A Martyr's Final Poem.

Fatima was in her early twenties and lived in a strong fundamental town in Saudi Arabia.  She had finished college and had a job.  Fatima had been raised in Islam, but couldn’t make a connection with God.  Seeking Him out through the internet she found that other Muslims were having dreams and visions of Jesus and had converted to Christianity.  She began to pray that she, too, would have dreams and visions of Jesus.  She read all that she could and met other Christians on line and became a follower of Christ and was even maturing as a Christian through mentoring on the net.  All of this took place while never being able to attend a regular church service.   

Once we submit ourselves to Jesus, our physical countenance changes due to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us.  The fruit of the Spirit becomes very evident…even to non-believers. See Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 4:22-24  

One day, her brother, who was a member of the secret police, began to be suspicious of her.  While she was gone to work, he began to search through her computer and found that she had been frequenting Christian websites.  He then confronted her, asking her if she had become a Christian.  She told him that she had become a follower of Jesus Christ.  He took away her phone, told her to go to her room and in two hours he was going to kill her in the presence of her family.  She went to her room and wrote a poem on her computer, which he had left in the room.  (A Martyr’s Final Poem is halfway down the page on the linked page.)  At the end of the two hours, her brother dragged her into the street and killed her but not before doing terrible things to her. 

 

She, no doubt, is in Heaven with Jesus now.  She inspires me to be even more devoted to Jesus than ever. 

Here in the States we are persecuted, but not anywhere near the degree to which some Christians are persecuted around the world.  It makes the persecution here look like child’s play compared to a martyr’s death!  Don’t shrink back when the Holy Spirit is leading you to share about Jesus.  The persecution we might receive is nothing compared to Fatima’s death…and so many others like her.  Remember that eternity in Hell is nothing that you should want for anyone.  Share Jesus with as many as you can.

Fatima’s faith and trust in Jesus are awe inspiring!  I look forward to meeting her in Heaven some day.! She’s quite an inspiration!

Are you living life for...

You know…it would be so easy to live life just for the moment without any cares or worries of consequences…at least for a while.  The trouble with that is that sooner or later, we will reap what we have sown…good or bad!

Of course God wants us to enjoy our lives, but He also wants us to live with purpose and self control.  Living without any regard to consequences is actually very dangerous.  You never know when the breath that you take may be your last.  That’s why we should live eternally minded.  Heaven and Hell!  Yes, they both exist.  Which place are you planning to take up residency for eternity?

James 4:14-15 talks about how our lives here on earth are but a vapor that’s here only for a little while and then vanishes.  It also says that because we don’t know how long we’ll be here, we should say “If the Lord wills, we’ll do this or that.”  Just think about it.  If this life is as a vapor compared to eternity…eternity is a crazy long time!  I know that I know that I know that I’m spending eternity in Heaven.  And…although I still make mistakes, my goal is to be in the Lord’s will for my life…living a life led by the Holy Spirit. 

It is the Lord’s will that none would perish, and come to repentance.  2 Peter 3:9  The trouble is that so many don’t know or maybe don’t want to know who Jesus is. There could be a million reasons why people don’t want to know Jesus.  But even though they choose not to know Him, He still loves them and wants them to come to repentance and be saved.  However, your choice is your choice.

Jesus said; I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:6

Are you living life for the pleasure of the moment or are you living it eternally minded?

Do live your life as if there’s no tomorrow, but don’t live it carelessly.  Choose to know Jesus.  Choose Heaven for eternity.  Choose to live a Spirit led life.  I assure you it will not be boring!   

Don't settle for the shades of grey...

In darkness we cannot see color...only shades of grey and black.  Only light allows us to see the true color of those things surrounding us.  When we are in the dark spiritually, we cannot see the “true color,” if you will, of who Jesus is.

Twenty some years ago and beyond, I was a mess.  I had been saved as a child, but didn’t have a serious relationship with the Lord.  I had prayed for a miracle to happen in my life.  I was so depressed, it was hard for me to get out of bed and do anything.  I didn’t want to live.  But…this particular morning, I was standing in front of the mirror in my bathroom getting ready for work.  All of the sudden, in the spirit, I saw a black cloud rip down the middle. (Later in life I understood this cloud to be the veil that kept me from seeing God.  Matt. 27:51-53)  It’s as if the cloud was so dense that it actually had to be cut.  In a moment, I saw things in my life so differently.  It was the Light of the Lord shining through to me. (John 8:12)  Instantly I was healed of depression and had a whole new outlook on life.  My life was changed that day.  The Light from the Lord revealed a beautiful colorful world…a world that was once a drab, dark and had no “color”…no life…a lifeless life.

The thief does not come except to steal, kill and destroy.  I (Jesus) have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.  John 10:10

Years ago when my son was small, we had to take shelter in the basement of our home due to the threat of a tornado.  We keep a small black and white TV there so we can monitor the weather.  It’s not hooked up to the satellite.  It’s the kind that has the antenna on it so you can move it around to get better reception.  When my son watched that TV for the first time, he thought something was wrong with it because it had no color.  That’s how life is without Jesus.  Life makes no sense without Jesus.  Without the Light of the world, we’re unable to see the true colors of life.  Everything is black or shades of grey, dingy, negative and ugly.

Don’t settle for a colorless life.  Don’t settle for the shades of grey and darkness that the world settles for.  Let the Light of the world in allowing your world to be illuminated and full of color…and joy!  Allow Jesus into your life. 

Steward :: to manage or look after another's property

Are you being a good steward with  all that God has blessed you with? 

Some want a new house; do you take care of the house that you have already been blessed with?  Some want a new car; does your car look as if a garbage truck pulled up and dumped a load of garbage in it? 

steward ::  to manage or look after another’s property

Everything that we have in this life we have because the Lord has allowed us to have it.  Everything in this world is His. Colossians 1:16, John 1:3  We are simply managing it…or being a steward of it.

How many times have we, ourselves, told our children that until they take care of what we’ve given them, we won’t give them more?  It the same with our Heavenly Father. Take care of what God has given you.  Don’t squander your money on frivolous things.  Are you helping to take care of the poor?  Deuteronomy 15:11, Proverbs 29:7, Proverbs 14:31

If He’s allowed you to run a business, run it to the best of your abilities.  If He’s allowed you a car, take care of it…whether it’s a new car or new to you.  Our attitude about how we steward things will show in the way we take care of whatever it is the Lord has allowed us to have.  If your car, house or yard is a pit, maybe you don’t really value what the Lord has given to you.  How can you expect to be given more?  Joel Osteen told of places that he has visited in Africa.  They were only huts that people lived in…unlike the homes that we live in…which could be considered mansions to someone living in a hut.  Anyway, he said that even though they had floors of dirt, the places were spotless. 

Take care of what the Lord has allowed you to steward no matter how old or how new, small or large it is.  Our Father in Heaven truly wants to bless us.  Be a good steward.

Remember it...use it...believe it!

Yesterday, I was chatting with a friend about dogs and a specific memory came to my mind about an incident that I had with a seemingly unruly dog.

Years ago I was in Oklahoma visiting my husband’s parents when I decided to go for a run.  I got a couple of miles down the country road and decided to head back.  I was still quite a way from their home when suddenly a Rottweiler came running towards me and it was foaming at the mouth.  I have to tell you I’m not a fan of that particular breed of dog because of the stories that I’ve heard…stories that were similar to the situation I found myself to be right in the middle of at that moment.  Instantly I was frightened.  I didn’t think.  I simply acted out of instinct.  In fact, I found myself to be surprised at my own reaction.  I yelled at the dog, “Stop in the name of Jesus!  Go home!”  The dog stopped and looked stunned.  He looked at me for a few moments as if to reason out the situation and then turned around and headed back up his driveway.  I watched him cautiously until I felt safe to continue on and headed back to the house without incident. 

The name of Jesus is so very powerful!  Matthew 28:18-20 speaks about how Jesus was given all authority in Heaven and Earth and when we accept Him as our Savior, we are in Him and He is in us, we have the authority in His name.  In Colossians 1:12-14, (See also 2 Corinthians 5:21) Paul speaks of how Jesus has enabled us to share in His inheritance.  We are co-heirs with Christ.  So not only do we have the authority to go through all the Earth and make disciples for Jesus, we also have the authority against evil and the powers of darkness as well as others that I won’t go into now.   

Now, I’m not trying to say that this dog is evil.  I am, however, sure that this dog wanted to cause me harm.  I used the authority that I have in Jesus’ name to protect myself from harm.  Because I believe it and spoke in Jesus’ name, that dog obeyed.  I’m grateful that I not only knew that, but was also able to apply it to my situation.

Remember as a follower of Christ, the authority you have in His name. Remember it…believe it…use it!  He will never fail you. 

Testing and Trials

It’s when we follow God’s leading to do the unpopular thing that we not only find out who we are, but we find out who our true friends are.

Last year in October, I was praying…asking the Lord where I could volunteer.  Much to my surprise he led me to get a job at Sam’s Club.  I can tell you I was very surprised.  I wasn’t looking for a paying job, but at the same time I knew that I needed to be obedient.  The next day while doing some shopping there, I said to the Lord, “If this is truly where You want me to be, I pray that I will see my friend and that not only will she say hello, but that she’ll greet me with a hug.”  Now this friend of mine does work there, but very rarely did I ever see her.  Literally within 5 minutes of me saying that prayer, she walked by me, said hello and greeted me with a hug!  I had no excuse to keep me from getting a job there.  I can tell you this, working as a cashier at Sam’s Club was not something that was on my bucket list…not because I think I’m above that job, because I’m not.  It just wasn’t something that I thought was in my future.  God is full of surprises!  J

Everything laid aside, I plunged into work there with the idea that working through the holiday season would be it for me…although I did keep my mind open to all possibilities of the Lord’s will. 

Working there, to me, was a great opportunity for allowing the love of God to be seen in me.  My hope is that’s what they saw!  But not only that, it was a time for me to learn to be content with where the Lord had me at that moment.  Let me tell you, although I passed many of the tests, I don’t believe that I passed every test in that area…just sayin’!!  It allowed me to see things in myself that I needed to change and that’s a good thing. But, interestingly…it allowed me to see who my true friends were as well.  I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to realize that some folks didn’t really want to associate with me while I was in my “cashier” role.  Hmmm…interesting…I’ll leave it at that.

When you find yourself in a place where the Lord is testing and growing you, know that He is doing it for your own good.  He can and will refine us and teach us through the process…that is, if we allow Him to.  He is faithful and wants only the best for us.  Trust Him…He is so very faithful!                    

Be a cheerful giver!

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or out of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.  2 Corinthians 9:7

Many years ago I was mentoring someone who was having all sorts of difficulty in their life.  This person was a Christian and struggling in many areas, finances being one of them.  I helped them to get a schedule for their bills lined up with their pay periods, taught them how to balance their checking account and encouraged them to keep up with it. 

As we were working through all of these things, suddenly this person angrily blurted out that they were tithing and they were sick of tithing because they weren’t seeing a dime of increase from their giving.  I was shocked!  At that point I asked a few questions and then went on to tell them that they might as well stop giving anything.  They looked at me very perplexed.  I went on to explain that God wants us to be cheerful in our giving.  If we cannot do what He has asked us to do with a cheerful heart, we may as well not do it at all. 

In the Old Testament (Malachi 3:6-12), God commands us to give the first ten percent of our gain to the storehouse.  But, the New Testament doesn’t give a specific amount to give.  One example that Jesus used is of the widow giving two mites in Mark 12:41-44.  Even though she had given less than those who were wealthy, she had given all that she had and given it cheerfully and without show.  I believe that Jesus wants us to give with a cheerful heart.  If we give what we have purposed in our heart, but do it grudgingly, we’re not giving freely or with a cheerful heart.  Cheerful obedience is the key.

God doesn’t need our money or things.  Everything in this world is His.  What we have in our personal possession are things that God allows us to have.  It’s our job to be good stewards of what he has allowed in our possession.  Be generous with your time, things, finances, etc.  I remember a time when I felt like the Lord was challenging me to be more generous with my time.  It’s not just finances that we should be generous with.  It’s our lives we should be generous with.  I see myself as being nothing without Jesus Christ.  All I have, all I am I owe to Him and I can never repay Him for His generosity towards me. 

I encourage us all to be generous givers of all that we have to offer…and to be cheerful givers.  That’s what the Lord asks of us.