Category: Courage

Jehovah Nissi - The Lord is My Banner

6/27/2015

He is still Jehovah Nissi today. He fights battles on our behalf and provides the victories. What are you battling today? Drugs, sex, abuse, anger, unforgiveness, fear, a false sense of identity? Whatever it is, God will fight this battle with you and give you victory. Do you trust Him? Are you willing to surrender control of your out-of-control life, and place your battle into His hands?

I'm writing about the game Capture the Flag, Sgt. York, and Moses over at Laced With Grace. I invite you to join the conversation over there.

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Remember to Remember

5/25/2015

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Visions of Memorial Days past are running through my mind. Marching in or standing on the curb watching patriotic parades in honor of our fallen soldiers, flags waving, Veterans saluting as Old Glory passes by. Homes decorated in patriotic buntings of red, white and blue and the smell of charcoal grills filling the air with the aroma of well done burgers and hot dogs.

It’s a day off, giving the benefit of a long three day weekend. Some travel to the beach or the mountains as a way of kicking off the premature celebration of Summer. Local swimming pools fill with children that don’t seem to mind the chilly water temperature as their parents soak up the sun’s warming rays. It’s a time of gathering with family and friends and enjoying being able to get back outside together for a leisurely picnic.

But all of this came at great expense. Men and women sacrificed their lives on battlefields and in the trenches of war, fighting for the privilege of freedom that we so nonchalantly enjoy. Their bodies lay lifeless and cold in cemeteries across America and around the world, the price they paid so we could continue to enjoy life freely.

May we all pause and remember to remember the valiant deeds of soldiers past and present, and pay homage and honor by acknowledging their sacrifice. Let’s remember to remember to pray for the families that are still reeling from the loss of a husband, a wife, a father, a mother, a son, a brother, a daughter, a sister. Their long weekend is yet another series of long days marking the passing of their loved one, their hearts screaming out, “Don’t forget my loved one not only died, but he had a life. I want you to know my loved one. Ask me about his life, talk about him. Remember to remember him. Please don’t forget him!”

How easy it is to forget sacrifices made for the sake of freedom. Perhaps that is why we were given the instructions as a body of believers to observe communion regularly. We are to be stirred up to remember to remember the sacrifice Christ made, the shedding of His blood so we could be free from the penalty of sin and enjoy a life lived in honor of Him. We’re to remember to remember to proclaim His death until He comes again.

“And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, ‘
This is My body, which is for you;
do this in remembrance of Me.’
In the same way He took the cup also, after supper saying,
‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
1 Corinthians 11:24-26

This Memorial Day, examine your life. Are you remembering to remember our fallen soldiers? Are you remembering to remember the sacrifice of our Savior? What are you doing to honor those who have paid the price for your freedom?

Father, it’s easier to forget than it is to remember the sacrifice You and others have made for me. Help me to remember to remember, and to live a humble life that exemplifies a heart of gratitude towards all that have paid freedom’s price. I love You.

Your Humbly Grateful Daughter.

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Selah....People of The Cross

4/29/2015

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We pray with the families whose loved ones have been abducted or martyred. God we ask that You would strengthen, comfort, and embolden them in this hour. Please surround them with Your saints to help lift and carry their burdens. Give them faith-filled intercessions and hear them according to 1 John 5:14-15.

Give them the grace to forgive, so that they may be free from carrying the bondage of hatred. We stand with them and acknowledge You, Jesus, as the One to whom every knee shall one day bow. We rejoice with them in the knowledge that this world is not our home and that there will come a day when every tear is wiped away. We look forward to that day along with them. Psalm 147:3, Matthew 5:4, Matthew 6:14-15, Luke 23:33-34, Acts 7:59-60, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 13:14, Revelation 21:4,

God, we hold up the persecutors before You now and ask that You would remember the persecutor, Saul. Your mercy overcame Him and as You converted Him, You gave us Paul - a great gift to the Church. We pray that those like Saul will come to know You, God, through the suffering of those they are persecuting. We pray that complete transformation would occur by Your Spirit, and that they would be made willing to suffer for the name of Jesus as laborers of Your Kingdom. Matthew 5:43-48, Luke 6:27-28, Luke 23:33-34,
Acts 7:59-60

We pray for our brothers and sisters facing persecution. We know that You number our days. We remember the way You opened prison doors for Your saints. We remember their song in the night. We ask for Your mighty and full deliverance until the time of Your return. We remember the way You walked through angry crowds until Your time had come. Like You, Jesus, when the time comes, we ask for Your strength and courage to not give in or waver even if facing brutality or imprisonment. We pray that their spirit would not be broken, their faith would stand strong, and that Your Holy Spirit would rise up in them.
Give them joy in their homegoing with no fear or shrinking back. Give them grace to finish well. We ask for Your light to shine forth; and that Your name, Jesus, would be ever on the lips of Your saints. We pray that the life they sow would yield a great harvest and reward. We praise You as The Way, The Truth, and The Life. Matthew 5:10-12, Matthew 26:38-39, Luke 4:28-30, Luke 22:15, John 8:48-59, John 14:6, John 15:20-21, John 16:33, John 21:15-19, Acts 6:8-7:60, Acts 12:1-19, Acts 16:16-40, Ephesians 6:19-20 Colossians 4:2-4, Hebrews 10:32-34, Hebrews 11:35-40, 1 Peter 4:13

We pray for the Church in America and around the world. We ask for faithfulness and resolve to stand with those in persecution. We pray for revival. We confess our sin and ask You to forgive us. We acknowledge that we have not been mindful of the hour in which we live. We have been selfish and blind. Where we have claimed our lives are Yours, we have nevertheless lived them as our own. We humble ourselves at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ. We ask for Your healing, power, and grace to obey. We ask for unity. We stand with You, Jesus, and give our lives to You all over again. We ask for grace to live well and die well, and that from the rising of the sun to it’s going down, we would be found faithful and You would be ever praised. 2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 51:10, James 4:6-10, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 1 John 1:9

We pray for those in places of authority and government and ask that You would embolden them to protect innocent lives. That they would not be afraid to carry out holy and swift judgment to rout out evil. We ask that You would give them clear eyes, super-natural wisdom, discernment, understanding, and knowledge. Help them to embrace responsibility and act. We pray that the fear of You, the One True God would keep them moving to decree, promote, and work righteousness. Psalm 146:5-7, Romans 13:1-4,
Hebrews 11:32-34, 1 Peter 2:13-14

HEAR OUR PRAYER
Jennie Lee Riddle, Todd Smith

Ethiopian, Egyptian, Kenyan, Nigerian, US citizens falsely imprisoned in hostile countries, brothers and sisters all over the world....persecuted, and countless martyred because of their faith in Jesus. Won't you join me in praying for those being persecuted to remain strong. Pray for miraculous intervention. Pray their persecutors will come to know Jesus through their suffering. And pray that governments will understand their God ordained responsibility to protect their citizens and destroy evil.

The group Selah just released their song, "People of The Cross" about the persecuted church. It's a powerful call for all of us to stand strong and to not forget those who are enduring great persecution. The prayer below the video can even be used as a Bible study.

In February, I wrote a blog post called, "CrISIS of Faith." I included what our message in response should be, what God's response is, and a link to a pdf file on praying for the persecuted church. If you haven't read it, I encourage you to read it.

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CrISIS of Faith

2/19/2015

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Twenty-one Christian men, ISIS labeled them as "The people of the cross, the followers of the hostile Egyptian Church", beheaded. Martyred for their faith.

I would like to think we, the present day Church, are the Church Triumphant as the inspiring song by Bill and Gloria Gaither states. Sadly, many within the Church are asleep, have their heads in the sands of time, or are fearful and just don't know how to defend their faith and face the uncertain times in which we live. Is God in His sovereignty using the terrorist group ISIS and their savage attacks to awaken the lethargic, fearful, sleeping Church from our crISIS of faith? I've read the end of the book and I know that Jesus Christ and His bride the Church will be triumphant in the end, but many will lose their lives in the process for standing courageously as Christ's Church.

A message was sent by ISIS this week.
A message of intimidation and fear.

What will our message be in response?

Fear is a paralyzing emotion that robs us of our faith in the One who is our light, our salvation, and the strength of our lives. The Deceiver, the Accuser, the Intimidator, the Liar Satan himself knows this. And so he uses groups cloaked in hoods of darkness, wielding swords, and some carrying flames and gasoline, to immobilize and fill us with fear. Why do we give him such power over us? Christ already won the victory. We can face whatever trial comes our way with courage. Courage doesn't come from an absence of fear, but rather an abundance of faith. From a fleshly standpoint, it's not always easy to stand up to our fears with courage. But we can stand boldly knowing we're found in Him. Nothing touches us without first coming through Him.

The solution to this crisis of faith is to wield our own double-edged sword - the Word of God, not haphazardly hacking away at anyone who challenges us, but as a skilled warrior, for those days when we need to do hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. Allow the light of His word to penetrate your very soul, become intimately acquainted with Him. Be dressed and ready to defend your faith with courage. Put on the armor of God found in Ephesians 6:10-20.

The vast majority of us will never experience life-threatening persecution or martyrdom. But the voices of our brothers and sisters who are facing this are calling out. They're saying, "Pray for us!"

Intercessory prayer is our most powerful and strategic corporate weapon in spiritual warfare. Mark 9:29, Luke 22:31,32; Acts 1:14; Acts 2:42; Acts 3:1; Acts 4:24-35; Acts 6:4-8; Acts 8:14-16; Acts 9:40-42; and Acts 10:1-4 are just some of the places we read about the importance of intercessory prayer.

When we read Ephesians 6:18-20 we learn of the kind of prayer that brings God's deliverance and power in the midst of spiritual attack.

• Consistent Prayer (verse 18a)
• Intense Prayer (verse 18b)
• Strategic Prayer (verses 18c-20)

I've created a pdf file that will help us to pray for the persecuted church. Please feel free to download it and use it during your prayer time.

The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life -
of whom shall I be afraid? ~ Psalm 27:1

What is God's response?

To His Church, His response is:

He tells us that on this journey to the finish line, be brave, be strong, be courageous. Don't allow fear to freeze up our faith. Be the Church Triumphant, is His message to us.

I repeat, be strong and brave! Don't be afraid and don't panic, for I, the LORD your God, am with you in all you do. ~ Joshua 1:9 (NET Bible)

And to the watching world:

He may seem silent, but one day He will respond, and these will be His words:

Almighty God, I ask that you heal our land, strengthen our leaders with Godly wisdom, give us courage and increase our faith. Be with those who are living with persecution, and comfort the families of those who have given their lives for You. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

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Jehovah Nissi - The Lord is My Banner

Remember to Remember

Selah....People of The Cross

HEAR OUR PRAYER
Jennie Lee Riddle, Todd Smith

CrISIS of Faith

A message was sent by ISIS this week.
A message of intimidation and fear.

What will our message be in response?

What is God's response?

The Muser

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Jehovah Nissi - The Lord is My Banner

Remember to Remember

Selah....People of The Cross

HEAR OUR PRAYER Jennie Lee Riddle, Todd Smith

CrISIS of Faith

A message was sent by ISIS this week. A message of intimidation and fear.

What will our message be in response?

What is God's response?

The Muser

Categories

Archives

Have each new post to this specific blog page emailed to you, or use your own RSS Feed Reader.

Please Respect the Muser's Work

HEAR OUR PRAYER
Jennie Lee Riddle, Todd Smith

A message was sent by ISIS this week.
A message of intimidation and fear.