Prophets from the Beginning

The Christian life gives us great peace and reward, yet we will suffer persecution.
[Yea, and all who will live a godly life in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. II Timothy 3:12] I have always wondered about American Christianity, since so few in our nation have experienced this. Do we have a tainted and sanitized view of our faith? Note the following powerful devotional from the Days of Praise. The prophets, apostles, John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and countless saints throughout the church age were slain for their faith. It was not the exception for these spiritual giants, it was the rule. Also, the following devotional touches on several verses that tell us that creation was a recent event (thousands of years) and not an evolutionary process that started millions and billions of years ago. Praise God for the unique and gifted theologian and scientist Henry M. Morris Ph. D., who brings so much of the Bible to light for us! In His Service, Pastor Steve <><

DAYS OF PRAISE     DAYS OF PRAISE    Prophets from the BeginningBY HENRY M. MORRIS, PH.D.  | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 02, 2021ShareEmailFacebookTwitterPinterest

“That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.” (Luke 11:50-51)

God’s true prophets have been persecuted from the beginning. Abel, son of Adam and Eve, was the first, according to Jesus, for his blood was shed by Cain “from the foundation of the world.” A “prophet” in biblical terms was a man who proclaimed inspired words from God (not necessarily predictions of the future, but words inspired by the Holy Spirit—note 1 Peter 1:10-11; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

Evidently Abel was speaking God’s own words to Cain when the latter slew him in jealous wrath. The Zacharias mentioned is probably “Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest,” who was stoned when he prophesied against the people under King Joash (2 Chronicles 24:20-22), for he was the last prophet actually mentioned in the Old Testament as having been slain for his testimony.

Thus, the period encompassed by the Lord’s statement was the entire Old Testament period, “from the foundation of the world” to the coming of Christ. The same experience awaited most of the prophets used by God to pen the New Testament Scriptures. Thus does the world react to God’s inspired Word!

There is another important truth in this passage. The blood of God’s prophets began to be shed “from the foundation of the world,” not just beginning almost five billion years after the foundation of the world, as modern evolutionists allege! This is striking confirmation that the world was made from start to finish in six literal days. See also Mark 10:6, Acts 3:21, etc., for similar incidental confirmations of this truth. HMM

Days of Praise Podcast is a podcast based on the Institute for Creation Research quarterly print devotional, Days of Praise. Start your day with devotional readings written by Dr. Henry Morris, Dr. Henry Morris III, and Dr. John Morris to strengthen and encourage you in your Christian faith.
 
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The Persecution Of Christians Is Escalating Dramatically All Over The World 💢

Breaking News Updates – September 14, 2020

BY MICHAEL SNYDER/END OF THE AMERICAN DREAM SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

All over the globe, thousands upon thousands of Christians are being ruthlessly killed simply because of what they believe.  But if you only rely on corporate-controlled media sources for your news, you literally never hear about this relentless persecution.

In fact, in this article I don’t link to a single mainstream news source.  I had to go to Christian news websites to document what I am about to share with you, because the mainstream media avoids stories such as these like the plague.

Of course if innocent people were being systematically butchered for a reason that aligned with the various agendas that they are constantly pushing, the mainstream media would be all over this.  It greatly upsets me that the deaths of Christians are treated as if they don’t really matter, and we continue to see the global persecution of Christians escalate year after year.

For example, just take a look at what is happening in Ethiopia.  Extremists have been conducting a door-to-door campaign as they search for Christians to kill…

At least 500 Christians have been killed in an ongoing spate of coordinated door-to-door attacks and thousands of traumatized survivors have fled for their lives over the last two months in southern Ethiopia’s Oromia regional state, including its capital Addis Ababa, according to reports.

For most of you, this is probably the very first time that you have ever heard about this.

This just shows the power of the mainstream media.  If they don’t talk about it, then most of the population will never even know that it exists.

But we should be talking about it, because what is taking place is absolutely horrifying.  In some instances, Christian parents are literally being slaughtered in front of their children…

“The Qeerroo extremists arrived in cars and, armed with guns, machetes, swords and spears, sought out and slaughtered Christians. Children were forced to witness their parents being brutally murdered with machetes,” it added.

An Oromo Christian was beheaded after he refused to tear off the thread around his neck, which is worn by many Ethiopian Christians as a sign of their baptism. The attackers told his wife that only those who prostrate before Allah for prayer are considered part of the Oromo community.

This should be one of the greatest human rights causes of our day, but the silence coming from the mainstream media is deafening.

It is almost as if there is a concerted effort not to talk about this.

But I refuse to keep silent.  These precious lives matter, and I am going to talk about them.

In South Sudan, 23 Christians were gunned down at a church gathering on July 27th, and the attackers apparently decided that was not enough and so they decided to burn down an entire village…

Meanwhile, in South Sudan, six children who had been taken hostage were among the 23 people killed when unidentified gunmen attacked an Anglican church in Jonglei State on July 27. At least 20 others were wounded.

“After killing people in the church, the gunmen went to the homestead village and killed people there,” Bishop Moses Anur Ayom told the Episcopal News Service. “The gunmen burned down the whole village in Makol Chuei.”

Once again, I’ll bet you never heard about this story until now.

On the other side of the continent, thousands of Christians are being systematically eliminated by extremists in Nigeria…

This year already nearly 2,000 Christians have been mercilessly hacked and shot to death in surprise raids on their villages. These deadly, senseless attacks are often portrayed as ongoing clashes between farmers and herders. Those who follow closely believe they are part of a larger agenda — seemingly supported by government officials and security agencies — to drive Christians off their lands. Nigerian citizens have been disarmed by the government, but somehow, the Militant Fulani herdsmen are armed to the teeth and have no fear of encountering security response or capture.

This is something that has been going on throughout all of 2020, and this is another story that I’ll bet you have never heard about until this article.

I could keep going through more examples in Africa, but let’s switch gears.

In India, religious extremists regularly kill Christians, but those deaths rarely get much attention.  Here are just a few examples…

A young woman in the Khunti district of Jharkhand has become the fifth victim in a string of Christians killed in India because of their faith.

The woman, 25-year-old Suman Munda, was found dead on July 19 in a deserted place near her home, according to Vatican News. Just one month earlier, on June 24, another Christian, 27-year-old Ramji Munda, was killed outside a village in the Khunti district.

Overall, the number of attacks on Christians in India just seems to keep rising year after year.  In 2019, one group recorded “527 cases of persecution against Christians”…

The killing of Christians in India is on the rise.

In 2019, Persecution Relief, a group dedicated to helping persecuted Christians in India, recorded 527 cases of persecution against Christians, compared to 447 cases in 2018.

Sadly, the final number for 2020 will probably be the highest that we have seen so far.

But at least things in India are not as bad as they are in China.  As I have discussed previously, the Chinese government seems to have decided that the elimination of the Christian faith should be official government policy.  Over the past couple of years, countless churches have been raided, countless pastors have been imprisoned, and countless Bibles have been burned.

And even hundreds of pro-government “churches” that do everything that the central government tells them to do are still having their crosses taken down…

Bitter Winter reported on June 9 that crosses had been removed from over 250 state-run Three-Self churches in the eastern province of Anhui in the first four months of the year. According to the newly received information, an additional 656 state-run Protestant venues in the province had lost their crosses during the first half of this year, the total exceeding 900.

Thankfully, we aren’t facing this level of persecution in the western world yet, but many of our politicians have used the pandemic that we are experiencing to implement very strict restrictions on Christian gatherings.

In fact, the city of Seattle temporarily shut down an entire park the other day in order to prevent a Christian worship event from taking place.  The following comes from Todd Starnes…

The City of Seattle shut down a local park in advance of a massive gathering of Christian worshippers.

Christians were banned from the park, but not Black Lives Matter or Antifa. Let that sink in, folks.

The organizers could have completely canceled the event, but instead they decided to take it to the streets and rebrand it as a “worship protest”…

But instead of canceling the event, the Christians simply relocated the service to the street and called it a “worship protest.”

Brilliant!

It was wonderful to see such a diverse group of people all worshipping the Lord together under a beautiful blue sky.

But you can be sure that officials in Seattle will be brainstorming ways that they can prevent such a thing from happening again in the future.

Hatred of Christians is rapidly rising all over the globe, and it is going to get a whole lot worse in the years ahead.

Sadly, the corporate-controlled media will almost certainly continue to ignore the persecution that is happening because it definitely does not fit any of the agendas that they are trying to push.

That is extremely unfortunate, because every one of these lives that is being lost is of immense value, and their stories deserve to be told.

Originally published at End Of The American Dream – reposted with permission.

 

 

 

Salvation And Christian Growth Comes Through Suffering

Not for Our Comfort

February 5 | Bible in a Year: Exodus 36–38; Matthew 23:1–22 Not for Our Comfort We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3–4READ Romans 5:1–11 LISTEN ONLINE Dan was riding his motorcycle when a car swerved into his lane and pushed him into oncoming traffic. When he woke up two weeks later in the trauma center, he was “a mess.” Worst of all, he suffered a spinal cord injury that left him a paraplegic. Dan prayed for healing, but it never came. Instead, he believes God has compassionately taught him that “the purpose of this life is that we become conformed to the image of Christ. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen when everything is unicorns and rainbows. It . . . happens when life is tough. When we’re forced to rely upon God through prayer just to make it through the day.” The apostle Paul explained two benefits of right standing with God: persevering and rejoicing in suffering (Romans 5:3–4). These two benefits weren’t a call to endure suffering with stoic fortitude or to find pleasure in pain. It was an invitation to unshakable confidence in God. Suffering plus Christ cultivates “perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (vv. 3–4). This all flows from a faith that the Father won’t abandon us but will walk with us through the fire and into the future. God meets us in our suffering and helps us grow in Him. Rather than viewing afflictions as His disfavor, may we look for ways He’s using them to sharpen and build our character as we experience His love “poured out into our hearts” (v. 5). By Marvin Williams REFLECT & PRAY What needs to change in your heart and mind for you to handle suffering in Jesus’ strength? What’s one practical way you can persevere through and rejoice in challenges this week? Jesus, may I find hope and joy in You as You provide what I need. Learn more about comforting others who are suffering.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Reconciliation restores those who’ve been alienated. Paul uses the word reconcile more than any other New Testament author, often multiple times in a passage; for example, he uses it three times in Romans 5:10–11. He also uses it in Romans 11:15, 2 Corinthians 5:18–19, and 1 Corinthians 7:11 (related to human reconciliation). Today’s passage highlights the necessity of Jesus’ death for our reconciliation to God. But that isn’t the end. Our reconciliation through His death leads to our salvation through His life. Paul writes, “How much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:10). He says that both the death of Jesus and His resurrected life are necessary to our salvation. J.R. Hudberg

When We Fall Apart ~ Ryan Stevenson / Truth Be Told ~ Matthew West

The Lord never intended for us to live with the persona of invincibility. We are broken people living in a world that is the same way. God already knows us, and we benefit greatly through being transparent with Him and with people. This song is refreshing, and tells us exactly that. It was written in reference to the loss of Ryan Stevenson’s mother. After this song is a similar one by Matthew West. Blessings, Pastor Steve <><

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Behind The Song: Ryan Stevenson Shares The Heart Behind His Song “When We Fall Apart”

HomeUncategorized  Behind The Song: Ryan Stevenson Shares The Heart Behind His Song “When We Fall Apart”NEXTPREVIOUS

Behind The Song: Ryan Stevenson Shares The Heart Behind His Song “When We Fall Apart”

By Abby Young | Uncategorized | 0 comment | 19 May, 2020 | 9

This week’s featured song story comes to us from Ryan Stevenson. We’re excited to share with you the story behind his song “When We Fall Apart.”

“I remember the last words my mom spoke to me. She said on her death bed in our last conversation, ‘don’t ever think that you need to have it all together. Don’t ever think that you need to fight back your tears because sometimes the only way we see clearly is when we look through our tears. Sometimes our greatest act of strength is really our weakness. It’s in our surrender. And sometimes the only way we heal is when we just let go, crumble and fall apart.’” – Ryan Stevenson

Click on the video below to hear Ryan share the story. Scroll down to listen and read the full lyrics of the song.https://www.youtube.com/embed/smu0ugwYlrEhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/xUPgzd3nwMo

From the upcoming album Wildest Dreams.
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“When We Fall Apart” Lyrics

You were 43 when you got the news
Life will be changing, nothing we can do
The clock is ticking now
All I can think about
Is knowing I have to move on without you somehow
And I just can’t believe
That you’re the one whose keeping it together
As you hold my hand and say

It’s ok to cry
It’s ok to fall apart
You don’t have to try
To be strong when you are not
And it may take sometime to make sense of all your thoughts
But don’t ever fight your tears
‘Cause there is freedom in every drop
Sometimes the only way to heal a broken heart is when we fall apart

You ask me to sing
Some songs that I wrote
And I can barely speak
Can barely play a note
All my tears rush in
Falling on my strings
And make the sound of these progressions have a different ring
And I hate to say goodbye
Knowing this will be the last time we’re together
As you close your eyes and say

It’s ok to cry
It’s ok to fall apart
You don’t have to try
To be strong when you are not
And it may take sometime to make sense of all your thoughts
But don’t ever fight your tears
‘Cause there is freedom in every drop
Sometimes the only way to heal a broken heart is when we fall apart

And you’ve got the gift of mercy
Don’t ever think it’s strange
Not a curse, but it is a blessing to feel other people’s pain
And always love without condition
And trust with all your heart
There’s healing in the story of your scars

Well, it’s been awhile
Since you’ve been gone
Sometimes I still catch myself trying to call your phone
All the hopes and dreams we used to talk about
They’re still alive in me and I just hope I make you proud
Now I’m your legacy
And it’s your love still holding me together
And I still hear you say

It’s ok to cry
It’s ok to fall apart
You don’t have to try
To be strong when you are not
And it may take sometime to make sense of all your thoughts
But don’t ever fight your tears
‘Cause there is freedom in every drop
Sometimes the only way to heal a broken heart is when we fall apart

**************************************

Truth Be Told Lyrics – Matthew West

Lie number one you’re supposed to have it all together
And when they ask how you’re doing
Just smile and tell them, “Never better”

Lie number 2 everybody’s life is perfect except yours
So keep your messes and your wounds
And your secrets safe with you behind closed doors

Truth be told
The truth is rarely told, now

I say I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not
I’m broken
And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not
And you know it
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

There’s a sign on the door, says, “Come as you are” but I doubt it
‘Cause if we lived like it was true, every Sunday morning pew would be crowded
But didn’t you say the church should look more like a hospital
A safe place for the sick, the sinner and the scarred and the prodigals
Like me

Well truth be told
The truth is rarely told
Oh am I the only one who says

I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not
I’m broken
And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not
And you know it
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

Can I really stand here unashamed
Knowin’ that you love for me won’t change?
Oh God if that’s really true
Then let the truth be told

I say I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not
I’m broken
And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not
And you know it
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
Yeah I know

There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

https://www.youtube.com/embed/j4wYkS8Z3Io
Written By: Matthew West and Andrew Pruis

Suffering And Brokenness In The Christian Life ~ Part Twenty Eight

This series of entries are taken from a class on brokenness and suffering, at the Southwest Florida Bible Institute, aptly taught during the 2020 pandemic from April through June.  Part Eight Seven below features student John Walker explaining how he is able to relate to other people when they are suffering loss:

Paper #3

How was I able to help others    John Walker

As with everything else in life most people do not help others thru trying times unless they are
close friends with the person that is having the problems. Even then some do not know what to do
to help.
Many times when I have seen or heard that someone I know or am just acquainted with has had a
illness or a accident or even a death in the family I always say I should contact them and see if
they need help, but like the old saying goes: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
I do though contact friends that have had illness or death in their family.
I have found that people can relate to others that have had tragedies in their family if you are
able to tell that person that the same has happened to you. People will then respond to that.
Many times people have told others how sorry they are for their loss and they do not have a clue
as to what grief that person is going thru. Each person handles grief in there own way. Some can
handle grief by shedding tears and others have such a deep sense of loss that they cannot handle
life anymore. I have seen this in many of my friends.
I try my best to comfort the people that I know, when tragedy strikes because I know what it is to
lose family members and to lose children.
When you are able to talk to a grief stricken person and tell them that you also have lost a parent or
a child they will respond better to you because they realize you have been through the pain.

Suffering And Brokenness In The Christian Life ~ Part Twenty Seven

This series of entries are taken from a class on brokenness and suffering, at the Southwest Florida Bible Institute, aptly taught during the 2020 pandemic from April through June.  Part Twenty Seven below features student Ann Marie Aponte sharing her faith in Christ with one suffering physically:

Ann Marie Aponte June 6, 2020

Paper #3 On how my suffering help others

How I was able to help others after I suffered myself, one example that always stays in my
mind was when I lived on Long Island, there was a women that I meet in the dog park.  She was
very nice healthy and very sweet.  She would always make comments when I would speak to others
about Christ she would say there are two things I do not speak about politics and religion. But as she
got to know me she would soon come to see that most of my conversations would include God and
How I have a relationship with Jesus.
One day she just stopped going to the park I remember telling my husband something must have
happened. You get to know the regulars that go to the doggie park and you become acquaintances with
Them after one month of her not going to the park I began asking people but no one knew anything
Two months passed and I thought she might of found another park. Then one day their she was
sitting on a chair in the doggie park she had an oxygen tank next to her, I couldn’t believe my eyes
I remember being so happy to see her. She told me of her ordeal how she had a fever that lead to
An infection in her lungs which lead to surgery.
I felt the Holy Spirit and I grabbed her hand and I began to pray and to my surprise everyone around us
Joined in. I didn’t think she was going to receive it but she bowed her head and she closed her eyes and
PRAYED.
After me praying for her when she would see me she would always have questions about Jesus.
We would talk of how there is nothing a person could do to make Jesus stop loving them, and how
He will always bring you out of darkness if you seek him.
In the end I can’t tell you if she decided to Follow Jesus Christ our Lord and savior but what I can tell you
Is that the Lord used me to plant a seed and God always makes a seed grow.

Suffering And Brokenness In The Christian Life ~ Part Twenty Six

This series of entries are taken from a class on brokenness and suffering, at the Southwest Florida Bible Institute, aptly taught during the 2020 pandemic from April through June.  Part Twenty Six below features student Johnny Martinez sharing about brokenness through the loss of his dog Grace.

 

Brokenness And Suffering   Johnny Martinez
June 1, 2020

Testimonial Paper

A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are
cruel. (Proverbs 12:10 KJV)

I asked God for Peace and He gave it, along with Faith and Hope; but it was Grace that broke my
heart. Now I’m pretty sure that you are thinking about these awesome attributes that are
found in the scriptures, but that’s not what I’m talking about. You see Peace, Faith and Hope
were our first 3 dogs, and shortly after we also got Grace a.k.a. “my lil fatty girl”

If you can bear with me a moment I will explain. You see I was that young boy who was crazy
about dogs; as far back as I can remember I always had one. I was fascinated with them, to the
point that I would bring them off the streets, sneak them in the back door, and down to my
room in the basement; and as fast as I snuck them in, my father would sneak them out. I would
get home from school only to find out that Pop had taken my dog for a ride, talk about chest
pains. As time went on and I got older my passion for dogs just grew. I purchased my first house
and one of the first things on the list was to set up the kennel. This passion I had led me to start
PeacePop Kennels, home to some of the finest bulldogs in Florida. At that time bulldogs had a
pretty bad reputation; I would go to various pet shops, set up info booths, teach and promote
responsible dog ownership. We also traveled the circuit participating in various dog shows and
competitions. We would show the dogs, compete in weight pull competitions and network with
other kennels and breeders. We were also able to use that opportunity to mentor young people

Brokenness And Suffering Johnny Martinez
June 1, 2020

Testimonial Paper

and share the gospel, as we would set up our tent to evangelize to those who came by. This
went on for about 25 years.

Grace was a very special dog that came to us from Chicago, she had an amazing pedigree and
we were excited about adding her to our breeding program. We arranged for her to be flown in
to Ft. Myers airport where we would go and pick her up. The big day came; we went to the
airport to pick her up and as always we inspect the dog to make sure its ok. This time would be
different; she was traumatized by the flight, the noise of the plane and all the commotion.
When I opened the kennel she took off running, here we are chasing this dog in the airport; she
managed to get out in the street, stopping cars and traffic, creating a major scene. Finally a
bystander was able to get her and hold her for us. You can imagine the scenario and it wasn’t
good.
That trip ruined Grace; she was traumatized, very skittish and scared of everyone and
everything. You can imagine the disappointment, but we were not going to give up on her. I
came up with a plan to bond and build her up, Grace became my personal project. For 3 years I
worked with her every single day, slowly building her trust and confidence, the whole family
smothered her with love and attention and we started seeing the breakthroughs and progress.
Her demeanor became positive and her confidence was restored, finally all the time and
sacrifice paid off.
Shortly after, I came out early one summer morning and something just didn’t feel right. As a
ritual I would come out every morning at sunrise to feed and water the dogs. As I scanned the
yard I noticed one of the dogs near the barn, upon closer examination I saw that it was Grace.

Brokenness And Suffering Johnny Martinez
June 1, 2020

Testimonial Paper

But wait, she was supposed to be inside, in my room, next to my bed where she always laid. I
whistled for her to come to me, but she didn’t move, I called out her name and still nothing. I
got on the 2 way radio and let my wife know something was wrong. I went over to her and
there she laid lifeless, eyes open but with no life in them. She was balled up and appeared to
been scared to death, somehow, some way she was left out all night, something that had never
happened before.

I was devastated; I felt my heart break in half as I fell to my knees to pet her stiff, lifeless body.
This time it was different and I felt a pain unlike any pain I had ever felt before, my fatty girl was
gone. I asked my wife to leave me with her as I gathered the tools from the barn to bury her. I
couldn’t understand what had happened or why, I just knew that I hurt and this hurt was real. It
was in that moment that as my flesh suffered that my spirit took over and just began to sing
worship unto God. I had no words, just a song of worship to my God as I called on His name. I
began to sing “Praise is what I do” by Shekinah Glory Ministries. I vowed to praise Him, whether
happy or sad, I vowed to praise Him in the good and the bad, because praise is what I do.
In my distress I cried to the Lord, And He heard me. (Psalms 120:1)
It was in that worship that God comforted me, consoled me and strengthen me. My worship
provoked His presence and in His presence I found healing and peace. I thank God for the gift
we have in our pets, they have taught me so much about compassion, forgiveness and loyalty
and they remind me that God thought of it all and He did that for me. Thank you Lord!

Suffering And Brokenness In The Christian Life ~ Part Twenty Five

This series of entries are taken from a class on brokenness and suffering, at the Southwest Florida Bible Institute, aptly taught during the 2020 pandemic from April through June.  Part Twenty Five below features student Rachel Marie RD sharing about how the Lord worked through the hardships of her early childhood and adolescence, and helped her sort things out after her salvation:

Rachel Marie RD

May 16, 2020

Brokenness Paper #2

Broken Child to Child of God

“Remember ye, not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert”.  Isaiah 43:18-19 (KJV)
Satan says, “Remember when your mother said, “I had to pick your sister up all the time, but when you came along I never had to pick you up.” “I’m not cooking tonight your daddy’s not going to be here” or how about this one “get out, go to hell and I never want to see you again”! Thank God, He says I am His child, adopted into His family and heir to the throne. His Word says, “He knew me in my mother’s womb and knows every hair on my head”. If I was the only person on Earth He still would have sent Jesus to die for me. Like the song says “who you gonna believe” and for the Christian, the right answers are “I’m going to believe the report of the Lord”
Growing up I always had food, a roof over my head, parents that stayed together, and we even sat in the same pew every Sunday. We were dysfunctional with a facade of Beaver Cleaver’s family and my father definitely thought he knew best. Life wasn’t easy with a bipolar, narcissistic mother that could never love her children and an emotionally and often physically absent father. He was a very successful business owner in the tire business whose philosophy of leadership included “the customer is always right” and “good employees merit favor”, but at home, he was very strict and controlled with fear.  In those days the man definitely ran the household and with the responsibilities of being a sole proprietor, having a sick wife and four daughters the stress reduced his life to a mere 53 years. He considered us all weak and helpless. To him, a woman definitely could not run a tire business. I never had the opportunity to show him otherwise. My father longed for a boy, but I was the only boy he ever had. I remember one Christmas I got a baseball and bat, a kickball, a football, and a bow and arrow. I would do everything to get him to love me. It was like a broken record that said “do you love me yet”, “do you love me yet”, but it just kept skipping. I resorted to ballet and home economics even going into, what he thought was, a “girly career”. Because of the war, my father never had the opportunity to go to college. I never was as smart as my sisters, but off to college, I went to please him. He put on my cap and smiled for a photo. He was living through me.
Years went by and nothing satisfied my inner pain. I looked for love in all the wrong places. I got married right out of high school because someone asked me. Two years later I had a child and divorce papers. I attempted to live on my own having been told by my father, “you made your bed you lie in it”. He had a change of heart when he saw me struggling financially and I moved back home, but my mother couldn’t tolerate a child in the house and I was off and running again to escape with another man. Several years later, now with two children and eight months pregnant, my second husband threatened to shoot me. I thank God for my strong will, because I packed up the car and left, this time determined I would not go back home. I took three jobs to keep my three children in daycare. It was because of my great love for my children and my fortitude that I survived, but I was only surviving. The road was leading nowhere, yet I was determined to make something out of myself. With the help of outside assistance, I went back to college, got a bachelor’s, a master’s, and became an RD (registered dietitian). Still, that didn’t satisfy the hole in my heart that only God could fill.  It was not until I met Jesus and started my walk on the road of sanctification that I was able to really know who I was in the Lord. Even at that, it can still be a struggle to deal with inferiority. I learned to forgive my parents, others that had hurt me, and forgive myself. I have matured spiritually and strive to face my weaknesses head on.  I minister with my husband of 41 years who is on the same page spiritually as I am. Jesus said, “Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? …For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. Mt. 12:48b, 50 KJV.
I realized that my biological family may be blood kin, but my true family consists of those under the blood of Christ. Such Revelations have added to my self-confidence and spiritual maturity. A big change occurred in my life when I asked the Lord for a new name and He answered a few years later, giving me the name Rachel. Upon receiving it I studied the name and found out it meant beautiful. God said to me “You’re beautiful on the inside, but you don’t know it”. Not only did I have a new name, but I had a new identity. Such a simple thing made a huge difference in my life.
God knows what we need when we need it, how we need it and the outcome. My Father knows best, and thank God, He has given us the Holy Spirit to depend on to show us what we need to do to be more like Jesus. 2 Cor. 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
God is always putting people in front of me who are or have a family member with bipolar disorder, people that struggle with inferiority or physical pain as I do or have had similar losses as I have. It is never a coincidence, it’s always a Divine appointment and I pray I will always be sensitive, responsive, and obedient to serve in that capacity. I can’t feel sorry for myself because I’m a better witness because of the struggles I’ve been through. Praise God that He has been faithful to walk with me through it all.

LGBT Lobby Wants Biden To Target Christian Schools That Follow Biblical Values

Breaking News Updates – January 21, 2021

BY JONATHON VAN MAREN/BRIDGEHEAD.CA JANUARY 21, 2021

LGBT organizations, infuriated by the four-year pause in the rainbow blitzkrieg transforming American institutions, is going to come after Christians with a vengeance and at the top of the hit list are Christian institutions that do not meet the demands of the LGBTQ orthodoxy.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America’s largest and most powerful LGBT lobby organizations, is pushing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to target Christian educational institutions, demanding that the Biden Administration strip colleges that adhere to rules and positions opposing homosexuality of their accreditation. 
The HRC’s “Blueprint for Positive Change,” which offers 85 recommendations, proposes eliminating non-discrimination exemptions for religious colleges if they refuse to abandon the biblical position on marriage.
Al Mohler, a theologian and president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sounded the alarm on the HRC’s push in an essay titled “A Direct Threat to Christian Education.” The laundry list demanded by the HRC, he notes, are fundamentally transformational. 
The HRC is demanding that the State Department “include a non-binary gender marker” on identification such as passports and form a panel to explore how the LGBT agenda can be classified as “inalienable rights” and how this agenda can be pushed in international relations.
But the most dangerous proposal is aimed at essentially destroying Christian institutions overnight. As Mohler put it:
The Blueprint states, “Language regarding accreditation of religious institutions of higher education in the Higher Education Opportunity Act could be interpreted to require accrediting bodies to accredit religious institutions that discriminate or do not meet science-based curricula standards. 
The Department of Education should issue a regulation clarifying that this provision, which requires accreditation agencies to ‘respect the stated mission’ of religious institutions, does not require the accreditation of religious institutions that do not meet neutral accreditation standards including nondiscrimination policies and scientific curriculum requirements.”
In terms of accreditation, that is an atomic bomb.
In clear text, for all the world to see, the Human Rights Campaign summons the Biden administration to deny accreditation–or, at the very least, to facilitate the denial of accreditation–to Christian institutions, Christian colleges and universities, and, for that matter, any other religious institution or school that does not meet the demands of the LGBTQ orthodoxy. 
This would mean abandoning biblical standards for teaching, hiring, admissions, housing, and student life. It would mean that Christian schools are no longer Christian.
This is insidious from top to bottom. Schools that will not get in line with the moral revolution, if the Biden Administration acts as demanded, will be denied their accreditation. We must not miss the language: Accreditation should be revoked for those who do not meet the LGBT “non-discrimination” standards or “science-based curricula standards.”
Wait just a minute. The Human Rights Campaign is not known for any particular agenda on the creation-evolution front, nor is the group preoccupied with particle physics. The Human Rights Campaign is targeting issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, cloaking them in the language of “science.” This is an undisguised effort to require Christian schools and colleges to abandon biblical authority or lose accreditation.
This is an open threat to the ability of Christian colleges and schools to operate by Christian conviction. This is an outright attempt to eliminate religious freedom for Christian schools–or for any religious school that refuses to bow to the moral revolutionaries at the Human Rights Campaign.
Mohler further noted that this is “an undisguised attempt to shut down any semblance of a Christian college or university that would possess the audacity to operate from a Christian worldview.” As I’ve noted before in this space, the LGBT lobby has been open about the fact that when they achieve power, their goal is to “punish the wicked”–their words, not mine. 
The Human Rights Campaign and other LGBT organizations, infuriated by the four-year pause in the rainbow blitzkrieg transforming American institutions, is going to come after Christians with a vengeance.
Joe Biden, it must be noted, is as radical as the HRC is on these issues. He openly promised every LGBT leader who would listen that he would be their man in the White House, and for LGBT activists, this means going after their enemies. 
Their enemies, as the HRC has made clear once again, are those who refuse to join the Pride Parade and stubbornly cling to beliefs and traditions that have lasted for thousands of years rather than joining them on the “right side of history” (which is roughly less than two decades.) They have been meticulously researching methods of toppling Christian institutions. Their “Blueprint for Positive Change” is just a start.
Originally published at The Bridgehead – reposted with permission.

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Five Ways To Prepare For The Days Ahead

BY TONY PERKINS/FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL JANUARY 21, 2021

Breaking News Updates – January 21, 2021

Wasting away in a Turkish prison wasn’t how Andrew Brunson would have chosen to spend two years of his life — but after watching turmoil of the last two weeks unfold, he’s more convinced than ever: God was preparing him for this moment. Persecution is coming, he believes. And there’s no greater burden on his heart than to make sure Americans are ready for it.
Looking back, Pastor Brunson never imagined his life’s mission would be advocating for religious freedom. “I thought I’d be in Turkey the rest of my life doing church planting,” he admitted on “Washington Watch.” God had other plans. 
When Andrew was wrongfully charged and sentenced to life behind bars, he’s pretty candid: it broke him. Nothing, he said, equipped him for the kind of persecution he experienced. “I had counted the cost for some pressure, but certainly not for prison.”
Like most pastors, he’d studied the great leaders of the faith — but none of them really talked about how they coped with the suffering. Over time, Andrew says, the despair broke him. “And every time I broke, I had to get up again and learn perseverance at a deeper level.” 
But there was a purpose to the pain. “God allowed me to be broken like that so that I could be an encouragement to other people who are going to face persecution.” People, he warns, like Americans.
“I’ve really had something burning on my heart, especially in the last few weeks,” he shared. The waves of hostility are coming, and he believes God has sent him to give the church in America a message. “There’s a real sea change taking place in our country and this generation… 
The hostility toward followers of Jesus Christ is going to rise,” he warned. “The pressure is coming, and it’s coming very quickly now.” Thinking back over the horrible images of the last two weeks, Andrew said he feels a sense of urgency. “Pastors, especially, and influencers and parents need to prepare.”
“I believe a great sorting is coming to the church, and there will be a lot of division.” There will be a temptation to compromise, Andrew senses. And it’s already happening. “One thing I want to underline from my experience is that those who persecute are going to justify it by saying that we’re hate groups, that we have a message of hate.” 
That’s going to be tough to take. “People are going to say that Christians are a threat to safety. ‘You can’t work here. Your views make people unsafe. You can’t use social media. You can’t use your bank account, your credit cards,’ things like that. And churches, ‘You can’t keep your designation as a tax-exempt nonprofit…'” Compromise will be the easy way out.
Jesus tried to steel his followers against that impulse by reminding them that He was hated. He said, “Look, they hated me, they rejected my message. So they’re going to hate you and reject your message. The servant is not greater than the master.” He was preparing them. “That’s why it’s so heavy on my heart,” Andrew insisted. “I feel like we’re not ready. And it’s going to shock people.” So what can we do? What practical steps, as believers, can we take?
1. Talk about persecution
For starters, Andrew says, be aware that people have suffered — and are suffering — persecution in many countries. Americans have been spared from that fate because, despite the sins of our country, generations were still faithful to God. That’s changed. “So let’s talk about persecution, be aware of it, and begin to prepare for it by equipping your children and people in your church.”
2. Pursue Intimacy with God
Cultivating a love for God doesn’t necessarily come naturally, Andrew says. We have to grow it. “This is the number one thing that fueled my perseverance.” Back in 2007, Andrew remembers, he began to pray that God would draw him closer to His heart — never realizing how badly he would need it. “This is what prepared me for the difficult assignment that I had… God knew I was going to break. He knew that I would go right up to the point of failure — but because I had spent years running after His heart and drawing close to Him, He also knew that even in my most difficult time, that I would turn to Him. It’s this intimacy that fuels perseverance.”
3. Develop the Right Perspective: Fear of God, Not Man
“Jesus said very clearly: ‘Don’t fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body and health.’ That wasn’t empty rhetoric,” Andrew insists. “He was saying this to his disciples, and most of them were killed for their faithfulness to Jesus. So he was setting it up very clearly. We have a choice. We have to have the right perspective and determine that we are willing to pay a price — because there may well be a price.”
4. Determine ahead of Time to Follow Jesus
“If we make the decisions now, then we’re more likely to have an anchor to hold on to when the winds come, when the storm comes. Whereas if we don’t make those decisions now, then when we are under pressure, we may not have the strength to make them. 
So you have to decide ahead of time: Am I willing to pay a price and began to cultivate the heavenly perspective in order to be faithful?” Or, Andrew wonders, “Are we going to fear the Twitter mob? Are we going to fear the consequences of obeying God and persecution? Or are we going to fear more the consequence of not obeying God, which is standing before Him someday?”
5. Stand on the Word
“We need to make the decision that we won’t compromise the word of God, even if it costs us,” Andrew urges. Of course, to do that, we have to know what the word of God says. That means we’ve got to be in the word of God. One of the things lacking most in the Christian community today is biblical literacy. 
We know the word. We can read it — but we don’t understand it, because we’re not in it. We’ve got to be in it daily. It’s daily bread. We wouldn’t eat just one day a week, so we shouldn’t just study God’s word one day a week. We should be in it constantly.
Originally published at Family Research Council – reposted with permission.

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