God guards His own

I used to write my spiritual thoughts etc on cards and keep them in a box. The other day I was reading through some of them and came across this account of God protecting His people, which an Indian friend told my husband and I in April 2007

Two missionary girls in India went to a village one day, but on the way home it got dark so they had to sleep in the forest. In that area there were Hindu fanatics so it really wasn't a safe place to sleep out in the open! As the girls slept some of the Hindus came to take the girls' lives but they saw fifteen guards surrounding them so they thought better of attacking them, and left. 

The following day when the girls got back home, somebody told them what had happened the previous night, that they were going to be attacked but the fanatics saw fifteen guards around them. The girls said they were alone and had no guards protecting them. All through the night fifteen people had been praying for them - the fifteen guards were angels sent by God to protect the girls as they slept. 

I remember hearing about a similar thing which happened in China in the 1940s as Mao's troops advanced on a village - they by passed it because they saw soldiers surrounding it. There were no soldiers, but again God sent His angels to guard and protect the villagers.

Back to India: Many had been delivered from demons:

One such example was a demonic priest who put curses on people - a man came to him and asked him to put a spell on a woman he had fallen in love with, but when he sent out the demons to curse her nothing happened, they couldn't affect her because she was a Christian. The priest had never had a curse fail until that point. He saw that there was one greater than the demons he had been serving so he converted to Christianity. 

It may have changed now, but 20 years ago the Church in India had all night prayer meetings or early morning ones, they had prayer chains of 24 or 48 hours. They encouraged new Christians to get involved with evangelism and social work, like medical ministries in slums* and villages etc

*slums are where the untouchables live. They are outside of the Caste system because they are the lowest of the low and according to the teaching of reincarnation, anybody who is really poor shouldn't be helped because they must have done something really bad in their previous life and this is their punishment, so by helping them they're not being punished as they should be. In Hebrews 9:27 it says 'And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment...'

Reincarnation is a cruel belief (unless you are high in the caste system). We die once, then after that God will judge. There is no reincarnation. Apparently (according to my Indian friends) there are many converts amongst the untouchables because of the love and care Christians show to them. Let us be like Christ and love the unlovely. 

A note on demons - in the West we don't tend to believe in demon possessions or think it was only in biblical times this happened, but in places like Haiti and Africa where there are witch Doctors and Voodoo - it's prevalent. 

Ephesians 6: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Zephaniah 3:17

 One of my favourite verses in Scripture is Zephaniah 3:17e:

“The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

I remember as a child, music being a big part of my life. My dad would sing hymns as he worked and my mum would sing nursery rhymes to my sister and I. As I got older I would sing and I learned to play the flute. I loved listening to classical music and I remember my first LP was James Galway playing the flute - it may seem a bit nerdy, but the melodies and harmonies, intertwined to produce some of the most amazing sounds. 

I had been a Christian for a fair few years before a dear brother in Christ pointed that verse out to me - I'd never seen it before. 

Dear reader, can you imagine a thrice holy, 100% righteous God singing - actually singing over His disobedient, rebellious people? What a song of love, grace, mercy, forgiveness. I can't imagine a more beautiful song. He doesn't just sing over His people, He REJOICES with singing over us. The perfect melodies of love and peace intertwined with harmonies of grace and mercy. His rejoicing is filled with gladness with pianissimo of love - this is no cacophony of sound, this is a throne room filled to overflowing with the heart felt music of our Creator as He delights in His people. 

Father, forgive THEM

These are famous words which Jesus spoke as He hung on the cross, but have you ever wondered who the 'them' were? Let's look at some Scriptures of events leading up to His crucifixion. 

RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THE DAY

Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Matthew 26:3-5

When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

Matthew 27:1,2

The people above were the religious leaders of the day. Those who supposedly knew the Old Testament Scriptures inside out, which told them that the Messiah would come and be a sacrifice (Number 21:9;John 3:14; Psalm 22; Isaiah 53) yet they wanted to kill Jesus - this Man who had showed them up, by pointing out their hypocrisy and their sinful hearts, calling them 'white washed sepulchres (Matthew 23:27). More than likely they were at the cross watching the spectacle. 

PETER, ONE OF THE DISCIPLES 

Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

Matthew 26:34

Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!” And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.

Matthew 26:69-75

Peter, the disciple who was fiercely loyal, who declared Jesus as being THE Christ (Matthew 16:16), who said he would never deny Christ (Matthew 26:35), did deny Christ 3 times, but Jesus forgave him and after His resurrection, Peter was called to spread the message of the gospel - he was fearless in doing that, to the point where tradition has it that he too was crucified. 

THOSE WHO HELD JESUS - RELIGIOUS LEADERS, ROMANS

Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?” And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

Luke 22:63-65

So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.

John 19:1-3

Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison.  And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

Mark 15:16-20

These people went all out to hurt and humiliate Jesus. They slapped Him, mocked Him spat on Him, beat Him

FALSE WITNESSES BROUGHT TO TESTIFY AGAINST JESUS

Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.

Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.’ ” But not even then did their testimony agree.

Mark 14:55-59

THE CROWD - ORDINARY PEOPLE

But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?”
So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!”
Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?”
But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!”
So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.

Mark 15:11-15

The ordinary people who had gathered had been stirred up by the religious leaders - I have read in the past, that they may have been paid to be against Christ. We don't know who the people were, but more than likely they had probably heard Jesus preach, seen His miracles, been those who cheered when Christ entered Jerusalem on a donkey, lay palm leaves on the ground and shouted Hosanna!

All of the people above, from the religious leaders, the Roman governors, soldiers and even the disciples played their part in the arrest. The so called witnesses were liars who had probably been paid by the religious leaders. YET Jesus could look down as He hung in agony (apparently crucifixion was a slow and very painful death) and pray to His Father for forgiveness. Not forgiveness for 'nice' people, but for people who were Jesus's enemies, turncoats, traitors. NOBODY is too much of a sinner to come to the cross and ask for Jesus to turn their lives around, to give them a new heart, to have His light shine into their souls and make them ALIVE in Him! 

Until I became a Christian, I know in my heart that I would have been with the crowd shouting "Crucify Him!" because Jesus and His message is an offense to those who are perishing, we don't like to be told we are sinners BUT only Jesus can change us (Yes, we remain sinners, but sin no longer has dominion in our hearts) because He lived the perfect life we could not and died the death we deserve!

Before I became a Christian - I was one of 'them'! 

Nehemiah's Prayer in Nehemiah 1

I love the prayers in the Bible - they can teach us how we should pray. Nehemiah, in this prayer, had just found out about the state of Jerusalem. He was the king's cupbearer in a foreign country, but the Holy City of his ancestors was in a mess and it affected him greatly.

Nehemiah 1:5-11

 And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is a prayer of praise - Jesus' model prayer says that we should praise God first (hallowed be Thy name)

It is a prayer of repentance. True revival in the Church only comes with true heartfelt conviction of sin and repentance. 

It is a prayer of supplication and wrestling with God. I believe that God wants us to wrestle with Him in prayer. Nehemiah reminds God of His promise He made to Moses, not because God has forgotten, but because God wants us to understand Him and His Word, so we wrestle with Him using His promises. 

Above all it's a faithful and reverent prayer. Nehemiah remains respectful and reverent. He knows who he is coming to - his Creator and the only One who can solve this crisis. Nehemiah works for a king who has early power, but he knew that the One he was praying to has ultimate power over everything! Kingdoms rise and fall at God's command! 

Let us come to our Creator, Lord, Master, King with reverence, casting all our cares on Him. 

Daniel's Prayer in Daniel 9

 I'm going through the book of Daniel atm and this morning I read his prayer in chapter 9 and as I read it, I thought this could be a prayer for our current world today! 

Daniel 9:3-19

³ Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. ⁴ And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, ⁵ we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. ⁶ Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. ⁷ O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.

⁸ “O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. ⁹ To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. ¹⁰ We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. ¹¹ Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. ¹² And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.

¹³ “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. ¹⁵ And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly!

¹⁶ “O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. ¹⁷ Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. ¹⁸ O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

In Daniel's prayer there serious supplication where Daniel denies himself anything worldly (he fasts and puts on sackcloth and ashes - symbols of mourning, grief and sorrow).
He praises God with reminders that He is great and awesome, One who keeps His covenant. God is full of mercy with the ones He loves and who obey Him.
Daniel repents on behalf of the whole of those in captivity. They have departed from Him - i.e. from His precepts and judgements. They haven't listened to those God had sent to warn them, the prophets. They were a disobedient people.
Daniel asks the Lord to hear him, to shine upon His sanctuary which lays desolate. The supplications weren't presented because of any righteousness in the people of Israel, but because Daniel knew the Lord is merciful - slow to anger, but swift to hear. 

It would do good for all Christians in the West to pray a prayer like this one. Western civilisation is crumbling before our very eyes because we are a disobedient people. 

Let's pray for God to send His Holy Spirit in power and majesty, that many may have their eyes opened and see the glories of the Lord!  

 

Passage copied from: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%209%3A3-19&version=NKJV

Letters of Love

Billy Graham once said: 

"The Bible is God's Love Letter to the World!" 

Yes the Bible is full of some heinous things BUT God's Word doesn't gloss over our sins. What God's word does is reveal our sin sickness to us and show us the cure - Jesus Christ. 

Q. Is the world in a mess? 

A. Yes it is, we only have to open our internet browsers on news pages or read the newspaper, watch the news on TV to see how bad things are. R*pe, murd*r, domestic abuse, mass shootings, st@bbings, wars, rumours of wars, kidnappings sickness, de@th etc.

Q. Why does God allow such things if He is a loving God? 

A. God isn't a dictator - in Genesis He gave humanity dominion over the whole of the earth, He has also given each and every one of us a conscience, so we are 'without excuse' (as Romans 1 says). We live in a broken and fallen world and God has never promised us a free ride. He has never said we would never get cancer, children and babies will never get ill - sickness and de@th is part of our condition in this world and nobody is exempt! 

If God had said in His word "everyone will be cancer free and live long, healthy lives!" That wouldn't be love! God has given us the diagnosis and the cure through His word! 

This brings me to the post title - Letters of Love. I have set up a YouTube channel with that name. I am wanting to post Christian content on it. Please keep this venture in your prayers that I may honour Christ in all I do! 

Have a fabulous weekend 

Xxxx

Jesus Christ

 Jesus Christ:

• stilled the storm with speech - His creation listened to Him
• healed the Centurion's servant without even being there - distance was no problem
• fed 4,000 and 5,000 people with little resources - His resources are infinite
• healed the paralysed - the man was let down through the roof so lack of movement is no problem
• gave the blind sight - He gives the spiritually blind, spiritual sight
• made the deaf hear and the dumb speak - He does the same for us spiritually
• healed the woman - she only touched His garment
• raised the dead
• gave women back their dignity and place as God wanted it
• turned water into wine
• cast out demons - the spiritual world has NO authority over Jesus Christ
• paid the penalty for our sins while not being a sinner
• gave Himself up to death
• raised Himself from the dead