SelahV Today by hariette petersen

Beyond Comprehension: Persecution of Christians

I know Jesus told us it would happen.  But when I see the photos of a little 5 year-old girl in a sweet little ruffled dress, being held up without a head because ISIS barbarians severed it from her little body... well, it's more than my brain can grasp.  When I see a photo of a 7-year-old boy dangling from a noose with his pants pulled down, my brain explodes with horror.  My heart screams for God's intervention. When a priest gives the account of a child being cut in half by these sadistic monsters, my mind cries out in anger.

"Stop the madness."

But it continues.

It's reported that countless Iraqi women are being raped, little 7 year-old girls being married off to madmen.  Reports that ISIS buried alive over 500 women and children.  Thousands upon thousands have already been slaughtered, maimed and mutilated.  It's horrendous.  It's a nightmare.

Meanwhile, we take selfies, and watch the exhibition football games.  We swim. We eat bountiful meals. We waste water with squirt guns and water balloons as babies and women and children dehydrate on a mountaintop and die of thirst after fleeing death sentences from ISIS.

Then, in Gaza, their Hamas brethren lob over 3,400 rockets at Israel from hospitals and schools, all the while using children and Palestinians as human shields. There is no condemnation for their actions.  But Israel is lambasted by the press, the President, and protestors because Israel defends herself and tries to take out the rocket launchers.  And many Muslims in America support these people who claim to want all Jews, Christians, and non-Muslims dead.

Evil. Hatred. Atrocities. When ISIS comes here (and many say they're already here), will the U.N. condemn us for protecting our own, like they condemn us for wanting to protect our borders from invaders?

A seven-year-old boy holds up a severed head like it's a trophy and we ask "what do we do about it?"

We ban Bibles in Navy hospitality hotels. We ban prayer in malls and public places. We ban the name of God and His Son Jesus from speeches, and restrict faith conversations in every arena.  We condone more and more sin and accept it as norm. We let our own government tell us we cannot put up crosses or place nativity scenes on public spaces because it may offend a tiny percentage of people.

And we wonder why evil thrives?

Evil exists.  ISIS didn't invent it, nor did Hamas.  It began when Satan tried to elevate himself above God.  It entered this world when man chose to listen to Satan and disobey God-- to value his own desires more than the Lord's commands. It multiplied when the world followed after its own way and rejected God, forgot God, eliminated God from life.

So, I am crying on the inside...mourning the atrocities of man...the slaughter and the plight of the Iraqi Christians, as well as the perpetual war upon Israel. Evil abounds and my heart is twisted in knots. But, I read God's Word and am reminded:

"Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him, and He will act,

making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.

Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him;
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the man who carries out evil plans.

Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.
For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land." Psalm 37:5-9

Jesus is my hope and refuge. His blood was shed for my sin, and replaced it with His righteousness. I'm grateful the LORD holds these blessed persecuted Christians in His arms of love.  I'm smiling on the outside...grateful for the blessings of God, but still, I can't help crying on the inside. In life, spiritual battles rage on, but the war has been won.  For Jesus said, "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world." John 16:33

May God calm the storm within the hearts of those being persecuted around the world.  May He calm the storms within our hearts as we sit so far away praying and feeling so helpless. May He draw more unto Himself. Come, Lord Jesus, come. Fill us with Your peace.

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BLINDED TO BLOSSOMS

I noticed the lone surviving lavendar plant from the twelve I had planted (5 years ago). It had wild morning glories twisting its way amongst its purple stems--what a stranglehold it had.  I'd seen the daisies clustered behind my pecan trees, but their presence did not bring the usual excitement typical for me.  From my kitchen window, I barely gave a glance to the array of giant Foxgloves growing by the fence.  A smile...a nod of praise to the Lord for their perennial presence in my life.  Scripture came to mind..."Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Luke 12:27

Yeah, Lord; I know.  But lilies don't have chronic back pain, I reasoned.  And lilies don't outgrow their attire.  And lilies don't get bronchitis.  And lilies don't have company coming and have a tub to scour and tables to dust. 

Recent weeks of pain had robbed me of enthusiasm.  Oklahoma's sweltering heat discouraged a walk outside.  A messy neglected house simply did not deserve a bouquet to grace the dining-room table cluttered with bills, books and my grandchildren's art renderings. Thoughts of company coming this weekend and the need to clean my home gave little room for musing about the backyard.  All I saw was the need to mow the lawn, the desire to secure my hammock before my friend arrived on Saturday.  Then...

...then my granddaughters came to visit.  They skittered to the patio doors and spotted the giant multi-colored foxgloves.  Maroon, magenta, peach, and pink.  They saw the purple Rose of Sharon.  The "oohs and aahs" punctuated the air with awe and wonder.

"Grama, did you know you had flowers out there?" Haylee informed me. "Can we pick some?"  Within moments she and Kinsey emptied a basket of its wooden blocks and found their scissors and headed out the door.  Normally, I would grab my camera and follow them.  Yesterday I simply slid the door closed to keep out the flies and bees and headed back to my recliner, grabbed a tissue and waited out my three-minute coughing spasm.  My head hurt.  My chest hurt.  My stuffy nose leaked out of my eyes as tears covered my cheeks.

I sat there thinking how little I cared about flowers.  But how wonderfully warm and soothing it felt to have my granddaughters visiting.  Their mom had kept them at bay for days because I'd been feeling so lousy.  And now, their enthusiasm and joy touched a need inside me I had not realized was there.  I knew the girls would soon bounce through the doors with their basket of glory, so I got up and went to the kitchen and filled a clear bowl with water.  I went back to my recliner, blew my nose and waited.

Before the afternoon was over we'd had a teaparty, sat cuddled together watching Popeye and Ben Ten, drank hot chocolate and talked about Vacation Bible School coming up next week.  Haylee was particularly excited.

"I can hardly wait.  We are going exploring.  It won't be like when we went to Australia and saw the animals, or the other year when we, uh...I can't remember now, but we are going to some place new."

"I think you are going to New York this year," I informed.

"WHAT!  Wow, that will be fun!  That's where the big buildings are, and...", and on and on she exolled all she knew about New York City.  "But we don't really go there," she reminded me, "we just explore it in pretend."

I thought about that precious moment.  The wonder of a child.  The expectations. Life.  Joy oozed out of every pore.  Kinsey was caught up in the excitement even though she had no idea why.  Joyous memories of past VBS explorations thrilled Haylee and provoked undiluted positive anticipation.  Oklahoma's heat didn't matter.  Insects didn't matter.  And I'm certain if she had a Summer cold, it would not matter.  Life was a bouquet of grandeur and a rainbow of promise.

Oh, to be young again.  Oh, to let my spirit ride the wings of butterflies and bumble bees.

Later, when the chatter, the joy and the busyness of two little girls surrendered to the stillness of the house, I could not help but stop and try to smell the blossoms in the middle of my dining room table. I'd been all but blinded to the array of maroon, magenta, purple and pink blossoms before my granddaughters came to visit.

"From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." Psalm 8:2

What a blessing to have the lips of children.  The hope in their hearts.  God knew this day would come when Satan tried to rob me of health, to blind me to the blessings of His glory.  God knew that when each seed from every flower in my backyard died last fall and burst forth in new life this Spring that the girls would come and marvel at their splendor.  God knew they'd offer praise because of the enemies in my life--weariness, illness, and depression.  He knew.  And so He prepared for this day for me to see the blossoms of His love.

How about you?  Do you see Him today?  I hope so.

PRAYER:  Lord, give those who are weary.  Those who are blinded by the sin of life.  Those who cannot lift their eyes.  Give them a child to come and show them the way...to offer praise for Your goodness...to remind them of Your watchcare and to silence the foe and avenger in their lives.

WHEN THE DEVIL SPINS A TALE

...HE USES SCRIPTURE.  In the Garden with Eve, in the wilderness with Jesus...in life with us.  He has minions.  We do not struggle against flesh and blood but with the powers of darkness...and some people are being used of Satan at this very moment.

Some people have a way of taking the most positive of testimonies and turning it into something negative and sordid.  They can cast doubt where none exists. They trash Biblical faith with twisted lies and half-truths.  They implant innuendo and falsehood into the minds of innocents, and further confound the confused.

They tell children to practice safe-sex rather than to remain celibate till they marry.

They tell children that family is not what it use to be--it's obsolete--and can be anything we make it in the eyes of God.

They write colorful books, produce comical movies, and implant ungodly ways into the mind of young and old, alike, as to what is right and wrong in the eyes of God.

They extol science as gospel and theory as fact.

They entice the masses with tales of prosperity and pie-in-the-sky blessings.

They seduce with power, status, and indulgence.

They spin webs so full of temptation and deception that the wisest among us can be caught in their grasp for a season. 

They teach that all people are God's children when He only adopts those who believe in Him, trust in His Son, and live by His commands.  

The devil can turn quite a tale when he has such minions amongst us.

Beware of false teachers, my friends.  In the end times there will be many of them.  Do not be led astray by false doctrines and half-baked messages with diluted truths.

Only Jesus saves, only Jesus recreates a lost and dying person into a saved and living one.  Only Jesus casts out the darkness--He is the Light and the Way and the Truth.  No one comes to the Father except through Him.  Heaven is a beautiful place, prepared for those who believe in Him and trust in Him and follow His commands.  Narrow is the gate and few will find it because so many follow the crowds of deception and self-satisfaction.  Be one with Jesus today.  His Sheep shall hear His voice, and all other voices are but clanging cymbals.  selahV

MY SHEEP WILL HEAR MY VOICE

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL

WHEN THE DEVIL DANCES

ENEMIES UNDERFOOT

Do you have an enemy?  Is someone desperate to disparage you...to bring you down and rip you apart?  Is your every move--every word--being held suspect to the world around you?  Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the destructive forces you face?  Don't lose heart.  If you are a child of God, you will face these adversaries...but you are not alone.  Each trial you face must pass through the hands of God before they come to you.  God knows you are able to do all things through Him who strengthens you.  He knows He is able to keep you in your weariness and your weakness.  He knows that which you have committed unto Him.  He knows your situation; remember?  Not a sparrow falls to the earth without His knowledge.  He knows what you are going through.  He knows.

Sometimes I drone on and on about the sufficiency of God and how powerful He is in my life. Time and again I stand amazed at His provision and strength.  Yet, as a writer I tend to be a bit verbose in my praise and adoration.  May I offer to you a few words of one who is known for his truisms that cut deeply to the chase, with illustrative analogies straight out of scripture?   

"For He hath put all things under His feet. But when He saith all things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things under Him." 1 Corinthians 15:27 
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:  "God has given us kingdom authority.  Jesus said, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy:  and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:). When problems get over your head, remember they are under His feet.  You need not be discouraged when troubles strike.  It is the pathway your Savior has walked before you.  It is the way of the cross and He has the victory!"  Adrian Rogers

God knows your enemies are defeated...He has overcome the world.  Do you feel yourself cowering in a corner?  Do you cringe when you hear another's voice, hear their name?  Do you want to run and avoid meeting them?  The moment we stop running and cowering in corners...turn and face the enemy with the whole armor of God, we see Him move mountains.  We see His protective shield of mercy and grace, and we are able to rest in His all-sustaining power to keep us, no matter what comes our way.

PRAYER:  Lord give peace to those who face trials they find overwhelming today.  Show Yourself to them this day.  Let them be confident in Your assurance.  Let them know You are with them...You know their heartache, their fear.  Help them see their enemies beneath Your throne.  Help me do likewise.  I need You, Lord.  In You I put my trust.  selahV 

What grace is there?

...in condemnation?  in judgmental accusations?  in tale-bearing?  in gossip?

While others do these things to us, are we to return the favor?  Or are we to stand in the righteousness of Christ and silence the critics without personal defense?  Can we not share the gospel of our living Lord without pointing fingers at adversaries?  at brothers and sisters in Christ?

"He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." Revelation 22:11 KJV

Our Redeemer lives.  Our Deliverer is coming.  May we be found faithful in our own righteousness and merciful in our own speech.  May we seek first the kingdom of God and leave the devil to dance without our partnership.  selahV

Satan Thought It was finished on Friday, then...

...Sunday dawned.  He and his angels were dancing, drinking, and celebrating the death of Jesus.  They were probably so drunk they didn't even know what day it was.  Satan heard the walls of hell tremble as the stone was rolled away.  He cried all day Sunday, then on Monday, he got up and went to work.

Satan could not destroy the Son of God.  The Son of God had just died on the cross and paid the price for man's sin.  We who believe in, cling to, and rely upon Jesus as Redeemer, are made righteous because He took our judgment for unrighteousness and made us righteous.  Jesus rose again and defeated death.  But the devil?  He must destroy the Son's message.  He must keep you from letting anyone else know about the freedom in Christ.  Satan and his demons want to extinguish the Light in you--dim it, blacken it, block it.  He doesn't want you or me to live holy lives.

So, today is Monday.  The devil is walking about like a roaring lion, stalking us, and looking for the perfect opportunity to devour us.  Don't let him fool you.  He's out to get you.  He's out to destroy your witness...rob you of joy...and tell you the victories you have on Sunday don't count on Monday.  Don't believe the lies.  

"Why Jesus Changes Water Into Wine" by hariette petersen

6 REASONS I BELIEVE IN ABSTINENCE:

1--No sense giving Satan a foothold.

2--The Bible warns against it again and again.

3--Related to 75,000 deaths a year.

4--New Brain Cells Develop as a Result of Abstinence (/link).

You can literally reverse alcohol damage to the brain by abstaining.

5--PREVENTS Unborn Babies' Brains from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. (/link) Would save $405,000 per baby in direct special services from birth to 65 years, according to San Diego Dept. of Health Services.

6--CRIMES WOULD DECREASE. (/link)

Does The Devil Make You Do It?

Yes, he does according to Dr. Dan Crawford in his book, Ambassadors On Mission, The Priority of Prayer and Proclamation. "Indeed, the devil does make us do some things."

The devil plots, plans, entices, deceives, persuades, and hinders.  While our power in Christ may supercede any the devil has, without exercising and tapping into the power we own in Christ, we are putty in Satan's hands.  We wouldn't dare walk out the door of our homes and jump in our cars wearing nightgowns and pajamas to work.  But all too often we walk out and into the world totally naked of the armor God provides to protect us from the lion who seeks the opportune time to devour us.  We are God's workmanship.  We are created for His purpose--to do His works as we dwell in Him, rely upon Him and walk in His spirit.  Why would the devil give us a pass in life to share the gospel unaltered, undiluted, unfiltered through his lies, and unchallenged by his devious assaults?  Good question.  He wouldn't.  That's why we need to pray without ceasing--always mindful of God's armor to meet the trials we face.  But armor is not enough.

Prayer covers the chinks in our armor.  Prayer partners build a stronger shield against assaults we face as Christians.  Prayer is essential.  

"You and I can be clothed in God's armor...and yet fail to triumph because we do not call upon God." James Montgomery Boice, Ephesians; An Expositional Commentary.

Ambassadors On Mission, The Priority of Prayer and Proclamation.

Worth Reading.

Worth Study.

Worth Discussion