your business shut down, or a relationship ended.
God knows what you need in your life in order to grow and flourish. Sometimes when things happen that we don’t understand, we have to just trust the process. He is preparing you for increase, preparing you to go to another level. Don’t put a question mark where God has placed a full stop. Move forward and don’t look back.
Today, you may be going through the pruning process, don’t get bitter. Don’t get down and think it’s the end. Don’t start thinking that you’re a failure. Have the attitude, “God is pruning me, and as hard as it is, I’m going to let it go, knowing that it was only a temporary provision, and what He has in my future will be greater and more powerful than what I’m letting go of.” If you will accept the change and stay in faith, God will open new doors. He will bring new opportunities, new friendships, and take you to another level for His glory!
“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful.”
(John 15:2, NIV)?
Pray With Me Yahweh, thank You for loving me enough to work in my life. Father, I release the things I don’t understand into Your hands. Please Lord, give me strength to get through this pruning process. I believe that You are working in my life, and I trust Your unfailing judgement. God, I believe that You have good things in store for my future. I choose to wait on You today and forevermore, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.
Driving to camp meeting this morning in North Wales, we had great positive conversations, lifting each other up with testimonies and experiences. We all need somebody to believe in us more than we believe in ourselves. We all need people who will push us up in life. After all, there are enough people trying to push us down. There are enough people telling us what we can’t become, and how we don’t have what it takes. I know in my own life, I wouldn’t be half of who I am if it were not for positive people who spoke so much faith into me. People who called out the potential on the inside of me.
We all have the responsibility to do this for others. Push people up! Look with your eyes of faith and see their potential, and tell them what they can be. If you will be that person for somebody, God will send somebody to be that person for you.
Today, realise everybody has seeds of greatness on the inside. You can cause them to rise to a new level. You can be the catalyst for them to do things they never thought possible. Your words have creative, life-changing power. When you speak vision and purpose into someone’s life, that can be the seed God uses to move them to a new level.
“Two are better than one”¦if either of them falls down, one can help the other up”¦”
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, NIV)
Pray With Me Yahweh, thank you for sending folk into my life to lift me up. Today I commit to lift people up. God, I choose to speak life and call forth the seeds of greatness from within others. Father, thank You for using me to help others fulfil their destiny and divine purpose, in Jesus’ Name! Amen
Has there ever been a time in your life, when it comes to your studies, that you continued to fail? Never got past the halfway mark to qualify. Missed out on crucial points to get you to the next stage. The feeling of failure and realizing that you just ain’t that good at academia. Often basing our worth on what we feel we should be achieving because of our comparisons to our peers, friends, and associates.
I remember being told at one point in my life, that because I did not go to University and did not obtain a proper Degree, that I was less than another person. I was being compared to somebody else and it felt awful. I was being told indirectly that I had no value and there was nothing I could do about it, quite frankly. Feeling like a nobody, I went through life, trying to achieve success and always giving up halfway and allowing their voice in my head, to keep repeating the negatives into my life.
‘ What your doing is not as important as what I am doing’ ‘ You don’t even have a degree ‘.
I gradually worked out understood why it was happening… I noticed when I doubted myself when attempting to do something. I felt that same feeling of worthlessness when I was struggling to learn a new thing. When it came to studies, I shied away from booking the courses that interested me, because I thought I would fail, yet again.
However, when I became a believer, a major breakthrough happened in my life, something that completely turned my life around, in terms of what I thought about myself. God not only revealed to me what I was gifted at. He brought me back to a time in my life as visions, when I would see myself writing, from as young as 13yrs.
Of course! My first thought was, I write because I enjoy it, I did not see it as something special. Though God had a different idea, he revealed he was going to use me with my writing to encourage others, to give them hope. Scripture tells us God does not call the ‘ Qualified ‘ he calls those who are not and for the first time I felt like a somebody and not a nobody, who had not achieved much. When indeed I had been given a gift that I did not have to study for, bust my guts over revision timetables for. No sleepless nights and early morning rises.
When God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, Moses was living a life of obscurity at that time.. He knew Moses had a heart for people and had credible standing at one point in his life and so God decided to use. Moses of course lamented.
‘ I am a nobody God ‘ …’ I am not qualified God’
But God was using Moses for his credibility, not Moses’s. God was using him as an example to those, who did not believe what God could do.
“Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord,” says the words of Leviticus. When it comes to retirement, it’s likely that most people will have more spare time — and money — than ever before. People are retired for longer than ever — but no matter what stage of retirement you’re at, you’re never too old to devote this new-found spare time to Jesus. Many older Americans are already religious, and there’s a 17% spike in religious affiliation among older people compared to those under 40. It’s not uncommon for churches and other religious establishments to be heavily populated by older people. But there’s still plenty for those in retirement to do to devote their time to God: helping in the community is one such way, while studying the Bible is another.
Bible study
Partly, opportunities for religious exploration as a senior are due to demographic trends. Retirement now is longer than it ever has been before: the average life expectancy in the US is now around 80, and many people are not called to Heaven until they are in their nineties — meaning that some spend almost as much time retired as they do in work. Also, there are some that can leave their career early, as they’ve accumulated enough savings to enjoy early retirement. But what’s a useful, and holy, way to spend all of that new-found free time? The option many people choose is Bible study. As you may already know, it’s one of the best ways to fall deeper in love with God’s word, and learn more about His creation. And one very interesting detail about studying the Bible during the golden years is the ability to understand it from an angle that you couldn’t have been able to in a younger age. In other words, with all your past experiences, you get to analyze the scripture with a new perspective, filled with seasoned wisdom that you didn’t have in your 20s and 30s.
Work in the community
For those who are either already conversant with the Bible or who feel that their vocation is something a little more practical, meanwhile, spending your new-found spare retirement time on helping your community is also a sensible choice. “And let us not grow weary of doing good,” says Galatians — and working in the community during retirement is a great way to achieve this end. You may want to volunteer to lead some groups in your church, or perhaps to become a reader at services. If you have specific skills such as fundraising or the law, you may find that you’re in high demand as a practitioner — and that church could be a good way to stay in touch with your workplace skills.
“Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone,” read the words of Deuteronomy 34:7. Retirement may seem like a long way off to you, or perhaps it’s right around the corner as it is for an increasing number of Americans. But no matter what retirement looks like to you, one thing’s for sure: using it to follow in Moses’ path and for holy purposes is a good idea, and it’s one that will stand you in good stead as you move from this life to the next.
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”
But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain.
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.
Arise, LORD! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people (NIV).
Reflection When do you most need God?
The answer to that question is easy–when I’m in deep trouble. It’s natural to call out to God when I’m in some great or urgent need. A returning veteran from the First World War said it best, “There are no atheists in the trenches. When the artillery shells start exploding to the right and left even unbelievers discover how to pray.”
The context of Psalm 3 is of great significance. David finds himself in the midst of a life threatening tragedy. He is fleeing from his palace in the nation’s capital, because his son is conspiring to murder him and seize the kingdom from his hands. Here is the great delta–the extreme low point in David’s life.
How does David respond? With utter confidence in God! Yes, he calls out to the LORD for deliverance, but he does so with complete assurance that God will answer. There isn’t the slightest hint of doubtful desperation in his voice. Having prayed to the LORD, he boasts in his ability to sleep, because he knows God will answer.
How could David be so confident–so self-assured? Actually, David’s assurance rested entirely on the LORD, not on himself. David had a wealth of experience with God. In his mind, the LORD was tried, tested, and true through the ups and downs of life.
He knew something we need to know. God will come through. He will bring salvation and deliverance!
Response: LORD God, save me from all my troubles. I put my confidence in you. You reach down to me at the low points in my life. You have never abandoned me. I give you thanks in advance. Amen.
Your Turn: Take a moment to reflect on the goodness of the LORD. Has He saved you from deep trouble in the past?
“No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.’”
Martin Luther King from Amos 5:24
I recently taught on the book of Amos during a study of the Twelve Minor Prophets. As I studied Amos I was able to see how it fits into the unity of these Twelve Books. There is a pattern within the individual books that make the twelve a cohesive unit. As I studied these prophets I found they all pretty much have the same basic ingredients: first there are warnings of impending judgment because of the nation’s sinfulness; second a description of the sin; third a description of the coming judgment; fourth a call for repentance; and fifth a promise of future deliverance. That is the Gospel message that we understand today.
Amos has perhaps received more critical attention than any other minor prophet. Hardly any aspect of the book remains untouched by extensive commentary. My purpose here is to focus in on one aspect of the Book of Amos. I have no intention to even begin to address the fullness of the nine chapters. Various approaches to Amos’ structure have been put forward. The book is often broken into a three-part framework that divides the book into indictments against neighboring nations, then Judah and Israel (chapters 1-2), sermons on ethical sin (chapters 3-6) and visions of the end (chapters 7-9). Our attention will be on the oracle or indictment of Israel for their callousness toward the poor and needy. The prophet will indict Israel, warn of coming judgment and then call for repentance. This I will follow with visions of the end because there is the promise of future deliverance.
Amos first indicts the leaders of Israel for their callousness toward the poor and needy including their exploitation of them for their own personal gain. “Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, ‘When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?’”
The Lord God pleads with Israel through His prophet to “Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
We see a patient God but not an ever patient God. We see a God who has desired through the prophets to warn His people and the nations, not only in ancient times but through all history. He warns all peoples that they will pay for their sins and transgressions if they don’t turn to Him. We see a God whose love is shown through His warnings and patience but we also see the judgment from our God based of the transgressions of the people and His need for justice.
The oppression and injustice Amos found in the Northern Kingdom was evidence that righteousness had been thrown to the ground as something worthless by those who were in power. Righteousness no longer had any meaning for the powerful people of Israel as a requirement of the worship of God.
To Amos, “hating evil and loving good” was a simple yet powerful statement of how to establish justice “in the gate.” In a very simple language, the prophet placed principles of true justice before a group of people who could argue about legal technicalities while tolerating bribery, corruption, and greed.
The gate of the city was fortified in order to protect the city from enemies and to serve as the place where the elders of the city would gather as a legal assembly to decide cases needing adjudication. The gate was the place where the local judiciary met to determine right and wrong in legal disputes, and therefore, to decide who was innocent or guilty. The gate of the city in Israel what just the opposite.
The prophet speaks, first of all, about the behavior of their judges: ‘They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals’ (Amos 8:6). Those who were rich behaved as they wanted to, without being questioned; silver passed hands and the corrupt judges convicted those who were innocent, ‘the righteous’. It was totally different for the poor. The judges were willing to sell a poor man into slavery — even though his debt might have been as small as the cost of a cheap pair of sandals — because the creditor paid the judge part of the money he received from the sale.
We can almost hear the sadness in God’s voice as, through Amos, the Lord speaks out about the lack of compassion shown by the rich people of Israel for the plight of their poor fellow countrymen. The rich and clever in Israel treated the poor like dirt and denied them justice because they were not wealthy enough to bribe the judges.
Amos indicts Israel for the oppression of the poor. The time in which Amos lived was a time of peace and prosperity for Israel. At least it was a time of prosperity in that the rich people became richer, but they became more selfish and heartless too. Originally in Israel each tribe had its own land, and each family its portion of that land, but then the rich got into their hands more and more of the land of those who were poorer. They even caused many of the poor to become their slaves. Poor people might owe a debt of no greater value than a pair of shoes, and they had to be sold as slaves to pay it (Amos 8:4-6 and 2 Kings 4: 1). In many different ways the rich ‘trampled the head of the poor into the dust of the earth’. They only cared to get more money for themselves. They oppressed the poor, taking away both their land and their liberty. This was sin, grievous in God’s sight; and the people knew it but did not care. The word of Amos was that they must answer to God for it. The patience of God, however, was about to expire.
In Amos 8:9-12 the Lord lets it been known to Israel “And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.”
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land — not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.”
God warns of judgment but He is a God whose love is shown through His warnings and patience. With every warning of coming judgment there is always a call to repentance, whether specifically spoken, or, as here, merely implied. Isaiah prophesied, ‘Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live’ (Isaiah 55:3). Yet these stubborn people continually refused to listen to the voice of the Lord’s prophets because they did not like what they heard. They did not want to be challenged or shaken out of their comfortable lifestyle. God was not quick to anger hoping that Israel would turn away from their sins. He was not quick to anger but He was not ever patient. His judgment was then cast on an unrepentant nation. The judgment of God is based on the transgressions of the people and His need for justice. In fact, the day of judgment did arrive, and Israel was taken away by the Assyrians, never to be heard of again. The judgment of God will come down on all unrepentant people not just Israel.
What does it mean to have justice established in the gate? I don’t think it means to have a society without distinctions, but a society without oppression or exploitation of the less fortunate, the poor and the needy. The eighth century before Christ was a period during which a privileged few in Israel were enjoying unprecedented prosperity while most Israelites were facing dire poverty. Amos forged an explicit and unbreakable link between justice toward the neighbor and righteousness before God. Amos’ ministry provided an eternal witness of God’s opposition to economic, political, and social injustice for all nations.
Amos spoke to an oppressed society and his concern for the poor and the oppressed made him a prophet for all times. Amos is also a prophet for the 21st century, a time when the worldwide gap between the rich and the poor has never been greater.
The words of Amos can be remembered by many of us today as we remember Martin Luther King, Jr., in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. in August 1963. King brought 20th century meaning to the words of Amos: “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream” (Amos 5:24).
The sources of oppression and injustice may look different today, but people’s concern for material prosperity reflects the days in which Amos lived. Amos’ message of God’s opposition to injustice, his criticism of the people’s worship of material things, and his witness of God’s special concern for the poor and oppressed, affirm that the worship of God in any age is worthless if social oppression and injustice are ignored.
How evident is this in 21st century America? How evident should this be to God’s people the Church? Were we brought together within the local Church to uphold a different standard of righteousness than ancient Israel? Does the care of the poor and the oppressed end in a voting booth for Christians? Vote, pay taxes and leave it to the government?
I understand that many evangelicals link the so called Social Gospel with those Churches that emphasize that Gospel apart from the teaching of sound doctrine. The attention to feeding people physically but not spiritually. The need for social justice does not preclude attention to feeding people spiritually. Bringing an individual to Christ fills them with a hope that no government or program can ever give them.
God desires to have a church full of people who don’t care if they live in comfort, but who hate evil, love good, and who devote themselves to establish justice at the gate! People who feel grief and indignation not just when their livelihood is threatened, but also when children die of starvation and anyone dies without salvation. Feeding and taking care of the poor and needy of this nation is no different in God’s eyes then it was in the days before the Assyrians came down on the nation of Israel. He is a God of justice and righteousness. He is a God whose character is unchanging, His will is immutable, His love abounding. His patience indicates His love for us but it is not endless. His justice, therefore, is swift if a nation fails to repent. America should understand that, especially with the direction it is now heading.
Think and pray about 21st century America. Think and pray about the Church’s responsibility in bringing about social justice in America. Think, however of a Christian community that fills the bellies of the hungry and also their spiritual need to be saved. Social justice will never be fulfilled on this earth, only in God’s Kingdom to come and in an eternity with Him made possible through the saving blood of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. That does not mean we have the right to turn away those truly in need.
For those who turned away from their sin God offered those Israelites hope. “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the Lord who does this. “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God.” (Amos 9:9-15)
This is the same hope that we have today. This is a hope that no earthly government can ever provide. This is a hope that all who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior already has. As we as God’s people reach out to the truly needy it is a hope that we need to share with them. We need to teach them to pray “Thy Kingdom Come” because it is on that day that we will all see social justice.
The Scripture says, “when we put our hope in Him, we will never be disappointed.” Wow! What a powerful promise we have from Almighty God! Of course, that doesn’t mean that things will always go our way. There may be temporary setbacks, but we will never be permanently disappointed. According to the Word, God will cause it to all work out for our good. With God on our side, we will always end in victory! Hallelujah!
What heavy negative weight are you carrying? Are you carrying frustration, worry or aggravation about something? That’s usually a clear sign that you have no hope. If you hope in circumstances, it will deplete you of joy and peace. But when you turn those circumstances over to God, when you refuse to worry, when you refuse to allow the temporary things of this world to dictate your happiness, and trust Him, your crooked places will become straight, and you will mount up with wings like the eagle.
Today, choose to put your hope in l God. You won’t be disappointed. Trust Him explicitly because He is faithful. Find rest, joy and peace for your soul, knowing that He is good, and He has good things in store for you!
“”¦those who hope in me will not be disappointed.” (Isaiah 49:23, NIV)
Pray With Me Yahweh, today I give You every frustration, every aggravation, every difficulty and all my hopelessness. Father, I release total control into Your loving and capable hands. Speak to my heart and give me Your peace. God, please show me Your love as I place my hope in You, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.
Jesus made many statements recorded in the Gospels that garnered great controversy in His day. He said that He came from heaven (John 3:13), had the authority to forgive sins (Luke 7:48—50), and is the “Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). But perhaps His most surprising assertion was given in response to the Jews in John 8. Amid a heated debate over His identity, Jesus told them, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58). This declaration is especially significant given that the phrase I am was used as a title for God (Exodus 3:14).
When analyzing Jesus’ comment, it is important to notice what Jesus did not say. He did not say that “before Abraham existed, I existed.” Or, “Before Abraham was, I was.” Rather, He declared that before Abraham was even born, “I am.” Before Abraham was (past tense), Jesus is (present tense). Jesus was claiming pre-existence.
When Jesus claimed to exist before Abraham, His hearers “picked up stones to stone him” (John 8:59). They knew immediately that Jesus’ statement was tantamount to claiming equality with God, and the penalty for blasphemy under Jewish law was stoning (Leviticus 24:16). Jesus’ opponents were unsuccessful, however. John records that “Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple” (John 8:59). Later, in John 13:19, Jesus again applies the divine name I AM to Himself: “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am.” The words echo God’s statements in Exodus 3:14, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’” and in Isaiah 41:4, “Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.”
One day, “the LORD appeared to Abraham” (Genesis 18:1). Throughout the conversation, the Lord is alternately called a “man” and “the Lord” in (Genesis 2; 13; 16; 17; 22). This is a case of an Old Testament Christophany (a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ). Genesis 18 provides further support for Jesus’ claim that He existed before Abraham. Jesus visited Abraham and Sarah in their tent and ate a meal with them.
Yes, the Bible certainly teaches that Jesus existed before Abraham. Jesus was “with God in the beginning” (John 1:2; John 1:14; Colossians 1:16—17), and that predates Abraham by quite a while. Jesus claimed to be divine on numerous occasions, and one such claim was that He existed prior to Abraham. Not only did Jesus exist prior to Abraham, but Abraham gave Him honor (Genesis 18:2—5).
As Jesus’ resurrection from the dead made clear, Jesus’ divine claims were true! So Jesus’ use of the name “I am” was not blasphemy as the Pharisees had supposed. Such an identification with Yahweh was entirely appropriate given who Jesus is. He is the “Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13). He is “God over all” (Romans 9:5) and “the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). He was then and will forever be the great “I AM.”
Reading: Psalm 5 (Verses 8-12) Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies– make your way straight before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies. Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you. But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you (NIV).
Reflection How good is your eyesight? Is it 20/20? How well do you score on an eye exam? I recently had elective lens replacement surgery. I simply got tired of wearing glasses. They were the bane of my childhood. I was an active lad and in those early years I can’t begin to count the number of times I broke or damaged the frames.
Going without glasses was not an option. I was practically blind without them; everything was a blur.
Today’s reading from Psalm 5 begins with David making this request: Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies–make your way straight before me.
Trust me on this point. If you can’t see clearly, you may need someone to lead you. David recognized his need. Because of his enemies, he needed the LORD to lead him. He knew his enemies were waiting to ambush him at any moment. But where were they? Enemies in hiding are not easily spotted. That’s why like David, we need the LORD. He sees everything.
My greatest enemies are not parading around out in the open. They are lurking within. Pride and selfish ambition come dressed up in various disguises. It’s easy to justify that lingering eye or that wayward glance. Somehow we have 20/20 vision for that sort of thing.
The truth is I too need the LORD to lead me because of the enemies of my soul. How about you? Now here is the outcome we want: But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
Response: LORD God, lead me. I can’t see the dangers ahead. Often I am unaware of the enemies that are trying to undermine my life and my love for you. Go before me. Show me the way, Lord Jesus, because you are the way.Amen.
Your Turn: How is your spiritual vision? Can you see the enemies that derail your progress?
Everybody loves something new, from shoes to smart phones. Today’s verse says God is doing something new with you right now. Can you see the “brand-new thing” God is doing in your life? Sometimes it’s easy to see the hand of God moving, and sometimes the storms of life can cloud our vision. But no matter where you are in life today, meditate on this truth that God is working, even when you can’t see Him.
Just like a seed buried deep in the ground, it may seem dark and lonely, and there may be dirt all around, but that is the place where new springs forth. In your old stale, dark situation trust that God is doing a new thing! You can trust Him because He is faithful! His plan for you today is blessings. His plan is to give you a future and a hope. His plan is to do a new thing in your life.
Today, let go of the thoughts of the old past, and push through your dirty life, and open your heart to the “brand-new thing” God has already started in your life. Ask Him to show you what He’s doing. Ask Him to reveal it to your heart and mind. So, seek Him with your whole heart and you will find Him, and see the brand new thing He’s doing in you!
“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun!”
(Isaiah 43:19, NLT)?
Pray With Me Yahweh, thank You for pushing through my stale, dirty life and doing a new work in me, even when I’m not paying attention or deserve it. Father, thank You for the brand-new thing You have promised me. God, I open my heart and put all my faith and trust in You, now and always, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.
Pastor David Lynn. Street preaching in Toronto. Arrested for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Assaulted numerous times.. Bullied.. Bashed for His faith. Arrested for preaching on a PUBLIC SIDEWALK.
As the sounds of “tolerance” and “inclusion” continue to ring up and down the streets of America, it seems those principles fail to apply when it comes to Christians expressing their religious beliefs.
A portion of the incident has been posted to YouTube:
David Lynn, a pastor for Christ Forgiveness Ministries in Toronto, was handcuffed and arrested on June 4th for preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ on the streets of an LGBTQ-friendly community. “Everybody can have dignity and respect, everybody, but do you know it’s not all the time that this is carried out,” Lynn announced on the street corner, before ‘coming out of the closet’ as a Christ follower.
The pastor proceeded to ask if individuals within close proximity would tolerate him, as one person after another turned their backs and shut him down.
“What about acceptance? What about acceptance?” asked one irritated listener who got in Lynn’s face.
As he continued to peacefully proclaim God’s love for all with a message about sin that was inclusive of both the heterosexual and homosexual community, various people attempted to trip and push the preacher.
Though Lynn remained calm and asked that people assaulting him would take their hands off of him, he was the one approached by police who accused him of being a “disturbance” and “breaching the peace.”
Though the pastor uses amplification to preach outside weekly, officers told him he needed to preach without amplification.
Lynn cooperated and continued preaching with no microphone in hand, but he was still ultimately arrested.
One of the arresting officers said that the pastor was arrested for breaching the peace though he admittedly didn’t know what those comments were. As Lynn was handcuffed and put in the police car, he repeated, “I was sharing the Gospel.”
“God loves you. There is hope for you,” he added, reiterating his earlier message. “Whatever community you are, God loves you. Jesus died for you.”
“Our religious beliefs and our freedoms to exercise that belief are going to be taken away,” said one of the Christians accompanying Lynn, following the pastor’s arrest. “We didn’t form a mob today. A mob was formed against us. Assault was demonstrated against us. We were assaulted. No one who assaulted us was arrested, but the person that was speaking and freely exercising their Christian beliefs was handcuffed, and we don’t even know where he’s at right now.”
In a statement released that day, Pastor Lynn said,
“Every community in Toronto should have the same laws, and everyone should be welcome. Everyone should have rights, dignity, and respect, just like Christians should as well.”
Being Christian is like living in an action movie- there is never a dull moment. You’re either being chased or standing your ground against the enemy, dodging spiritual bullets, fighting evil spirits, all while living your life in the physical realm. However, some Christians are not aware that they are even in the fight, so they are naturally confused as to why so many things are going wrong in their lives. Broken marriages, rebellious children, sudden conflict at work, bullying at school, sickness, financial loss, accidents… Where is GOD in all of this? GOD is right where He said He would be, but we’re the ones who are foolish to think that the devil is not doing all that he can to take us down.
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
1 Peter 4:12
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour;
1 Peter 5:8?
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through GOD to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2 Corinthians 10: 3-4
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
?John 15:19
Imagine yourself with a target on your person that people and evil spirits are trying to hit, or picture yourself in a dangerous war with the enemy firing shots at you. However, when you take a hit, don’t think of it as guts and gore, but losses. Think of your health worsening, losing your job, losing a child, your spouse filing for divorce, unexplainable hatred towards you, suffering huge financial losses, your house going up in flames, getting arrested for no reason, your family turning their backs on you- you get the picture, right? You might say “Oh, that’s just life! You can’t expect everything to go well all the time. Just pray that everything works out. It could be GOD testing you, you know.” I am well aware that GOD can sometimes take certain things away from us, but it is never to harm us but to bring us under His will and into the purpose He created us for. When I lost my job a few years ago, I knew that there had to be a lesson in it. I already knew that it was not the work of the devil because I had prayed and fasted about it. I had peace concerning my jobless state, although there were times that I allowed myself to become stressed when it seemed that none of my job applications was coming up fruitful. It took nearly a year before I was working well again, but during those hard months, GOD still provided for me, and I grew closer to Him. You need to be able to know if something is from GOD or Satan, and the only way is through prayer.
The devil can make his bullets seem like ordinary life issues designed to take your focus off GOD or even to shake your fist at Him. One minute everything seems fine, but then problem after problem take place in your life, leaving you exhausted. Such a thing happened in my family when I was sick or in pain for several months (first an abscess in my mouth, then chicken pox, then flu that affected my breathing, balance, and hearing). My older sister had her tonsils become so inflamed and swollen that she could no longer swallow anything, could hardly talk, and her breathing was compromised. My mother’s legs started swelling for no medical reason, and painful lumps started appearing that looked bruised. My younger sister was having trouble at work for no good reason, it was although her colleagues had turned on her overnight, my father had difficulty finding work (he’s in construction), my nephew was having trouble at school, and my niece became more rebellious. All of this happened around the same time, leaving us all stressed and tense. I was so consumed with what was going on that I neglected my time with GOD, and when I did speak to Him, I asked Him why all of this was happening when I had done nothing wrong. I had no doorways open in my life, and I was already in active warfare against the witches in my area. It took a while for me to realise that this was the work of the devil, so I began to stand on GOD’S Word and rebuke everything that was being sent to my family. In just a matter of days, everything returned to normal.
You don’t have to do anything wrong for an attack to happen. The level of warfare on Christians has increased immensely, and we need to be aware of this. People are astral projecting into our homes to harm us, demons are entering our dreams, curses and spells are being cast against us, however, so much more is yet to come. Our fights take place on a spiritual plane but expect to see the results in the physical realm. Do you know that there are specially trained forces walking among us whose assignment is to bring Christians down? We’re talking about demonically enhanced people who will usher in the anti-Christ when the time comes. They exist just to bring death, destruction, and persecution to all Christians in the world. There is no sitting on the fence here, people, we must all fight. When you see that a fellow brother or sister is being attacked and they cannot stand on their own, then you need to step into that gap and fight for them, do not let them fall when you are right there.
Put on your armour of GOD every day, remain obedient to Him, pray always and fast as much as the Holy Spirit moves you to. Praise GOD even in the midst of a trial, and stay in His Word daily. These are your weapons, and when used together with the name of Jesus, nothing will bring you down.
Soldier of Christ, if thou enlisteth, thou wilt have to do hard battle. There is no bed of down for thee; there it no riding to heaven in a chariot; the rough way must be trodden; mountains must be climbed, rivers must be forded, dragons must be fought, giants must be slain, difficulties must be overcome, and great trials must be borne. It is not a smooth road to heaven. Charles Spurgeon
Matthew 10:16-25 English Standard Version (ESV)
Persecution Will Come
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant<sup data-fn="#fen-ESV-23442a" data-link='[a]'>[a] above his master.25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign<sup data-fn="#fen-ESV-23443b" data-link='[b]'>[b] those of his household.
As a whole, our nation does not know what privation is. We do not know what sacrifice is. We do not know what suffering is. Suppose persecution were to come to the church in America, as it has come in other countries.
The immunity to persecution that Christians in our country have experienced in the past two or three centuries is unusual. Christ strongly warned Christians that to follow Him would not be popular, and that in most circumstances it would mean cross-bearing and persecution.
The Bible says that all who “desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus said that as the time of His return draws nigh, “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you” (Luke 21:12). We have no scriptural foundation for believing that we can forever escape being persecuted for Christ’s sake. The normal condition for Christians is that we should suffer persecution. Are you willing to face persecution and death for Christ’s sake? – Prepare For Persecution: A Message From Billy Graham
The Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP) has released a statement raising concerns regarding ongoing violence in several states in Central Nigeria and calling on the government to ensure enjoyment of the right freedom of religion or belief for “all of Nigeria’s religious communities”.
There has been an escalation in attacks in recent years by an increasingly well-armed militia “comprising of members of the Fulani ethnic group on farming communities in Bauchi, Benue, southern Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba states.” While recognising the existence of “many peaceable Fulani herders and communities” and of “the long history of disputes between nomadic herders and farmers across the Sahel”, the ‘Abuja Statement on the Crises in Central Nigeria’ declares that the manner of attacks witnessed in Nigeria are not replicated in other countries facing similar climatological and environmental challenges, and are occurring “with such frequency, organisation and asymmetry that references to ‘farmer-herder clashes’ no longer suffice.”
The Abuja Statement highlights disturbing allegations that while members of the militia “are neither traced nor prosecuted, members of victim communities who articulate their concerns experience an array of repercussions that include threats, arbitrary arrests and judicial harassment.” It goes on to relate the plight of nine elders of the Adara tribe from Kajuru Local Government Area (LGA) in southern Kaduna state who have been detained since February and are facing “dubious charges of incitement and culpable homicide,” and calls on the government to ensure an end to this “judicial harassment and arbitrary detention,” while also regretting the emergence of “periodic retributive violence, as communities conclude they cannot depend on government for protection or justice.”
In addition, the Statement calls on the government to facilitate the release of schoolgirl Leah Sharibu and humanitarian worker Alice Ngaddah, who have been held by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) since February and March 2018 respectively, and of 112 Chibok Girls held by the Shekau faction of Boko Haram since April 2014.
The Ongoing Violence on our Brother and Sisters
February 26, 2019 – Some 32 Nigerian Christians were killed in the Maro district of the Kaduna State. The attackers burned down an evangelical church and shot people fleeing. This violence was also suspected to be the work of Fulani militants.
March 4, 2019 – Muslims slaughtered 23 Christian villagers. “It was bad,” said a local in reference to the incident. “Some were killed by gunshots and some by machete hacks!… The displaced persons are scattered all over…”
March 7, 2019 – Muslim terrorists launched another raid in the same area during which three people were killed. Commenting on that attack, a local pastor said, “Even today, they attacked. One of my members came to report that his father was killed, and another member said his son-in-law was also killed.”
March 11, 2019 – Muslim tribesmen slaughtered more than 70 Christians and injured 28 in another region in Kaduna State. According to eyewitnesses, the terrorists were “torching houses, shooting and hacking down anything that moved.” About 100 houses were destroyed in the attack. Another report noted that “[t]he victims included women and children. According to survivors, their assailants divided into three groups; one group was shooting, another set fire to homes as people ran away, and the third waited in the bush to intercept fleeing villagers.”
March 16, 2019 – Muslim herdsmen killed another 10 Christians in southern Kaduna state, “bringing the lives lost in the past five weeks to 140 with 160 houses destroyed,” according to the report. “We were all asleep in our various homes when at about 4 a.m., we heard gunshots everywhere in my village,” said a local Christian. “Everyone ran out of their homes to escape from the Fulani herdsmen. Three hours after the herdsmen left, those of us who survived the attack returned to the village to find that [30 of] our houses were destroyed and 10 of our villagers killed.”
March 14, 2019 – Boko Haram jihadis attacked another predominantly Christian village. Although most people managed to flee into the bush, the jihadis killed one person, kidnapped two sisters, and burned down a church and six homes. A church leader said the local pastor had called him soon after the raid: “I could hear desperation in his voice, just coming out of the bush. His voice sounded completely demoralized as he was saying only God… We don’t know what else to do! There’s no security presence here.” The church leader further “regrets that these attacks are rarely reported on by the local media anymore. As a result, their people continue to suffer in silence, with minimal help from others.”
March 23, 2019 – Right after “beating, raping and killing a 19-year-old Christian woman,” Muslims attacked two predominantly Christian villages, and burned down 28 Christian homes and two churches. Joy Danlami and her younger sister and brother, 16 and 14 respectively, were ambushed while walking home from a Christian community feast; the two younger siblings survived with machete and gunshot wounds. According to their father, “The armed herdsmen chased them with dangerous weapons. Joy’s nose and face was battered, and then she was sexually assaulted by the herdsmen before being killed. She was shot.”
After finding the slaughtered body of a kidnapped Catholic priest who had been abducted two weeks earlier, two other church leaders were also kidnapped on March 25. One of the men, the Rev. Emmanuel Haruna of the Evangelical Church Winning All, was seized at gunpoint outside his church. Earlier, in 2016 he had spoken out against Muslim tribesmen raids on Christian communities: “Fulani herdsmen take their cattle to farms of our church members and destroy their crops, and security agents have not been able to take measures to stop them.” The report adds that “It is estimated by the United Nations Centre for Peace and Disarmament that of the 500 million illegal weapons that flooded into West Africa after the Libyan crisis in 2011, 350 million (70%) ended up in Nigeria, supplying the predominantly Muslim herders with added teeth in their campaign against Christian farmers.”
March 10, 2019, Sunday – “Boko Haram Suicide bombers tried to enter a Catholic Church service,” says a report:
“The two bombers, who were women, tried to enter the church through a clinic before being stopped, and then detonating the bombs a short distance outside the church. Despite the two bombs going off, only one person other than the bombers was reportedly injured….. It is very likely that the two bombers were captives of Boko Haram who were forced to commit this attack. Boko Haram is known for kidnapping women and children and forcing them to act as suicide bombers for their attacks. In 2017, between January and August, UNICEF reported on at least 83 children having been used by the group as suicide bombers.”
April 14, 2019 – Fulani militants invaded the village of Kochum-Numa in north-central Nigeria, killing 17 people during a late-night naming ceremony (christening) for a child.
April 29, 2019 – Boko Haram fighters invaded the Christian community of Kuda in northeastern Nigeria. The terrorists went door to door, killing as many as 25 believers.
May 18, 2019 – Rev. Zakariah Ido and 16 members of the Evangelical Church Winning All, including the pastor’s daughter, two elders and the son of an Assemblies of God minister, were kidnapped after midnight in the early hours of Sunday. A witness said the kidnappers were 20 to 30 armed Fulani extremists, a violent, mostly Islamic group that has carried out many attacks on Christians in Nigeria. The same night gunmen killed a Christian and kidnapped two others at a Baptist church, sources said.
May 26, 2019 – Gunmen suspected to be local Fulani Muslims killed several Christians as they made their way home from church services in Jos, Nigeria on Sunday (May 26) following the murder of another area Christian last week, sources said.
Area Christian Peter Sarki informed Morning Star News by text message that local Muslims east of Jos, Plateau state, killed seven Christians on Sunday after unidentified Muslims killed Moses Victor, a member of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), in the Rikkos area of Jos on May 20.
Police put the number of people killed in the areas on Sunday (May 26) at five and said 12 houses were burned. Sarki said more than 12 houses were burned, and that 12 additional Christians were wounded in the attacks. He said the violence took place in the areas in the Jos areas of Rikkos, Angwan Rukuba, Tina Junction, Cele Bridge, Dutse Uku, and Yan Trailer.
Sarki identified two of the Christians killed as they made their way home from ECWA church services on Sunday morning as Enoch Monday and Istifanus Ismailaj. Michael Anthony Pam of St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Nasarawa Gwong, and four others yet to be identified were also killed, he said.
It convicts our spirit when we know that we’re wrong, and leads to our wanting to confess our sin so that we can be forgiven. Once we repent, the guilt should be lifted. We should feel joy and relief because of the promise that has been made to us and the sacrifice that was made for us, but the enemy will have you caught up in an everlasting guilt trip. It is one of the devil’s most powerful weapons against us and will leave you feeling defeated, unworthy, and low on faith. This sort of condemnation will keep you from spiritual happiness and freedom. It opens the door to depression, fear, and other negative spirits that will only hinder you, your spiritual growth, and your success — exactly where the devil wants you.
I only share with you all the things that I have experienced for myself. Just recently, the enemy had me caught up in a guilt trip. I was unwilling to forgive myself when my God had already done so. Constantly consumed with my mistakes and my sin, I had no time or energy to focus on serving God or the things that fill my spirit with positivity. Feeling so distant from God, I didn’t even feel worthy enough to read the Word, talk about the Word, or share the Word — and I’m sure the enemy loved every moment. But I thank God for keeping me and allowing me to realize that this feeling was nothing more than a lie from the one whose purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. It may sound extreme to some, but it’s real. Be mindful that there is a fight going on for your life and your salvation. God is fighting for you and when the devil sees that he is losing, he will throw everything and anything in your way to distract you.
Here’s the bottom line: if God can forgive you, then you can forgive yourself. Your past is your past so let it stay there. Be obedient, listen to God, and try not to make the same mistakes; but don’t beat yourself up for being human!
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
