Are You Ready for the Battle?

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A Christian thought to ponder...

In America's culture, Christians have had it pretty easy, as compared to Christians living in China, Nigeria, or some other red-flagged country where hostility and persecution towards Christians is a common occurrence. There are 52 countries where the Bible is illegal to have in possession or you are severely persecuted for having it in your possession. https://lovepackages.org/bibles-dangerous-illegal-covert/  Most of these countries are located in Africa and in the Middle East. There are no countries in the West that forbid or punish people with Bibles.

But since the onset of COVID-19, Christians in the West have had their religious liberties under attack by the far left's progressive Marxist ideology and agenda. Christians in Finland, Australia, Canada, and Britain are being arrested for sharing their faith or for just opening their doors to their congregation. Christians are being punished or arrested for what the left deems "hate speech." It is the left's way to silence, censor and control anyone that has an opposite political position or goes against their agenda. For example, in Finland, Päivi Räsänen, a Lutheran politician was indicted for hate speech when she boldly proclaimed the Truth in her speech  and it was deemed discriminatory towards the LGBT community. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/finland-persecutes-christian-lawmaker-paivi-rasanen/

A great battle is coming my Christian friends. The battle has arrived at your door. A battle that many of us were unprepared for as the enemy has a foothold in the media, in companies, in our youth, and in our politics. Many Christians have fallen asleep or drifted away and don't see the red flag warning signs that Jesus foretold. The current woke and cancel cultural stance towards Christians in the West is just the beginning. Jesus warned us of these things to come in Matthew 24:3-14

Signs of the End of the Age

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The signs of the end of the age are unfolding before our very eyes. The enemy is at work un-leashing his wicked and evil plan to destroy God's chosen people. We are his target. The bullseye is upon our backs. Are you ready to fight, dodge, and thwart those fiery darts the enemy has aimed at you? Are you geared up with the full armor of God? Are you ready for battle? We are told in Ephesians 6:10-20 how to prepare for the spiritual battle with the enemy. 

The Whole Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

As it states in verses 18-20, we are to be constant in prayer, in the Word daily, and to be watchful. We need to stand firm in our faith and be strong and courageous. Just as Paul spoke the Truth boldly, we all need to share the Truth boldly as we are all ambassadors for Christ. Our bold words and work for the Lord will not be in vain, for somewhere a seed has been planted. We may not know which seed, but God does and He will help it thrive and grow.

Therefore since we know not what seed will sprout, we must stand strong, take courage, and be at peace even when the whole world tells you that they hate you because you are Christian. Be at peace because we know that Christ was victorious at the cross.  Be at peace because we know the end of the story.  Our redeemer is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. His Truth sets us free, not the world's truth and not the enemy's truth. Stand strong. Stand united. Be ready for battle with the whole armor of God.

Heavenly Father,

You are all powerful, faithful and true. Thank you for equipping us for battle. During these uncertain times, help us to remain steadfast in our faith, and to be strong and courageous. Help us to speak the Truth boldly to others, to have no fear and to trust completely in You. 

In Jesus' name. 

Amen. 

Pray you all have a blessed week!

Carol 

Trusting Jesus to Hold Us Up in Dark and Difficult Times

A Christian thought to ponder...

Today, our nation hangs on by a thread. Turmoil and chaos abound around our country. This chaos is fueled with evil, wickedness, and with a purposeful agenda. Chiefly, an agenda that is full of hate, power, divisiveness, and control. Executive order after executive order, our freedoms, and our rights are slowly disappearing. In fact, all of us are being pushed to depend upon the government, to let them make decisions for us, and to be controlled by them. 

To be controlled, one must be instilled with fear and propaganda. Hence, fear has taken hold of many people's lives. These fears and lies are being driven by the enemy who is using our government, our media, big tech corporations, and people with political agendas to drive these fears.

As to this agenda, I will not subject myself to any more lies, fear, and hate that the enemy is spewing forth across this nation and the world, but I will take a stand for the Truth. God's Truth. I will bow to no one or thing, but only to God my Lord and Savior. I will stand with my arms reaching out to my Lord God in heaven seeking His Truth, His guidance, and His peace. I will love all people of all races. In God's eyes, all lives matter. God loves all people. Not just African Americans, not just Caucasians, not just Native Americans, not just Asians, but God loves everyone.  He shows His love for us in John 3:16, 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." 

I will share this Truth boldly. I may be spitted upon, mocked, or even persecuted, but I know where my eternal reward lies...... in heaven with Jesus.

Many churches around the world can no longer worship and hold services. However, many churches have grown asleep. They no longer share the Truth. They no longer trust Jesus. They no longer sow seeds. We need to pray fervently that these churches will wake up from their slumber and share and speak the Truth.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, please do not focus on this world and all the present-day troubles. This world is not our home. Look to Jesus during these uncertain troubling times. Look to Jesus to calm our souls and hearts. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. The author of Hebrews tells us Jesus perfects our faith in Hebrews 12:1-2, 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne."  

Dark and difficult times can either make or break our faith. We need to remember this verse in Hebrews that Jesus endured the cross for you and me. Jesus Christ overcame the world, He is our Champion, and He is our Lord and King. As the world is falling apart around us, we need to keep our eyes focused on Him. We can be rest assured and trust that Jesus is by our side, and he will hold us up through these dark, difficult times.

O Lord,

You are the Author and Finisher of our faith. Help us to walk by faith and not by sight. Help us to fight the good fight and hold fast to our confessions of faith. Help us to share the Truth boldly without reservation. We thank You that You are with us during dark and difficult times, and that You are the light in this darkness that is spreading throughout the world.

In everything, we give You thanks, and we give You the glory.

In Jesus' name. 

Amen.

Pray you all have a blessed week!

In Christ,

Carol

Divided We Fall

Our country is more politically divided than ever, and with the onslaught of censoring, accusations, lies, incitement, fake news, the woke crowd, the cancel culture, and the condoning of domestic terrorism, a wedge of division has been driven into families, friends, co-workers, and even churches. The left side of the political spectrum believes they are right and the other side is wrong. On the other hand, the right side of the political spectrum believes they are right and the other side is wrong. 

In my opinion, neither side is right, as both sides fall short of being perfect. Only God's ways are perfect. But my question to you is which side-lines up more with Christ and with God's Word? Is it the right side or the left side?

Specifically, is it right to censor people because of their political or religious beliefs? Is it right to condone domestic terrorism, vandalism, and violence? Is it right to shun loved ones, friends, and co-workers because they do not want to get vaccinated or wear a mask or vice-versa? Is it right to censor someone because they dare to share a post that might disagree or differ from what you believe is true or fact? Is it right to tell someone they are a racist when they have never said or done anything racist in their entire life?

So the question is who is dividing who and why are they trying to divide us? The main culprit behind this division is Satan. Satan wants to divide and destroy us. He is using tactics, tools, and people to trodden us, divide us, and destroy us. Satan knows that a nation divided, will fall. He is circling our wagon train and we are in for a great spiritual battle.  

n the video by Olive Tree Ministries, "The Strategy? Deceive, Divide, Destroy", this spiritual battle is brought to light, and Christians need to beware of this purposeful division. Christians need to be sober, vigilant, and put on the armor of God. Satan has got his targets set on us and he is going to throw darts of division, fear, doubts, anger, jealousy, guilt, confusion, violence, and all forms of lawlessness our way.

So therefore, we must fix our eyes on Jesus and keep rooted in His Word. We must not let the enemy divide us or our churches.  As Paul tells the people in 1 Corinthians 1:10, "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." Paul knew a church divided would fall right into the enemy's hands. A church divided shows that we are being controlled by our sinful nature. Division shows that we are living as people of this world. A world of people that is full of hate, cold hearts, unforgiveness, unkindness, impatience, immorality, and divisiveness. We must stand united in one mind and one body and live in a Christ-like manner.

For we, who are born again, live for Jesus. We should not condone any of this wicked behavior and division. The only division that should be clear is that we are showing that we are God's chosen people. 

Heavenly Father,

You are Sovereign and You are our Hope. We thank You for equipping us for battle and for giving us Your armour. Help us to stay rooted in Your Word. Help us to rest in Your strength and wisdom to help us in the oncoming spiritual battles. Help us to stand united in one mind and in one body and help us to hold fast to our confession of faith. 

In everything we give thanks and give You all the glory. 

In Jesus name,

Amen.

Pray you all have a blessed day!

Carol Moore

Amidst Tragedy There is Hope

Many think tragedies are brought on by our sins. For example, in the book of Job, Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, believed that Job’s suffering was brought on due to some great sin that Job had committed. The three of them urged Job to seek God and repent. God has punished people for their sins, such as God punished the Israelites' to wander in the wilderness for forty years for their disobedience and unbelief. But not all tragedies are brought on by our sins.

Some tragedies are brought on or allowed to test our faith. As was the case in the book of Job in chapters 1-3, Satan was allowed to test Job’s faithfulness. Satan was certain that Job's faithfulness would fail amongst tragedies and anguish. 
How true will we be to our Lord when tragedy strikes? Will we stand firm in our faith and hold fast when tragedies strike, or will we begin to blame God, hate God, or run away from God because He has allowed such circumstances to happen in our lives?

Perhaps the tragedy is a wake-up call to shake you to your core to get you back on the right path towards God. God may use several tragedies to draw you back to Him and to get you to lean on Him for strength once again.

The tragedy could be the result of simply of living in a fallen world. A world that once was perfect, but due to the fall in the garden, the world is now in a state of suffering, decay, and death.

Or maybe, the tragedy is meant to show God's glory and to bring someone who is a non-believer to Him. 

We may never know, or we may never understand why certain tragedies befall us, but we can rest assured that God does, and He is in control. Maybe not during the tragedy, but later on in life, you will see His great love for you, His plan for you, and His goodness. Goodness, you say!? Yes, because amidst the tragedy there is hope. And that hope is in Jesus. Place your hope in Him amidst the tragedy, and He will carry you through.

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for Your great love and for the hope You gave us through Your son Jesus. A hope You have given us to be the light that leads us and comforts us during great and small tragedies throughout our lives. As you tell us in John 16:33, we know Lord that we were never guaranteed to have a trouble free life.  In fact, you tell us that we will, but we can be at peace for You have overcome the world. We thank you Lord that you will carry us through these great and trying times.

Amen.

May you have a blessed week.

Carol