The Voice of the Martyrs...

Good morning all-

We are approaching the 4th of July where the US celebrates freedom.  I have to question if we have any freedoms anymore.  We have free speech but we remove hundred year old monuments.  We have free commerce but China owns us.  We have the right to worship but we choose not to.  And finally, we have the right to vote but we choose to neglect it.  We have rights just like the Romans did and yet, being a Roman citizen holds no weight today.  Will we be like the Roman Empire, casualty to our own stupid pride?  Let's be real, we have no power.  We are just another country who was founded on Godly principles that has lost all conviction to what we once knew.  Our currency is marked with "God We Trust." Do we?  I have many doubts on that subject.

Here is what I know for sure; we must turn back to God.  Our teenagers are being deceived and so our the adults.  We are all skirting issues that will impact our lives and those generations to come.  We need to unite and pray.  I'm tired of being afraid.  I see the warnings just like anyone else.  I'm watching radicalism sweep Europe.  There are so many defenseless countries.  What are we waiting for?  Why do we continue to pursue the things of this world over the things of God?  Even I have been chastising myself for not buckling down more.  I have made excuses about my busy life and my personal trials and still, Jesus listens to me.

Our freedoms in this life have come from provision.  There are men and women risking their lives for the Gospel.  They sneak into villages and countries just to spread the good news.  They risk everything to build a church and to get the word out.  People are being blessed because of these unknown soldiers.  They are faceless but their hearts beat for Jesus.  These men and women care more for the lost soul than their own.  People that were once lost are saved due to the dedication and passion of those mighty warriors.  

Men, women and children are dying for the Gospel.  In 2015, who would have thought that people would be tortured, beheaded and persecuted for believing in Jesus.  You can close your eyes to it but it's happening.  We may not live in one of those countries now but we are brothers and sisters with these people and we must pray for the workers.  The voice of the Martyrs is calling out to all of us and asking us to re-dedicate ourselves to the cross.  The cross was not just a despicable torture device.  The cross symbolizes the true sacrifice of the Almighty.  Paul was not afraid to die and Peter was prepared to die.  Why?  Because Christ died for them.  I often wonder if I'm prepared to die for what I believe.  I hope that if I ever face that day; I will say yes to Jesus and no to myself.  But for now, I have a choice to lift up those that are sacrificing their lives for the Gospel.  I must pray that the hearts of those that don't believe will change and that Jesus will defeat those that hate Him.  I must pray that His united body will repent and turn away from our selfish ways and that we will put him first in our hearts and minds.  Finally, I must pray that I will lead women to the cross with the passion I have for my own life.  These are our defenses.  These are our freedoms.  We can choose to stay silent or we can shout to the world that Jesus came and died for our sins.  It is by His faith alone that He became one with His father.

Love heals all things.  Love never ends.  I hear these words in my head over and over.  These are the words left to us in the Bible.  Hate destroys and is a characteristic of the evil one but love never fails. My love for you will remain always and so it was of the disciples.  Through their love we now know love, not in the romantic sense but in the commitment sense.  God loves us.  A rainbow is the symbol of God's covenant to His people.  Why then do we turn away?  It's time to really buckle down and ask God to help us to remember His words and not the laws of this earth.  The Martyrs knew His word and died for it.  Please stand with me this 4th of July all over the world and ask the God of Abraham to heal the hearts of those that hate Him.  We must stand in love for all people and let God judge.  We are not judge and jury.  We are His chosen people, scattered among the nations with one voice and one faith in our mighty Savior.

This message is not just for the US.  God's message is for every nation and every tongue all over the world.  Please ask God to protect His workers and please continue to pray for those that hate all things biblical.

The Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come!  He is real; He is power and He is love!  Pray this with me my sisters and unite to love the world.

1 Samuel 2:2 NIV  

"There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God."