For My Brothers And Sisters...

     This is the last week of Ramadan for 2014.

     Muslims and their support for Shari'a Law in the United States has been steadily growing. What the media fails to show is the persecution of Christians in Islamic states (Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan). This persecution manifests as brutal torture and death of anyone remotely connected with Christianity.

     Many people support the expression of Islam in the United States by citing Freedom of Religion; however, freedom of religion cannot come at the expense of FREEDOM. America was founded upon Biblical, Christian principles. The institute of Shari'a Law endangers everything America stands for and vitally endangers the lives of all Christians.

     This video is by Dr. Bill Warner, a historian and commentator on Islam for the non-Muslim.

     This is also dedicated to all my brothers and sisters who will be martyred for their dedication to Jesus Christ.

The Free

     I just got back from spending a week in the great outdoors. I was a camp councilor at my church's summer camp. I've been doing this for the past three years and this summer was BY FAR the best I've ever had. Not that the other summers were bad, mind you, but this summer I felt as though the messages were ministering to me specifically. The group I was leading was amazing also! I had seven beautiful girls who were about to enter their senior year of high school -- I've never seen girls so on fire for Jesus Christ and seeking His will above their own!


     The theme this year was: THE FREE. The pastors were specifically referring to freedom from sin -- the freedom one receives from Jesus Christ when one becomes saved. Since I and my girls were already saved, THE FREE took on a different meaning for us...

     For me, it was freedom from fear. I have spent my life in fear; not a whimpering, trembling fear that refuses to go outdoors or to experience the new, but a fear of failure and a fear of rejection. This fear manifests as a refusal to do something that I feel will make people laugh at my inabilities or criticize my attempts. This fear also makes meeting new people difficult and talking about serious issues with old friends impossible -- the fear of being abandoned or rejected for something I might say was too strong.

     These fears can be overwhelming at times and although a healthy amount of daring and sensitivity towards others is VERY good, these were to an extreme. I was scared and miserable because I felt weak, helpless and alone.

     But Christ showed me otherwise.

     I always knew:

"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me" (Matthew 5:10-11, NASB).

and

"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you" (John 15:18-19, NASB).

     Yet, I never really lived it. Now, I have learned...
 
     I learned that Christ is where all my approval must lie. He is in charge of my destiny. He has given me gifts to use for His glory. He has designed me with a plan and a purpose -- to usher in brothers and sisters to the Faith through my words and actions, even if I have no idea I'm doing it. If I feel God calling me to do something, I can stand in confidence that He will provide the strength and ability to do it with excellence when I know of myself it is impossible.

     God was big enough and smart enough to create the universe from nothing. He was powerful enough to divide the sea, to make the sun stand still, to make hearts strong enough to move blood through our veins. He was loving enough to die for the sins of the universe. There is no problem -- no mistake -- so large that we cannot overcome it with His help.

     I can stand strong. I can laugh in the face of the world when it tries to pull me down! I can do that which seems impossible because it is not me but Christ in me. He is my strength! He is my power because, of myself, I am nothing, but with Him I am everything.

The TRUTH Shall Set You Free

This was inspired by a section in my devotional (Cynthia Heald's Becoming a Woman of Freedom) that I found very profound after mulling these verses over...

John 8:31-32
     "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'"

"What did Jesus mean by truth? How does it set us free?"

The truth is the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ: that in understanding Him and gaining a deeper and deeper relationship with THE TRUTH we shall know and love God better. This understanding will set us free. Free from the eternal bondage of sin. Free to learn and do righteousness for the glory and pleasure of our Lord. In this we are now free.

"But what is the nature of our freedom? It is not release from all restraint. It is not license to indulge our sinful nature. Our freedom is the freedom to 'serve one another in love.' It is possible to do so, because the Holy Spirit enables us to act in ways that are contrary to the natural impulses of our sinful nature. Walking by the Spirit, we are released from the old master that produces hatred, jealousy, fits of rage, envy, and such. We are released to be loving, patient, kind, faithful and good." -Lawrence O. Richards

It is the work of Jesus Christ that sets us free. Growing and  FULLY understanding this takes a lifetime (and then some) but the beginning of this understanding brings about true freedom in Christ. Freedom to perform His will in our lives to the best of our ability.