Our Country tis of thee...

Almighty Father, Worthy Lamb and Spirit of God I pray that the words that follow transplant hearts, renew minds and restore souls unto your heavenly kingdom. In Jesus' name, Amen

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Last week was one of the most painful spiritual battles of my life. I mean I kept sinning over and over and felt powerless, weak, abandoned and just plain cold. I kept imagining vain things and was actually questioning whether this whole "christian walk-thing" was for real. Lecrae once hollered in a song "satan is a beast" and now I understand. He wants you to get into that funk where you start seeing the world's actions as normal and the christian life as an impossible triathlon with no real prize at the end.

The battle rages on furiously and deception is is his best tool. This WAR is not for the faint of heart. Everywhere I turn my past entices and coos me. I know better but my flesh seems to overpower me at times. "Just one more thought, just one more day, just one more taste"....ugh. I know it is said "revenge is the Lord's" but Jesus if I meet Satan face to face I don't know if i could be civil. I felt like I was in the jaws of death (i can't be too explicit but it was deep) it was only the saving hand of our gracious Lord that saved me. Romans 8:38-39 strengthens me though check it out.

It's unbelievable how you can actually feel the battle between your flesh and the Holy Spirit taking place. I feel like the Spirit of fire within me was working overtime last week. What's so amazing is that even with the nonsense that I did find my self in God looked at my heart and saw how hard i was trying to fight it. Whether it was through listening to sermons, praying more, reading as many verses as I could muster or trying to meditate on Yahweh's word I tried it all. Even ended up attempting to fast (which you should do regularly that story is coming up someday matthew 6:5; it was a "when" not "if you decide"). Still all those attempts failed me.

Only at that desperate moment when I screamed out "Lord you know i don't want to live in the flesh why do you ignore me???" Then I felt a dark cloud lift from over my head. I skipped all my classes the next day, praised the Lord and cleaned my room which was an outward reflection of the inward turmoil and strife taking place within me. I listened to sermons as a I cleaned and then sat down and really read the word. During that time of intense attack I could hardly pick up scripture (funny how that seems to always coincide). I believe not getting complacent with the sin despite the fact that it had me in its grip is what the Father in Heaven saw. My true heart's desire to be "holy as I am holy" 1 Pt 1:15-16 or "perfect as your father in heaven is perfect"Matthew 5:48 touched Him.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." I started "ON FIRE" for Jesus this semester but school came up and snuffed out that fire and left a few embers. I believe that's what led me to slip down that slippery slope but with the Lord's help I'll turn up the heat once again.

John 16:33
Christ spoke of "much tribulation" but that we should "be of good cheer" because "He has overcome the world". What was this tribulation He spoke of: some say persecution. I agree to a point. Persecution comes in many forms I'm learning some comes from thoughts residing in our own mind; others from a group of "friends" trying to implicitly get you to go, say or do something that just doesn't sit right with your soul; short mini-skirts, very-low tops (yeah i said it) and licentious perverseness that many of our youth and culture prostitute themselves with; and finally the guise of "tolerance". (there are a million and one tactics that satan uses)

That last bit of persecution is what I'd like to touch on (i'll touch on the others soon VERY soon). I was reading "What in the world is going on?" by Dr. David Jeremiah and it opened my mind to the terrors we are in (right here in America). I'm urging you to stop at your local borders and read the 20 page section in this book on Islam. I'll state this first: Jesus Christ told us to treat our enemies kindly and actually love them better than our friends Matthew 5:43-48 amongst a whole list of other verses. So i don't condone any bit of violence towards any religion, that's NOT CHRIST.

So with that, I'll get on with "tolerance".
2 Corinthians 2:11 " in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. "

2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Ephesians 6:11
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes

--->America has been fooled into thinking that other religions and their practices are harmless to our way of life as long as they do their own thing and nobody steps on each others toes. To me that's like putting a pack of dogs together with a limited amount of food. Eventually the food starts running low, grunts are exchanged and then a vicious fight ensues. Dr. Jeremiah speaks about a term used in the muslim circles called "Fatah" which is infiltration, moving into a country in numbers large enough to affect the culture; taking advantage of tolerant laws and accommodative policies to insert the influence of Islam.

Dr. Jeremiah also distinguishes Islam from Christianity, the koran from the bible and the question of whether islam is peaceful. Which, he poses a series of questions and observations about their koran which make it hard to believe that it is. It's hard for me to understand why as Dr. Jeremiah states no muslim country will allow freedom of religion and speech within their country but we as a country founded on a belief in Jesus Christ are "tolerating" this slow but deceptive work within our country.

I'm willing to talk to any muslim and have a heart to heart talk about why Jesus Christ is THE ONLY WAY. Dr. Jeremiah wraps up the chapter by saying that the best way to counter the threat of Islam is to pray more for muslims, share our testimonies with them, our love for them (which involves testifying about Christ Jesus) and genuinely caring for them. It may seem weak but God's Love is that powerful.

I began talking about my own inner struggle and shared the faithfulness of Jesus Christ in delivering me but if you zoom out the country is going through a catastrophic battle itself. Now the end of time has been predicted but that doesn't mean we should give up loving and throw our feet on the couch and watch sparks fly. It's time we start getting out of our comfort zones and blessing those in other religions with the sweet passionate, intimate life of Christ. I'm not saying it's easy but take that leap of faith and let the Holy One lead you.

Lord Christ Jesus, I know you are more than able to save souls. We can do nothing of ourselves. We can only share the gospel with others in hopes that you see it fit to open their eyes and soften their heart to your greatness. Blessed Savior we "put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering" Colossians 3:12 in hopes that you will save those around us and sanctify this nation. In Christ the Messiah we pray, Amen.